04/06/2022
Before I start the challenge of the Cork 520 I feel I should give a little background as to where it all began.
A year ago I took on the Donegal Ultra 555 Endurance race in an attempt to raise much needed funds for East Cork Rapid Response . This was the toughest challenge I have ever completed. I had done all the training, put in the miles, building up to 9 hours on a Saturday followed by 10 hours on the Sunday. By July I had almost 8000km clocked on my Garmin. I was sure that I was well prepared, but I guess I’ve been away from Donegal for too long and forgot about the constant climbing, not just Mamore Gap, Knockalla, Atlantic Drive, Horn Head and Glengesh Pass (the later appearing around the 448km mark when the legs are tired ) but also the continuous drags on the main roads without any downhills.
The main challenge is n’t the 555km but the fact that most of these km are in the hills of Donegal and that the last 6 hours are in the dark. On reaching the check in point in my hometown of Dunfanaghy around the 320km mark I felt great. The task ahead seemed achievable, and I felt quietly confident. A quick snack and support from family and familiar faces and I was ready to hit the road again but unknown to me my bike had other ideas.
After 2km back in the saddle I lost the ability to change gears and therefore I had to do the next 5km with very limited gear change. At this point my bike was collected and had to be taken away for repair while I continued on the spare bike which unfortunately was just slightly too small ( bad planning on my behalf and big lesson learnt).Going through the next town my spirits were low and I felt the task ahead was impossible especially as the news on my bike was not good. Luckily before the Glengesh pass I received the loan of a bike which gave me a new lease of life, then in the dark, you reach the foot of Glengesh Pass, a daunting sight to look up and see the lights at the top that look as if they’re almost in the sky but with the loan bike which had abetter gear ratio than my own, it made the climb a little bit easier and eventually we reached the top – tired but not broken.
After this it’s all main roads and long drags but when you reach the segment of the N13 drop to the Dry Arch Roundabout looking down on the town of Letterkenny, you know you’ve made it and the feeling of achievement is unbelievable. None of this would have been achievable without the help and support on the day from the many people but the following played a major role in enabling me to complete the task.
Norman McLean , Chippyjoe Mc Cafferty my support drivers who not only followed me for over 20 hours, also ensured that I was fed and hydrated at all times.
P***e Ferry , Carmel Boyle , bike mechanic and loan bike. After finding that my bike could not be fixed P***e kindly gave me his own personnel bike – not an easy thing for any cyclist to do, and to Carmel who told me I was only getting the bike under the condition that I’d finish the challenge .
Aidan Crowley from Velo Revolution who supplied clothing for the event.555km is a long distance with varied temperatures and conditions. Aidan’s knowledge and advice was crucial, and as a result I felt I was prepared for all elements thrown at me over the course of the challenge. After spending over 20 hours in the saddle and no saddle sores is a testament to the quality of the velo products. After dark changing into the Velo long sleeved jersey and the Velo Storm Rain Jacket kept the body temperature just right.
Now we can move onto the Cork 520.
