Vintage Cycle - Laochra na Laoise II - Sunday September 14th

Eamonnator

Thank you Brendan and Daithi for a great day.
There were some beautiful bikes on show.
Route was great, weather was lovely, company was marvellous.
As already mentioned food stop was great.
I even enjoyed the climbs.
All in all a wonderful day.
Looking forward to next year.

Brendan Hennessy

Hi all,

Not long back in Cork and reflecting on another enjoyable vintage spin. 20 of us set out and I'm sure someone will post the pic of the amazing Raleigh Panasonic van that accompanied the Tax Man - a nice touch there, but that's not to forget Kerry Ger's 1979 Ford Transit. As it turned out 1979 turned out to be a vintage year, but more of that later. Riders got togged out, scan for your favourite jersey here, and note the woolly jerseys and even the moth holes!



Dáithí once again came up with a great route, and Conor came up with the excellent OS maps, both testify that Laoise is not flat, certainly not! If anyone is thinking of touring take a look at the route, but not even we managed the Wolf trap, so that animal still prowls. The 2 black dogs that prowl the 'Mur' were out in force, but no bites were taken of dog or man. In fact they could of been happily put to work down the road where 2 black sheep stalled the peleton. A protest by local farmers alá e Tour, hardly? But one man and his Pinarello shot into action and shepherded them to safety.

Our own flock needed a little tending on some testing hills, especially when Barry snapped his chain. Thankfully both man and bike remained intact, Sarge 10 came to the rescue and sacrificed his once pristeen white handlebar tape. Meantime I've heard there's a Colnago for sale in the Deise.

After all our adventures the peleton fractured and eventually regrouped in Abbeyleix. The god of time was pressing for some riders and so a few sadly departed. At which point we copped a lovely restaurant that deserve special mention if I could remember their name: the Gallic I think? Greatly priced food, a lovely welcome, and special dispensation to take our bikes through to the courtyard. Great stories were shared too, Junior tour stage wins remembered and some first veteran revelations. At which point when the chat turned to the Rás, we discovered we had 2 bikes from the 1979 event. A Benotto belonging to Kerry Ger which he rode in the Rás that year, and a TI Raleigh which once belonged to a lad called Roche, showed great promise at the time I believe.



After grub a few more slipped off, and eight of us took a review of the map and DBC's local knowledge came in handy. Eight became four a little later and DBC's orienteering and mountain riding skills again came to the fore. While the wolftrap remains a mysterious unknown, that's not what can be said about 'the cut'. Laoise not only has hill, it has hairpins. Yours truly went off the back in a vein effort to remain true to the goal of riding 48x20 for the day, the other sensible 3 made lightwork of the climb and descent. I was left gasping for a Coke!

Less of the cycling and back to the Bikes: Benotto x 2, Colange x 2, Ti Raleigh x 2, Raleighs Lenton and Roadace, a share of Peugeots, Holdsworth, Sun, Carlton, Harry Hall, Pinarello and Gianna Motta. Others? Photos?

So well done all, sorry to those of you who couldn't make it with the promise of another event in 2015,

Thanks all, Brendan

The tax man

Big thanks to Brendan and Daithi for orginising today. Nice to put some faces to names and to see some lovely old steel. Apologies for bailing at Mountrath but the body was starting to feel the previous days efforts.
Best of luck to anyone heading to L'Eroica.

Jitterbug1974

A big thanks to Brendan and Daithi for organising such a great day yesterday. Great to see so many nice bikes being ridden (as they should be!!!!) around such beautiful countryside in the company of such a friendly and welcoming bunch of people.
Thanks to Paul (Sarge10), Declan (Deadon) and the others for the help on the ‘Mur’- the Colnago (aka ‘the Italian Stallion’) is staying in the Deise for a while longer........
I’ve mailed some photos onto Brendan this morning so hopefully we’ll see them soon.
There was some talk yesterday of maybe running a few events like this during the year in other locations or indeed the starting up of a vintage club. I for one would be interested in both and would be willing to lend a hand.
Best of luck to all those doing L’Eroica and ride safe everyone.
Talk Soon
Barry

Jitterbug1974

A big thanks to Brendan and Daithi for organising a great day yesterday. Great to see so many nice bikes being ridden (as they should be!!!!) around beautiful countryside in the company of such a friendly and welcoming bunch of people.
Thanks to Paul (Sarge10), Declan (Deadon) and the others for the help on the ‘Mur’- the Colnago (aka ‘the Italian Stallion’) is staying in the Deise for a while longer........
I’ve mailed some photos onto Brendan this morning so hopefully we’ll see them soon.
There was some talk yesterday of maybe running a few events like this during the year in other locations or indeed the starting up of a vintage club. I for one would be interested in both and would be willing to lend a hand.
Best of luck to all those doing L’Eroica and ride safe everyone.
Talk Soon
Barry

Daithi BC

Glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the day yesterday. It was lovely to be out on roads I know well surrounded by classy bikes and in good weather. Great to meet people and put more names to faces as well.

The cafe in Abbeyleix is the Gallic Kitchen. Well worth a stop and great service for 14 of us yesterday.

I think it would be fantastic to have a few small vintage events for next year. The Sean Kelly 100k route around Dungarvan was mentioned as a possibility. LnL III will be back on September 13th 2015. Hold the date!

Brendan Hennessy

Sarge10's 1958 Raleigh Lenton Gran Prix; check out the rod lever and guess the chainring teeth



The 1979 Rás Benotto - not one change except for the cyclometer



The two 1979 Rás bikes, one Rás rider, and one very old jersey!

Yarisbob

What a brilliant day.. In fact the best day cycling Ive had in a long time. Great bunch of genuine enthusiasts.

It was a proper spin with no-body left behind and the craic was mighty. Unfortunately sportives now are basically races where the willy wavers with their carbons/Di2/spinergy are too interested in their Garmins to carry out a conversation with thier fellow cyclist. Too much BS in a modern day spin. All these twats are not cyclists in my poinion.

You are all genuine cyclists and greatt carachters where its all about nice scenery, quiet roads (apart from Flossy and Wooly !) , good pace and everybody enjoying the spin.

No hills in Galway I tell you.. Its pure mirror flat.. Real roads in Laois.

I think I clipped a stone on the way to the train and bulged the back tubular. I then got a blowout between Portarlington and Portlaoise. I had 2 spares but no glue but fare play to Brendan who gave me the tape to get them stuck right... !

A big thanks to the tax man who made sure I got back to the Mid-way. I was in an absolute heap but tax man set a nice pace and I was able to draft off him. BTW your Road-Ace is stunning...!

Time aws against me as well unfortunately but next time I'm taking a day each side so there will be no excuses..

Thanks a Million Brendan and Daithi for a great time and a really well organised and put together run.. Its brilliant to have contacts now with you all !

We will deffo have to meet up again sooner rather than later. I will deffo put sommit together in Galway Mar - Apr perhaps...?

Daithi BC

Yarisbob wrote: »

We will deffo have to meet up again sooner rather than later. I will deffo put sommit together in Galway Mar - Apr perhaps...?

That would be great - I think it would be lovely to have a calendar of these spins throughout the year and spread throughout the country.

If anyone's interested, this is the "medium" route that we ended up taking. It's over the Cut from the Mountrath side, and worked out at 110km: http://www.strava.com/activities/194899680

As a final postscript, if anyone is looking for a Raleigh Sun GT10 restoration project, my mate is selling the one he was on on Sunday. Let me know if you're interested.

Deadon

Great enthusiasm from the cycle ,and seems to be a lot of interest in more spins,loving yarisbobs mirror flat Galway roads ,cycled some of those pan flat roads in cliften ....I for one would definitely be up for a couple or three a year ,if there's one on for Galway nxt spring were in ...😀

Benotto

Just signs up on Boards to say a big thank you.
Especially to Brendan for organizing a great day out. And look forward to hearing about L’Eroica when he returns, what a trip. On my to do list.
To Daithi for organizing a great route, apparently there was great scenery while going up the "Cut", but all I saw was his back wheel which eventually disappeared into the distance.
And all the other cyclist, the retired Garda who at his age can cycle some pace up a hill, (I could not stay with him either !) My hats off to you sir.
Yes, that restaurant was great, there we were all there being posh ordering our AmericanO, CappuccinO but there had to be one a man from Donegal ordering a "Cuppa of TeaO", I did laugh, that was so funny the poor girl could not figure it out.
And the funny Dublin man who played football filled of concrete must pass this info onto Maurice Fitzgerald, no wonder the Dubs are so hard to beat.
And to all the other cyclist I met, the triathlon who travels to Kenmare for more punishment, The track cyclist and book man Tom Daly, The vintage tractor man, my team mate on the other Benotto and the triplets with the black and white jerseys and anyone else I forgot, what a very enjoyable day and look forward to the next one.
Sorry bad for names but I will pick them up slowly !
Gerard.

The Ging and I

Would it be worth while to get one event into the cycling Ireland calendar ?
It could open it up to a different group, i think the calendar entries are due soon.

Daithi BC

The Ging and I wrote: »

Would it be worth while to get one event into the cycling Ireland calendar ?
It could open it up to a different group, i think the calendar entries are due soon.

It's a good idea, but to get it onto the CI calendar, a CI club would have to put its name to it and do all the associated safety documentation and collection of one-day licence fees. Any volunteers? Entries for the 2015 calendar close on October 1st.

Brendan Hennessy

Hi all,

Thanks for all the thanks and thought on future events. We are very close to hosting a website for vintage enthusiasts here which could hopefully also be used to bring our 'community of interest' together.

I'm not quite sure about the CI calendar if for no reason than I don't have the time at present to undertake the officialdom that that would entail. At a time when cycling event have become quite expensive I like the principle that our event is free and cheap to organise.

Watch this space for more on the website - it will be dependent on your interest, articles and photos,

Brendan

Hi Ho

The Ging and I wrote: »

Would it be worth while to get one event into the cycling Ireland calendar ?
It could open it up to a different group, i think the calendar entries are due soon.

One of the nice things about this 'event' was that there was no sign on, no entry fee, and no rules (apart from old bikes of course)!

The Ging and I

I hear you on bureaucratic nonsense as I organise non racing events. I had forgotten about that day licence nonsense as I get a non racing licence every year.
My thinking was to try to reach others who may not be Boards surfers..
Web sight sounds good !

sarge10

Guys,

I couldn't agree more with leaving behind all that health & safety, CI licencing, fees, registrations, and all the bull**** that goes with it. There are enough of those events and sportives to cater for all that. We are a group of guys with a common interest that ride for the pleasure of it. We ride bikes that show craftsmanship and attention to detail long since disappeared. We have mooted the idea of organising this into a club in an informal way and I for one can't wait. Brendan, this seems to have been dumped in your lap. I am sure there are others, myself included who would like to get involved and get this rolling. What can we do to help?

Yarisbob

PM sent to all on this thread with a proposal for Mar 2015 !!

Brendan Hennessy

Great idea and good timing Yaris Bob as we now have the vehicle to advertise peoples ideas and plans.

Alec Darragh has worked on a website for us to share our enthusiasm, write ups and photos - even to share any events as well as keeping up our communication on Boards of course.

This is just the place to set about those ideas for a vintage club, I forsee Daithi BC ordering some more jerseys alá the Laois CTC one he wore last week.

The site looks great and really will be added to by your photos and stories. Time to get the best snaps of your beloved steel bicycles as well as pics. of any rebuilds or restorations for the website. There's a for sale section and it even has a comments page - even on the contents of my shed - that's a teaser!

So, thanks to Alec Darragh we bring you www.oldvelos.com with its evocative opening lines:

We all remember our first bicycle and how it expanded our horizons.

Best wishes,

Brendan