Wheelers members decamp to the mountains of Spain

It’s at this time of year, every year, that a group or two from the club is either thinking of travelling or is actually already away for some warm weather cycling, usually in Spain. Mind you, with the spell of fabulous weather we are having this April, it seems the same could be done on local roads.

As mentioned in recent reports, there is a large group currently getting some big miles in as they prepare for a week’s cycling down the length of Portugal. Last weekend some of this group went up to Wicklow for some hillier terrain in a further step along their training plan which will definitely stand to them once they arrive in Porto.

Just two weeks ago another group left for a week in the Valencia region where Athlone native and Shannonside CC member, Pat Buckley, runs a cycling base for tourists near Gandia. Paul Murtagh, Pete Rimmer, Ronan Bracken, Mick Walshe and Mark Monaghan are no strangers to this area having been there last year also. The countryside between Valencia and Alicante is one of the most famous training areas for professional cyclists over the winter. The road surfaces are excellent, the climbs are mostly 3km – 10km in length and the gradients are not too severe which makes it a great choice for some early season training.

The lads stayed at Pat’s home in the village of Rafelcofer and by all accounts they had a fabulous week. Pat himself acts as guide for the week so all the lads had to do was follow him as he took them on daily spins through the hills. Another big advantage of this trip is the top class hospitality provided by Pat’s wife, Mary, who is famed for her home cooking and there is a rumour that Mick Walshe wasn’t happy because he actually came home heavier than he was before he went to Spain. In any case, the lads put in a great six days of cycling and all enjoyed the trip.

Padraig Moran in Girona

One of the club’s best road racers, Padraig Moran, decided last year to take to the Spanish scene on a more long-term basis with a move to Girona for the winter. Padraig has sent the following report to update members on his experiences over the last few months: “Following my first full season in road racing, I had some great experiences racing my bike both in Ireland and abroad which gave me the hunger and desire to progress as a rider and also create more memorable experiences in the process.

This lead me to opportunity to move to Girona, Spain last winter and experience cycling paradise at its finest. However, just two weeks before I was due to make the move, I had an unfortunate crash in my final race of the season at the UCI Grand Prix Fondo World Championships in Denmark. Due to a rider sliding out in front of me, I also hit the deck but landed awkwardly on my head, causing me to fracture four bones in my vertebrae. This required surgery in Denmark and unfortunately put hold to my plans to move abroad.

Although, thanks to unwavering support of my friends, doctors, physios and especially my family and parents Nuala and Seamus, I managed to make a reasonably fast recovery and I was back on the bike within a matter of weeks. This encouraged me to continue with my plans to move to Girona. When I initially moved out in November, I was mostly rehabbing in the gym, but the Mediterranean sunshine allowed me to transition to outdoor riding in a safe environment.

As I built up my riding hours, I got to link in with plenty of experienced riders, some from the professional scene which was a great learning experience. However, just as I got to build some momentum with training, I experienced another setback around Christmas time due to an IT band injury which incidentally, was linked to a change in position on the bike as a result of my back injury. However, one of the benefits of basing yourself in a cycling hub like Girona means you have access to some of the best physios and bike fitters on your doorstep. These resources allowed me to overcome the injury and also refine my bike position even better than previously.

I had initially planned to tackle some of the Catalan race calendar in early 2025, but as a result of the injury, it wasn’t until March 2025 until I opened my race account at the Des Hanlon National series race in Ireland. It was quite tough introduction back to racing with all of Ireland’s top riders lining out, however my fitness from all the climbing out in Girona allowed me to hang in with the front group and get a top 25 finish. It was also great to line out in the Lakeside Wheelers jersey again and I look forward to representing the club throughout the coming season.

I returned to Girona straight after the Des Hanlon race to step up my training and benefit from some strong group rides in preparation for my next race at Ras Mumhan over Easter Weekend. As Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar does not have a C1 team for stage races, I will be riding Ras Mumhan as a guest rider with Bohermeen CC and hope to make further progress with my racing. Following this I will be back in the Lakeside Wheelers jersey as the domestic race season takes full flight.

Thanks to everyone at Lakeside Wheelers for all the support and I look forward to cycling with you over the summer.”

Wednesday Evening Spins

The midweek spins for this year will commence on Wednesday evening, April 23 from the clubhouse at 6.30pm. These spins are traditionally not leader led so it is left up to those who turn up to plan the routes and the pace should be set to suit all abilities if there is only one group.

Don’t forget the Pat Jones Memorial on Easter Saturday in Edenderry which is the nominated sportive for 2025.