CLUB NOTES
Post date: Jun 27, 2011 9:29:7 PM
YOUGHAL CYCLING CLUB NOTES 19th JUNE 2011
TEAM YOUGHAL RAAM
On Monday the 13th of June, Team Youghal departed for America to be the first Irish Team to take part in the prestigious Race Across America. Unlike other famous races, like the Tour De France, RAAM is not a stage race; it is a race of truth. The race is one stage live to the very end which starts on the 18th of June at Oceanside, California and finishes on the 26th of June at Annapolis, Maryland. The route will cover over 3,000 miles, climbing over 170,000 ft., crossing 12 states and passing through 88 counties. Once the race starts it will run for 24 hrs a day, every day until it is completed with teams and riders covering an average of between 350 to 500 miles a day. 8 riders and 10 support staff will be taking up this mammoth challenge and will again do so in aid of The Emer Casey Foundation whose aim it is to raise awareness and funds in the fight against Ovarian / Uterine Cancer. The 8 rider team, putting their bodies on the line for the event, are all members of Youghal C.C. and Midleton Cycling & Triathlon Club who are namely, Ger Flanagan, Tommy Roche, Christy McCarthy, Brian Fitzgerald, Kieran Groeger, Brian Hehir, Alan Sheehan and Mike Hines. To all taking part, all at Youghal Cycling Club wish you the very best of luck in this unbelievably tough sporting challenge and remember “To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, the top of a climb, or the garage with the homemade cakes. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity, Without adversity, no challenge, Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. And remember, Without passion, without a mission, you'll always be just another rider in the peloton”.
As we write these notes, we understand that the team, have started very well, including Tommy Roche who took a bang earlier in the week while training. Keep it up lads and for everyone interested, they can keep taps on the lads through the Team Youghal Facebook page.
YOUGHAL CANCER SUPPORT GROUP CHARITY RIDE – Sunday 19th June
Last Sunday, Youghal C.C. participated in a fundraising cycle in aid of the new local Youghal Cancer Support Group. A healthy peleton of 45 gathered at Moby Dicks on a fine morning to participate in the fundraising cycle. We departed at 10.00am and headed out the main road to Killeagh at a very relaxing pace that suited young and old based on the volume of conversations that were taking place. From Killeagh we rode on to Castlemartyr where we stopped at The Village Greengrocer’s for a fantastic spread of refreshments kindly sponsored by The Village Greengrocer. What a fantastic morning for the fathers in the group who tucked into the delicious apple-tart, scones with homemade jam and of course, the freshly whipped cream, which was all washed down with the tea and coffee. Suitably refueled, the peleton re-grouped and returned to Youghal again via Killeagh at an equally comfortable pace to the outward journey. We arrived back in Youghal for 12.45pm with an enjoyable 35km completed for a very worthy cause. Thanks to all the club members and friends who participated in the event with the good attendance on the day resulting in a substantial sum of money being raised for the new Youghal Cancer Support Group. From all at the Club we wish you all the best of luck with the rest of your fundraising campaign and more importantly in the fight against cancer and the support of people who have been affected by cancer.
A special thanks to all that helped out on the day and in particular to the Walsh family of The Village Greengrocer, Castlemartyr, who on the day kindly provided their facilities and sponsored all the delicious refreshments for all those who participated in the cycle. Thank you from all at the Club for your continued support throughout the many events that the club has participated in this year.
Leahy Cup – Sunday 19th June.
Youghal C.C. race numbers were pinned on again last week at the revived Leahy Cup race held by Ballymore CC in the small town land of Ballymore in Cobh. Eoin Whyte and Brain Sanders flew the flag for Youghal in the Senior A3 Race which covered a very lumpy course of 6 laps of a 10 km circuit.
both rode well but were unfortunate to miss the break of the day but both finished well to the front for the bunch sprint. Mick & James O’ Mahoney also flew the flag for Youghal in the Senior A4 Race which ALSO covered the same lumpy course of 4 laps of a 10 km circuit. Again, an early break got away for the day but both gave it an unsuccessful go to bridge across. Fine racing by both to again finish well up in the gallop, especially for the birthday boy Mick !