The cycling blog

Last week as I watched ‘the tour’ on Eurosport I found myself nodding in agreement at the television as Kelly described the job of a cycling mechanic as the toughest on the race .

The riders have it tough for the duration of the stage , but as soon as they cross the line they are pampered like newborn babies . They are washed down , given warm clothes and a nice cool drink ,  loaded up onto an air-conditioned bus and whisked away to the team hotel . Once there they head for the lift where an A4 sheet is to be found telling them which room number they have been given . No hassle of check in desks etc. Upon entering their allocated room they find their bags already in place and just remove the PSP or ipod before having their shower . After the nice warm shower they are straight into bed and the soignoeur arrives to give them some water and more food . They are also told what time dinner will be served and what time to come down for their rub ( 30 mins to one hour of deep tissue massage ) . The soigneour will also take away their sweaty gear to wash and dry it for them . Oh yes , it is a tough life alright !

The people looking after the riders have a slightly different time however .

Back in April 2002 I got a call one Saturday morning in the shop . There was an Irish team heading over to a stage race in France and they needed a mechanic . The race was starting the following Friday in Thionville in Eastern France and would entail eight stages over six days . It was short notice but I was all excited in anticipation of my first experience as a stage race mechanic . The team was managed by Morgan Fox who had only received his call the day before me and the masseur was Claire Moore who missed the first three stages as she too had only been contacted at the last minute and had work commitments . (I must hasten to add that although this was common practice with Cycling Ireland teams at the time it has improved slightly since then )

I met Morgan in the Cycling Ireland Offices on the north circular road in Dublin on the Tuesday afternoon as we had to drive the big blue van across England and onto France to collect the riders in Charles de Gaule airport outside Paris . From there the plan was to collect the rented team car from Hertz and to drive across to Thionville .

We shared the driving as we traversed Wales and England , only stopping for diesel and a few plastic sandwiches . Through the night the traffic was light and we made good time . However we still got caught in the early rush hour traffic on the M25 around London and it was 10.45 as we boarded the ferry in Dover bound for Calais . We had just sat down on the ferry when Morgan’s phone rang . It was one of the riders - Martin O’Loughlin , who informed us that they had just arrived at Charles De Gaule and were wondering where we were . They had all been booked on an early flight out of Dublin which was a few quid cheaper than the flight three hours later and were now waiting to be picked up . All Morgan could do was to tell him that we were on the way .

The team was made up of ;

Mark Scanlon - former junior world  champion

David O’Loughlin - currently on the plane to Beijing olympics to compete in the pursuit

Brian Kenneally - winner of two stages of last years RAS

Stephen Gallagher - Winner of this years RAS

Martin O’Loughlin - Current National Veterans champion

Paul Griffen - Current professional with Giant Asia team

This was before Garmin and their sat-nav devices became popular so much of the journey was spent with a big map of France sprawled over the dash . We arrived at the airport just after three pm to find Ireland’s top cyclists playing football outside of the arrivals area . As with most athletes before a competition these were delicate souls who greeted us with hand shakes and how’re things ? , which were underscored with subtle observations of ‘where the fuck were ye until now ?’

Allowances were made and excuses were proffered as a certain office on the North Circular road in Dublin would have had it’s ears burning . Next stop , the Hertz office across the car park . Morgan went in to collect the car which we were told would be awaiting our arrival only to be told that Hertz hadn’t a clue what he was on about . There was no car booked for any cycling Ireland team . Once again a certain office in Dublin was being spoken of .

Now it was time for plan B . Load up all of the riders , bikes and bags into the van and all head off for a nice five hour tour across France with a former World Champion sitting on a milk crate . The journey passed quickly enough as the subject of ‘fitzy ‘ came up and everyone seemed to have a few tales to tell of his exploits throughout the cycling globe . see here

Around nine pm we arrived at the Race HQ and saw the Credit Agricole and Francais de Jeux team cars nestled among many other professional outfits . I accompanied Morgan into the building and noticed that the general flow of people seemed to be coming out against us . We had just missed the pre race managers meeting . We approached a few officials who were still sitting behind a desk and Morgan announced the arrival of Team Irelande ! Now I wasn’t exactly expecting a round of applause but the reaction did seem a bit strange . The three guys just looked at us before one began to gesture and gesticulate to his colleagues . Now , I’m no fluent French speaker but I do know enough to get by and can understand more than I can speak . Morgan is fluent and as I looked across at him I noticed the colour draining a little from his face . The french voices were becoming louder and the gestures more pronounced as an older looking gentleman was called over . He came over and informed us that an invitation had been sent to Cycling Ireland to participate in the race but that no reply had been received so we were not included on the start list and had not been expected . Once more a certain office in Dublin was mentioned !

Morgan has been a professional in Belgium and is very adept at the nuances of cycling . He pleaded our case , the long journey , the former world champion ,  I think that Kelly’s paris Roubaix and Roche’s Tour de France were even mentioned , but whatever he said seemed to be working . Hard faces began to soften and when a certain ‘bureau’ in Dublin was mentioned there were oooh’s and aaaah’s . Eventually there were handshakes and pats on the back and we were in the race . Next came the hard bit , we had no accommodation and no team car . Accommodation was block booked by the race organisation so there were rooms available but the team car was another issue . For a few moments I thought that this was the bridge too far until a guy who had been in the background steeped forward and volunteered to let us have his car for duration of the race . He was a race Marshall but was our Guardian angel .

So away we went , off to the hotel and were told that we could pickup the car the following morning , which we did .

A day by day account would be more book than blog so I’ll just go through some of the highlights :

The end of the first stage and it was lashing rain . We had a few crash victims and ended up being one of the last teams to leave the finish area . As we drive down the hill towards the hotel we pass the Credit Agricole team hotel where the three mechanics are outside under a floodlight awning at the side of their team van washing the bikes . Two bikes per mechanic .

I pull the clapped out cycling Ireland van into our hotel car park and try to park under a streetlight in order to see what I’m doing . Six bikes all to myself , rain all day so plenty to clean and repair and no awning or light . I pull on the oil skins and think out loud   ’ glamour my arse ‘ . I miss dinner as I’m out trying to get the bikes ready for the following morning and my evening meal consists of a few chocolate wafer biscuits and a powerbar . It’s impossible to see what I’m doing in the rain and non-existent light so eventually I call it a very frustrating day just after midnight .

Morgan is just back from a laundrette twenty km away so we both get stuck into washing the bottles and preparing the race food for the following day as Claire isn’t here yet . My head touches the pillow just after 2.00 am as I set my alarm for 5.00 am , just three hours later .

Luckily it starts to get bright around six am and I can finally see what I’m doing , the rain too has abated . I look over what I did the previous evening and see that it was mostly a waste of time as I have to go over all of the bikes again now that I can actually see what I’m doing . The riders walk out just after ten am . A few moans here and a few groans there . I’ve just finished the last bike and I’m not in the form to humour anybody . I’m tired and hungry , still haven’t even contemplated a bit of breakfast and am in no form to listen to requests for last minute jobs which should take an hour but have to be done in under ten minutes .

The riders don’t care about the effort that you’ve put in for them and rarely even acknowledge it . The mechanic and team staff are almost seen as servants even though you are giving up your holiday time and not getting paid a penny for it . I’ve been on both sides of the fence and as a rider know that you are so focused on the race that sometimes everything and everybody is taken for granted .

But then you arrive at the start line and the buzz hits you . You organise the spare wheels in the back seat and get your small bag of tools ready on the floor beside you . You remove the passengers headrest so that you have a clear view of the road ahead .You set up the riders small race bags with rain capes , gloves etc.  where they are easy to reach and you check that you have enough race food and bottles on the front seat and floor . You hop out and do some last minute job that some rider will always want done and check the air pressure of all spare wheels one last time . Check that the spare bikes on the roof are tight and make sure that no spectator has loosened anything . You hear the signal for the race to start and you hop in the back as the manager hops into the front and you are away .

Now you are glued to race radio and looking at the list of riders and numbers which you have taped to the back of the seat in front of you checking to see if any of your riders are in any of the moves , or if anybody punctures or needs assistance .

The evening before we needed a few bits and pieces from town , so as we headed in along a wet road suddenly a patch of diesel landed us up on top of a roundabout . Luckily the only damage was a front tyre which was now in a garage being repaired . The result however was that we were now in the cavalcade on a 160 km stage with a front driver side donut which advised only 30 km with no greater than a speed of 50 kph . Fingers and toes were crossed whenever we thought about it .

10k into the stage and Morgan says ‘ oh shit ‘ . My first thought is that I’ve missed something on race radio and something has happened to one of our riders . But no , the red light has begun to flash and we are almost out of petrol . So we look out for a petrol station and pull in . Hoping that none of our riders punctures . I stay in the car and listen to the race radio as Morgan fills her up . By the time we pull back out onto the road we are out of range and are now stuck behind the traffic which has become caught behind the race . Then our saviour arrives . He wears an orange and blue and red and green jacket with a half face white helmet and a pair of biggles goggles . He travels on a white and grey ten year old 100cc moped and we call him Ernie ,  after the Sesamie Street character . He beckons us on to follow him as he guides us between the traffic that we are now passing out and the oncoming traffic which he is waving his six inch timber lollipop at telling them to pull over . He stops traffic and brings us on through red lights . He deposits us safely back into the cavalcade and as we beep and wave our appreciation he gives us a boy scout salute as he touches his hand of the side of his helmet as much as to say all part of the service .

As we begin to settle back into the race one of our riders  numbers is called out over the race radio and we immediately take off up the outside of the cavalcade and find that David O’Loughlin has punctured . I jump out carrying a rear and a front and see that it’s a rear that’s flat . I change it immediately and give him a push off . He says thanks as I push him off and I grab the punctured rear and the front and dive back into the car . We resume our place in the cavalcade in  time to see him safely back in the bunch . I switch the punctured rear for a good one from the back of the car and once again have a pair of good wheels beside me on the seat .

Just as the riders stop for ‘nature breaks’ so too do the cars behind and as it seems all quiet up ahead we pull over and relieve ourselves just as the big mat team car pulls over to do likewise . The Fakta team have a girl on board and as they pull over there is almost a crash in the cavalcade . The Palmans team manager is so busy trying to see what she is up to that he almost drives into the back of the panaria team car in front . There is a screech of brakes which filters back along the cavalcade and disaster is narrowly avoided . We say that she can certainly stop traffic .

100k into the stage and we hear that Scanlon is in a break which are quickly gaining time on the bunch . Cancellara and Bernhard Eisel are there from quick step as are Cristophe Mengin and Andy Flickinger so it looks good . The gap grows out to over a minute and they begin to let some of the team cars through . Morgan is on the race radio asking to be allowed up and as it reaches 1.30 we are called through . Just as we are passing the bunch the road narrows and we are consumed by the bunch . There we are surrounded by riders and I look out the window as nonchalantly as possible at Jacky Durands bars which are about four inches from my nose and hope that Morgan doesn’t clip anyone . He stands on the horn and eventually we make our way through . The gap is now two minutes and we have to get across quickly . We travel along a twisting narrow rolling closed road at speeds approaching 150 kph and I briefly think about our donut front wheel . We are up there for 30k before the bunch led by Francais de Jeux reels them in . Jimmy Casper wins the gallop and rewards his team for their efforts .

We load up the bikes on the roof and pack the riders into the car before heading back to the hotel . In the car on the way back the conversation turns to doping . All of our guys are clean but are easily able to pick out some of the big names who are not . What goes on is accepted but the price that is paid is just as widely acknowledged . Some of the lads raced against guys who have since died of heart attacks  and the complications of later life do act as a deterrent for most who have a brain .

Claire arrives the following day and one of the first things that happens is that she drives over a plastic box containing all of the Russian teams’ bananas’ . They go ‘ape’ . Their budget is minuscule . The previous day they got 17 punctures and have gone beyond new tubes and are now on their third puncture repair kit . The bananas’ were their race food for the week and possibly their evening meals also . I was concerned that a KGB hit could be ordered but disaster was avoided as Morgan promised to buy them a new box and fill it with more Bananas than before . Peace resumes again .

We got through the race and dropped most of the lads to the train station before Morgan and I checked the team out of the Hotel . All week we had been told that Cycling Ireland were sending over the money to pay the hotel but as we tried to check out it had still not arrived . Another conflab ensued with the manager mentioning Gendarme etc. but once again Morgan got it sorted by getting the President of Cycling Ireland to fax over a signed guarantee of payment . This got us out the door where we jumped into the van and floored it to get away before we got arrested .

I dropped Morgan off in Paris and drove the rest of the way back myself and had plenty of time to think about the events of the previous week . There were times that I said never again but there were also times that were fantastic . The buzz and exhilaration of being in the team car during the race itself made up for much of the hard work that went on outside of that . The professional teams are so well organised that it is a much easier job for the mechanic although most still put in between twelve and fourteen hours each day .

So tonight when you sit down to watch the tour spare a thought for the poor mechanic, the guy who helps to keep the show on the road .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

Long before Lance Armstrong’s dominance when the likes of Greg Lemond and the  7-Eleven team came to the tour the TV coverage changed also as it was given the US primetime tv makeover . Here are a few good examples including Roches 1987 tour win . ( look out for a very young current Credit Agricole pro , Nicolas in his arms )

For my first birthday , my Father got me a ride on pedal tractor . It was way too big and I couldn’t even reach the pedals , or so I’m told . I was only one after all so my memory of events is a bit sketchy to say the least . My mother had her reservations about the fact that it was way too big for me but my father insisted that I would grow into it .

There was another issue , however , which was at the forefront of their thoughts . I was born with a ‘club foot ‘ . This is a foot which is turned inwards and down . Mine was a very pronounced club foot which would require some serious surgery . A doctor when I was born had told them that I would have difficulty walking and possibly not be able to run or cycle a bike . So on that first birthday as they looked at me up on a tractor which was way too big the unspoken question was ‘ would I ever be able to pedal the thing , or anything else for that matter .

Luckily for me , my Father and Mother were determined to get my problem sorted and at the age of two I spent six weeks in Croom Hospital and underwent a radical operation , for it’s time which straightened and realigned my left foot . Next came a daily regime of physio and stretching which went on for a number of years .

The toy tractor was always there as a carrot for me and a reminder for my parents of what I should be able to do . Eventually all of their persistence paid off and shortly after my third birthday I began to slowly turn the pedals of the tractor . From that day on I would spend hours each day sitting on my plastic Ford 4000 replica and get to grips with pedaling - one stroke at a time . My father was kept busy fixing my pride and joy , and even had to weld up a steel steering wheel as I was constantly breaking the plastic one .

My leg improved quickly with all of the pedalling exercise and now in adulthood it is hardly noticeable day to day , apart from a fouteen inch scar , a size nine left foot and a size eleven right foot and a left calf less than half the sized of my right one , but it never stops me cycling .

Then when I was six on a visit to a cousin I hopped up on her orange bike and began cycling down her back garden . to this day I can still vividly remember the sense of accomplishment of pedalling under my own steam with just two wheels to carry me along .

The following day my Father told me to hop into his blue Ford Capri and brought me into Cahir where he bought me my first bike . It was a chrome Huffy BMX with red anodised rims and was just about the coolest thing that I had ever seen . I now literally lived on this bike and began cycling the mile and a half to and from school by the time I was nine .

I got my first racing bike when I was fourteen . It was a Dawes Jaguar and it was as good as any Jaguar car to me . Within a few months I was racing and never looked back .

My parents would usually drive me to the races and even though he knew very little about cycling , my Father was just as enthusiastic as any of the other fathers , if not even more so . I remember the under fifteen all Ireland finals in Mondello where I was a spotty cranky teenager and was embarrassed to see him at the side of the track shouting at me to ‘ make the break ‘ and telling me that ‘ the break is on ‘ . Ray won the race , his first of many National titles , and I was ninth but the main topic of conversation the following day in school as we sat beside each other was Ray informing me that ‘ the break is on !’.

Twenty years on and now that I am a father myself I appreciate the huge effort that my Father made to be a part of his teenage sons life and to take an interest in what interested me .

The only time that I saw him shed a tear was on the street in Blessington just after I won the final stage of the ESCA trials and had just assured my first excursion in a green Irish jersey . He was proud of what I had achieved but he was old school , not one to say it , but that day it got the better of him and his eyes did the talking for him , very briefly .

Like many father and sons we had our ups and downs but when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer eighteen weeks ago I was glad to be able to be there for him . It is amazing how focused news like this makes you and how priorities change and time becomes more and more valuable . He was anointed four weeks ago and I found myself sitting at his bedside asking for just one more good day . I got my wish and we had a couple of more good days . On Tuesday about three weeks ago we spent two hours sitting outside in the garden of Clogheen Hospital and I sat and listened as my Father fought for the breaths to say what he wanted to tell me . He gave me lots of advice of how to live the rest of my life and how important family , friends and people are above all else , even cycling . He told me how to improve my relationship with Ciara and how to look after my family . Much of what he told me began with the caveat of ‘ this isn’t what I did but this is what you should do ‘ and it was as though he had some kind of a supernatural clarity . As I wheeled him back indoors he looked up at me and said that he was ready to go . I brushed it off and told him not to be talking like that and that there was plenty more left in him . He just smiled weakly back at me .

On Wednesday week last I got a phone call to go out immediatly to the hospital . As I walked in the door one of the nurses stopped me to prepare me for the deteroriation in his condition from when I had seen him the evening before . I walked into the room and was still taken aback by how quickly the deteroriation had taken place . He was gasping for breath and once more I found myself at his side asking for him to be able to breath easier , one breath at a time . Within ten minutes of arriving , I looked on completly helpless as he drew his final breath and let go .

We went through the funeral pretty much in a daze . It’s now , a week later that I find myself leaving the shop wanting to turn left for Clogheen rather than to turn right for home that it really hits home that he is gone .

Tomorrow I’m going to get back out on the bike and go for a spin , one pedal stroke at a time !

Barry
www.worldwidecycles.com

Last Thursday morning I was standing in the shop when an old school friend walked in . He does a lot of running and was in to get a few energy gels . We were chatting or ‘ shooting the breeze ‘ as former Discovery team members would say  , when he asked me why cycling seemed to be getting more and more popular . I had to stop and think for a while as to the cause of the surge in cycling popularity at present and here are a few of the reasons that came to me :

1 . Cycling is open to everybody .

Because it is not a team sport , anyone with a half decent bike can hop on the machine outside their door at whatever time suits and head out for a spin . If you are tall or small , thin or addicted to burgers you can still ride a bike .  Age is no barrier as the bebo generation can enjoy a  cycle just as much as someone who remembers world war 2 , as can anyone in between .

2 . Cycling is good for your health .

People who cycle , in general , enjoy a fitness level of the average person ten years younger . Cycling at least twenty miles per week reduces the risk of heart disease by over 50 % . Unlike running it is low impact  , so can be enjoyed long after the knees have begun to shout ‘No’ to any suggestion of going for a run . Cycling just like swimming is a fantastic way to loose weight but how many people can swim to work .

3. Cycling is good for your wallet .

In the current climate of soaring petrol and diesel prices and exorbitant parking prices the bike is a fantastic alternative . The running cost of the average family car driver who commutes twenty miles each day to a city centre location now exceeds €2500 . A good commuting bike which may cost between 3 - €400 costs on average €125 per annum to maintain including tyres and brake blocks . Then there is the other side of things where a car enthusiast can rarely afford a Ferrari but an average cycling enthusiast can afford the Ferrari of bikes .

All of the above are great reasons to cycle but for most of us the reason we cycle is because of what I call ‘Floaters’ !

A floater can be one of two things  ,

1 - A warm summer day without a cloud in the sky . You walk out the front door in shorts and short sleeves and throw your leg over your freshly cleaned machine . The calm breeze gently cools your face as you head over the Comeraghs towards Bonmahon where you turn right . You then follow the coast all along as far as Ardmore before stopping to eat an ice cream on the sea wall . You head for home and passing through Ballymac decide to turn right and finish the spin with a nice gallop up The Nire . You arrive back at your front door five hours after you left and the legs feel as though you could do it all again . That’s ‘Floater’ number one .

2 - It’s wet and windy in early January . You meet the group coming up from carrick and hear the murmur of a spin down the coast towards Tramore . You dont’ mind as you feel strong . The group slowly diminishes in size from fifty to forty to thirty and finally as you pass through Annstown their are only fifteen left in place . There is a hill up out of the seaside village but there is no time to look at the sea as the clouds darken and Rory throws it up onto the big ring .  There follows a brief period of clicks , rattles , grunts and moans before an eery silence descends . The group of fifteen has been reduced to three as you crest the final hill on the coast road . The legs are sore , you’re on your limit but you still manage to roll through and do your turn at the front . Once more you arrive back at your front door feeling OK . You could do another hour but not any more than that . That’s ‘floater’ number 2 and what both of these have in common is that it takes a huge amount of dedicated training to get to that level , but when you do it’s all more than worth it for the sense of satisfaction and the feeling of being super fit that accompanies the occasion .

With the right amount of training any cyclist can experience a ‘floater’ and that’s why cycling is becoming more and more popular all of the time !

Barry
www.worldwidecycles.com
 

Cycling has always been a great way to get a group together and to raise money for different charities . Wheather it be a one day local sponsored cycle such as the emergency services cycle for autism next Saturday or a fortnight long overseas event such as those run by the NCBI or Crumlin Children’s hospital they are all very worthwhile . Literally millions of euro are raised each year for very needy causes and a huge difference is made to the lives of the people who suffer from different illnesses and disabilities .

I have always been a huge fan of the NCBI blazing saddles and the work of big Eamonn Duffey and have even been on one of their trips as can be seen here on a previous post : cycling for charity

On june 29th this year three adventurers are taking on another very challenging cycle to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society , a very worthwhile cause . They will be following the route of The flight of the earls from northern France to Rome . The big difference with this trip is that the three guys are funding the cycle entirely from their own pockets so that 100 % of the monies raised will go directly to their chosen charity . This is hugely commendable and I think that everyone should have a look at their website : www.flightoftheearlscycle.com and consider making a donation at www.mycharity.ie

One of the three involved is Damian Hardiman who will be well known to all the winter warriors locally as he is a regular on the spins around Ballymac and beyond . He also races with Dan Morrisey’s and has been training hard for the event .

I wish them well with the event and hope that they exceed their fundraising target .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

We were recently appointed official BMC dealers , one of only two in Ireland and have been very impressed with the products so far . We have been receiving a number of inquires about selling them on-line but we advise people that framesets such as these are better assembled by qualifed mechanics only as the seat clamp area in particular does not welcome some of the excessive forces that are often seen in many cyclists garden sheds .

To give you a taste of the bikes themselves here is a video of former Lance Armstrong right hand man Frankie Andreau reviewing the BMC Pro Machine ;

If reading about worldwidecycles isn’t enough you can now hear us speak at the recent Irish Internet Association congress and on The Sunday Business show on Today FM by following the links below ;

IIA - worldwidecycles IIA podcast third one down

TODAY FM - worldwidecycles Today FM podcast select sunday 8/6/08 part 2

Yesterday , on the way back from Dublin I was listening to Miceal O Murahurtaigh commentating on the Tipp - Cork match , and wondered what he would be like commentating on a bike race , maybe it would be something like this ;

‘ Dia dhiabh agus failte , welcome , welcome , welcome to Middleton for the cluiche ceannais All Ireland road race final of the year two thousand and ooh nine . And ooh isn’t it a great day for a race . All of the riders are lined up here in glorious sunshine . Don’t talk to me about sunshine , myself and herself are only back from our holidays in Spain and were like two vegetables , a tomato and an onion . She’s all red and I’m still peeling . ‘

‘ The flag is dropped and they’re away . The first man to attack is ‘The Daggler ‘ Power from Waterford . He’s been going well all year and he wants to go well again here today . I was talking to his father Pat before the race and he was telling me that the young fella was all fired up to do well . ‘Tis a hot day to be lighting the fire but there’ll be bonfires in lismore park if the shamrock jersey ends up in Waterford tonight . ‘

‘ Power is caught and the counter attack comes from his team mate Morgan Fox . The jersey’s pink and blue and if he was a redhead they’d call him Foxy . His first cousin Dessie Dolan was best man for his brother Gary last Friday . He had to leave the Church in a helicopter to go and score a goal and four points for Westmeath in their Leinster quarter final against Offaly . There’s no helicopter here today and Morgan’s girlfriend Maria told me he’ll be cycling home to Athlone if he finishes outside of the top ten . ‘

‘Fox is joined on the attack by a post man . He’s not a real post man but young Mark Cassidy rides in the all green of the An Post Martin Donnelly Grant Thornthon Sean Kelly professional cycling team . Well that’s more of a mouth full than anything that Pamela Anderson has to offer . Young Mark wore the yellow jersey of race leader for a day in this years FBD Insurance Ras but was unlucky to crash out of the race . His father Philip had worn his first Ras yellow jersey twenty five years to the day before his son and he went on to win the Ras twice . Will the son do the same ? The signs are good but I suppose only time will tell .’

‘A couple of more riders have bridged the gap to the leaders . The gap is growing and is now the size of Times square in New York . I was there a few weeks ago and was missing the racing back home . I approached a news stand and asked ‘ I suppose ye wouldn’t have The Kerryman , would ye ?’ To which the Egyptian man behind the counter turned to me and said ,’ is it the north Kerry or south Kerry edition that you want ? , He had both so I bought both . And the break has been closed down again ‘

‘Speaking of The Kerryman here’s Eugene Moriarty having a go himself . He’s going well in the blue and white of Myhome.ie BDBC . Billy Doolan is a building contractor and Myhome sell houses so there’s a good link up there .’

‘The wedger’ O’Loughlin from Mayo has attacked up the hill like a stone from a gallabandy . I was at mass in Cobh this morning and the omens seem to be good for Mayo , the priest was wearing the Mayo colours . O’Loughlin has the head down and is getting away . He’s looking strong and ……………he punctures . Well so much for religion ‘

‘John O’Brien from Cobh riding for Dan the man Morrisey attacks and is quickly joined by Paidi O’Brien , no relation . Paidi goes through and does his turn at the front but they’re still not related . His grandfather probably fought for Independence in nineteen sixteen and young Paidi is fighting for All Ireland glory here today ‘

‘We’re nearing the final part of the race and Davy McCann is on the attack . Well if any man can stay away McCann can . His father makes furniture but Davy spends more time on the saddle than on the sofa . His head is down and he’s looking at the handlebars . The handlebars are looking at him .

‘And who goes after him only young Stevie Gallagher . The man from the North who goes better down South . He rode magnificently in this years  Ras to take the spoils . What a remarkable year it would be for young Stevie if he were to take the All Irelands and the Ras all in the one year . ‘

‘We’re standing here at the finish line and the leaders are coming into view . They’re sprinting to the left and sprinting to the right . There still too far away to make them out . All I can see are the colours of their jerseys . There’s pink , there’s blue , there’s green , there’s white . But who will take the gold , silver and bronze . We’ll know now shortly ‘

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I’m sorry we seem to be experiencing some technical difficulties at present and hope to resume coverage as soon as possible on June twenty ninth !

Barry
www.worldwidecycles.com

A while back I came up with a few Radio Ray blog entries which were parodies of the Gift grub Radio Roy sketches on today fm . Well this Sunday I get to do it for real as a guest on The Sunday Business show between 10.30 and 11.30 am .

We also got a good mention in last Thursdays Irish Independant Digital Ireland supplement , with a picture for my three year old to draw a beard on which should keep me from actually growing one any time soon .

Barry
www.worldwidecycles.com

Well it has been everywhere for the past few months . Rumour and covert pics were all over the net but this weekend we got the first official pics from madison ( the official shimano importer ) and here they are :

The chainset looks leaner and more aggressive . The chainrings are hollow and the weight has been reduced by 50g to 690g including bottom bracket . They are also saying that it is 20% stiffer than the current model which was supposed to be the stiffest mass production model on the market already .

The STI Levers have internal gear cable mounting and carbon levers . They are finally challenging campag in the looks department . Again they are 50g lighter at just 370g and are supposed be more comfortable to boot . The 20% better theme continues here with a claimed improved in shifting performance although only a computer could verify that one .

The flightdeck computer was never of great interest to me , until now . Shimano have been paying attention to polar and cat eye and have added a heart rate monitor aswell as an altimeter . It can be downloaded wirelessly to a pc and also looks better than before . Shimano aren’t saying this so I will , I think that it’s 20% better than before

The rear mech looks a lot better thanks to a carbon inner and outer guide plate . This also reduces weight ( although not by the magical 50g ) to just 166g which really is pretty light . It can also handle a bigger variance in cassette sprockets up to a 33t inner which means that it should work great with the new compact chainset .

The front mech has also been improved and shimano are now saying that you won’t need to trim it when up on the big ring any more . Time will tell . The weight is again down , to only 68g .

The brakes have also been revamped with , I quote ‘an enhanced brake arch proportion for increased linear response and more powerful yet controlled braking ‘ . Who comes up with this stuff ? . Basically they are better , work better and look better . Weight is again improved to just 287g , not to be too precise , and the pads have been improved to double the performance in the wet and guess how much of an improvement in the dry ? you’ve got it , a 20% improvement in dry conditions .

So to sum it all up , the new groupset is 180g lighter than before and works better ( 20% better possibly but I will confirm this as soon as I can get my hands on it ) It is showing up as being available in winter 2008 which probably means December . And now for the big question , how much ? well 1199 sterling is the RRP which would make it around 1580 euro on todays exchange rate .