Race Report: Duggans Dollies

Duggan’s Dollies Annual Waterford Pilgrimage – Year One

“Snow is falling all around me”, this is what Shakin’ Stevens promised me, the man’s pants are on fire.

Back in October after a particularly horrible track session I agreed to cycle to Waterford rather than run the half marathon. I was safe in the knowledge that it being the first of December it would more than likely be tipping down rain and my one get-out clause would be activated.

The banter began thick and fast between the runners (Ellen’s Engines) and the newly formed Duggan’s Dollies. It became apparent early doors that it was going to be me and a gang of women. As the injury list for the half marathon grew so did the list of cyclists. To say I was beginning to get worried was an understatement, coming from a family of six sisters I know what a pain in the arse they can be and was beginning to wonder how often the princess card would be played.

So two weeks out I climb aboard Ned for the first time since Blacksod and head out for a nice Sunday cycle, returning to the Westwood for coffee the serious recruitment begins, Petrina, Teresa, Ciara, Tara, Sinead, Aisling all join up, it was shaping up to be a great day out, provided the weather held, it didn’t get too cold and we all got there in one piece, that’s a lot of ifs!

The preparation started in earnest, I posted up a list of stuff people needed to bring with them and then headed to the shop to buy said stuff, some fairly basic things like lights and a rain jacket. This whole organising things for a cycle was way out of my comfort zone; I’d usually be the gom in the t-shirt and shorts with no pump. (I did actually go with shorts for the day, no tights for me thanks!).

The 10 day weather forecast told us it was going to be a perfect day, no rain, sunshine but as we got closer to the big day the freezing conditions brought more casualties. Aisling came off her bike and tore ligaments in her back, this injury seemed to affect Sinead badly as well and she pulled plant from the Dollies.

Scaremongering was at an all-time high in the club, it seems every one of the Dollies was taken aside an warned that it wasn’t going to be as easy as we thought, that everything would go wrong, we’d get lost, there’d be black ice, we’d end up camping in Carlow, the sky would fall down. On several occasions I had to reassure the group that it would all be ok and not to worry about it, “It’ll all be grand, don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff!”

The loss of Aisling and Sinead threatened to disrupt the whole bandwagon but when Tara texted at 9 on Friday nite to say she was going to meet us in Leos I feared the worst but Petrina was quick to make sure it was a single drop out.

So nice and early I headed down to meet Petrina, Teresa and Ciara at Drumcondra station, a lovely mild morning, Petrina arriving late was not a good start! Down to Hueston to meet Linda, we rounded the corner to see a Christmas tree waiting for us, well thats what she looked like at any rate, her 70 lights all over her person could be seen from space and were only out done by Ciara’s 3,000Watt beacon on the front of her bike which literally lit up all the overhead traffic signs.

So over through Inchicore Linda and Petrina are having a right chat and get caught at lights, I tell Ciara and Teresa to head on and meet Rasher cause we’re already 20 minutes late. So the two girls go to take off at the lights right on the Luas lines, both go arse over tit and are in a heap in the middle of the road. I’ll admit that at that stage I was wondering what the f**k I’ve let myself in for.

After dusting themselves off and fixed a minor mechanical problem we’re on the road again but Petrina is so shook that she shut up for about an hour, it was great. So half an hour late we rock up to Rasher at Newlandscross, turns out she’s had the first puncture of the day on route.

So we head out the N7 to Naas and I’d have to admit some of my hand signals may not have been the best and lorries zipping by us may not have filled the Dollies with confidence but we get to Naas without any incidents, 35k down, stop for a cup of tea and as the day is brightening up so is the mood.

Rasher and myself take the lead out the Kilcullen road and joy of joys fresh tarmacadam, on a quiet, wide road with a lovely clean hard shoulder. The roads of heaven will be paved with this stuff, we flew along, 30k/hr at a nice easy pace, as Petrina said she was annoyed that she had reached a top speed of 41k/hr and not noticed or given out about it. Choo-Choo!

Coming into Castledermot Rasher has a second puncture, no panic, the girl is an animal on the bike, we tell the others we’ll have them caught by Carlow 12k away. Puncture repaired we get going again and spot Leo overtaking us, he pulls in at the side of the road and it turns out his timing couldn’t be better. Rashers tyre is bust, so Leo swaps front wheels with her, heads off to Carlow to get a new tyre and arranges to meet us in Bagnelstown. We regroup plus Tara, who is raging she woosed out and an hour later we land at the Hughes front door. Mammy Hughes has the soup on a feed of sandwiches ready to go, heaven. We’re all reluctant to go into the house given the state of us, I think Tara was the only one with mud guards, but we soon get over that as we tuck into the grub and some chocolate biscuit cake.

Leo saddles up with us and tells us its only 50k to Waterford, we’ll be there in two hours, we tip on into Thomastown and decide to forgo the cup of tea there because we’re feeling nice and fresh and instead head onto the home of hurling in Ballyhale, 10k away. Bodies are tired at this stage and as we turn into the village we see a sign saying Waterford 25k, but hold on 25+10+25 doesn’t equal 50k, LEO!

Anyway the route from Ballyhale to Waterford was a nice cycle and the excitement grew to fever pitch as the k’s dropped away on the sign posts, the whooping and the hollering was getting louder. The hill down to Waterford saw us pass the 100 mile mark, No. 21 on the 26 things to do before you die (http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/535138/26-things-to-do-on-a-bike-before-you-die.html). Serious kudos to the girls who hadn’t done this before, it’s a serious effort and to do it in the middle of winter. I’d never cycled with Ciara or Teresa before and they just flew along, Rasher led the pace, Tara was hilarious flying up hills and then on the brakes and out the back door on down hills. Linda flew it and Petrina put in a serious effort and was flying coming into Waterford. For a man who hadn’t been on a bike all summer Leo was in great shape for a 60k cycle even if he can’t count.

And so the most enjoyable cycle of the year came to a happy ending, the naysayers were silenced. Turns out the run was horrible, it’s not like they weren’t warned and the proper banter could begin with the Dollies holding the massive advantage of having a ten time more physically demanding exercise under the belt, they enjoyment levels were off the chart and comradery was through the roof, just ask ginger, snug, happy and amazing snatch!

Roger, Roger!