Clonard Road Club: NEWSROOM

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news from Irish and international races with 'Sticky Bottle' website!!  Here is the link to the Results page:  http://www.stickybottle.com/category/races-results

Sept 2014: Midweek Spins draw to a close....

As the daylight hours are now becoming more and more scarce, the last of the evening midweek spins took place this week (2nd Sept).
We will resume the spins next Spring.

In the meantime though.....next up on the agenda will be the now world famous Turbo Training Sessions in Clonard village hall.  We plan to start in October, so if you do not already own a Turbo Trainer, then now is the time to start writing your letter to Santa so that you can join in the 'fun' on Monday nights and keep yourself in tip-top condition over the dark winter months.

More details will follow soon, but for the moment.....all club members are welcome to join in, and start saving for your Turbo Trainer if you haven't got one!

2014 tour of South Meath + Rapparee Reunion

We will be hosting the annual Tour of South Meath sportive on Sunday 28th September.  Leaving from Mother Hubbards at 10am.
This year we will also have a very special event, in conjunction with the 50km route: The Rapparee Reunion!

Full details can be found on the Tour's web page HERE.

2014 Meath County Championships: Road Race

We will host the 2014 Meath County Championships on Sunday 7th September, from 10am.
Details HERE

Westmeath Royal Canal Greenway

There is a new cycle/walking trail “Westmeath Royal Canal Greenway”, recently developed by Westmeath Co. Council in Association with Waterways Ireland and Dept. of Transport, Tourism & Sport.   As I’m sure you’re aware the improved 32km stretch of the Royal Canal towpath that makes up the Greenway is an ideal cycling, running and walking choice for everyone.

The link is to greenway.westmeathcoco.ie

2014 National Bike Week

In conjunction with National Bike Week, the club will have an event on Tuesday 17th June - this will be leisure spin, open to everyone that would like to come along, and all levels of ability will be catered for.

The spin will leave Mother Hubbards at 7pm, and will last for about 1h15m.  Pace will be leisurely, so everyone is welcome to join in!

After the spin, we will have some food in Mother Hubbards - promises to be a great evening....hope we will see you all out for a spin!


Also on the night we will have skills and sprint training for u18 riders - Club Secretary Alan Maye will supervise the training.  This is a great opportunity to learn some essential bike skills, and we would encourage all young riders to come along and join in with the fun.
Training will last for about 1-hour, and runs at the same time as the leisure spin (i.e. 7pm start).









 

April 2014 News Update

Well!!! finally we're out of the winter months, and now the 2014 season is well and truly upon us!  We want to thank Alan Maye for the hammering oops, sorry drilling, no...sorry, for the amazing motivational Turbo classes he gave us throughout the long winter!  Well done Alan! Great work!

So - we have a lot of updates to roll out now!  Each of them are very important, and none more so than that safety aspects which are referred to in most of the news items linked below.



EVENING SPINS
From Tuesday 15th April we will begin the 2014 evening spins.  These will take place every Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout the season - initially starting at 6:45pm, and meeting in Mother Hubbards Car park, approx 1h15m duration.  Pace will be leisurely on Tuesday evenings, and a faster paced spin to take place on Thursday evenings.

We require all riders taking part in the evening spins to read through the safety information page HERE, and all club members will be required to sign a safety statement before taking part in the club spins.



WOMENS CYCLING
We will have regular spins meeting on Tue/Thrs evenings at 6:45pm.  Details HERE




CLUB LEAGUE
The first race of the 2014 Club League will take place on Thursday 24th April.

Please visit the league page for information, and please also be aware of all your requirements and obligations (particularly Team Leaders!!), as this is critical to ensure rider safety for the league.

Please read through the Marshal Rota page and the main League Pages fully, and if you have any questions/concerns, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us, as we will be more than happy to clarify these for you (email: secretary@clonardroadclub.com)

2013/14 Winter Indoor Turbo Training

Can't get out training in these long cold winter nights?  Well......no excuses!!!  Indoor Turbo Training comes to Clonard!!!

Starting on Monday 9th December in Clonard Hall - 8pm to 9pm.

Cost is only 2-euro for the session.


Bring your bike, your Turbo, your heart monitor if you have one, a towel, and of course a drink!

If you have no Turbo, no excuses, as Alan will have a loan of a few for the first few nights.  Just call Alan on 087-9923-409 to book a turbo.

2013 Club Weekend Away:

All the details for the weekend away in Co. Wicklow can be found HERE.

2013 Winter Spins:

We have changed the format of our weekly (Sunday morning) spins, which we hope will encourage more members to join in the spins every weekend.  Please see the full details on the Cycle Routes page here.

2013 Sponsorship News:  SCOTT BIKES

Scott Bikes are one of the Club's main sponsors this year, and they have kindly provided us with a brand new Scott Speedster s40 bike!
This is a really nice bike, weighing in at only 9kg, and kitted out with Shimano tripple chainset to get you over the steepest of hills,  and is available to buy from the club at the special discounted price to Clonard Members of just 899-euro.
Please contact Alan if you are interested (087 9923 409).

Here are the details of the bike:





Full Spec available from Scott Sports website:
http://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/products/221898020/bike-speedster-s40-cd18-xs49

2013 Club Team Kit...

Sneak Preview of the new 2013 Club Jersey and Shorts...

2013 Club League starts 23rd April

The first round of the 2013 Club League is on Tue 23rd April.  The race will be a 16km individual time-trial, and the first rider off will be at 6:30pm sharp, as we need to ensure that everyone makes it back in time to get home before it gets dark.

Please ensure you arrive early so that you can sign on and get yourself warmed up!  See the CLUB LEAGUE homepage for all the details of the 2013 league.

Please note that if you wish to take past in the races, you must have a Club Competition (or Full Competition) license from Cycling Ireland.  Anyone with other license types cannot take part (but you are very welcome to come along on any night and lend a hand with marshaling of course!!!)

2013 Club AGM

The Annual General Meeting will take place on FRIDAY 11th JAN 2013
 - Clonard Village Hall
 - 8:30pm

We would encourage all club members to attend the meeting.
Anyone wishing to take a more active role in the Club, by taking up a post as a member of the committee, this is your chance!

2013 Membership is open now!!

You can renew your 2013 Club and Cycling Ireland fees online now directly from our website in one simple transaction!

We would encourage all members to ensure your membership is renewed before 31st December, so that you have insurance cover from 1st January 2013.  Remember - having insurance cover is a mandatory requirement for anyone taking part in Club activities (e.g. club spins on the weekends).
Please see the membership 2013 page for full details.

2013 Christmas 12-hour Charity Cycle: 15th December

We will be running our annual Christmas Charity Cycle again this year.  Runs from 9am until 9pm in the SuperValu and Tesco Supermarkets in Kinnegad.
Five local charities will benefit from the money raised:
 - Marie Keating Foundation
 - Aware
 - St. Vincent de Paul
 - Lir Preschool
 - Clonard Senior Citizens

We would encourage all members of the club to join in and take one of the available timeslots.

More details can be found on the Club's Facebook page:


Clonard Road Club

Promote your Page too

Annual Dinner & League Presentation Night

All club members are invited to attend what should be a great night, and a great opportunity for everyone to get together.  We will be presenting prizes for the 2012 Club League on the night, so come along and join the fun! Here are all the details....

The Venue:     Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad (in the Restaurant)
The Date:       Friday 30th November
The Time:       8pm
The best bit:   Cost is only 15-euro per person!!

** UPDATE **
8th Nov 2012 - Winter Spins

Just a reminder to everyone that our Winter Training Spins are going ahead every weekend.  For Sundays, the  pace is controlled to keep it below 30km/h avg, and the  duration is 2hrs approx (plus one stop for tea en-route!).  Everyone is welcome to join in, and we would encourage all members to come along.
Saturday spins are also in full swing, and of course these are at a more leisurely pace than the Sunday spins.

** PLEASE NOTE **
To ensure not only your own safety, but the safety of the whole group while out riding in the dull winter months, you MUST have a rear light fitted to your bike (and have it switched on!!) if you want to take part in the group spins.
Also, when the roads are wet, you are required to have at least a rear mudguard fitted.

We don't want ye coming home
looking like this fella....
   


So, in summary - lights and mudguards are now mandatory!!

Cycling legend Greg LeMond comes to Meath!!!

Greg LeMond (former professional cyclist from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France) will be in Trim on October 7^th to participate in the HADD Charity cycle. Greg LeMond became the first American and the first non-European cyclist to win the Tour de France. He is one of eight cyclists to have won the Tour three or more times.

The HADD charity cycle takes place as part of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) awareness week and is organised in association with Meath Local Sports Partnership and Clonard Cycle Club. Greg LeMond has ADHD and as a result of this, is a huge supporter of the charity internationally.

On the day, there will be 2 distances for cyclists to chose from– 40km & 10km family spin. Both distances start and finish at the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co.Meath.

Here is a link to the Meath Sports website for all the details.

2012 Tour of South Meath

Sun 23rd Sept, 11am. 50km and 100km routes. For full details here.

The Club League Champion for 2012:  Congratulations to Ger Dunne!!!

All the results and race report can be found here.

 
Here are a collection of photos, taken over the course of the Club League - many thanks to Donal for taking the photos and sending them on!!

Club League 2012 draws to a close

The final round of the Club League will take place on Tuesday 4th September.  The league has been hotly contested all summer long, and all comes down now to the final race.
Can Andy Flood retain the yellow Jersey and take the honours for 2012...can Ger Dunne overtake him to become Club League Champion...not forgetting of course the tight battle for 3rd place which is still wide open, and sees 7 or 8 riders within 10 points of each other.  Can the Limit and Semi-Limit groups put in a huge effort to shake it all up at the top of the league...
 - it all comes down to this final race!!!

(Note that because of the shorter daylight hours now, we have reduced the final race to 1.5 laps of the Ballyboggin Circuit, and we will finish now on the motorway bridge on the 2nd lap (i.e. not the Hilltop Finish as was initially planned)).

Evening spins: Finish up 31st Aug

Thursday 31st August will see the last of the evening Spins for 2012, as the nights are closing in fast.  Check the calendar on the homepage for details of upcoming spins through the winter time.
 

Leisure Spin: July 31st, 2012 (note date change!)

We will have an evening of leisure spins, building on the success of the recent National Bike Week evening last month.  Everyone is welcome to come along, and there will be food afterwards in the Monastery Inn.  For full details, click here - hope to see you on the evening!

Race News: July 2012

Great race in Ballivor lon Saturday 7th July.
A great turnout from the Club with Jacob, Mervyn, Alan, Ed and Ger all taking part.
All but Ger started in the first group which was made up of A4s,Vets(A2s&A3s) and ladies. Ferocious pace from the off, of which was 3 laps of a 17km circuit. Alan had the legs to attack on the final lap to get into a break with 2 other riders but despite his best efforts he couldn't stay away. Only 6 A1s/A2s managed to catch the lead group, which made for a good bunch sprint.

Ger also is taking part in the Leinster Championships this weekend too.

l'Etape du Tour, Albertvile France, 8th July 2012

Club member Andy Flood took part in  l'etape du Tour, riding a full stage of the Tour de France, just a few days ahead of the real race with the Pro's.
Nearly 6000 people from all over the world came to France and took part in l'etape.

Here are a couple of photos from the weekend:

National Bike Week 2012

On Tuesday the 19th June, we held a special evening in conjunction with National Bike Week.  The evening was a great success, and all the details and photos etc can be found on the Bike Week page.

Club League 2012

The 4th round of the Club League will be a 16km Time Trial, but this time it will be handicapped!!
It takes place on Tuesday 26th June, at 7pm. Full details are available here.

For results, times, speeds etc. from Round 1, see link here. 
For Round 2 results & photos, see here.
For Round 3, see here

Enfield Grand Prix 2012

Full details, and the Race Report can be found here.

Race reports: April/May

Best of luck to Joe Holton and to Jacob Baldwin who will both take part in the half IronMan Triathlon in Collinstown on 13th May. G'wan lads!!!

Also in Triathlon - two great results from the Naas Triathlon on 5th May:
 - 1st Male:     Gavin Doran
 - 1st Female: Marie Boland
Brilliant results!  Well done to Gavin and Marie!

Congrats to the great Peter Schweppe, who won the Vets race in Dundalk in April - well done Peter!!!

Well done to Ger Dunne for some good results recently...
  6th place A4 over a very hilly course in Roundwood Co.Wicklow
  Also, 1st A4 in the Peter Bidwell Memorial Race in Drogheda, April 21st.

Also well done to Jacob Baldwin and again to Ger for finishing well up in the bunch despite a very hard Hilltop Finish in the Coombes-Connor memorial race in Drogheda (on the Sunday, 22nd April), to finish off a great weekend of racing by Drogheda Wheelers.

No plans for the weekend?....

Check Irish Cycling website for all the upcoming events (sportives and races).
Why not post on our Facebook page if you are heading to an event...

Clonard Road Club

Promote your Page too
....and be sure to send us in some photos afterwards!

April 2nd: Ladies beginners spin

Great turnout for the first of the Beginners Ladies spins! Here are the gang meeting up at Mother Hubbards...

Mar 30th: *** special offer on Club Gear ***

Hurry Hurry!  Get yourself ready for the first Club League Race with a super slick new Skin Suit - and at the specially discounted price of only 50-Euro!!!  Contact Colm (087 905 7138) to place your order.

Other prices for Club Gear are:
 - Jerseys 40 euro
 - Jackets 50 euro
 - Shorts  40 euro

Club league starting next month!
For more details: link here.

Mar 18th: Race update

Well done to Jacob for a great race at the weekend in Dunboyne.  Over 100 on the a4 race, and Jacob had a top 10 finish!

Ras Naomh Finian 2012

Race report & Photos can be found here

Mar 18th: Sunday Spin

Mother Hubbards - Tyrellspass - Mullingar - Kinnegad - Mother Hubbards: 72 kms:

Lovely spin today with some great weather conditions, making for a good fast return leg of the journey from Mullingar with the wind at our backs, after a brief stop off for coffee in Hamills.
Average speed for the spin was 30km/h.

Here is the route we took:


Find more Bike Ride in Kildare

Feb 26th: Sunday Spin

Mother Hubbards - Tyrellspass - Belvedere Hse - Milltownpass - Mother Hubbards: 70kms:

Great turnout this morning for the Sunday Spin, on what (eventually) turned out to be a lovely spring day, with Temperatures up to almost 13 degrees, and....bone-dry roads!!  Oh, the joys of not having to hose the bike down after a spin! :)

A good strong and steady group were out today, over a new(ish) route, which took us out to Tyrellspass and across then to Belvedere House for Coffee - think we'll be re-visiting that one again soon!


Heading for home, on the way back in the old N6, the group were hitting 40km/h average - despite the best efforts of an awkward southerly wind to slow us down!

Here's the route we took:


Find more Bike Ride in Kildare

2012 Events/Workshops...

Workshop - Bike handling / Safety / Maintenance:
On Friday 17th February we held a workshop for all Club Members.  The evening went very well, and our speakers (Des Maye and John Ryan) gave excellent presentations, and their contribution was very much appreciated by everyone.

Des spoke about the importance of regular maintenance of bikes, gave some valuable demonstrations of common maintenance tasks which everyone should ensure they do in order to keep their bikes in tip-top condition, and also of course, with 30+ years experience in frame building, he gave some great advice regarding sizing and position.

John gave an excellent presentation of Group Cycling Skills - these skills are a must-know for anyone taking part in Group Spins.  Here is the link to John's presentation - the information is very valuable, for beginners and for experienced cyclists alike. 

Racing / Sportive Events:
We will organise the following Racing & Sportive events during the year.
Exact dates/times/route details etc will be added to the Website as we get closer to each event  (also see the 'Events' page for more details/routes/times etc)...

• Ras Naomh Finian - 10th March 2012
  
• Ladies sportive event – 7th May 2012
  
• Enfield Grand Prix – June 2012
• Tour of south Meath – September 2012
  

December 2011, Charity Fundraiser

Each year the club runs a 12 hour cycle at Tesco and Supervalu in Kinnegad for four local charities. We had a great response from club members and raised nearly 1800-euro!

The 4 charities are: Irish Cancer Society, St Vincent de Paul, Lir playschool and Clonard Senior Citizens

Well done to all involved! 


Some photos from the day...




SVP receiving their donation...