Setting goals is important. When I started cycling last year, I knew I needed a target – a goal – or I would not really get up on my bike. So when my West Cork friend talked about doing the Tour de Munster for the third time, I quickly committed without really looking into it.

“Sure if he can do it, so can I,” was my thinking. Then when I went to register, it began to dawn on me what I had let myself in for.

“That’s 630km over four days. It’s a cyclist’s cycle that fundraises – not a fundraising cycle. You have to do the training, or you will not be asked to participate,” were the lines in the long email response that the organiser Paul Sheridan dispensed to every wanabee Sean Kelly that looked to join each year. With the real Sean Kelly already there, I got the clear vibe that if you did not do the training, don’t bother turning up.

The fact that the training events were all in Munster meant I had to head out cycling alone. At first 30km was a long spin, but as the days got longer, so did the trips. The 50km mark was quickly passed by the 80km one. I started heading down roads that I always wondered where they went. Then I started heading up to the Wicklow Mountains, a totally different experience. I discovered that the Blessington lakes actually had a beautiful road at their back and you could get up to the Wicklow gap on a bike, however with a lot of effort. The training target of 200km a week was not an easy one to maintain, but I knew I needed to keep it up.

Tough tip

I did join in one tour training day in Limerick of 110km called the Tough Tipp. It lived up to its name, but the “tough” organiser, Paul, gave me hope when I got to the end, when he said I was on course for the tour.

Heading on a few days off to West Cork a month before the tour, I brought down the bike. That is where I started to get the first glimpse of what the Tour of Munster was all about – in more ways than one. I was joined on a spin by dairy farmer and hardened tourer Barry O’Donovan, who dragged me up and down the hills of West Cork and Kerry. We clocked up 150km that day. A record for me, but a long way from the 190km we were expected to travel on the first tour day. However, it was the conversations Barry and I had as we peddled, about his son, Jack, who has Down Syndrome, that made the biggest impact.

Great support

However, even that didn’t prepare me for the four days of the tour. As one person said “it is like opening the doors on another world”. The people we met both doing the tour itself and the support from the different Down Syndrome Munster chapters was amazing. The first day we hit Midleton and Lismore handily enough. I had planned on taking it easy up the Vee to conserve my energy. However, when my friend Rob passed me in an attempt to gain first bragging rights, I just had to catch him before the top. At least we had the downhill afterwards.

We stopped regularly to refuel with pasta, cakes and scones. The spreads were put on by Down Syndrome Ireland and local business, who generously sponsored the event. It was again the conversations as we cycled along at 30km an hour that I really enjoyed, not just because they took your mind off the distances.

Despite the 190km done, I had to push myself on the run into Killaloe to make sure my friend did not end the first day even.

That evening, the children did their party pieces. My biggest job was keeping awake and hitting my two-pint target to get in the much-needed calories. With 160km to tackle on day two, we were greeted with heavy rain and, worse still, a gale into our faces from the start. Here is where teamwork really came into its own, as we each took our gruesome time at the front. After going though Ennis and Kilrush, we took the ferry to end up in Tralee. All the talk swung to the hills ahead on day three, such as Conor Pass and Moll’s Gap. I needed to up my liquid intake that night to make sure I had calories in the tank. My training in the Wicklow hills came into its own, but not without leaving it mark. Thankfully, Noel, who was 60 years young, was able to pull me towards the top.

Luckily, I found the cure to sore legs and other parts in Kenmare – Guinness and a good laugh.

“We would worry about the last 130km in the morning,” was the most used line. That is until midnight was behind us.

There was not much talking in the morning as Cahill Pass attacked us. There was one more climb up into Gougane Barra, a beautiful spot I had never seen or heard of before. After the last food stop in Cronin’s bar, we flew into the outskirts of Cork. There, waiting proudly for us was Patrick’s Hill. The 500 meters at a 23% gradient was all that was between us and the finish line. The contenders went first, sprinting up. You could see by how they slowed how pushed they were to get up. As the remaining groups were let off, the tensions rose. Our whistle went and what followed was the most difficult thing I have ever done, as I willed myself up the last 20 meters with every ounce of determination I had left. I finished gasping as the crowds cheered and gave some a helpful push up the last few yards.

You might ask what this has to do with Money Mentor. The first might be to make sure you know what goals you set before committing to them. The main one is that there is more to life than just money. By donating to Tour de Munster, you can make a huge difference to some amazing people in Down Syndrome Ireland. Thanks to Barry and Paul and, of course, Jack. CL