Wheelers Take Advantage of A Dry Weekend

It doesn’t take a meteorologist to know that the weather over the last month was anything but friendly to outdoor sports enthusiasts. Notwithstanding the real human stories behind some of the terrible flooding witnessed on the news recently, there’s hardly a sporting discipline that was unaffected by the continuous rainfall since early January. It has been a very unpredictable start to 2026 for road cyclists especially with planning of spins extremely difficult and in most cases, for Lakeside Wheelers group leaders, not confirmed until the actual morning on the day of the spins.

Last weekend brought some relief initially with forecasters promising some dry and even sunny spells. Both Saturday morning groups, the C’s and D’s had a dry run and enjoyed the slightly warmer spring temperatures. As a result of the forecast, there were huge numbers gathered at the clubhouse on Sunday morning and the change in conditions had everyone in great form and ready for a good day out on the bike. Attendance was so good the A group had two decent sized bunches as they headed for the hills of north Longford. The B’s also had a good turnout with sixteen riders departing for a more southerly route taking in some back roads to Horseleap, Clara, Tullamore and home by Rahugh.

While it was dry for most of the spin, the rain did inevitably arrive leaving the various pelotons with some horrible road conditions to contend with on the homeward leg of the trip. Still, it was warmer and less wet than recent weeks so let’s be thankful for small mercies and hopefully we are at a turning point as Spring is now officially here.

50th Anniversary Celebrations

A sub-group of committee members has been formed to oversee the run in to the 50th anniversary celebration spin and social event planned for the weekend of April 18th and 19th. Chairman, Pearse Murphy and club President Jack Nugent are joined by Eddie Hynes, Martin Nally, Eugene Duffy and Shay O’Toole and this grouping will coordinate all the planning and organisation around the celebration of this big milestone event.

The routes for both days have been decided and it is anticipated that there will be two groups taking the slightly longer road spin while it is also expected that a third group will use the Old Rail Trail/Greenway to make their way west. A midpoint break for refreshments has been arranged in Moate where it is planned that all groups will converge and following the break, will ride together along the old N6 to Athlone and onward to the Hodson Bay Hotel.

An official notification of all details will be circulated in the coming weeks once everything has been organised and finalised. In the meantime, there are places available for anyone wishing to join in on this celebration and partake in the cycle and dinner dance on the night of Saturday, April 18th. The price for the three course dinner is 45Euros per head and with all hotel rooms booked, there are various accommodation options in the vicinity of the Hodson Bay Hotel for those wishing to stay. Please see emails and texts issued by club Secretary, Eugene Duffy for information regarding payment and making reservations. Otherwise, members can contact any of the names mentioned above for more details.

So, save the date and make sure not to miss out on this historic club occasion. Oh, and don’t forget, it’s not every day you can ride with a former Tour de France winner, not to mention a man who is only one of three cyclists ever to have also won the Giro d’Italia and the World Championships in the same year as his Tour victory. Yes, Stephen Roche will be cycling with us on the two days and he will also be chatting about his time in the professional ranks after dinner, so make sure you are booked in and be part of what is shaping up to be a fantastic event.

Caoimhe O’Brien Debuts in Spain

Lakeside Wheelers lifetime member, Caoimhe O’Brien is reportedly set to embark on her professional career with a debut appearance at one of the biggest early season races. Caoimhe’s EF Education Oatley team are listed to race in the Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Communitat Valenciana or, the Tour of Valencia. This four stage race will run from February 12th - 15th and will feature some hilly stages which should suit the Mullingar girl who is in her first year as a full professional cyclist. Everyone at Lakeside Wheelers sends Caoimhe every good wish and hopes she has a fantastic race in Spain.