Leisure Reports

Three Orwells – Fran Brophy, Simon Kelehan and John McElligott – signed up for the 2022 Tour of Monaghan on 10th of July. Fine weather was forecast, and while it was the weekend prior to the “glorious twelfth” over the border, this wasn’t a concern in County Monaghan where the route was excellent, the event well organised, the weather was perfect and the locals friendly.

Relive Luke GJ Potter’s final two days in Gran Canaria just before Christmas. He was sent on an errand to the top of a Volcano for a last minute Christmas Present. He made a rookie mistake after dinner that left him in a spot of bother at the airport. There’s a quiz at the bottom, comment below on the number of correct answers you got.

Luke GJ Potter and Paul Kane went on a three day Bike Packing Trip around the Sunny South East in late September. To the backdrop of the washed out Road World Championships, Luke recounts their adventures as he journeys to new places to see an old friend.

It is hard to believe that not quite two years ago, Blessington seemed so far away and now I have a 200km Audax in just a few days. Yikes!

“This isn’t too bad, I must be pretty good at this stuff!” – I’d made it past The Deep Sink, supposedly the worst part of the route, and now the rocky gnarly path became muddy slippery. Just need to be in the moment, let my balance flow with the terrain. ‘OOF!’ I hear behind me, another casualty. Right then my own front and rear wheels have a disagreement, and I land on my side. Look back to see……… (read on to see what or WHO Kashif saw!!)

“If you want to get a sense of one of European cycling’s finest races, of the real challenges that made cycling great, of what separates it from other sports, of what it truly means to ensure pain and suffering in the name of sport, you should watch the professionals do battle through the highways and byways of the Flandrian countryside…… It’s not an homage to the principals or principles of overbearing commercial teams. It’s a test of individual racing skills, of courage, of

I had first heard of the Seashell Trust Sportive in 2016. The idea was to tie it in with a visit to my mate Rory in Manchester. It all came together for 2019 for what turned out to be an epic 170km in the Peak District!

The “Wolftrap Slieve Bloom Extreme Challenge” does exactly what it says on the tin! Which is great because it’s not false advertising. On the other hand it kinda fools stupid people like me to think- “how extreme can it really be?!” Read on for Sinead’s account of what seems to be a date for the diary next year….

“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves” – Confucius (kinda, but not really) After the L’Etape du Tour, the remaining twenty-two Orwellians depart Moutier for Briançon, and try to get on TV when they were watching the Tour on the Galibier. After not completing the Etape, Luke GJ Potter details his redemption arc, as he continues to seek the title of “Tropical Weather Ginger”.

“To me, a fight is not a fight until there’s resistance. Until there’s something to overcome.” – Teddy Atlas A band of twenty-five Orwellians decended (and ascended) on the Alps for L’Etape du Tour and a Raid. Luke GJ Potter recounts his adventures amid the heat wave, to discover if he is a “Tropical Weather Ginger”.

Why would any sane person spend a day of his summer holidays cycling 140 K with an ascent of 4400 metres in the middle of a roasting Italian summer. Halfway up the Passo de Giau the answer is startlingly obvious. No sane person would even dream of it. The gradient is 14 %, the sun is beating down, there is no breeze and there is no shade. Above you is wave after wave of switchbacks without seeming end. Below you…you do not care what is below you. It is then you realize that

With Liège-Bastogne-Liège completed, Luke GJ Potter and Eugène “Skil” Dillon go to Flanders. During their Driedaagse de Gendt, they complete Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields and the Philippe Gilbert Classic. Waffle sampling continues for our brave hero.

Luke GJ Potter joined a sortie to Belgium at the end of April. His first goal was to complete Liège-Bastogne-Liège. All Aboard the Hype Train and read about his adventures build up to the first stop; Liège.

The alarm went off at half four in the morning, I had my porridge and hit the road, meeting Luke GJ outside his place at five. We cycled across the outskirts of Ghent. By the hill at the big art centre called “Vooruit”, there were loads of people stumbling across or along the road…..

It’s 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning in late April. The Merry Ploughboy’s a re-assuring presence on the mountain as it first comes into view. In its streetlights I make out Storm Hannah’s detritus: Felled branches dancing in its gusts, floodwaters latticing the road….

“Me and big mouth! I had told everyone about this stupid climb in Colombia and now I am so sorry. There was no going back or quitting now – only forward! The longest climb on earth seemed like a great idea when I booked it, in reality it was the worst day of my life! 80 kilometers of sheer stupidity, what was I thinking?” Read on to find out how Sinead Kennedy got on on her epic day of climbing…..

It started with a chat on a Saturday spin. Simon floated the question – “would you be on for a trip to the Alps after the Summer?” Tuesday 18th September: Chris, Guy, Ian, Joe, Nick & Simon took a 7am Aer Lingus flight to Lyon. By mid afternoon they were on a gentle 20km spin to check out their full carbon rental bikes and ready themselves for the climbs!

Luke GJ takes you on holiday to the Dolomites with a rag-tag bunch of Orwellians. Here is his day by day diary of his adventures up hill and down dale.Would his Patellar Tendons live to tell the tale? Spoiler Alert: Barely.It’s another monster report, with a Podcast for those without the time to read.

Never one to shy from a challenge, Sinead Kennedy and Michael Staines headed off to France a few weeks ago to conquer The Bald Giant – Mount Ventoux – from all three sides in one day. It’s definitely a bucket list event! Find out how they got on….

Podcast recording of this Article is available! In a town full of plain-faced, Amish-looking, possibly reptilian, humanoids, one man had freckles, this is his story. Fair Warning: Boil the kettle and clear your calendar, it’s longer than a Brachiosaurus Spinal Column.