 Afternoon. Now the Chirconald Gap Cycling Club was founded in 2011 actually and involved a group of 40 people from different parts of South West, only all coming together. And since that then the club has gone from strength to strength growing in numbers and added in regular events that are part of the calendar now including a mountain bike group and there's a great youth section at the club and a lot of exciting talent coming through. The new chairperson is Ronan Harper who joins me now in the studio so there's a good chance not just to chat about the club but just to cycling in general. If you've got a question for cycling then feel free to get in touch during the show as you're away at 60, 25,000. Ronan thanks for coming in. John how are you? Good. You're just telling me there you're going to do the 555. I'm going to try and do the 555 just goes straight into it. I said I said I'd never do it as a solo but it's have you done it? We've done it as a team event. So our club has had a good bit of success in that over the last couple of years. We've won it in the two man we've won it in the four man so I was kind of roped in at the last minute on a four man team a couple of years ago. One of our riders got injured so I had to start a step up and thank God the other three guys carried me around but we were we were lucky with all the support that we won that year so it was brilliant brilliant brilliant just already tested success slightly different in the solo one now good guy the challenge could be bigger I always said I would never do it but I'm well motivated this year now is to give it a good rattle. I will the best look for those who you know, 555, 555, 555 kilometers all around Donegal. Happening when? It's on the 10th of August this year, actually a little bit later. But it's still a good time of year, good long days, and hopefully the weather's came to us. Well, that's the one, it's how the weather is on the day. So, yeah. And you've done it as well. I've done it in the past. Well, not competitive, you know, but I've slugged around it, you know. Well, plenty of stops along the way. But, well, I mean, you can take it as serious or as, you know, as leisurely as you want. So the aim is to get around it. Well, the aim for, like some of these to get around it. And you never know, might see it at the starting line. Who knows? Well, that would be great to have your support, yeah. Okay, let's talk a wee bit about the club. I described it as the Chirconal Gap Cycling Club. That's correct, yeah. That's right. Okay, fair enough. And interesting that like a lot of clubs will be regular road biking or it would be mountain biking. We do embrace both. We embrace both. And it's just not the road biking and the mountain biking. We do cycle cross as well with club members that would do a lot of that racing and just going out in their gravel bikes. A lot of people do the gravel grinders and stuff. And we're embarking on a new ambitious program this year for kids as well to sort of launch a new, a good few kids initiatives. We started a little bit last year. You know, we realized that, you know, the youth's where it's at in terms of trying to bring new riders through. And we just love cycling and we just wanted to kind of share that through. And I guess in an era where trying to get kids off screens is like a, but like pushing back the tide, you know, you need to make it attractive for them. So we're just finalizing a few plans now. We're pretty excited about it. A big push this year on the kids agenda as well. So there's lots of good stuff coming from the club on the kids side. Where abouts do you base? We are based out of Glentys, but our geographical reach and our members spread a lot farther than that. So you could be from Letcher to Letter Kenne, from Dury to Dublin, you know what I mean? So Funtown to Frostes. So I mean, we would cover a lot of those areas on our cycles and stuff as well. Well, well regarded and well liked around because I know a lot of your events that you put on, you put on a few events that you invite other cyclists and clubs to come along to, always well attended and well supported. So there's a decent affinity there. Yeah. And like what we find particularly around Donegal is that all the other clubs are really supportive of each other, you know. So Eregal had their birthday backs this weekend. You know, a few of our members traveled to that. A few of us were up in Limavari, actually doing the five forest challenge on the mountain bikes, which was good crack. But if a club puts on an event or some sort of a challenge or an event, it's a focus, it's something for the club to go along to rather than just a regular training cycle. Yeah, that's it. Like, and we had this discussion, actually, I was talking a couple of minutes when we were going up to the five forest challenge yesterday about, you know, you could go and do it yourself on any given Tuesday, but to do it as part of a club and to do it as part of an event, just there's great buzz around that and it's great to get out, particularly when the weather's getting a bit better now for cycling as well, so. Yeah, it is, it's great. We're into spring now and it's great and even it's getting a bit longer, so, you know, even for casual cyclists like myself, you know, you start to think, I need to get out in the bike again. You joined our club, John. Was that, yeah, well. We'll look after you. Same things have happened. I could, you mentioned there about kids, that is a challenge. And another challenge where I see it is women. Yeah. Getting women involved in cycling, because a lot of women are, for whatever reason, reluctant. I suppose, you know, a lot of it for women is the challenges that we all face on bikes, in that it's road, it's traffic, it's, you know, it's suitable safe places to cycle. Yeah. We have a lot of women in our club, a lot of women cyclists, and it's great to see that kind of diversity as well. You know, what we do find, though, is that, like, we have women doing mountain biking, we have women doing the road biking, we have women on the gravel bikes as well. You know, I think those, in this day and age, those challenges are facing the men in the household as well. I know in my circumstances, my wife's pretty active, and, you know, it's sort of ships in the night sometimes, this person's going in and that person's going out. But just to your point on the sort of, the perception of it, I guess, you know, I think that's easily overcome when you come out with a good club, you know, and we've, we have a motto in our club that no rider's ever left behind, John. So if you're coming out on a Sunday, or you're coming out on a Wednesday night, we always say, you're only as fast as the slowest person. And we love that, because we love the social aspect of it. We're a social-orientated, a family-orientated club, and we're trying to accommodate people around that. So, and we would try and bring people along. So we have a lot of new members that have started this year. And, you know, we're just trying to, you know, encourage them to get out on the bike, because motivation gets you started, and habit keeps you going. Yeah, absolutely. And being part of a group, the group dynamics, and then just the challenge within the group. And when you're out in a group, I suppose, you say that, you know, only as fast as the slowest rider. But the slowest rider sees those ahead and wants to keep up and wants to push on. So, you know, you go that bit faster, or maybe that bit further when you're out in a group. Yeah, and I think for us, it's just to try and encourage people to be the best that they can be when they're out the bike. So, and we don't push anybody that, you know, to go beyond boundaries that they don't want to do that. But we kind of leave it up to themselves. But you're right. I always look at this sometimes to say, winning is contagious. So when you see, you know, those people maybe doing the 70K, as opposed to the 60 or the 20, compared to the 30 or whatever the case is, you know, people want that when they're out in the group. And yeah, winning is contagious in that perspective. So, you know, we see those people trying to do a little bit more. We had one club member come out with us for the first time there last weekend. And he was, you know, quite happy to do sort of 40 or 50K, you know, and 50K and he was happy to do 60. And at 60K and he was still happy to do the 70 to get him home, you know. You see, when you chat about distances like 60 and 70K, those that haven't cycled or haven't cycled in a long time, they're going, there's no way I could do that. And it might seem a bit daunting, but everybody will find their level. And that's right. And it's not that long ago, you know, when the bike to work scheme started, that I got my first, what I would call, a proper grown-up bike. And I remember doing my first 20K. And I remember, you know, sitting back and saying, wow, I've done 20K. And that was a massive goal, a massive buzz that I got, a massive adrenaline. And then the 20, when I had the 20, I wanted to do 25. So the next year you got to do that little bit more. And before you know it, you're doing silly things, like signing up for the 555. But like you're right, a lot of, or a club particularly, and a lot of the clubs around Donegal, it's not about, you know, the fancy bikes. It's not about the 100K plus every weekend. It's not about busting yourself every weekend. It's about, like sometimes it's about the two-stop strategy, as we call it. You have a coffee shop and you have an ice cream shop. And you have a little bit of fun. Yeah, yeah, and all the stops are important. You're out of the group, and they're necessary. You're right. Because, you know, there's people there and they're really pushing themselves. So when the stop comes around, it's really valued. It's well welcome for all of us. And we love that, because like, you know, from our perspective, it's all about the social aspect of it. Cyclists are our friends. You know, if I look at my close friends group, you know, most of not all of them are in that cycling club that I'm with. And you know, we love being part of that community. Getting kids off devices and getting them on bikes, it is a bit of a challenge. And then I suppose as a club, you would like to see some, you know, really talented cyclists coming through, not just getting young people en masse involved, but just, you know, really, really good cyclists with some potential. Yeah, and we've been fortunate to have that through our club as well with Jamie Meehan. Jamie started in our club, I think when he was 12 years old, and he's out in France. I've seen him in Strava yesterday. He was doing some big miles with the French team out there, but Jamie's a fine young gentleman and he's the 123 champion this year. You know, so, and we still look at him as being part of our club and he still regards himself as being part of our club. And that's the beauty about a thing like that. Even though he's off doing different things for different clubs, he's still very much part of our club. And he's still part of that community. And cycling brings us together like that, I guess. And you know, you talk about the kids' angle off. So Jamie started when he was 12. So we kind of know from our perspective that, you know, we need to encourage kids to take it on the bike in a safe, a friendly environment. I think I heard a stat. I was doing a safety course last week and the instructor was basically saying, how long do you think it takes a child to sort of, you know, engage in a new sports if you take them to football? Or you take them to cycling? Or you take them to rugby? You know, from that first sort of impression, how long does it take a child to make up his mind before they decide to stick at it? Something silly, like four seconds. Four seconds is like the official stat on that. So from our perspective, we have a lot of new initiatives now. You know, even in bike week, that'll come up in May, which is a big thing for us. We're going to have new kids' events. We have got treasure hunts on the bike with the kids and around Bonnie Glenn, just between Naran and outside Naranport New there. So that's a fantastic event. But we're planning a new kids' program this year that's going to kick off after Easter. It's going to be based in Glenties, but it's all going to be about bike skills, how to handle themselves safely in a bike in a safe and controlled environment. So we're not going to hear any roads at the start. But this is going to be suitable for all kids. It's going to be parent-friendly. It's going to be age-appropriate. So if you're six or 16, it's going to be appropriate to that level. As I said, we've been sort of putting the final bones together now in our club to sort of have that infrastructure in place so we can offer that to kids. But that's great because there's a lot of parents listening in and they're thinking, well, you know, they like cycling around the house on the bike, so it'd be great to get them involved with another group of like-minded, you know, and see do they have a genuine interest in cycling. And you mentioned there that at the start, just while they're learning the basics, that it's not even on open roads. No, it's not on open roads. So it's going to be in a safe, controlled environment in Glenties. We will be announcing it now as we come up to Easter. We're just putting the final touches together. It's going to run from April through to June, at least, and it's going to be a weekly occurrence where again, and I say it's going to be parent-friendly, so the parents can come as well and we'll look after those guys. But it's really to give the children that sort of first step to get into cycling. As adults, we see the benefit of all that, but we have to turn our mindset to what makes it attractive for kids. And the number one thing is about fun. So we have to make it fun and we will make it fun. And when I think back about our treasure hunt last year, we had a fantastic event in Bonny Glen, you know, where the kids were going off in a safe environment as well. It's not near the roads on a treasure hunt. And you know, it's just absolutely brilliant to see the kids cycling around that environment with their parents in a community type of atmosphere. If you take up a running or even walking seriously, and there's usually a couch to 5K to aim for, and you're doing something similar with the club on bikes. Yeah, yeah. So I'll tell you where that originated from. So every Easter, we have a charity cycle. We've a number of sort of flags of events throughout the year. And every Easter, we have our Easter charity cycle. So this year is no different. That Easter charity cycle is going to be at 9 o'clock on Easter Monday, the 4th of April from Glentys. There's two routes available on that. There's a 70K route and a 30K route. And we were sitting organizing that as a committee and we said, why couldn't we have like a couch to 5K equivalent for cycling? And this is where the couch to 30K idea was born from. So that couch to 30K is very much live now. Full details are available on our Facebook page. It starts this Saturday, the 9th of March in Glentys. It's a four-week program. Again, we're going to start people off small. So this is ideally for some of your listeners that might have a bike in the shed. It's for age 12 and upwards because the kid stuff's coming later, okay? So it's going to be for age 12 and upwards. And it's for your listeners that maybe have a bike in the shed, a bit like what I said earlier on, never thought I could cycle 20K, but when you do, it's just a brilliant feeling, okay? So these might be people who will say, I don't think I could cycle 30K. I think that they can. Our club was pulling together in our groups to help them do that. Again, it's going to be over four weeks. It's going to be in a safe, controlled environment to start off with. We have John from the Bike Mobile is going to come on day one to give everybody's bike a health check. So health and safety check to make sure the brakes are okay, tire pressures are okay. On day one, we're just going to use the bike path. You know, the new bike path from Glentys out to Dunlowe. We're going to go out that road a little bit. We're going to have Q&A. Very important for our club, John. We're going to have tea and cake. So we love the social aspect of it, but it's really to get them into sort of doing a little bit. The first day, a little bit more. The second day, introduce them to riding on the road. Talk about riding on the road, all the safety aspects of that. Give them confidence about riding on the road. How do you ride on hills? How do you ride up a hill? How do you ride downhill? And then on the third day, again, a little bit more that'll sort of lead up to that Easter charity cycle on the first of April, where they will do their first 30K. Guaranteed. If you sign up and you take part and you show up for most of the sessions, then you will get the 30K. You will get the 30K as a club. As a promise now. We are absolutely there to help them and we'll be there in our droves. So if you have any interest in cycling, getting back on the bike, check out our Facebook page. Full details are there. Send us a little message to tell us that you're coming so we can have enough tea and cake. And yeah, it's going to be a fun day. And again, it's fun and it's free. Yeah, which is great. And there's a lot happening at the club with this now. I'm starting this weekend and then Easter and bike week coming up in May. And just a lot happening. A lot happening, but it's where we want to be. We're a very active club. We get a lot of support from the other clubs around Donegal, as I say, with a lot of support from the businesses. The likes of John and the bike mobile, he'll come along and help us. At first time, a lot of businesses contribute sort of food and snacks to us as well for these major events. And that's very much appreciated. Like our number, I suppose every year, John, we decide on a charity. And this is where our money goes. When your riders come to our events and pay their few pound to enter that event, with the exception of a few teabags and a basket for them on the cost of that, all of that money goes back to our chosen charity. And this year, again, on the kids agenda, we want to keep it local. So our chosen charity this year is a school in Glentys. It's the Skolwora School. It's the autism room in there. So any money we make as a club in these events that we hold, all goes into there. And I suppose from their perspective, they get funding for them for the bike stuff. But they don't get funding for the small stuff. The sensory stuff that really helps those children. So it might be swimming. It might be just going to play parks. It might be going to see horses. That sensory touch thing. So we're absolutely delighted. As a committee and as a club, we all voted and we decided based on the votes that that was our chosen charity and delighted to support them given the great work that they do. Good. And that'll be for the year? That'll be for the fall year. So every year we get our members to pick a charity. Yeah. That's the chosen charity this year. So delighted to support them. Another good reason for any events that you're putting on over the year to be well supported. And if somebody's listening in now and thinking, you might do that, the Couch of 30K or they'll find out something for the kids. Online sort of a presence. Yeah. Like we are very active on our Facebook page. So that's the number one place to go to. That's where you'll see all the fun and the crack that we have every week. You'll see lots of pictures, lots of videos. And you'll see all the announcements about all the events that are coming up. So again, the most urgent one is the Couch of 30K. If you're listening to us or interested, have a look at our Facebook page. Everybody's welcome. As I say, it's fun and it's free. And yeah, we're there to help them get back on the bike and keep an eye on our Facebook page then for all the other events through Bike Week and our Easter Charity Cycle and Harvest Fair Cycle and all the other stuff that's coming through. It's at your Connell Gap Cycling Club based in Glenties, but you have a wide reach. Ronan, it's been a pleasure. Thank you, Joe. Yeah. Around the North...