Club updates and spins

A very good day to you all. What a busy week we had with club racing and our main event Tour de Lough Derg. Below is just a brief report of the week.

Club Racing, road race no.3

Thursday last we held road race 3 in the road race series. It was a lovely evening for racing albeit a bit breezy. Joey Donnelly took a fine win in a sprint finish to the line. Congrats Joey on the win. Well done to everyone who was out racing on the night and well done to everyone who helped on the night with marshalling, timekeeping and thanks Vic for the great photos which you can see in the link here

 

NTW Tour de Lough Derg 2018, what a day…

We had an extremely busy few months in the lead up to our club Tour de Lough Derg and Sunday the day arrived and greeted us with blue skies and sunshine.  Sign on began at 8am and all hands were on deck to help. We had three groups on the road, two controlled and one uncontrolled for those who wanted to get a really fast training spin in. The first group departed the Lakeside hotel at 9am, the second at 9.45am and the scorchio group departed at 10.30am. Each group had designated road captains and a lead car driver with radios to keep the group safe, call obstacles and control the pace. We had a half way food stop at Portumna forest park and enjoyed some very welcomed refreshments from the very friendly helpers making sure everyone was quickly looked after. After the food stop we departed Portumna forest park on the homeward leg of our tour that took us over the rolling hills of Terryglass, Ballinderry and Coolbaun, some very challenging hills indeed but everyone got over them ok. After a short regroup in Puckaun we headed on towards Nenagh from where the groups could finish the tour at their own leisure or whatever pace they wanted. We really got to stretch the legs once we got on to the Esker line but once hitting Newtown we knew what was looming in the not so far distance, Portroe hill. A testing short climb of 1.7km long that has a little stinging kick of roughly 12% avg grade and at the end of such a tough route it feels like 22%!! Its tough for anybody at any time but after a tough over 100km in the legs and after doing all the previous climbs around the lake edge, it’s was no easy feat with the bodies so tired! Once at the summit of Portroe hill it was lovely rolling roads back to Ballina to the Lakeside hotel. After showers and use of the Leisure centre we enjoyed some hot food and sandwiches upstairs in the hotel. A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all.  Thankfully it all went off smoothly with everything going to plan and even the weather was on our side…

We have so many people to thank who made our day the success it was. Thanks to the committee for their months of hard work organising the tour and all the time they spent making our tour safe and successful and enjoyable. Thanks to all our valued members and their family members for helping at the food stop in Portumna and thanks for making all those sandwiches, there was no shortage this year and they went down a treat indeed and you looked after the groups fantastically. Thanks to our Marshalls at Portumna forest park for directing the group in and out safely from the food stop. Thanks to the Lakeside hotel for their kind hospitality as per usual and thanks for the use of their changing facalities and leisure centre and for looking after our every need. Thanks to our group road captains, lead car drivers and broom wagon driver for looking after each group on the road. Thanks to Bikemarshals.ie for doing another fantastic job and looking after us all day. Your help was much appreciated as always. Thanks to our photographers, Vic, Tracy and Mike who did an absolutely super job with the photos capturing the essence of the day. A huge thanks especially goes to “Munster Medics” for saving the day and without whom our tour might not have gone ahead as the Ambulance we had booked a few months ago cancelled on us the day before the event. So huge thanks again guys!! Thanks to all our members for coming out to support our tour and thanks to all our visiting clubs for taking part and we hope you enjoyed your day with us. We enjoyed looking after you all. Finally Thanks to the North Tipperary Hospice ladies who gave up their time and changed their schedules so as they could come out to help us in Portumna at the foodstop and mingle with the cyclists. Our tour this year was in aid of North Tipp Hospice and we will be presenting them a cheque in the coming weeks. Such a worthy cause and a charity that I’m sure has touched so many peoples lives at one stage or another. Also a special word of thanks to all those who stopped up to talk to us at the hotel and the foodstop and very generously donated money to the hospice, every little bit helps!

You can see the super pics of the tour in the link here…

NTW Munster Time Trial championships 2018

NTW are pleased to announce that we will be hosting this years Munster Time Trial that takes place on Saturday 9th of June. Sign on for the event is in the Coopers bar, Birdhill from 9am. We look forward to welcoming you to our event and please do spread the word!! See the event page here: Munster TT. There will be two practice runs on the same course held on Wed evening 30th May and Wed the 6th June for those to get the measure of the course in a competitive event. The first of these Time Trials will also be our club Championship Time Trial so get yourselves ready!!

 

Tuesday : club training spin leaving from Moynans bike shop Nenagh at 6:30pm. Please note the time change to 6:30pm to give more people the chance to get to the start after work now that the evenings will allow.

Thursday: Club Racing: Road race 4, sign on is at Moynans bike shop Nenagh at 6.15pm or at the race start and group leaves Moynans for the race start point at 6.30pm. Race starts at 7pm sharp. Entry fee €5 . Start is just after last roundabout before Toomevara – Toomevara – Moneygall – Cloughjordan – Borrisokane – Ardcroney – Finish just before meat factory junction. 45km