Leisure

Michael Hanley 02 November 2019 The Orwell Wheelers Randonnee is PLANNED for 2020! SIGN UP HERE: Link to EventBrite Sign Up As has become tradition, it’s taking place Saturday 2nd of May@ 09:00 am the bank holiday weekend. A key milestone in the annual sportive calendar. The Randonnee promises to be a fantastic day for any rider seeking an early-season challenge. Due to popular demand we've re-introduced the original lite route which consists of 126km and 1887 meters climbing

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!

The Orwell Wheelers Randonnee is Back for 2020! As has become tradition, it’s taking place Saturday 2nd of May@ 09:00 am the bank holiday weekend. A key milestone in the annual sportive calendar. The Randonnee promises to be a fantastic day for any rider seeking an early-season challenge. Sign Up Now, read on for information

“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

Now in it’s 13th year, the Gerry Brannigan Memorial Cycle 2019 will take place on Sunday October 13th from the Grasshopper Inn in Clonee, Co. Meath.

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.

The Joe Daly Memorial Charity Cycle Rally 2019 will take place on Sunday June 30th at 10:00am. Starting at Simpson’s Hospital the route takes us out to Enniskerry and back. All proceeds are in aid of Simpson’s Hospital, Dundrum

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….

Louise Keane 22 December 2018 The Orwell Wheelers Randonnee is Back for 2019 As has become tradition, it’s taking place Saturday 4th of May@ 09:00am, the bank holiday weekend. This year we are proud to be associated with the Dundrum Arch Club our chosen charity - This is a social club for people with intellectual disabilities that meets every Wednesday evening in Ballinteer Community School. This Charity is serviced fully by Volunteers with all proceeds going towards benefiti

“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…..

The Orwell Wheelers Randonnee is Back for 2019! As has become tradition, it’s taking place Saturday 4th of May@ 09:00am, the bank holiday weekend. Photos from the 2019 Orwell Randonnee are now available via the club forum – Link to photos post

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!