Important Club Updates & Review

Dear Fellow Tiernan’s Member,

We are coming to a little bit of a natural break in the cycling season- (I’m sorry ) with the Easter break upon us. It is a good time to reflect upon what has been a busy winter period for club members.

The Saturday training spins have run pretty smoothly and a big thank you is necessary to the senior members who have looked after the groups and cracked the whip when on the road discipline has been required. We had a few riders hit the tarmac when unexpected icy conditions were encountered but thankfully we’ve had no broken bones and only one cracked bike. The weather has been a few degrees warmer than last year and we all have managed to get out regularly. A steady flow of new members have joined the group and got stuck in and hopefully have been enjoying the spins and gaining new skills.

The racing group’s preparations over the winter, as masterminded by Richie Gallagher , are beginning to show results. Louis Twomey, Constantine Bartles, John McGettigan, James Quinn, and Fergal May all with very hard earned top ten placings. Their Tuesday night climbing jamborees might see them kissing podium girls by year’s end.
A seven person raiding party has been assembled and has been doing a bit of extra work away from their traditional Saturday morning spins, and on the 25 th of April will head off to do Liege Bastogne Liege. They will try and reclaim the good name of the club sullied last year by the lack of moral fibre and testicular fortitude on the part of one of the riders.

In a major break from tradition, for a trial period, the club spins are going to start departing at 0900 on Saturdays throughout the summer. Eamon will announce the inaugural run shortly. It was felt by the committee that it would be good to experiment with an earlier start to see can we get back home by 1300 and not have the spins running into the mid afternoons.

The summer sportive are starting shortly and I know a number of us are planning to do the Wicklow 200, the Tour de Burren, the Tour of Killenny and the Sean Kelly amongst others. We should all keep in touch through the forum on the website and Facebook and emails and try and do these together when possible. The FitzCycles van is at our disposal if we can give advanced notice.

Other events upcoming are the Interclub league which Brian H has again put an awful lot of work into. there will be a Club Hillclimb/ social function where the strong will be penalised and the under-trained rewarded for their sloth in an effort to have one of the least worst climbers triumph.

We are organising a round of the Ladies Crit league in Corkagh Park on Tuesday 15th of July and Barry Doyle is once again leading the Laragh Classic open race this year on Sunday the 14 th of September. We hope for the full and enthusiastic participation of the membership on this day to ensure a repeat of the success of last year.

Finally to cap off the year and mark the 30 th anniversary of the club’s founding, on Saturday the 11 th of October, we are having a day of unadulterated cycling celebration. We will run the annual Club day Cycle and lunch in the Anglers Rest by the Phoenix Park and finish up with an evening meal and event in Ely Restaurant in town. Jessica Lamb will announce the full details shortly. We are hoping to have as many members new and old involved in what promises to be a great day.

And as if that is not enough for you, the much anticipated new kit will be with us within a matter of days. If that does not get you out on your bike then I do not know what will.
Here’s to a safe and enjoyable summer season.

Brian Kilbride
Chairman STCC