Irish Adventures

Dia dhuit (“Hello” in Gaelic) !

Spring in Ireland was a million shades of green, square cut hedges, stone walls, grey shrouded mystic mountains inaccessably mired in treeless bog.  Wind and rain pounded the place daily with the only respite being the knowledge that the storms often move on as fast as they roll in. 

The weather always seemed to be a factor here, something that seems to have put a lot of people off and with good reason but with daylight sticking around from 3:30 AM until @11PM, there ALWAYS seemed to be an opportunity to get out for an adventure.  

We had come to Ireland to contest the 4th round of the EWS in Wicklow on Carraig Mountain (which means ‘rock’ mountain in Gaelic).  It was our second time here and we stuck to our tried and true method of ferrying our RV up from from the wild tip of France to get here.  The overnight ferry gave us a chance to catch up from the travel to Germany… and arrive prepared for the big weekend without unpacking or rebuilding bikes.  

The EWS was hit with heavy weather, amplifying what would normally be one of the smaller and more simple tracks of the series into another slick and gritty day on the bikes. 

Mary racing down stage 3.  Enthusiastic spectators and precise lines thru the rocky terrain captured by Dave Anderson.

We saw the worst of the rain on the second of the training days as it poured straight for a full 12 hours, although it was wet, the mud stayed thin and almost manageable compared to the next day’s 60 km and 2000 m of both climbing and descending all over Carraig Mnt…  Race day was contested in what the Irish call fair conditions which means on and off rain.  Things began as slick as imaginable and clogged up throughout the day and changed right around from slippery and deadly slick to slippery energy sucking peanut butter. 

It seems that no one really prefers to race in total shit conditions but it does offer an undeniable advantage to some.  After the experience here Mary and I were both left wondering if we were those sorts of people?  We enjoyed the challenge but were glad when it was over.

Mary was 2nd on the day, maintaining her overall lead in the Masters Women Category.  Mike maintained 3rd place in the overall series ranking...

Mary and I have been waiting for the opportunity to check out something of Ireland, the land of our ancestors.  We were thrilled to have some time after the races to continue upward to the north west to explore some of the more remote and beautiful places that we had researched. 

We gravitated to the coast and the epicenter of Irish surf: Donegal Bay.  Lacking prior knowledge we busted out the maps and kept a close eye on the swell direction and wind conditions to try and find the right time to be at the right place to find the best waves…  

Even in June big swell is possible, but more often than that it was too windy and burly to even consider a go in… Luckily there were windows of excellence too!

It was a push to try and figure out where and when to get some waves without friends or a guide but careful searching reaped some big benefits.  We found uncrowded waves and those surfers we did meet were as kind as we have had the chance to share waves with anywhere.  

The conditions were pretty “ON” for June with a couple of overhead days giving a hint of the character of what the premier waves must be like when the swell is bigger, typically in the winter months. 

Getting out of the water at 10:30 pm.  

Mary and I pushed our camper to the limit staying on wind whipped beaches and off site areas more than we are used to being allowed in mainland Europe.   It’s not that people are wild about having campers in the neighborhood but more like there aren’t a lot of people to tell you what to do either way.  The ones we met were consistently friendly and happy to have a chat or even point us in the right direction! 

There was a tonne of natural riding and loads of inspirational space in the North West of Ireland, but not a lot of dedicated mountain bike trails.  We ended up riding the moors and on the beaches and mostly through an endless field of sheep shit.  “Untapped” is a good term for the riding here.  The place is beautiful but without a large local population of riders it is still waiting to be discovered and broken in. 

Happy to find Union Wood near Sligo!!

One glowing example going against this norm are the trails at Union Wood where the North West Cycling Club has painstakingly carved out a tiny nirvana of XC, Enduro and DH trails that offer hours of skill sharpening fun!   It was awesome to run into some of the guys who showed us around one day… Thanks for building guys!!! And good luck with the additions!

Oh the places we can go on the bike!!

We were on the boat back to the mainland before we wanted to leave.. Our time spent in Ireland etched as a memory of quiet disconnect that is so elusive in our busy lives. 

Sweet camp spot up in Donegal - Keeping the body stretched and nimble as possible... a crucial daily practice for the Master racer!

Go bhfeicfidh mé arís is féidir leis an ghaoth ar do chúl!  (Until we meet again, may the wind be at your back!)

Onto southern France for the next round of the EWS!

Mike and Mary

A magic day Exploring the incredible Hornhead sea cliffs of Donegal.

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