Welcome! This is a website that everyone can build together. It's easy!

HomeThis is a featured page

Mizen to Malin Cycle inside 24 hours in aid of Buncrana Leisure Centre.

Any rider wishing to be part of an attempt to cycle from Mizen Head in Co.Cork to Malin Head inside 24 hours either solo or as part of a relay team should contact Eunan Devenney or Eunan McLaughlin(Macs).
The attempt will be made by up to 5 teams of cyclists in June or July and will be completed as part of a fundraising campaign for Buncrana Leisure Centre. Every team of 4 will be expected to raise €1000.
Schedule;
Depart Buncrana Friday morning.
Overnight stay in Co.Cork/Co.Kerry.
Depart Mizen at 4pm.Saturday
Arrive Malin Head Sunday afternoon.

One Team has already confirmed....Beach House Team.





DONEGAL CYCLING SEMINAR

Cycling Ulster is rolling out a series of regional seminars in 2012.
As Donegal is one of the most active areas regarding the growth of
cycling, we intend to hold the first seminar in Donegal.

The seminar will take place on Saturday 4th February in the Silver
Tassie Hotel outside Letterkenny. Tommy Lamb will chair the meeting
and Geoff Liffey the CEO of Cycling Ireland and I will be in
attendance. We hope to be able to attract at least one more Board
member from Cycling Ireland.

We would like all Donegal clubs to send at least one representative
but more are welcome as there is a lot to discuss.

There will be a cost of 10 euro per person which will cover lunch. I
have been in touch with some of the clubs in the area and the proposed
agenda is as follows

10am.....Energie Fitness Studio....70k.cycle to Mulroy Bridge and back
through Rathmullan,via Knockalla(the North Face).

1.30pm...... Food for delegates at Silver Tassie.

2.30pm.......Meeting in board-room at Silver Tassie.

Meeting Agenda

Discussion on piloting a regional county committee in Donegal. The
processes and requirements will be outlined as well as the advantages
of such a committee

Insurance Queries and Event Safety

Leisure Events - information and guidance

Youth Developpment and regional youth academies

Training and development needs for club members

AOB and questions from the floor.

This is an ideal opportunity to plan the way forward for Donegal
cycling and to have any issues or questions addressed prior to the
main cycling season.

Marian Lamb.
Cycling Ulster.





Forthcoming events;
Phoenix GP Crumlin,Co.Antrim.....Sunday 26thFebruary.
Open to A1,A2,A3,A4,Ladies and over-50's.(Individual and team event)more

Home - North Pole Cycling Club

The Good,the Bad and the Ugly.
James Clarkes training spin 29th January at 10am from Buncrana Leisure Centre.
Route;
Buncrana-Fahan-Bridgend-Derry-Derry Quays-Old Letterkenny Road-Carrigans-Newtown-Burt-Bridgend-Buncrana.
Controlled pace.Please bring spare wheels for broom wagon.
Further information James Clarke 086-2577587.
There are no riders too good,too bad or too ugly to take part in this training run.All are welcome on this fun run.

Bicycle wanted.Giant or Ridley preferred.Size 54cm.(Medium).Contact Kevin Doherty at 074-9362912

North Pole Reliability Trial.....Sunday 22nd January 2012.

Route;
Buncrana-Fahan-Bridgend-Newtowncunningham-Letterkenny(Pole Star Roundabout). Total 80kms.

Shorter course is to Manorcunningham Roundabout and back. Total 68kms.

Tea,Sandwiches and cake at Buncrana Leisure Centre afterwards.


Home - North Pole Cycling Club
According to Cycling Ulster.
'Reliability Trials are not races but rather longer distance events which usually take place in Ulster in January and February prior to the road racing season which usually begins at the end of Februury or beginning of March. Although they are categorised as leisure rides some of these are used by those cyclists who are intending to race. They use Reliability Trials as test rides to see how their winter training has paid off and to compare their level of fitness against other riders. While the group tries to stay together the pace can be fairly high and many of the Reliability Trials are not suitable for beginners. Before entering such an event it is advisable to seek advice from the organiser or other cyclists to guage the difficulty of the event.
Reliability Trials are run by Cycling Clubs and some will include a refreshment stop. Because they are run by clubs it is a good way to find out more about a club.'

This will be our first time to arrange a Reliability Trial.It will be run under Cycling Ireland guidelines as are all North Pole events.The route will have been risk-assessed beforehand and there will be a full team of marshals.Lead cars will control the pace of the group or groups if they seperate.There will be a broom wagon to carry spare wheels and assist with breakdowns.
Sign-on will take place at Buncrana Leisure Centre,Shore Front, Buncrana,Co.Donegal from 9am.
Sign-on €10.Route will be approx.90k.
Cycling Licence or a letter from your club secretary is required.Alternatively a seperate one-day licence can be taken out for an extra €1.This to cover insurance.
Showers and refreshments will be available after the event at the Buncrana Leisure Centre.
The 90k.route will be on this website on Friday 20th but it will not include any challenging (cat1) climbs.
Subject to numbers turning up on the day there may be a shorter course option of around 70k.
Further details from Carl Fullerton 00353-862788497 or carlfullerton@hotmail.com

Reliability Trial Report.
Thirty four hardy riders turned out today for North Pole'S Reliability Trial in Buncrana. Gale force winds were a deterrant to many others but birthday boy Willie John celebrated his 70th birthday on the 80k.bike ride joined by 14 year-old Christopher Carter.
Alan McKeown from Island Wheelers,Coalisland made the long jorney down to test himself against the Donegal men.He was joined by a very able squad of Roe Valley riders who are not easily put off by inclement weather.
The home team of Rory Devlin and Mark Buchanan were joined by Mickie Doherty(Lackin) who continues to impress and is a great addition to the North Pole A team.
Impressive visitors were Declan McCartney,Paul McCreedy and Colin Loughrey all from Roe Valley.Also going well were Dinny Doherty,Eddie Sweeney,Marcel Dill,Paul Gallagher,PT Doherty,Shaun Stewart,Jason McHugh and Tommy Doherty from Four Masters.Shaun McFadden,Kevin Holian and Charlie Gallagher represented Errigal CC and showed that they wil be men to be watched in 2012.Adrian Devine came down from Lifford-Strabane CC.
North Pole B team were well represented and their best performances were by Kenny Doyle,Carl Wilson,Joe Devlin and Christopher Carter.
North Pole Over 50's did well with Gaetano d'Urso,Carl McLaughlin,Eamon Toland and John Toner giving fine performances.
With the distinct possibility that Donegal Cycling may have a number of teams in the near future,todays event showed that there is plenty of talent to pick from.
Thanks to all who turned out today.To all the riders,some who I have mentioned above,to the others who no doubt will see their name in print soon and to the marshals and drivers who help to bring everyone home safe after each ride.Thanks also to the Buncrana Leisure Cente for the use of their facilities and to Josephine Gill who always serves us food with a smile.




Riders Wanted
1.A3 riders needed to train for Donegal 3-Day on June1st.Contact Kieran Eccles. 087-9165182
2.Wanted Over-40's riders to form an interclub racing team. Contact Joe Devlin.
3.Also any Over-50's who wish to race should contact Batman soon.Challenge race at Clonmany Festival between a number of Donegal teams is on the cards.

Home - North Pole Cycling Club
The over-50 selectors at work.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice of Annual General Meeting of North Pole Cycling Club.
The Club shall hold the 7th Annual General Meeting of North Pole Cycling Club on Monday 13th February at The Inishowen Gateway Hotel at 8pm.
All members are asked to attend.
Agenda
(i) to receive a report on the work of the Club for year ended 2011.
(ii) to receive accounts for year ended 2011
(iii) to elect the Officers of the Club for 2012, the ordinary Committee members, and the members of the sub-committees.
(iv) to consider the adoption of a club constitution. more
(v) to consider any motion submitted by any member in writing to the Secretary before Friday 10th February.
(vi)any other business.
Signed.
Carl Fullerton
Club Secretary
14th January 2012
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A meeting will be held on Wednesday 18th January at the North Pole Bar at 8pm. to facilitate the issue of club licences for 2012.
If you cannot attend this meeting please contact Michael McDaid Club Treasurer 086-8041328
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




WINTER TRAINING.

Home - North Pole Cycling Club

North Pole Cycling Club will commence weekly Winter Training Spins each Sunday from Sunday 8th January 2012 starting at Buncrana Leisure Centre at 10am. Controlled pace and broomwagon.



JANUARY SCHEDULE.

8th January.........Letterkenny and back. Team Leader.....Kieran Eccles.087-9165182

15th January......5O's Racing Team training run.Team Leader....Batman.087-2040072


22nd January.....Reliability Trial. Buncrana-Letterkenny and back..
29th January.....The Good,Bad and Ugly.Team Leader...James Clarke.086-2577587

All training runs will start at Buncrana Shore Front at 10am unless stated otherwise.


Click on.......EARLY SEASON TRAINING ADVICE - Irishcycling.com
Need a coach.Try Forme Coaching......www.formecoaching.com/


An Post Ras 2012

With a strong possibility that North Pole Cycling Club will be given an entry into the 2012 An Post Ras next May it seems appropriate that we review some of the previous winners.

1.Mick Murphy......Ras winner 1958.
A Convict of the Road
Shay O'Hanlon (left) and Mick Murphy (right) 1959

Shay O'Hanlon (left) and Mick Murphy (right) 1959

Breaking a collarbone, escaping body-snatchers, stealing a bike, drinking cow's blood. Mick Murphy tells Peter Woods and Liam O'Brien the extraordinary story of how, after taking up racing only in 1957, he won Ireland's premier cycle race the following year
On May 25th 2007, a barrel-chested old man got out of a car on the side of a hill called the Maum, between Castleisland and Listowel, Co. Kerry. The old man walked with difficulty on two home-made sticks. He was early. Within an hour crowds awaiting that day's stage of the FBD Insurance Rás had begun to arrive. Soon the man began to attract attention as people moved toward him to shake his hand. The man was Mick Murphy, also known as "The Iron Man".
His win in the 1958 Rás is one of the epics of Irish sport. People talked about him on the Maum that day. They said he trained with weights made from stone, that he made a living as a circus performer, that on one stage during that Rás - when the freewheel on his bike had broken - he stole an ordinary bicycle from a farmer and chased down the leading pack. They said that he rode for four days with a broken collarbone, that he would cycle for 40 miles having completed a gruelling stage just to cool down, that he drank cow's blood and ate raw meat. He was indestructible.
Mick Murphy was born outside Cahirciveen in 1933. At the age of seven he began to dream of the road, of escape as a circus performer. He was already training under the guidance of a neighbour, training that included balancing a ladder on his chin.
The way Mick Murphy cycled became a philosophy of life. He had no predictable rhythm. He led from the front. "The dogs in the street knew my style . . . the more they waited for me to shatter, the stronger I got." Told to wash so he'd look the part before a race, he tore a bit of a shirt he'd trained in and tied the rag around his neck. "You could smell it a 100 yards away." It was like the reek of stale sweat at the start of a fight, or the adrenalin-charged smell of a gym: "Without those things you wouldn't be there. Something must hype you up."
Mick was "a convict of the road" - an arcane term, born out of the early days of the Tour de France. The time when cyclists lived on their wits, stole from the fields and slept rough. Men like Maurice Garin, "the White Bulldog", winner of the first Tour, who was sold as a child by his father to a chimney-sweep for a bucket of cheese.
Produced by Liam O'Brien and Peter Woods.
-------
Peter Woods gave an interview in early 2009 about Mick to the Bike Show, broadcast out of London. Click here to listen
An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries

Meeting The Iron Man Of Irish Cycling
Feb 24, 2006, 17:48

By Micheal O Muircheartaigh
Meeting the Iron Man of Irish cycling

I WAS led on a pleasant detour by Caherciveen butcher and golfer Jimmy Curran to meet somebody known as 'The Iron Man', on account of his exploits as a cyclist back in the 1950s. Cycling as a sport was gaining popularity back then, and the annual stage race around Ireland, An Ras Tailteann, now known as the FBD Insurance Ras, was responsible for a great deal of it.
The Christle brothers, especially the late big man Joe, were the principal organisers and their motivation came from a nationalistic fervour and a love of all aspects of Irish culture. They were inspired by the Tour de France and had a vision of developing such a spectacle in Ireland in their time. Joe Christle was a great character and a brilliant organiser and I cannot recall an occasion when we spoke other than in Irish. He was married to a French lady, Mimi Battutt. Years later, I taught Mel Christle, one of Joe and Mimi's three boxing sons, when I was on the teaching staff at O'Connell School in North Richmond St, Dublin.
Joe served a few prison sentences due to his involvement in republican causes, but he remained as Ras Director until 1972. The whole family served cycling well but one of them, Ando, was sadly killed near Tralee following an accident during the Ras of 1954. He had returned from England to help in the running of the race, and was driving a motorbike out of Tralee to watch his brother Colm in the closing stages. The leaders had already crossed the finishing line, but Colm had had a day of puncture problems so he was well behind; concern for him was the reason for Ando's drive out of town, which finished in that fatal accident. Understandably, all members of the Gate Club, which included the Christles, retired from the race.
Those and other thoughts from the past were on my mind as Jimmy Curran and I approached the home of the Iron Man, Mike Murphy, a unique type of champion who hit the headlines in a major way in the course of winning the 1958 Ras. When I entered the house, I was expecting to see mementos from his sporting days, but the opposite was the case. Conventional furnishings were Spartan, in keeping with his lifestyle of the past 60 years: books, magazines, newspapers and an assortment of timber planks took up most of the space and he kindly fixed up a wooden seat for us, which was comfortable. Time did not seem to matter and I felt he was far more anxious to talk about topics other than cycling during our stay. I would naturally have preferred the reverse, considering it was cycling that had made him famous, but I let him speak as he wished and still managed to get a good insight into hiscycling escapades.
He was a man who had left school early and had learned how to read and write from his mother, but he amazed me with his detailed knowledge of the Hapsburg dynasty in Europe and the Royals of Spain and how they had influenced the history of Europe. It was the same when it came to the Papacy; it soon became clear that this semi-mystic had read a lot.
He is conscious of the benefits of a good diet when in training, and maintains that this knowledge helped him in his cycling days: "raw foods are best - meat, eggs, cheese, vegetables, honey - and I always took quantities of cows' blood when I felt it was needed." He told me how he always carried a penknife with him and knew how to extract blood from a cow's vein without causing any damage.
He was anxious to tell me about his circus acting, something that started by accident when he was very young: "My neighbour Joe Burke performed with touring circuses that came this way now and then, and he took me on as his assistant at the age of 12.I was very interested in their training methods, weights and all of that, and before long I made my own gym here in the house."
An incredible number of weights of all sizes, obviously home-made with concrete, were on display along with the iron bars required for lifting and squatting. They certainly played a part in his fairytale rise to the position of champion cyclist of Ireland in 1958 because he was known as a man with phenomenal strength, but he seemed more interested in telling me about history and his circus life before talking about the bike racing: "I learned how to move along upside-down using my feet, going from rung to rung of a ladder suspended above a stage. I could balance objects on my chin. I was a fire-eater. I could walk on my hands and performed those tricks on the streets of London and in other places years later when I needed money. One time, a man in London issued a challenge to race hand-walking from Brighton to London, taking rests every now and then. I volunteered to take him on, but he never showed up."
We eventually got around to talk about cycling. By then, I had spotted a small photograph of a man on a bicycle above the fireplace and I went to inspect it. It was a photo of the Iron Man. I learned later that this, the only visible souvenir, referred to a stage of the famous Ras of 1958 when he confounded the cycling world by winning.
His interest in cycling developed from attending carnivals and sports meets all over Kerry, where prizes were offered to the winners - sometimes in the form of cash. Distance was not a problem, as he explained himself: "I remember leaving here on a common bike one day to cycle the 60 miles to Camp to take part in a cycle race. I won the race and cycled back home again." Sometimes he might not return but stay, set up circus acts, sleep rough and prepare for a meet coming up shortly in another town.
From his circus connections he got the latest information on training techniques, and by 1956, he had decided to try and take on the best in cycling. Training then became more intensive, but due to his day job as a farm labourer, he did a lot of his training on the mountains by night. The final preparation for the 1958 Ras was carried out in a private camp close to Banteer in Cork, where he was working as a labourer. He created another 'gym' in a quiet wooded spot, trained as never before, gave up work, did stunts in Cork City and felt really ready for the Ras.
As usual, the Ras Tailteann began outside the GPO in Dublin and the 1958 race was the longest ever staged - 1,494km over eight gruelling days. "I believed in striking to the front any chance I got and defied others to beat me," was how Mike explained his pre-race plan to me. He was not too concerned about team tactics or other race customs: "I had confidence in myself."
Tom Daly's account of the race is given in his excellent book simply called The Ras, which charts the history of the race from 1953 to 2002.
Stage 1 - Dublin to Wexford: Won by Dan Ahern of Kerry with the unknown Murphy claiming second place.
Stage 2 - Wexford to Kilkenny: The Iron Man disregarded established etiquette, rode solo away from the bunch and arrived in Kilkenny on his own. It was a performance that left the Ras astonished. The race leader's yellow jersey was his. Legend tells that he then rode off that evening wearing the yellow jersey, did a 30-mile training spin, stopped at a stone wall, and with selected stones "did weights" for a hour before drawing blood from a cow and returning to base. It is believed he did the transfusion three times during the Ras.
Stage 3 - Kilkenny to Clonakilty: A remarkable stage, with Murphy well ahead of a scattered field on the climb at Watergrasshill outside Cork. But disaster struck when his bike failed on the run into Glanmire. He was at a stand-still and the field swept by and disappeared from view. Suddenly a farmer appeared at a gap holding on to an ordinary bicycle. This gave Iron Man an idea, and in a jiffy he was on the substitute, leaving astartled farmer behind holding another bike. In time,the team car reached Mike and gave him the spare racer. He chased for 40 miles and caught sight of the bunch close to Clonakilty and was with them at the finishand safely holding onto the yellow jersey.
Stage 4 - Clonakilty to Tralee: It was familiar territory to him, but he struck a bridge on a downhill bend near Glengarriff and fell heavily, damaging a shoulder and hip as well as putting his bike out of commission. Gene Mangan realised the gravity of the situation and gave Murphy his bike, on which he finished in a wrecked state in eighth place. He was taken to hospital but appeared for the next stage the following morning.
Stage 5 - Tralee to Nenagh: It was not a memorable stage for the injured warrior, but he did clock in six places behind the winner, Gene Mangan.
Stage 6 - Nenagh to Castlebar: Mangan won again, but Murphy pulled away from the main bunch shortly before the finish and gained a little on his rivals and held onto the yellow jersey with comfort.
Stage 7 - Castlebar to Sligo: Murphy started well in this stage and had a minute's advantage when he crashed near Castlerea. On remounting, he rode the wrong way for a while, possibly suffering from concussion, but he soon turned and finished with the bunch, with the irrepressible Mangan winning once more.
Stage 8 - Sligo to Dublin: Though showing signs of injury, the Iron Man refused to ride conservatively over the final stage and attacked early, with Meathmen Ben McKenna and Willie Heasley. They were joined before the finish by Gene Mangan, and it was he who crossed the line in first place to create a record of four stage wins in a row that still stands. But the Iron Man from Su Greine, Caherciveen, was a comfortable overall winner of the Ras by four minutes and 44 seconds.
MURPHY was now a celebrity in the sporting world, but he remained the private, enigmatic figure he had always been. Both work and money were scarce, but he did compete again in 1959 and 1960. He recalled his defence of the title in 1959 as follows: "After getting to Dublin, I slept on the street and then took my place at the start the following day. I won two stages." He finished third overall in 1960 and was crowned King of the Hills as well.
Like many others, he was forced to emigrate to England, in 1960, which really ended his career on the bike. When work got scarce in England, around 1990, he moved to Germany and in his own words "we built that country" - by 'we' he meant another 10 or 11 in the group as well as himself. "I stayed too long," he admits with a tinge of regret, "I got a fall and was not fit for that work again."
He is now back where his life began, but whether home or away, the 'Iron Man' will never be forgotten as long as the romance of bike racing lives on. God only knows what else he might have accomplished if the sponsorship and training facilities of modern times had been available to him, that dedicated, natural competitor. - Micheal O Muircheartaigh










The 2012 An Post Ras will very likely have 3 finishes in County Donegal,
Stage 4.Westport-Bundoran,
Stage 5.Bundoran-Buncrana vis Mamore Gap
Stage 6.Buncrana-Killybegs via Glengesh
Stage 7.Donegal Town-Cavan?


Cycling Ireland Event Safety Code... Safety Code Cycling Ireland has issued a Safety Code to all clubs and this is available through the following link SAFETY_CODE_DOCUMENT Adherence to the Safety Code is mandatory and organiser’s may be asked to provide a copy of their Safety Statement. Going forward for 2013 calendar applications it is intended that applications will be accompanied by a copy of the previous year’s Safety Statement.

www.cyclingireland.ie/getattachment/dd0e8aea-f692-4739-ad19-3a94b8d46cef/event_safety.aspx


No user avatar
pollandam 		Latest page update: made by pollandam , Yesterday, 3:21 PM EST (about this update About This Update pollandam Edited by pollandam

116 words added

view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags: cycling donegal cycling drumfrees fullerton inishowen inishowen cycling mamore north pole
More Info: links to this page

Threads for this page

Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
pollandam Clonmany Races 0 Jul 22 2009, 6:50 AM EDT by pollandam
Thread started: Jul 22 2009, 6:50 AM EDT  Watch
The Clonmany Festival Races will be run as an inter-club event.There will therefore be a limit to the number of clubs taking part.
So far we have-North Pole,Omagh Wheelers(defending champion),Four Masters and Errigal.
1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
Keyword tags: None
maurice1958 Congratulations to Rory 2 Mar 9 2009, 8:23 PM EDT by tommylamb
Thread started: Mar 1 2009, 5:29 PM EST  Watch
From myself and the rest of the Bann Wheelers CC we send you many congrats and keep at it.

Best of Luck
Do you find this valuable?    
Keyword tags: None
Show Last Reply
Showing 2 of 2 threads for this page