500k In A Day

Kebel

Morning All,

A couple of Boardies, myself included are riding 500k in 24 hours next weekend. Our goal is help out the excellent charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie.

See details below in our press release along with a couple of pictures, and a map of the ride which appeared in the Indo earlier this week. The press release gives a comprehensive background to the charity as well as links to the charity's website and Facebook page where you read much more.

Any support would be greatly appreciated.

Press Release
Pippa O’Connor and Minister for Health Leo Varadkar Launch 500k in One Day

Volunteers to cycle 500K in 20 hours in aid of cancer support charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie

Model Pippa O’Connor along with Minister for Health Leo Varadkar helped launch the 500k in One Day challenge this morning with a group of volunteers who aim to complete a 500K cycle from Ireland’s most North Westerly point, Malin Head in County Donegal to the country’s most South Easterly point, Hook Head in Co Wexford, in One Day! The challenge, entitled 500k in a Day, has never been completed by amateur cyclists in this short time frame before and aims to raise much needed funds for Aoibheann’s Pink Tie - a charity which supports families of children battling cancer in Ireland.

Supported by Dublin’s Marker Hotel on Grand Canal Quay, the challenge will take place on Saturday 9th August and will see a group of 10 volunteers gear up for what will be a grueling cycle ride over a 24 hour period – each will cycle the entire distance. The cycle will see the group climbing 3,700 meters – the equivalent of a queen stage of the Tour de France. The day will see 108,000 pedal revolutions, 180,000 heart beats and each cyclist will burn over 12,000 calories – this is the equivalent of 60 cans of coke or 55 mars bars! The average person consumes 2,000 calories per day. Each of the 9 riders will consume 15 liters of water, 10 bananas, 12 energy gels, eight chocolate bars and eat 52 meals between them in order to get through the challenge.

Founded in July 2010 Aoibheann’s Pink Tie was started by Jimmy Norman and his family from Dunboyne after they lost their little girl Aoibheann (aged 8) to a rare form of cancer four years ago. Jimmy met with a lot of parents going through the trauma of having a child with cancer, and more specifically identified with the financial burden that inevitably follows diagnosis. To date the charity has raised in excess of €200,000 in funds to allow the families to focus on their wellbeing, their support of each other, and the treatment and recovery of their child by assisting with costs such as petrol, travel, bills etc. Full information the charity can be viewed at the charity’s websitewww.aoibheannspinktie.ie, or on their Facebook page.

Speaking about the grueling excursion, Jimmy said “This is a huge challenge to drive awareness and much needed funds for families with children undergoing cancer treatment across Ireland. We are calling on the public to give whatever they can to support us. Aoibheann’s Pink Tie is a relatively small charity but provides practical help to the families of children who are being treated for Cancer. Having gone through the experience of having a terminally ill child, myself and my family wanted to do something to assist other families financially with respite and home help including sibling and peer support, travel to and from hospitals, clothing, laundry, and food etc. These are an absolute necessity to overcome a huge burden for parents who have to endure the nightmare of watching their child battle cancer.”

You can donate to support the 500k in a Day challenge by texting the word ‘Aoibheann’ to 50300* to donate €2

or visit our iDonate page at

http://www.idonate.ie/mobile/fundraiser/29158_500k-in-a-day.html

100% of text cost goes to Aoibheann's Pink Tie across most network providers. Some providers apply VAT which means a minimum of €1.63 will go to Aoibheann's Pink Tie Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline (01) 4433890

triggermortis

a worthy cause and looks a tough challenge - best of luck.

bazermc

Fair play lads. Hope it goes well.

fondriest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEHBj48i1k
The above youtube clip shows the kind of work that this fantastic charity does . Worth a look , and hopefully will never need their help . Looking forward to riding the 500k with Kebel .

michael196

Lets be clear, its not a relay, each rider is doing the full 500 km, with small breaks.

Phenomenal.

I understand that the organisers are encouraging clubs en route to come out and support by helping the crew on the road, on parts of the route.

Kebel

Thanks for pointing that out Michael.

Just to clarify, yes, all nine cyclists will ride the full distance, that is 500km each.

ZiabR

You are going to burn 8000-10000 calories minimum on that ride! Insane, fair play lads, wish you all the best. A backpack stuffed with food will be needed!

ford2600

The following is what I've cut and pasted from an email I received from an audax veteran prior to Fleche this year.

You and team may be much more experienced than me and may learn nothing from it but said I'd throw it up in case some bits are useful.

If you have a late withdrawl give me a shout! Sounds great. Best of luck.

• Change nothing in terms of equipment or clothing between now and the event. Only tried and proven things should be done. Resist all temptation to change the set up of the bike, start wearing new clothes, shoes or even changing cleats.
• "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure". The more immediate application of this is making sure there are no friction issues. Whatever creams need to be applied should be and additional supplies carried and applied regularly. Particularly the case if the weather is wet. On the road though it is important to wear the right clothes at the right times, eat, drink etc. If that means you need us to stop then call it. Also try to change hand positions on the bars on regular basis. Also, standing to stretch etc. can help.
• Going hard in the first few hours will make the last few hours VERY hard. This event is more a mental challenge than anything else. Having the average drop from 25 to 22 in the second half is much easier to deal with than 27 to 20 and would actually take less time on the bike. In short what we do in the first few hours (pace, food drink etc.) will define the last few hours.
• There is an old saying that you "can only eat an elephant one bite at a time". So when we leave Mullingar we are not going on a >400k spin we are going to the first control. From the first to the second etc. until we end up back in Mullingar again. Later on we will be going from town to town. In a standard audax event you would just go from line to line on the route sheet.
• It's better to be looking at it than for it when stopped at 3am in the middle of nowhere. To that end assume it will be hot, cold, wet and windy for the event and have the appropriate clothes. Having a fresh set of clothes to change into can be quite a motivator.
• At some point we will all feel like crap. It doesn't matter how many of these things you do it happens on every event. Sometimes it lasts 20mins and sometimes a few hours. You can ride through it though and that is the key. As mentioned this these events are more a mental challenge than a physical one.
• Getting plenty of sleep during the week is also to be recommended. Typically you won't sleep great the night before the event so need to bank as much as possible leading up to it.
• Then there are "the noddies" i.e. you feel sleepy on the bike. This can lead to actually sleeping on the bike. That rarely ends well so if we see anyone nodding off we need to scare the **** out of them and stop for awhile. It also tends to happen when going downhill. Sleep deprivation can also make you feel very cold so again be sure to have some additional layers to put on.
• I also find it useful to have a pair of “safety glasses” for night riding.
• Eating and drinking will be key on this. Setting a schedule to have consumed both is important to make sure you get enough in. It it also likely you won't want to eat or drink late in the event but you need to make sure you keep doing so. What to eat? Whatever you can! Personally I don't use gels or very many isotonic drinks. I will use a couple but that is all. Had a bad experience with them on a 400 many years back. It is worth having some food in the bag at all times. I'm a chocolate fan - easy to eat, takes very little space, a little goes a long way etc. I have seen people carry fruit cake, tuna sandwiches, ambrosia rice. Getting some protein in also helps. At the end of the day it needs to be something you can and will want to eat.
• Running the rear lights on static mode is critical. Spending time behind flashing lights is mind bending to put it mildly.

This list may also help, ye will probably have support car to haul most of it anyhow.


1 set of spare clothes
Gloves (few pairs full fingered and one fingerless)
Hat (again a few)
Overshoes
Glasses (sun and clear)
Overshoes
Rain jacket
Wind jacket
Creams (sudocrem my preference)
Food and drink sachets
The usual spares (tubes, levers, allen keys, tyre levers, chain breaker, spoke key, insulating tape, cable ties, tyre boot, tyre, brake and gear cables, etc)
Batteries
Head torch (will cable tie it to helmet near dusk)
Wet wipes
2 x front lights
2 x back lights

fondriest

Thanks for the advice Ford2600 . It all helps.

Kebel

Thanks Ford2600, that’s very solid advice; this is new territory for us (bar 1) but we have a top class support team, and in fairness to club mates and friends and other kindly folk such as yourself plenty of good advice (pretty much all along the similar lines so we are taking it all on board).

Whilst we are all reasonably fit guys but realise what we’re doing is a very different animal to racing (our background) so we have been getting in some decent miles in the last couple of months, including a couple of epic / uber spins including riding 70km each way to ride the Mt Leinster Challenge a few weeks back which was a long day, 280k all in. That said the full 500 will be much bigger challenge, but it’s a great cause and we are all up for it.

At this stage, I think we think are as ready as we will ever be; fingers crossed.

Kebel

@ Ford2600, you suggested to bring plenty of gear – just getting ready now, should have enough here

Bloggsie

Kebel wrote: »

Morning All,

A couple of Boardies, myself included are riding 500k in 24 hours next weekend. Our goal is help out the excellent charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie.

See details below in our press release along with a couple of pictures, and a map of the ride which appeared in the Indo earlier this week. The press release gives a comprehensive background to the charity as well as links to the charity's website and Facebook page where you read much more.

Any support would be greatly appreciated.

Press Release
Pippa O’Connor and Minister for Health Leo Varadkar Launch 500k in One Day

Volunteers to cycle 500K in 20 hours in aid of cancer support charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie

Model Pippa O’Connor along with Minister for Health Leo Varadkar helped launch the 500k in One Day challenge this morning with a group of volunteers who aim to complete a 500K cycle from Ireland’s most North Westerly point, Malin Head in County Donegal to the country’s most South Easterly point, Hook Head in Co Wexford, in One Day! The challenge, entitled 500k in a Day, has never been completed by amateur cyclists in this short time frame before and aims to raise much needed funds for Aoibheann’s Pink Tie - a charity which supports families of children battling cancer in Ireland.

Supported by Dublin’s Marker Hotel on Grand Canal Quay, the challenge will take place on Saturday 9th August and will see a group of 10 volunteers gear up for what will be a grueling cycle ride over a 24 hour period – each will cycle the entire distance. The cycle will see the group climbing 3,700 meters – the equivalent of a queen stage of the Tour de France. The day will see 108,000 pedal revolutions, 180,000 heart beats and each cyclist will burn over 12,000 calories – this is the equivalent of 60 cans of coke or 55 mars bars! The average person consumes 2,000 calories per day. Each of the 9 riders will consume 15 liters of water, 10 bananas, 12 energy gels, eight chocolate bars and eat 52 meals between them in order to get through the challenge.

Founded in July 2010 Aoibheann’s Pink Tie was started by Jimmy Norman and his family from Dunboyne after they lost their little girl Aoibheann (aged 8) to a rare form of cancer four years ago. Jimmy met with a lot of parents going through the trauma of having a child with cancer, and more specifically identified with the financial burden that inevitably follows diagnosis. To date the charity has raised in excess of €200,000 in funds to allow the families to focus on their wellbeing, their support of each other, and the treatment and recovery of their child by assisting with costs such as petrol, travel, bills etc. Full information the charity can be viewed at the charity’s websitewww.aoibheannspinktie.ie, or on their Facebook page.

Speaking about the grueling excursion, Jimmy said “This is a huge challenge to drive awareness and much needed funds for families with children undergoing cancer treatment across Ireland. We are calling on the public to give whatever they can to support us. Aoibheann’s Pink Tie is a relatively small charity but provides practical help to the families of children who are being treated for Cancer. Having gone through the experience of having a terminally ill child, myself and my family wanted to do something to assist other families financially with respite and home help including sibling and peer support, travel to and from hospitals, clothing, laundry, and food etc. These are an absolute necessity to overcome a huge burden for parents who have to endure the nightmare of watching their child battle cancer.”

You can donate to support the 500k in a Day challenge by texting the word ‘Aoibheann’ to 50300* to donate €2

or visit our iDonate page at

http://www.idonate.ie/mobile/fundraiser/29158_500k-in-a-day.html

100% of text cost goes to Aoibheann's Pink Tie across most network providers. Some providers apply VAT which means a minimum of €1.63 will go to Aoibheann's Pink Tie Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline (01) 4433890

Fair Play to the ones doing this event, Id love to hear how it goes, I am feeling anxious about a 100km I am doing on Sunday coming (bloody wimp)

mp31

Fair play to ye all - I wish I had the legs to do that sort of stuff. My next door neighbour is in there... savage cyclist and top bloke.

GoTilUBlow

Best of Luck lads! Great cause.

Kebel

Thanks for all the good wishes folks, we will of course let you know how we get on. We have to date raised over €16,000 and would dearly love to push the figure over €20,000. We have a number of initiatives planned for later this week, but without the support of the masses we will likely struggle to hit our target.

In the meantime, here is the blatant appeal; don’t be shy; there are several easy ways to support us, including a simple text which will only cost you €2. All the details are in my first post. Thanks.

K

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Immense effort lads fair play. Text sent.

Kebel

Here is a video about the charity Aoibhean's Pink Tie; the reason behind our 500km adventure this weekend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgEHBj48i1k

Darkglasses

The lads are only around 90km from the finish after a wet night, sounds like everybody's going to make it in one piece. Amazing achievement

iwillhtfu

Fair play to them even the ducks were sheltering lastnight.

fondriest

Getting wet for 9hrs is not much fun , especially at night . Still we got a fantastic reception when we arrived an raised a good few quid in the process so most definitely worth it .

Kebel

520 km in 19hrs 50min, including 9hrs of non stop rain, but thankfully the sun reappeared for our arrival in the Model County.

Thanks again for all for the good wishes and for the support on the road. Don't forget the support crew, this would never have happened without the best back up crew in the world.

An unforgettable day / weekend on so many levels. Respect to everyone involved. I'm totally fcuked, beyond sleep, but buzzing, it will take some day to beat today.

Reading all the good wishes posted /passed on to us and meeting all of the wonderful people we met over the last few days has to be honest left me lost lost for words, that said today redefined the words HARD DETERMINATION for me anyway. Some hard b**tards those mates of mine, nothing was going to stop us today.

Kebel

Well we finally did it, after months of planning and preparation we completed the 500k In a Day last weekend.

All in all we covered just short of 530 Km in 19 hors and 40 minutes (average speed 27 KPH)

The whole event was genuinely life changing. To a man we all agreed, that not only was the "500" the hardest thing any of of us have ever done physically or mentally but also emotionally.

At times as rode more less non stop through gales and torrential rain through the day and night it was an amazing experience to see families, children and other supporters on the road side at all hours of the day and night cheering us on regard;less of the atrocious weather.

We met some wonderful people en route, which was both inspiring and heart breaking at the same time, we were left in awe and were humbled by the courage and fortitude of the people who live with and care for the kids we were endeavouring to help out. - I can honestly say none of the nine riders or our team of 7 back up staff will very be the same again, but now that the body is beginning to recover I am absolutely delighted to have been involved in the "500" and so proud of my mates, and who unbelievably despite every prediction from all the doubters, all 9 guys finished.

To date we have raised well over €20,000, and with money still coming in we now hope to exceed €25,000

I'm expecting the ride itself to feature in a number of regional papers this week and next week - will keep you posted - we had literally thousands of hits via facebook and received hundreds of messages of support all along the way and all all sorts of crazy hours of the day and night which spurred us on no end, so thanks to every one who supported us and sent their good wished, especially during the 9 hours of torrential rain and at times gale for winds

I have attached a small selection of pictures taken by our super photographer Sean Rowe

Many thanks on behalf of all involved for you support

Kebel

A Few More Pics ...

Also a massive thank you to our back up team (7 in total), you know who you are guys - but without these guys we would never have even have made it as far as Mailin Head, hats off to you guys

Darkglasses

Well done again to ye all Kebel. The donation page is here for anyone looking to donate - http://www.idonate.ie/mobile/fundraiser/29158_500k-in-a-day.html