The Ring of Beara Cycle.
The Ring of Beara charity cycle attracted over 4,000 cyclists to the hillsof West Cork and Kerry last Saturday, the 25th of May. The Ring of Beara CycleKenmare is an initiative undertaken by Kenmare Marketing and Events Group. CastletownbereCommunity Hospital, Castletownbere Day Centre and Kenmare Family Resourcecentre will once again be the main beneficiaries of the money raised forcharity by the event. The other recipients receiving the balance of the fundsfor a second year in a row, are Kenmare Special Needs Group, St. John of GodServices Kenmare and Kenmare Special Olympics. The cycle starts in Kenmare and heads out the Beara Peninsulatowards Lauragh, passing some of Ireland’s most picturesque and quaint townsincluding Ardgroom, Eyeries, Allihies, Castletownbere, Adrigole, andGlengarriff before heading back to Kenmare town. Participants had a choice oftwo routes; a 140km route that headed out from Kenmare and branched rightbeyond Eyeries following the Wild Atlantic Way to Allihies and on toCastletownbere to meet up with the 100km route. The 110 km route left Kenmareand headed directly towards Castletownbere. The Ring of Beara cycle is renownedas a tough cycle and despite being shorter than its better known big brother,The Ring of Kerry Cycle, many people reckon it’s a tougher day out. Blackwater TriathlonClub was well represented in the event with seven members taking to the WestCork roads on the day. Sean Lomasney, Bill McAuliffe, David Harte and ChristianBoard started in Kenmare, while Dave Bartley, Jim Crowley and Peter O’Brienstarted from Castletownbere. The weather at the start was close to perfect andthere was a great buzz of anticipation, as hundreds of riders prepared for theoff. The scenery on the day was truly breathtaking, even if West Cork coastlinedid its best to spoil it by covering itself in a blanket of mist during the midmorning. Equally, the beautiful scenerywas also punctured, by some tough climbs, particular after the food stop inAllihies (around the 65km mark). However, the trip to Glengarriff was fantasticas the weather cleared, the road surface improved, and the cyclists weretreated to some spectacular sweeping views of Bantry Bay. The final section ofthe spin, from Glengarriff to Kenmare, included the bit all the participantswere dreading – the Caha Pass – and while tough, the views of Bantry Bay andGlengariff we rewarding enough to soften the climb. After more than 5 hours ofcycling, 140 km of road and 6,000ft of climbing the lads were back in Kenmare,where there was a carnival atmosphere, with music playing, and everyone sittingout in the town square enjoying the sunshine and refuelling after an excellentday out. All in all it was a very enjoyable and rewarding day out for everyonewho took part on the day.