Kids and Off-Roaders ring in the New Year!

Unfortunately, this enforced rest period could not have come at a worse time as I doubt I'm not the only one feeling the effects of the turkey and the mince pies. However, as the old saying goes, "where there is a will there is a way" and in the last few weeks that way has been either the turbo or the mountain bike. As helpful as it is, the turbo can be boring beyond belief so it was an absolute delight to read on the club forum that Dave Fagan and family had issued an open invite to their home on New Year's Eve for the second annual Crookedwood Mini-Tri.This was run off in glorious winter sunshine and involved a two hour trek on mountain bikes around the scenic hills, forests and horse gallops that are bordered by Lough Derravaragh, followed by a two mile cross country run and finished up with a heart (and many other organs) shrinking dip in the ice cold waters of the aforementioned lough. It was a fabulous day out and went some way to shaking off some of the festive cobwebs.Once the weary bodies had returned to some sort of normality everybody retired to the lounge for some very badly needed sustenance. Dave's wife, Ann-Marie had prepared some lovely hot chicken and sausages as well as her famous homemade mince pies. The Holy Grail however came in the form of the hot whiskeys which topped off another fabulous day in Crookedwood. Many thanks to Dave and family for their hospitality and I advise all members to keep an eye on the forum next year, as this looks like it will develop into an annual event. Participants on the day were Dave, Steve Franzoni, Paul Crowley, Mick Reynolds, Mark Horohoe, Cathy Flynn, Brian Collentine, Shay O'Toole, Vera and Paul McCool and Aidan Gorry as well as some very energetic kids especially, Eoin Fagan who ran around after the group making sure all gates were closed to keep the farm animals secure.The very next day being New Years Day, we had the inaugural running of our Family Fun Day in Adrian Murphy's farm, Vestina, in Castletown Geoghegan. Adrian extended an invite to the club a year ago to run something for our junior section at Vestina and the committee were absolutely delighted that once again we were blessed with dazzling Winter sunshine and that the event was such a success, as there has been no limits to Adrian's determination and passion to ensure that this would be the case. The following notes were supplied by Michelle Culligan, our Youth Officer who was one of the primary organisers on the day.The first day of 2010 was planned as a 'Fun' day of cycling for our junior members and by all accounts fun was had by both young and old alike. When Adrian first approached the committee with the idea of an underage event at his home, we had ideas of maybe getting 15 or 20 kids out cycling (if we were lucky). What transpired on New Year's Day was a wonderful surprise to everyone who helped put the day together. A total of 55 kids took part in the event and countless numbers of mums and dads also took to their bikes. The weather was cold but pleasant and the cycling conditions were ideal.To commence the day we led a couple of practice laps around the kid's course which was skillfully designed by Enda Munnelly, and then ran two races. The first was for the Over 10's and saw Rory Hogan claim 1st place with his brother Colm a close 2nd followed in 3rd place by Nicole Gorry, who made sure there was a gender balance on the rostrum. A special mention has to go to Ian McGovern who was leading the race by a considerable distance until the last lap when he had mechanical problems and was forced to retire. The Under 10's been also keen to race and were itching to go at the start line.First place in this race went to Eoghan Fagan who flew by the finish line and attempted to do a third lap as he still had so much energy!!! In 2nd place was Andrew Hogan who was making sure his older brothers were not going to outshine him on the day and in 3rd place was little 7 year old Connor Murphy. Connor raced the entire two laps with pure determination and did really well to come in the top three given his young age. Connor is Adrian and Deirdre's son and it was great to see one of the Murphy family members claiming a prize.Once the juniors had finished, the way was cleared for some of the elder lemons present to have a race around a slightly more technical route, again designed by Enda.This proved to be a very exciting event with lots of speed, jumps and spills to keep the many spectators entertained. Paul Crowley took an early lead which he never gave up and in the end was a clear winner. He was followed in by Mark Horohoe, Robbie Kenny and Dave Fagan. Other competitors on the day were Brian Collentine, Ronan Bracken, Noel Delaney, Kevin Marshall and Eddie Tyrell. Well done to you all as this was not an easy course.Rumour has it that there were two elder, elder lemons spotted cycling round the course on lovely new bikes sponsored by Santa, presumably doing some pre race inspections. For more information contact John Culligan and Jimmy Marshall.Following the cycling Adrian and Deirdre, ably assisted by friends and family laid on a spread fit for a king. Hard as it is to believe, considering the cold snap but BBQ burgers and sausages were the order of the day. Dorothy Duffy would have put Rachel Allen to shame on the day with the mountain of scones she had freshly baked that very morning for everyone. I think it's fair to say nobody left the Murphy household hungry on New Year's Day.At this point I would like to thank a few people for helping put together such a great day. Firstly, a big thank you to Adrian, Deirdre and family for their welcome, the great food and for letting more than 70 bikes take over their farm.George Bell as always, was of great help on the day and made sure that all the kids were safe from traffic etc. at the front gate. Sean Magee was on hand with his trusty camera and captured several images of the day.Enda Munnelly designed a course ideal for kids, so big thanks for that Enda and thanks also to Robbie, Shay, Mark, Cathy and Paul for their assistance over the last three weeks.Finally, as Youth Officer I would like to thank all the parents who brought their kids to this event as without your support we would have no junior Wheelers. We look forward to another great year for the Lakeside Wheelers Kids and in the coming months I will keep you up to date with our plans for one of the biggest sections in the club.Thanks Michelle and roll on 2010 and some good weather when we will be bringing the juniors back out on the roads to prepare for the coming season.Unfortunately the freezing conditions once again left Robbie with no choice but to cancel this weekend's road spin which at this stage is not good for those in training for the upcoming racing season. However, the club's policy will always be safety first so hopefully the temperatures will begin to rise soon and we will get back out on the road.Finally, the committee would like to wish all Wheelers and their families a very happy and healthy New Year.