Cycling has become a two tier sport. Last week, just two days after Philip Gilbert had become a deserving World Champion a customer who has clocked up over five thousand kilometres so far this year came into the shop. As we chatted about various things I remarked how impressive Gilbert was in the Worlds. The…
Recently I was asked 'what's the best way to get to sleep at night ?' and here are a few things that came to mind; 1 - Get up at five am. After a few mornings of getting up out of bed at five am you will have no problem getting to sleep at eleven…
Throughout Ireland many people earn names other than those chosen for them by their parents. Usually these new monikers are inspired by the actions of the person involved. There's 'The Cake', who fell into a wedding cake at a reception, 'The Runbuddy', a builder who constantly walks at a pace even Rob Heffernan would have…
This evening I stood alone on the side of a desolate windswept mountain waiting for a lone cyclist to pass by. Why, you might ask would I want to do something like that. The answer is easy. Not as in, an easy answer, but it was easy to sit in the van and drive 30k…
Last weekend whilst doing back up service on the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford I noticed quite a few people who made the 160k challenge even more difficult for themselves than it needed to have been. Preparation and energy conservation are the name of the game when it comes to a six, seven or even…
So much has been written and spoken about Lance Armstrong over the past few days that there is no point in me rehashing any of it here. Let's just say that there is no doubt whatsoever that he had the biggest budget for the 'best' doctors and coaches who enabled him to have the 'best'…
Cycling in Ireland is in the midst of a Renaissance. Not since the days of Kelly and Roche has there been so many lycra clad smooth shaven legs on display throughout the highways and byways of Ireland. But whilst the last cycling boom produced a huge influx in the numbers of racing cyclists coming through…
In life there are many lines that should not be crossed. There are a few on a bike too. The most common being the thin white one that can be found in the middle of almost any road. It sometimes seems as if the iridium lenses of cycling glasses block out the sun and the…
( Great pics of The Suir Valley 3 day can be found on www.tipperaryphotos.com ) Right now as I watch a track sprinter from Trinidad in the Olympics I am reminded of a rider who has overcome many a hard road and come out on top. Mehall 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald was doing a bit of track…
Watching the coverage of yesterdays Olympic road race from an impartial distance left a number of impressions on many a neutral observer. The evening before Sean Kelly whilst being interviewed on Eurosport once again called it spot on. He could not see the British team being able to control the entire race with such…
There is a key ingredient in cycling success that none of these elements cover and that has become overlooked to a certain degree. There is an element beyond the max wattage and heart rate, a place that many cyclists are unaware of that is a key to success on the bike.
Why do cyclists AND other sports people dope ? Amazingly given the amount of coverage drug taking in sport gets this topic is rarely covered. Until this question is given serious consideration many anti-doping efforts will fail. The simple answer is that they are cheating b******s who will do anything to win, but that…
Today we have had a number of bikes in for repair. The cause of the damage to the bikes has varied. One was driven over by a jeep, another had a saddle which was eaten by a dog, but it was the third bike in this morning which was the most unusual of all. The…
Fresh legs made the climb feel OK and we were soon over the top and passing through the Sunday Morning Mass crowd who cheered us on. You can't beat a good country Mass crowd. The town Mass crowd would just walk out in front of you.
The An Post Ras is over for another year and the withdrawal symptoms have set in. In years gone by it was only the hourly Roy Willoughby radio report and the 30 second clip on the RTE evening news that had us all enthralled. However, nowadays we have Shane Stokes' live updates on Irishcycling.com, Sticky…
Last night my friend Mickey rang. He lives in a place that locals call 'Bally' whilst non-locals add a 'poreen' to the end of it. Former US President Ronald Regan once visited and the locals still manage to get the odd free pint out of the visiting tourists in return for a tale about the…
The four worst words to be heard in a bikeshop are me-bike-is-clickin or any variation there of. It may also be described as 'me bike is screeechin' or my particular favourite 'tis like they do be a bird in the back wheel'. The reason why bike shops dread to see a bike coming in clicking…
Late September 1985. The Master (school principal) stands in front of a room full of fourth, fifth and sixth class pupils and informs them that a big cycle race is passing nearby and that if they were interested they could all walk down to Keatings cross to watch it pass. A chorus of yesses went…
My friend Anthony is a pretty good bike rider. He has won many races including the National Road race, 25 and 50 mile TT championships all in one year. He has represented Ireland at many International races and is a double Ras stage winner. This alone would be enough to be called a classy bike…