Irish AR at Gael Force Cycle West
Fiola Foley / 26.09.2009
The event was a first for all of us, we have competed in adventure races which had us up for well over 24 hours in the past however with changing disciplines, it was a first time experience doing 24 hours just on a bike.
Read on for a full race report from Fiola.
Back in Zurich from a whirlwind visit to Ireland which took in my Postgraduate exams in Public Relations, a 24 hour race, a presentation and a couple of meetings in Kerry!
The exams went well.
The race went even better. 4th Place soloist out of all the mountain bikers and 1st (and only) female
I got an A in the presentation too
So if thats anything to go by, the hat trick of good luck should make up for the hat tricks of bad luck I had all summer.
Gaelforcecyclewest was the first event of its kind in Ireland. The first ever 24 hour mountain bike race and the first ever road bike race also. Forget about centuries and double centuries, going solo for 24 hours is out of this world. Literally.
It was a great race, probably the toughest thing Ive done regarding having to motivate yourself while out there all alone in the darkness. Held near the Glen of Nephin in Co. Mayo, the course was a long and never ending 20km fireroad interspersed with some unchallenging single track and a hike a bike (which I was cursing in the beginning but soon realised that it was a welcome break for the back pain which started to set in around lap 4)
I met up with the rest of my AR team there, Eoin Keith, Chris Caulfield and Brian Keogh. If it werent for their company and comradery I dont know how I would have kept going.
SleepMonsters
