Wheelers Prepare For A Busy Summer
3 min read


The next couple of months are going to be extremely busy for Lakeside Wheelers event organisers and club members in general.
The annual Tour of the Lakes on Sunday, June 22nd is only a fortnight away and it is hoped that this will attract over 150 cyclists to Mullingar for the 85km and 130km routes. The Tour of the Lakes is always a great day out and widely recognised as one of the best sportives in the midlands.
Hot on the heels of the Tour, on Thursday, June 26th, Lakeside Wheelers is honoured and delighted to be hosting the 2025 Elite National Time Trial Championships in Kilbeggan.
This is in conjunction with the National Road Race Championships being promoted this year by Navan Road Club and will see some of the best cyclists in the world taking on the 25.5km route from Kilbeggan to Moate and back.
Sportives:
A large group of Lakeside Wheelers members travelled west recently to participate in the Tour of Connemara Sportive.
Unfortunately the recent spell of good weather had just broken and it turned out to be a pretty damp, miserable spin. However, those that made the journey, in true Lakeside Wheelers style, also made the best of it and really enjoyed the event. Most of them took on the longer, 140km route and bravely made it to the finish.
Sadly, there was a tragedy for one competitor who suffered a cardiac episode during this Sportive and on behalf of everyone at Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar, condolences to the bereaved man's family.
The Grollach:
Peter Rimmer travelled to Scotland a fortnight ago to participate in the Grollach Race which is an extremely tough, 111km gravel event.
Peter is no stranger to these off-road races and was well prepared for the hardship which, unusually for Scotland, was added to by the high temperatures. The following piece is his own report from the race.
The Gralloch is a UCI World Championship qualifying event held in Dumfries, Scotland, featuring a demanding 111km course. The Gravel sectors began just 500 meters into the race and continued relentlessly for the next 100km, making it difficult to eat and stay fueled. With the hot weather, hydration became absolutely crucial.
The first major climb was Fuffock Hill—a 5km ascent topping out at 300 meters. While not extremely steep, the dusty conditions made it a real challenge. The descent that followed demanded precise line choices to avoid punctures; those who misjudged their lines faced an early exit from the race.
Next up came Slaughter Hill, with gradients reaching up to 8%. It was a true test of endurance, especially with the unrelenting gravel. Around the 90km mark, the sight of Loch Grannoch offered a much-needed morale boost. Still, we had to stay sharp—sections littered with large rocks posed a serious threat to tyres.
Eventually, we reached the Big Water of Fleet Viaduct. From there, the blessed relief of tarmac allowed for some easier pedalling. I crossed the finish line in 4 hours and 38 minutes, without a single puncture, finishing 177th out of 400 starters. Not everyone made it back on two wheels with some having to hitch a ride from the excellent support team.
Well done Peter and maybe you'll encourage a few more and bring a Lakeside Wheelers team with you next year.
Women on Wheels:
This year's Women on Wheels programme will commence on Tuesday, June 17th and run for five weeks. The other dates are June 24th, July 1st, 8th and 15th.
Women on Wheels is a Government led initiative to promote cycling for women aged 18 and upwards and is driven from a social and leisure perspective. It is aimed at women who wish to get fitter and healthier while improving their cycling skills.
It will be led by members of Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar so please come along to the start location at the Old Rail Trail car park in Mullingar and enjoy the craic in a welcoming and supportive environment.
There is a once-off fee of €20 payable upon registration that covers all five sessions and the link can be accessed by clicking here:
https://eventmaster.ie/ev/5E06HQvsEz
Bikes and helmets are not supplied so please ensure that your bike is roadworthy. This means, good tyres with plenty of air in them, functioning brakes, a well greased chain and after that, all that's needed is a water bottle and a pair of legs.

