There was an air of excitement in the village last Wednesday morning as we gathered to begin the trip north to Donegal for our Malin to Mizen cycle.The group traveled in style on Kearneys Coaches with Martin Buckley acting as tour guide. Pat O'Callaghan drove the van with the bikes, with Sean O'Flynn providing the security. Good progress was made and we reached our accommodation at the Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa at 4pm. The van was unloaded and we were all on our bikes, destination Malin Head. The scenery on the Inishowen Peninsula was breath taking. After taking the obligatory photographs at Malin Head, a quick return was made to the hotel. We all hoped the weather gods smile on us the following morning.
We rolled out of Ballyliffin on Thursday morning and headed for Buncranna. We had a slight tailwind which was very welcome. Pat Ryan promised that not a drop of rain would fall on us all day. Heavy traffic slowed progress in Ballybofey. We made good progress through Ballyshannon and Bundoran and reached the Sligo Park Hotel in good time. Once checked in, we all made a beeline for the leisure centre to rest our weary bones. After a beautiful meal, we all retired to the bar to review the day.
It was an early start on Friday morning for 7am breakfast. We must compliment the Sligo Park Hotel for their superb hospitality, and it is certainly a hostelry that everyone on the cycle would recommend. The cyclists split into two groups and headed for Tuam. Martin Buckley insisted on taking a detour to Knock. Peter Power took the opportunity to stock up on religious statues and holy water fonts. Anyone looking for some can check out Peter's page on Done Deal. Good progress was made to Ballinderreen where Mike Condon broke his cleat while trying to out sprint Mike Gowen. Aislinn Hurley came to the rescue with a spare cleat. Mike has promised to return the cleat at the end of the year. After two long days in the saddle, the bodies were tired when we reached Ballyvaughan. Reinforcements, Dave Keane and Cathy O'Sullivan were given a big welcome. Carlo Visintainer and Ollie O'Neill headed to the pier for a refreshing dip. Dave Creedon was the quizmaster for the table quiz which ended in controversy. Ollie called a stewards enquiry after Peter was caught red handed using a magnifying glass.
The rains came down just in time for the grand depart from Hylands Burren Hotel in Ballyvaughan. The first challenge of the day was Corkscrew Hill. The hill rises to 12% gradient in places. The surface wasn't able to take the power of Dave Keane and he had small off due to a wheel spin. The first stop of the day was in Cooraclare for coffee. No time was wasted as we were anxious to catch an early ferry from Kilimer. The ferry trip to Tarbert was a welcome break from the road. A stiff headwind made the journey to Listowel and on to Tralee a difficult cycle. There was some respite when we turned in Tralee and headed for Killarney. The rolling road through Farranfore provided the last challenge of the day. Donal Scannell and Bernard Hyland outfoxed the peleton to reach the hotel first.
We rolled out of the car park of the Killarney Court Hotel bright and early for the final leg of our journey. Alan Heffernan and Nigel Carroll joined the group for the final leg, having cycled from Cork. Aland had his chest out after claiming victory in the final round of the table quiz. The two groups headed for the county bounds before turning at Loo Bridge for Kilgarvan. The first stop of the day was in Kenmare for coffee.
Next up was the climb of the Caha Pass. Brian Atkinson and Brendan McMahon made light work of the climb, eating up the tarmac. Dave Creedon set a fierce tempo up the climb. After cresting the climb we entered back into the rebel county. Both groups stopped in Ballylickey for the final food stop of the cycle. There was a brief pause in Goleen before tackling the final few kilometers to Mizen. Aislinn andEllmary powered up the last climb to Mizen where friends and family were waiting.
The cycle was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We could not have completed the adventure without the help of Pat & Sean. A huge thank you to Joanne McHugh & our chairperson Ellmary also for organising the trip. We will have to wait to see what is planned for next year.
