Santa Cycle 09
On the 17th of December an unusual sight of 85 exhilarated Santas were to be seen mounted on bicycles in Stevens Green.
The eagerly awaited Santa Cycle was to begin from this venue on a 260 mile trip to Cork. Over the course of the last few weeks a combined force from Castleknock College and Maynooth Post-primary had been tirelessly fundraising in aid of Chernobyl Children’s fund and the Gaisce the Presidents award. The day had finally come where they were to stay true to their sponsors and fulfil their word by completing the daunting cycle that lay ahead.
I myself was nervous not really sure what to expect on the day. Like many others on the trip I had done little training and was counting on personal fitness to see me through the endeavour. We conjugated in Stevens Green alongside Maynooth Post-primary where Our bags were collected on the truck, Ian McKeever took a head count and collected our fund-raising efforts and with the Garda escort arriving we were ready to get on our way.
We were met by a flurry of applause and cheers by onlookers as we cycled through Dublin City Centre at the beginning of our journey. Our spirits were high and the chorus of Christmas carols bellowed in the air as we steadily left Dublin and started heading into Kildare. We had a few 10 minute pit stops along the way after every 10 miles covered before we stopped for lunch in Kildare which was to mark our halfway point for the day. Exhausted and out of breadth we stumbled into the restaurant where we enjoyed a great meal, refuelled and were ready to embark on our journey once more. We almost lost a few cyclists on the way to Portlaoise (which was to be our first night stop) and the Gardaí began to grow exasperated but thankfully everyone was once again regrouped and we continued on to the hotel.
I could speak for everyone when I say I have never been so happy in my life to see a hotel. The sight of the hotel was enough to give us the last boost of adrenaline and as we entered the car park we leapt off our bikes and dashed through the threshold eager to check in, leaving a very unhappy Mr Doyle to tend to the bicycles. I quickly checked in got changed and joined everyone in the swimming pools and Jacuzzis where our muscles finally relaxed and we enjoyed a bit of banter in the water. Dinner was great and we were free to roam the town of Portlaoise and enjoy the many facilities in the hotel. Finally around 11 saddle sore and exhausted I went to bed ready for what lay ahead the next day. Little did I know that the first day was to be the easiest and that an undulating 70 mile stretch of road lay between us and our next night stop.
We had an early start of 7o’clock the following morning. We had to have breakfast checkout and be ready on our bicycles for 8 o’clock. Very sore and covered in pins and needles I reluctantly mounted my bicycle and once again accompanied by the Garda we continued our journey. The structure of the previous day stayed the same with the usual pit stops and a lunch halfway to our destination. We arrived in Limerick in the luxurious castle Troy Hotel. The atmosphere was great there as various Christmas parties were taking place. We collected money of guests who were more then happy to help us in our cause and collected money on the streets and in front of shops. People were eager to help our as the Christmas spirit was clear.
The following day followed suit and we quickly got into the routine and the next day followed suit. The day where we were finally going to enter Cork had arrived. We were all thrilled to be on the homeward stretch of our long journey. Unfortunately we weren’t able to cycle from Kerry to Cork due to icy conditions and had to be transported by a mini-bus over 40miles to the outskirts of the city where we were able to complete our excursion over the remainder 12miles. We gathered and were met by the media where pictures were taken for the local newspaper. We enjoyed our final night and took the train home.
Our adventure had finally come to an end after overcoming hardships such as various punctures, broken chains and the constant smug grin of Mr Brosnan from the safety of the pick-up van. All in all it was a memorable trip which really pushed us to our physical limits but well worth the effort.
Ahmad Mu’azzam
