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First of the old - vintage weekend in Conamara- 28/29 March
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Hi all,
Designed and created by Sarge 10, this Trophy will be awarded through some archaic voting system to the nicest bike in show as deemed by us somehow. The award will no doubt include the kitchen paper so you can wipe your eyes as you thank your manager/promoter/family members without whom it would not have been possible....!
See ye Saturday! Brendan0 -
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The tax man wrote: »It's braking performance is suspect at best.Ran out of time to sort it out. Don't fancy spending two days on a bike that might kill me or someone else.:(
I rode a bike like that to Moycullen this eve.. The doggibike needs a BB back brakes, bar end plugs, mudguards sorted and a rear wheel rebuild !
Was going to get missus Yaris to run me out with both kids to get the 531pro after the lads fitted a new headset but wee man was being difficult leaving me to ride out ith a wheel and a rim over the bars !!
Had to ride the 531pro in fading light lets say .. A mission fraught with peril :eek:
Theres no way modern bikes have personalities like that !!!
See you all tomorrow in Oughterard - Mr & Mrs Benotto are already installed in Clifden and Brendan is getting installed in oughterard ! All the vintage bikes are homing in to Co.Galway !!
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Well lads what a great weekend - What a great turnout. Saturday morning first thing and I was disturbed while getting ready.. Never get disturbed while getting ready.. I left my helmet and bottle behind :mad:
Cue the vintage bike saviour Andrius who lent me his skid lid for Saturday. Andrius was up and down the road looking after things.. In fact we had 3 support vehicles for 15 or so riders.. Beat that
We took off from Oughterard and the wind was really punishing. We battled along until Kill Conerin where we had a nice break. How far is it to Roundstone ... ? Ammm about 16 miles... We rode to Carna which was around 10 miles further on and came across a sign "Roundstone 28kms" This caused all manner of slagging and giving out.. My reputation was in tatters.. My sense of direction is ok but my judgement of distance leaves a lot to be desired !!! We turned for Roundstone along the coast but the heavens just opened.. Stopped at the end of the road and told the lads that we would go over the hill road shortcut to Clifden. As Donal's reputaion was in tatters it was up to Brendan to tell the lads which way to go... We reached Clifden cold wet and hungry. The bar stool was shouting all our names and we put the bikes into a place called "Clifden Antiqes" how fitting is that !!
Dinner and a much convoluted voting system was put in place for the best in show category for the riders favorite machine. This was all overseen by the returning officer for the Cork area to make sure everything was above board. Ger's 1979 Ras competing Benotto was a worthy winner. A stunning bike with a career that would put many a bike to shame. The prize was presented by Miss Belmullet hen - She didnt really get what we were at !!
We then had some of their special hen biscuit cake lovingly crafted for the event !! We all retired to the bar to swap stories of days gone by, heroic rides, blatant cheating and bikes missed on eBay...!
A lot of fog on the runway on Sunday morning so after a slow start we decided that the TT would have to be cancelled. We waited for Niall !! Off we went and Benotto's rear tubular started to come off the rim. A quick change of tub and onward tword Kylemore. Wind at our back. A quick stop with the nuns at Kylemore and an interview with some German tourists was the order of the day... ! Off we took again and it was cold for a while but the Inagh valley soon opened us out again... The wind at your back definately helps. A nice easy spin in to Oughterard and then I couldnt behave myself at all, sparking a mass sprint coming into the town. I didnt know where it ended it was just lads behaving badly for the craic
Lads Thanks a million for the great turnout. Bike porn was the order of the day, Every bike had a story to tell and every rider had numerous stories ! Its going to take everyone a while now to get the bikes dried out but at least the bikes are out on the road doing what they were made for not stuck in some non descript room never to see the light of day again.
My navagational skills and distance persception was called into question on occasion but we all stayed together and had the craic. A great bunch of like minded people - Yeah we got drenched and we all are a bit loopy but thats why we all got on so well...
Id like to thank you all or making this spin a real memorable one. Thanks for all your help and it was a real nice gesture for yous to square my hotel stay.. That was really appreciated - I was only a very small part of it and it was you all that made the spin. Thanks a million Paul for the helmet on sunday..
I cant wait now for Portlaoise ..0 -
Yarisbob knows lots of things. Like how to organise a great event, choose a great venue and everything you need to know about 531 Peugeots.But Yarisbob did not attend that geography class where they taught cartography and meteorology.However we’ll forgive him that simply for the audacity of organising a 2 day vintage spin in Conamara just a month after babybob was born (or indeed proposing the event when his wife was just a little bit pregnant).Thank you Mrs. Bob!
The weather last weekend was so bad you wouldn’t put a bucket out, but that didn’t stop a dozen of us emerge from our quarters to parade our vintage steel.Meeting in Oughterard, where Yarisbob had secured safe parking, we nonchalantly revealed our beauties from car boots and roof racks,each certain in the knowledge that theirs was the potential Concourse d’Elegance winner.
What a line up, bikes from the 30’s to the 90’s.Bikes restored, bikes just as they were. Bikes belonging to their original owners, bikes restored by their new owners.Two of Kelly’s bikes, a KAS branded Vitus and TT bike and matching gloves.Talk of good deals scored, e-bay trawls for missing bits.Old tops, new tops, ancient helmets and 80’s sunvisors. Everybody stowing raingear.
Just like Pedro Delgado setting off late in the 1989 Tour de France prologue we eventually made for the main road.And then had to wait for someone – let’s call him Pedro Pinarello – to buy water and sign autographs.Really!Then off we headed into the headwind, repairing our first mechanical within 4 miles and taking some time for shots on The Quiet Man bridge.Not a quiet man between us as you can imagine.
On to Maam Cross and left for Casla where an ancient Brooks saddle was making deep incisions on its owners butt – not to worry says our afflicted friend, I’ll just swap bikes from my personal team car.A bit of pushing and shoving and off we went again making our way for the very distant Cill Chiaráin which, if you ever ask Yarisbob, is just around the next corner, or within 500 meters, or both wherever in the world you are.
‘An bhfuil níos mó cupán le fail?’Deep in the Gaeltacht the group drank the coffee machine right out of cups.Representing a serious spike on the light breads sales graph the group munched their way through what turned out to be the unsuspecting crews only food stop.What fortification we took now was going to be needed.Completely unaware of the oncoming tribulations the group admired bikes and took personal notes for the evening’s best in show competition ‘an bike is fearr’.
As rain goes what washed down upon us was very very wet rain.The group found it difficult to stay together as rain jackets were unshipped and the wind prevented speedy robing.One sleeve at a time sweet Jesus.Roundstone and the potential of hot food was on everybody’s minds.Then again with half a gallon of water in each and every shoe we knew as much as we’d like to see Roundstone and hot food, Roundstone was not going to want to see us.Donal pulled out the map, upside down and backwards, and decreed that the best shortcut to Clifden to avoid Roundstone was to go to Roundstone.Counter intuitive that.It transpires he was right with a beautiful bog road offering the perfect and well surfaced shortcut.And with that 12 drowned rats entered Clifden.
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I can’t speak to events of the following day as I had to retire home to Cork – with a 6.30am (old-time) start back to Oughterard.However, I can confirm the result of the concourse d’elegance ballot and voting process.There was a strong list of candidates (although the Tax Man’s Raleigh Road-ace was scandalously omitted).
Using the type of proportional representation favoured by DeValera – the one where only Fianna Fáil win – myself and honourary Bianchiman tallied, counted, spoiled, recounted, looked at each other knowingly and declared the obvious winner Benotto’s Benotto.It was his joy to take home Sarge10’s handywork, with Sarge’s cautionary words ringing in his ears “do not disassemble the trophy for parts”.
Sincere thanks to Yarisbob, our three drivers Andreas, Mairín and Mairéad and the lovely hotel where we stayed.No doubt others can fill in Sunday’s activities and provide more photos than my limited collection.Brendan0 -
Well my tale of Sunday started in the AM hours after returning to my room after downing a few of Clonmels finest. Made sure my phones had adjusted themselves for the change in time and set the alarms for 7.30am.
Before I knew it, I awoke at 7 with the TV and lights still on in the room and the phones still beside me on the bed. Went for breakfast with copious amounts of OJ and after asking the others, the decided time to be downstairs was 10am. Checked out and spotted Yarisbob only coming out the restaurant. As the others converged in the lobby ready for the off,we were still missing two souls. They soon appeared in civies down to have their breakfast.
While waiting for everyone to get sorted out we headed back to the bikes and saw to any issues from the day before. Some bottom brackets needed tightening and Ger had to change a tub that wasn't sitting flush to his rim. I was surprised how easily it came off the rim, even though it was glued, lucky it didn't roll off the day before. With more glue applied and another tub installed, bottom bracket tightened we went back to the hotel where the gang was ready to hit the road. Of course the rain had started again, begin where you left off.
With the planned TT cancelled due to the weather, we hit the road out of Clifden and while sitting behind Ger the newly installed tub looked like it was starting to twist on the rim. We stopped to inspect and re-seat but it still didn't look healthy. After a few minutes riding I saw the road steadily rising so decided to open the taps and attack the climb. I wanted to reach the top with enough time to take a few snaps but the chasers from the bunch meant I didn't get everyone.
I offered up my spare tub so Ger could continue safely and soon we hit some descents. When we hit the flat I noticed some large gaps in the pack and started to fear a rolled tub but it turned out to be only a wayward pump falling off a bike. Soon we stopped in Kylemore Abbey for some coffee, although we were only getting warmed up but it was a planned stop, so we stuck to the plan.
With the rain showers still catching us, the tail wind made it more bearable than the previous day. We deviated from the route and headed down a valley past Lough Inagh. Soon enough we hit the N59 and with the wind pushing us along we made good time towards Oughterard. The twisty nature of the road and the size of bunch made for some small tailbacks but we did our best to get the cars past quickly.
As we approached the finish Alec dropped to the back of the group, me forgetting my race tactics and thinking he was dropping off I said we're only 3kms from home, within moments he shot off up the road and the penny dropped. The sprint was on and I was looking at it unfold up the road in front of me.
I gave chase and by the time I got near the front I'd no idea where or what we were sprinting to and who got it but it was an entertaining end to a great two days the west had to offer.
Big thanks have to go to Yarisbob for setting up the whole weekend, not an easy task I'm sure, while a new family addition was on the way. Also I'd like to thank our support drivers and those that selflessly transported our luggage,you know who you are.;)
Highlight for me,besides the scenery and the craic, was riding alongside the stunning Vitus TT bike belonging to Aidan that wasn't a mere replica but an actual bike Kelly rode.
Hopefully the steel steads won't have rusted away before the next outing.0
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