Slieve Gullion Wheelers

Welcome to the eighth year of our great cycle event, the most popular touring cycle charity event in the Northern Ireland calendar scheduled for Sunday 21 June.

North Down Cycling Club are proud to offer a scenic coastal clockwise route around the Ards Peninsula which has few inclines and takes a break in Portaferry for lunch. So whether you are a serious cyclist or a novice wanting to cycle the 100Km distance for the first time the NDCC Bangor Coastal Challenge is the event for you! The Challenge starts and finishes on the Old Belfast Rd. at the Bangor Sportsplex which has ample car parking and changing facilities. En-route there will be water stations and a “broom wagon” for breakdowns. The event will be overseen by local police assisted by an experienced team of marshals, with motorcycle paramedics and ambulance back-up. The event is limited to 700 riders and all finishers within the time limit of 8 hours will receive a specially commissioned commemorative T-Shirt. The net proceeds from the event will go to Northern Ireland Diabetes, Stroke and Cardiology units at the Ulster Hospital.

To enter the event go to www.northdowncc.comcoastal_flyer and follow the link to Entry Central or go directly to www.entrycentral.com. Early entries on-line are recommended.

See the attached flyers for more information.

Next club meeting will be held in the Mountain House on Monday 29th October at 9 pm. All club members are invited to attend to make final arrangements for the Sean Kelly cycle on Saturday 10 November and the  presentation of club awards and cheques to charity that evening in the Silverbridge social club.

Congratulations to all 86 cyclists who took part in and completed the 80 km route on Sunday September 16. Being such an atrocious morning, weatherwise, we will overlook the fact that a relatively small number of rained drenched cyclists took the short route back from the Mountain House. This was a real feat of endurance in such miserable weather conditions and even more remarkable was the fact that half of the cyclists 43 in all had never cycled in a Slieve Gullion event before. A big welcome to Orchard Wheelers, Maryland Wheelers ,Shimna Wheelers and Setanta Tri Club all newcomers to this event. Again a big thank you to Newry Wheelers, Newry Firemen, Cuchulainn CC, Carrickmacross CC, Emyvale CC and all the local riders who came out in force including our own club members many of them on tandems. Thanks to our sponors especially McEntee Catering for providing the food and to the motorbike marshalls for doing a great job. Last but not least to Peter Donagher who came all the way up from Dunshaughlin in Co. Meath to drive the sweeper van provided by Sean Hearty Transport.

Local tandem cyclists, Emma and Andrew Fitzgerald from Warrenpoint have just returned from the Paralympic World Cycling Championships held in Bordeaux, having achieved personal best times in all their events…..click on W.A.T.C.H. Club for full story.