20/02/2023
B Group Report 19 February 2023
A strong swarm of twelve bees met at the earlier time of 8am to cycle to Trim to take part in the annual Ray Crinion cycle which looped back through Edenderry, the cycle started at 10am so we had plenty of time. We picked up Eugene on the way and headed to Broadford at a very fast pace with Andy, John B, Pat Mc and Jacki putting in big efforts at the front and we tore through Longwood and onto Trim with no incidents to report. We arrived with over half an hour to spare with 45k on the clock, so we partook in tea and biscuits in one of the finest Gaa clubhouses in the country. All the lads pulled in their bellies for the team photo and the three women added a touch of glamour and we were ready for the off.
I’m guessing over two hundred participants with three routes, 90k 60k and 40k on offer. It’s usual before the start to grade the participants into groups depending on ability, with the fastest group going first etc, but in this case everyone started together and like water, we reached our own level in the first few miles. Most of us were in a big group with Andy gone off with a faster group and Mary and Jacki at the back of a smaller group in front of us. The pace was savage and we tried our best to catch onto the girls but just couldn’t close the gap. We settled into a group of about fifty riders with Francoise, Tom C, Pat Mc, Paul W, Finnegan, and John B somewhere near the front of the group whilst the tandem, the Mayor and Triona were holding on for dear life at the back. The pace was furious and the Mayor was the first to lose contact somewhere after Ballivor, the tandem got shot out the back a few times but managed to get back on but eventually got dropped between Raharney and Killucan. The rest of the swarm kept with the group till Kinnegad where the 90k group headed for Edenderry and the 60k group headed for Clonard.
The great thing about a sportive is that when you get dropped, there’s always another and hopefully slower group coming up behind, so you can get your breath back and get dragged along by a new pack. It’s also a great way of meeting old friends and establishing new ones. There were groups and individuals from all over the midlands and we finished with a team called the four counties who hailed from Monaghan. Hopefully a lot of the people we met will come and join us on our own annual Pat Jones sportive on Easter Saturday.
Anyway, we all made it back home safely with just shy of 100k on the clock, with sore legs and lungs burned out of our chests, but a very satisfying spin in beautiful spring weather with not a single drop of rain. I hear rumours of a trip to the Blooms next week, is there no end to the hardship?
