8 am yesterday morning Jamie calls to the door, we hop into the van and hit for Dublin. The Giro was on it's way and so were we. It was a while since we met up so there was plenty of chat and gossip to catch up on during the journey. Newlands cross appeared after…
After a very enjoyable trip to Rathkeale to ride the Southern Heritage Trail last week I was left with a taste for more Greenway cycling adventures. This week I found myself in Galway midweek so decided to head on up to Westport just over an hour and a half further north to try out the most…
Did you know that there is a cycle map designed that would enable you to travel throughout pretty much every country in Europe on specific cycle routes. All of the details can be found here at 'Eurovelo' Ireland has 2 Eurovelo Routes. One called Eurovelo 1 stretches from the border in Donegal all the way…
Yesterday I attended a one day seminar by Gerry Duffy in Dublin. For those who never heard of Gerry he is a Mullingar man who along with Ken Whitelaw has raised over €300,000 for Irish Autism by running 32 Marathons in 32 Days and who won the Deca Ironman event in the UK. That's 10…
1 : Use your gears. Don't struggle in a gear in the middle of the cassette just to have a few gears left in reserve if you get in trouble further up the hill. By trying to 'save' a few gears you will get in trouble. - 2 : Be willing to suffer. Know…
Have you ever found yourself in a situation and thought to yourself 'This is a bit surreal' ? I found myself in one of those situations recently when I was sitting with Sean Kelly and who came along but Sam Bennett. We chatted away and then Sean asked Sam what his programme of races was…
Barry www.thecyclingblog.com
1 . Always sprint on the drops. You will be safer and faster unless it's a steep uphill finish when it's acceptable to use the hoods. 2. Look where you're going. Keep watching where you are going and what's in front of you. 3. Train for sprinting. You will never become good at something that…
On my first day in secondary school as I walked into the yard of The High School in Clonmel I bumped into the late Patrick Kennedy, the grandson of a neighbour from Grange. It was good to see a familiar friendly face and he brought me over to meet a few of his friends. He…
Today in the shop Ray, John and I huddled around the small screen of an iPhone hoping that no customer would walk into the shop for the next five minutes. Commercially this is not a good attitude to have, we depend upon our great customers to make a living but normal everyday life was now…
One busy Saturday afternoon these two people walked in separately into our Clonmel bike shop. Whilst browsing through the selection of bikes their eyes met over a set of handlebars and they struck up a conversation. Fast forward a year a half later to September last and a wedding that was initiated in a bike…
Is the Trek Domane (pronounced Doh-Mah-Nay) the perfect bike for Irish roads ? That was the question that I had going around in my head after first seeing one in the flesh last year. The reviews online suggested that it might be. The info and sales pitch on the Trek website were convincing that it…
This week I was fortunate enough to again attend the An Post Sean Kelly Chain Reaction team training camp in Calpe on the coast of Spain. It's always nice to start the year with a taste of some sunshine cycling and to shorten the Irish winter. There are some new faces on the team in…
As a child I learned how to check the direction of the wind by sucking my baby finger and holding it up in the air. The side that felt cold first was the side where the wind was coming from. Times change and now I press the accuweather app on the screen of my iPhone…
Cycling is a fantastic sport for any child to become involved in. It keeps you fit and healthy, it teaches you independence and discipline, it gives you a sense of identity and you make friends that you keep for the rest of your life. At the height of the Kelly/Roche era Cycling Ireland had a…
It is often thought that there is an added degree of safety in numbers. When walking down a dark side street it certainly makes sense but how true is it out on a bike ? Roads nowadays are busier than ever before. Not just with more cars but also with more people out on…
Life is so full nowadays that we rarely get a chance to take a break from its momentum. For many the day begins with a sleepy arm outstretched whilst a hand searches for a smooth rectangular object. A button is pressed and a screen lights up. Emails are checked for important work updates that just…
Cycling is the ultimate 'pay it forward' sport. Experienced riders are always willing to give help and advice, sometimes when it is asked for and other times without it even being requested. Soak it all up and ask plenty of questions. Almost every club or training group in the country has a few riders who were good in their day, and many who still are.
(Lance Armstrong in Clonmel during the 2009 Tour of Ireland) Everywhere you look cycling is making headlines at present, and the racing season in Europe hasn't even begun yet. But of course it's not the racing thats grabbing headlines, it's Lance Armstrong and his recent ride up the Col de public opinion…
Mudguards are only for kids bikes, or so many a battle hardened bike rider might tell you. For years we all heard about training groups in exotic locations like Dublin who wouldn't let you join them in winter without mudguards. But we wondered if this was just an urban legend. Then some of our group…
