Sunshine, feel good factors, achievements and stunning scenery. All in a days cycling.
Andrea ready for take-off. Coomakista.
Third year
It’s now three years since we decided to run our own club beano on the world famous Ring of Kerry. Regardless of how many times you do this route there is always a sense of achievement. Why shouldn’t there be? it’s tough! it’s scenic, it’s challenging, it can leave you feeling anything from drained to ecstatic. Ultimately this route is 169 km of some of the best cycling Ireland has to offer.
Effort and support
It certainly takes plenty of effort to cycle a hilly 169 km from a cycling perspective, but lets focus on the back up team. This thing doesn’t just come together like a magic jigsaw puzzle. The effort the likes of John, Paul, Frankie and Clodagh have put into this day is phenomenal. Giving up their day to make our day as cyclists that little bit easier. A truly unselfish attitude.
Just a snippet of what’s involved includes:
- Calling the hotels we’re coming
- Organising and driving the vans
- Checking that the parking at the start point is Good with the Killorglin garda
- Buying the snacks and filling the water containers
- Sourcing spare inner tubes, tyres, track pump
- Taking photographs
- Organising the BBQ in the evening, plus raffle prizes and passes
- and too much more to mention
Nothing was too much trouble for these people. A quick story: when we were in Cahersiveen for the lunch stop, one of the cyclists asked Paul for some vaseline. Without questioning, he was gone and returned a couple of minutes later with a jar. Now that’s class and a great service. Well done guys you were phenomenal!
John multi-tasking
The feel good factor
For the majority of us in the club we’re pretty experienced with the Ring of Kerry cycle. In fact there were a few of the lads probably doing it for at least the second or third time this year. For others it was their first attempt and how they loved it. You could feel and see their pride, effort, satisfaction and gratification at their achievement. For other it was about personal bests, enjoyment, group collaboration and working through the pain together.
The weather was first class from start to finish. The sea-views by O’Carroll’s Cove, Mediterranean. Killarney National Park was cool and energizing. Coomakista fun and spectacular. Waterville was a lively seaside town with a buzz, our breaks in Kenmare and Cahersiveen were efficient and professional and most importantly we all got around happy and unscathed.
Our 22 group achieving great things.
Relive ‘Chain Gang RoK’
The 25 group with Charlie Chaplin in Waterville
