A Day of two halves at the Dromara CC Coastal
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This years Dromara CC Coastal was yet again over subscribed which I am guessing is Barra Best’s fault with promises of blue sky and 20+ degrees. Alas no one seem to read the small print which stated “after the food stop at Strangford”.
Two routes were on offer – 80 miles and 60 miles with the split coming after the lunch if you were undecided from the start the legs could make the decision for you.
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It was all down hill to Strangford, so the riders were going hell for leather for most of it, at times on rough country roads. With a bit of a headwind on the run from Arglass. Everyone got there absolutely filthy due to the wet roads, and all those clean bikes will surely need another clean and polish. The start had seen plenty of rain but as the closer the riders got to the food stop the better the weather got.
After the food stop the groups formed up for the push home. Those who were taking on the longer 80 mile route headed up through Killyleagh to Killinchy, dropping down to Daft Eddie’s and then back up to Saintfield. The 60-milers headed across country on some testing back roads towards Ballynahinch. By the time the first riders started arriving back, the sun was shining strongly and thoughts of getting the barbeque on had taken over.
There are a few long drags on the way back to Dromara but it was well worth it for a cup of tea and a biscuit at the end, and for some a well deserved pint. In contrast to the cold and wet start, everyone headed out to the football pitches for a sit down and chat in the glorious sunshine.
With more than 300 riders taking part in the event we expect to be donating more than £1500 for the Macmillan Cancer Charity so a big Thank You to all who took part. This sportive couldn’t have taken part without the members of Dromara CC and we would like to thank those members who gave up their time to run the event. Thanks also to our motorcycle marshals for the day who provided an excellent service leading everyone around the course. Finally many thanks to Chain Reaction Cycles Belfast store, who provided the goody packs for participants and more importantly the mechanical support for any riders unfortunate enough to suffer punctures or worse.
All of us at Dromara CC look forward to seeing you all back for the Hilly on the 14th August. More details to follow soon.
Photos can be found on facebook here and here. For those not on Facebook they are available on Flickr here and here.
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