Each year during the third week in May several towns in Ireland reverberate to the sound of Paddy Fitzsimons voice encouraging the people of the town to ' Give a big Templemore ( or eight other town names each year ) welcome to the Men of The Ras '. ' The Ras ' holds a mythical…
What to do if you get a puncture miles from home ! 1 : Always carry at least one spare tube along with a few patches and some solution (glue) . Most people will also need a set of two or three tyre levers and of course a pump . 2 : If it is a…
Very often we have people come in to the shop who ask us for directions . Sometimes it will be a delivery driver looking for a particular street in the town or perhaps someone looking for the community partnership offices further down our block . We also get the odd tourist who may be looking…
I have often been to Kerry . Sometimes on holidays or day-trips , other times whilst racing . Every time I go there I have a new experience of where Kerryman jokes come from like ; A Kerryman rang Aer Lingus and asked how long it took to fly from Dublin to London. "Just a…
In a bikeshop , just like many rural shops you often become a mixture of salesperson , confidante , tourist information officer and directory inquires operator . After seven years standing behind the counter there are now very few situations which would surprise me . This , however was not always the case . I…
A few years ago whilst doing my bit for international relations travelling across America, I spent a few months living in San Diego, California . I worked in that most noble of professions of telemarketing . At the time San Diego seemed to be the telemarketing capital of the world . The first company that I worked…
Working in a bike shop is not like working in most other retail shops . In a newsagents and similar shops people come in , get what they need ,and leave . There may be a brief comment on the weather or just a simple 'thanks' . Transactions are undertaken in a brief business like…
The inclement weather yesterday contributed to a tough hard mans' competition in the Cycleways cup in Navan . During the first half of the race a breakaway group of ten strong men established a commanding lead . Working well together they fended off the pursuit of a well organised group behind which contained the likes…
After returning to a full season of competition last year following a twelve year lay off Geoff Macnamara produced one of the finest performances of his rejuvinated career with an impressive victory in Broadford yesterday . Using his years of experience he out foxed his two junior breakaway companions by telling them that the race…
Yesterday in Broadford Sam Bennett once again gave an impression of things to come with another impressive performance to finish second overall and first junior in the race . This was his first competitive outing on his new Ridley Damocles and he really looked like a pro on his new machine . Barry www.worldwidecycles.com
Anyone who has ever ridden a stage race , whether that be a nine day Ras or two day in Adare has undergone the 'Breakfast dilemma' . That is the option to be like a 'real cyclist ' and have plain pasta or an omelet , or to stick to your normal corn flakes or…
Back in the late eighties and early nineties the Irish cycling season began on the first Sunday in March with the Jack Woodcock Memorial race in the Phoenix park in Dublin . Riders the length and breadth of the country used to train obsessively throughout the winter months to ensure that they would arrive on…
So far this year my training regime has been almost non existent and last Sunday when I decided to go all the way with the group for the spin I suddenly remembered what it was like to really suffer . The funny thing is that , rather than put me off it only served as…
A friend of mine who works in the A & E department of our local Hospital once told me that whenever there is a full moon they are sure to have a busy night . There was a full moon over the weekend and they almost had an even busier time with the driving antics…
Cyclists in general tend to be a pretty superstitious bunch . In the dressing room before a race it is not unusual to see a kit bag being turned upside down with all of the contents being emptied out onto the floor . This is followed by a chaotic rummaging followed by a last resort…
After 21 years as a racing license holder Mehall 'Fitzy 'Fitzgearld has announced his retirement from competition . This is surely the end of an era as one of the most controversial figures in Irish cycling hangs up his wheels . From a young age on his Lejeunes BMX he could be seen terrorising the…
Many people in Irish cycling know Vinny Cronin . He is a good buddy of Sean Kellys' and it can be easy to see why . He never looks comfortable on the bike but always hangs in no matter how hard it gets . He is as hard as nails and has covered thousands of…
Well , it's that time of year again , when the turkey is all gone and the pounds have been put on . Some people have been putting in the miles like Rory and Hugh who did over 900 miles in the two weeks surrounding Christmas . While others such as myself were lucky to…
This can be a very confusing time of the year in a bike shop . Not only are you trying to keep track of all of the kiddies bikes which are being put on lay-away but you must also be able to speedily decipher each individual parents version of the Santa System . Early on…
There are many different characters in the world of Irish cycling . Some like to live a quiet and subdued lifestyle with little or no speedbumps along the way . There are others , however , who live on the edge . Those who always make an impact on those around them . They live …
