Boards cycle against cancer

morana

Monday 28th October

what a great day out over my old training roads. Some steep ramps on that circuit- I cant remember them. We made the decision to go back via the Devils elbow and it was hard it the hills and the rain coming in at right angles.

Lovely to see LPB and his family there. I hope this can become an annual event.

MB Lacey

Really enjoyed yesterday. No matter what the weather was going to throw at us I was determined to support this cycle.
Lovely to meet and chat a bit with Padraig before the cycle and again at the coffee stop - literally a gentle man.
Nice to say hello to other boardsies too.
Glad to have helped raised funds for his charities.
I've uploaded some photos, don't know how many I'm allowed to post on here, but there's also a link here with a bit of a write up.

daragh_

Rapha poses are awesome! :-)

seamus

Sorry I missed this, family commitments. Looks like it was a great day.

Fair play to everyone who braved the dire forecast and went out anyway. You were spared the rain and got a pretty good day overall

Beasty

@MBLacey

Nice to meet you on the spin over from the Phoenix Park. Some of your photos "prove" that we weren't as lost as some may believe. In fact we got back onto the correct route then Cram directed us off it while he rode off into the sunset in the opposite direction. We (with the aid of the map) realised the error of his ways and managed to get back onto the correct road

... that's my story, and I'm sticking to it:pac:

bcmf

Monday 28th October

seamus wrote: »

You were spared the rain and got a pretty good day overall

Your joking? Right!?!
Was a great spin BUT the wind coming in from Swords was a block headwind.
When we left the coffee stop and started our journey across the featherbeds we were what I will describe as blasted from the left with freezing rain and gales. It was the most nervous I have been on a bike in a long long time.
The descent down to Stocking Lane was more a case of surfing down on 2 wheels.
Nevertheless it was great.

bcmf

Monday 28th October

@MBLacey sorry I didnt get to say hello. I didnt realise it was you standing beside Ste Tyrell at the parkgate.I was too busy trying to recall a route over to Dundrum form there but the cobwebs in my head kept getting in the way.
I love your photos and gonna follow your blog.

CramCycle

Monday 28th October

While we are apologising, sorry to Stetyrell who I did not recognise with the awesome beard.

thebouldwhacker

If anyone missed the spin and wants another go Cork is only 2 and a half hours drive from Dublin and the spin is on next Sunday at 9. We'll take good care of ye, none of this getting lost madness neither.

Captain Havoc

I don't believe for one second that Cram would take a wrong turn.

Beasty

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I don't believe for one second that Cram would take a wrong turn.

I didn't either ...

... until yesterday

I was so trusting in him - it was only when we got the map out we realised he'd been leading us up the garden path (or something very similar looking)

the boss of me

The amount raised so far is just shy of 6,000euro.. well done LPB.

Wishbone Ash

MB Lacey wrote: »

Probably the only opportunity that I'll have to get a Boards jersey sighting of myself!

Tomred13

Fairplay to all that made it out and in particular to LPB's amazing spirit and attitude, hes an inspiration to us all. would love to have gone but had work commitments on the day. mad seeing so many boardies jerseys in one place..

ChainWhip

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Probably the only opportunity that I'll have to get a Boards jersey sighting of myself!

That's me up the road too; spot one Boardsie get one free.

del_boy13

Monday 28th October

Great day out managed to get slightly lost at the end and shortened the trip back to DNS with RonanCFD. Spoke to whoever I was beside on the day and so managed to forget most of the names as I went along.

Thanks to @MB Lacey for taking the time to take the pictures and post them up here, I stopped to admire the view (that's my story and I am sticking to it) near the top of Glencree climb and waited for a couple of minutes.

Very friendly bunch of boardsies out there just as nice and helpful in person as online.

Shook hands with LPB at the start a real pleasure to meet the man, inspiration to a lot of us as the turnout reflected. It would be great to make it an annual event.

@_Tyrell_ sorry to hear the knees gave up, you were looking a bit uncomfortable as we left Enniskerry.

buffalo

Part of me regretted going over the Sallygap afterwards, but Vlad's echeloning kept us nicely sheltered. Was great to chat to a few old friends, and put a couple more names to faces to real names, and all in aid of a good cause. Very proud to be a part of it.

Carpenter

€7,274.00 now go on you good thing

Darkglasses

Monday 28th October

Carpenter wrote: »

€7,274.00 now go on you good thing

Unreal. Won't name names but there are a lot of people on here who are really incredible givers, time and time again. A lot to be proud of

Cork24

Monday 28th October

We'll done to people who donated, its not easy to find cash to give as donations in this climate,

But once again it really shows how us Irish are very generous.

Looking forward to the cork cycle.

le petit braquet

First of all can I apologise for not posting this sooner.

I was thinking over the few days that have elapsed since Sunday whether I could come up with something different and original compared with my previous postings. Unfortunately I can’t and I have been left grasping for words to thank you all. My family and friends will tell you that this is an unnatural state for me and normally the problem is to shut me up! In a way this provides it’s own comment on Sunday.

Firstly let me thank you on my behalf and also on behalf of my family for turning up in such numbers on Sunday. One of my sisters was there a little early and saw there were only one or two souls under the bridge for a while. She was a little worried given the weather forecast, and then suddenly the cavalry, as she described it , or the peloton, as I would prefer, arrived over the hill. No weather forecast, no matter how portentous, was going to deter the the iron men and women of Boards who would put Sean Kelly to shame!

Although my activity is now restricted, I still have the “gadget man” proclivity of the cyclist. I now use an oximeter to keep track of my condition. Its a gadget that gives your heart rate and an estimate of the oxygen content of your blood, those good old red corpuscles that Lance has made us so familiar with. Saturday was not good and my heart rate briefly hit 150 as I descended (yes descended) the stairs. As my system tries to cope with reduced oxygen level due to my cancer damaged lungs, my heart rate has gone up, and is between 100 to 110 just sitting in a chair, but150 is not good. While things improved a little during the day, I was still not great ascending those stairs at bedtime. I woke up Sunday morning feeling much improved over Saturday. I decided that as I was feeling so good, even if was possibly adrenaline induced, that I would try and make the start as well as the coffee stop.

What a good decision that was! As we drove town Taney Road and saw the crowd under the Luas bridge, it gave me and my wife Belinda, such a lift to see you all there. Belinda deployed me and the wheelchair from the car and it gave me the opportunity to shake hands and thank personally many of you. In turn many of you were gracious enough to thank me, but as I pointed out I was just the catalyst for the compassion and charity that you displayed in abundance on Sunday. Again I would like to highlight how special this is. To be on the receiving end of such a response from friends and family would be wonderful in itself, but to receive it from people who are strangers in what passes for “real life” is a level above again. You should be very proud of yourselves and the real sense of community spirit which you all contributed to. And while I am repeating myself, I may as well add that it strikes me as being a fantastic characteristic of Irish life (and clearly Yorkshire too, so as not to give offence!) that people respond in this manner. There is much talk of values that were destroyed during the C****c T***r, but this happily is not one.

As you can imagine, the last months have been difficult for me and my family. I would like to thank Belinda for her unswerving devotion to me as a nurse in my time of need. We, and she in particular, have found out the hard way how the “in sickness and in health” part of the marriage vows we took 31 years ago work. My three children have been terrific, both in their support and help for me and their mother. My own sisters and brother have also helped far more that they will ever know in picking me up after the blow that my diagnosis inflicted. What you guys did on Sunday was give all of these people who have been my support network a great lift as well as me. On Sunday night, Belinda and I shed a few tears (of happiness) as we looked back over the events of the day. I don’t wish to be morose or maudlin, but I know that Sunday provided a happy memory that they can share after I shuffle off this mortal coil.

I don’t want to name individuals, as I am sure it would embarrass them, but I would like in particular to thank the original proposer and seconders, the route suggesters, the coffee stop organisers, etc etc. without whom this wouldn’t have happened. You know who you are - give yourselves a well deserved pat on the back.

I would also like to thank all of you who have contributed financially with the total at €7,400 and still rising. This is a sum way beyond my greatest expectations and while the success of the event should not be measured in purely financial terms as I have detailed above, it is still a sum that the organisations concerned will be delighted with. As others have mentioned, this is all the more remarkable given the financial restrictions all of you have operated under for the past few years. There have been some exceptionally generous contributors, who as Darkglasses has mentioned also have a track record in this regard. Chapeau!

Can I finish by once again thanking you on behalf of my extended family and me. I’m proud to be a Boardsie and you all should be too!

Le Petit Braquet aka Padraig

AltAccount

I'm crying now. Lucky I'm working from home today...

Thank you sir, for the fantastic example you set and the strength and character you show here.

AstraMonti

Feckin' ninjas cutting onions.... Stay strong Padraig

Cork24

Monday 28th October

Le Petit Braquet thank you for sharing you story with us, it is truly up lifting that a man faced with what some of us don't want to hear or talk about

still has the strength to come on here and have the power to share it with us, i can only image that it must have being hard for you and your family and even so when trying to tell your story.

i wish you and your family all the peace that you truly deserve.

yop

Monday 28th October

Well done again LPB, incredible response to an inspiring individual. Over 8.5k now, hopefully 10k can be reached.

Kette Links

I just wanted to add my thanks to all who organised and participated in the ride. I am Padraig's very slow sister who took up the rear position on the ride. Despite this, I was given a wonderful escort - at times it felt a bit like being in the yellow jersey on the way into Paris with a protective team around me. All I needed was the glass of champagne! Thanks to the guys who stayed with me and stayed so good humoured despite our various detours along the way.:)

I also want to express how much all of this has meant to us, Padraig's family. My husband and I arrived at the start having travelled over from Bristol the previous day. Waiting under the Luas bridge we didn't really know what to expect. When the first riders arrived I was just pleased we weren't going to be on our own and it was nice to hear peoples' stories as to why they were taking part. But I have to say when I saw the large group arrive down the hill and realised it was also joining the ride, there was a lump in my throat. I hadn't appreciated how many people had got involved and given up their time on a bank holiday weekend to take part. It was hardly as if the weather was encouraging!

Of course we are very proud of Padraig, the courage he demonstrates and his fundraising efforts. But I also want to express our gratitude to the "boardsies" who have given us such a positive time to cherish over the last few weeks. It is great to see Padraig's fund raising total grow, but it has been just as wonderful to have felt part of such a supportive community. It was amazing to think there was another ride on the other side of the country this weekend. People who don't know us or Padraig putting in all that effort - it brings a warm glow to the heart.

Your spirit has lifted us and given us comfort and joy in what could be a very dark time. For this we are very grateful.

Thank you.

DeVore

awesome, delighted for everyone involved. makes me proud of the site and the people on it.

Zyzz

Aaaaaaaaaaand we hit €10,000

godtabh

Monday 28th October

Zyzz wrote: »

Aaaaaaaaaaand we hit €10,000

Fantastic

bcmf

Monday 28th October

Not often I am almost moved to tears but when I clicked on LPB's link and see a donation of €1000 with 'from Mum an Dad' it just hit.