Haute Route 2012

The Haute Route 2012

The Haute Route 2012 – billed as the highest and toughest cyclo sportive in the world. Over 7 days, cyclists would  cover 780 km and 21,000 meters of ascent, featuring seven world famous cities and mountain resorts: Geneva, Megève, Courchevel, Alpe d’Huez, Risoul, Auron and Nice. 19 mythical Alpine cols will challenge cyclists over the 7 timed stages, including Madeleine, Glandon, Izoard, Cime de la Bonette and the famous climb to Alpe d’Huez for an epic individual time trial.

The Loftus Hall Cycling Team was one of two Irish teams to participate in the second edition of the Haute Route  event. The event took  place from 19th –  25th August 2012, from Geneva to Nice, and is a seven-day trans-Alpine epic cycle challenge in which amateur  cyclists  take on some of the toughest stages of the Tour de France route.

Loftus Hall, an outdoor adventure retreat estate in Wexford, sponsored our team – a mixed-sex team of nine Irish amateur cyclists (8 men, 1 woman) from Dublin, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Clare and Limerick. Leaving Geneva, Switzerland, on 19th August, the Loftus Hall Haute Route Team joined 600 other participants drawn from 27 countries, to complete the ultimate cycling challenge in the world.

Our team consisted of tough as nails RAS Veterans, ex triathletes, late comers and very experienced cyclists. Lots of experience & enthusiasm sprinkled with a touch of madness.

Our team

Brian Nevin- Co. Clare
Chris Bellew-  Co. Meath
Aidan Quigley- Co. Wexford
Theresa Heffernan- Co. Dublin
Nick Eustace- Co. Meath
Lynn Hayden- Co. Carlow
Alan Galavan- Co. Carlow
Mick Mulcahy- Co. Carlow
Edward O Connell- Co. Limerick

 wrote up a daily diary which I posted to Facebook. Its very much a warts and all digest as I wanted to remember the details, especially the suffering. Here are the reports..

Stage 1

Interesting first night – taking in our first night’s accommodation – a nuclear fall-out shelter in Geneva, like sleeping in a submarine!

Registration and bike build took place in searing heat on the lakes of Geneva. Quick visit to a grumpy Mavic mechanic who chastised me for a rather unorthodox rear mech. I shrugged, he shrugged..and gave me back my steed. Found a relatively inexpensive restaurant in Geneva – a feat in itself – and got ourselves ready for Stage 1 roll out the following morning.

Stage 1 complete – 5 hrs 21 mins for 126 k, 2800 metres of climbing. Groups put hammer down from Geneva, which made for some crazy misses with ‘ road furniture ‘. One bad pile up with a motorbike and competitors.

50 k in we hit the first climb Col de Romme. 11k with an average of 10%, bloody tough climb. On to food stop at 65k, which are essential as nutrition and hydration are absolutely crucial this week.  Next climb was Col de Colombier which I suffered hugely on. Again average of about 10% but almost all of it was in blistering sunshine. With 3 k from the summit my left leg cramped real bad- possibly because I just was not getting enough sodium on-board.

Anyway got to food stop, tore into salted crackers and ham and cheese sambos, which seemed to help. Final climb was Col de Aravais, not half as bad but still brutal! About 2k from summit a bunch of riders were filling their bottles from a natural spring at the side of the road, the water was unreal- like the best wine you have ever tasted- really cold, delicious! From there the last 25 k rolled along with a few digs..great food laid on at finish, showers etc. Headed for Electro stimulation massage, provided by Swiss company – Compex – great way to get legs going again ! Day 1 done, survived, day 2 will be as tough with day 3 designed to test our limits to the max.

Stage 2

Haute Route day 2.  difficult night last night, Lots of fannying about with delays on briefing, restaurant over booked , walking around like headless chickens. Eventually got to ‘sleep’. No air con so room was  roasting…add 6 sweaty blokes = sauna!

5:45 am alarm call, breakfast downstairs, stocked up on carbs, cereals, juices, breads etc. Had an issue with the mid gears on my block( GRRRR. Mavic. ) so one of our lads , Mick- a RAS veteran – looked at it, made a few tweaks, sorted!

Rolled down to start line in 18 degrees heat at 7:30am. Roll out wasn’t half as nuts as yesterday due to a lot of testosterone being left on the mountains the day before 🙂 The first 10 k were neutralised as we had Col de Saisies just after 12 k, 1650 m with a shallower 7/8%. Climb was 11k. Definitely felt good after it, quick stop at food stop and off we headed into a 50 k ascent into the valley below Courchevel. They had warned us that it would be hot, and it was! Felt like I had a hot hair dryer blowing in my face for most of it.

I managed to jump onto a fast moving German ‘train’, 9 of us worked hard throughout the valley, averaging about 45 km/hr. At one stage all of them started singing ‘Tour De France’ by Kraftwerk! I nearly crashed I was laughing so much. Next up the coolest thing of the trip so far – I had the jersey down to the navel to let the breeze in( th inking – how pro is this 🙂 ) when one of the organisers cars pulls up and says give me your bottles, we will fill them. So I’m hanging on to the car being dragged along for a couple of hundred of metres, chatting away thinking this is class! (anyone who watches pro cycling will get this – everyone else will probably think your some knob). anyway off we headed for the last climb of the day – Courchevel – it’s about 25 k, but the first 10k are grand with a 3 to 4% average. The tough stuff starts at 12 – 14 k from the finish. It’s a fairly exposed climb so it was like a furnace.

I’m guzzling electrolyte while throwing water on my legs and shoulder to try and cool them down, the organisers had lots of water bottles to grab, plus the people who live on the climb spray you with their hosepipes, typical at these events, and absolutely magical!

With 7 k to go we find another one of those mountain water fountains, the ooh’s and aah’s from our group as they filled up bottles and dipped heads under were comical. Final 5 k was bitchin, avg 9 % and really hot. Got to the summit in one piece thankfully so survived another day.

‘Only’ 107 k today, 2700 metres of climbing. Another sub 6 hour day, but time is not my objective this week. Left some in the tank today as tomorrow is designed to possibly kill us – 138 k with 4700 metres of climbing – I m  looking at an 8 hour day so again food and hydration will be vital. Shoulders stiff, legs actually ok, ass rash being controlled carefully! Just kicking back now in accommodation – incredible views all around.

Stage 3

Haute Route Day 3 – the so called marathon stage – 138k 4800 metres of climbing – Col du Madeline, Col du Glandon & the infamous Alpe D’huez!  In between lots of hairy descending.

Without a doubt the hardest day I’ve had in sport. Up at 5 am for a 7 30 am roll out. Huge breakfast, pack and repack of bags for the 50th time as race organisers move our bags from stage to stage. Roll out at a fairly relaxed stage before we hit Madeline – the relatively easier climb of the 3 today. It’s still over 20k with a 7-9 % average. My shoulder and foot started acting up about half way up so had to down some nurofen at the top along with food and drink.

Fast ascent off the Madeleine at I guess 55 km/hr. average. Some riders have no issue flying down at 75- 80 km/hr but I get tense above 60 km/hr! So onto the monster that is Col du Glandon. Pro cyclists have said that this is the hardest climb they do so for us mere mortals it’s sheer brutality.

Between the gradient, the distance and the oppressive heat I felt like I was cooking inside. You eat and drink as much as possible but your system definitely struggles to cope – at least mine does! Shoulder was spasming continuously so I end up wiggling like a snake to try and relieve it. Meanwhile my foot feels like it has a little man with a blowtorch trying to burn the ball of my left foot. Mentally draining as you are just trying to turn the pedals. From there we had the ascent of the Glandon , -9/-10 % with some scary narrow roads, huge trucks and cars along the way.

About now some of us were getting concerned that we would not make the daily time limit. It seemed to be changing from 8 – 9 hours from marshal to marshal. I simply could not have stomached getting into the broom wagon after all the training and sacrifice this year. So final climb was Alpe D’huez from the eastern side. 17 k with an average of 7%. After such a long day it hurt like hell, plus I was really stressing over the time limit so I ended up digging hard into reserves – which I will suffer for later in week. Got over the finish line just inside the finish line, so was pretty emotional at the line.

Dumped bike and headed for food and recovery drink. I began to feel really awful at lunch, stomach churning, 1000 yard stare and babbling a bit. One of my team mates steered me towards medical room where the professional medics got glucose into me and checked vital signs – thankfully all ok. Quite a few people on drips and clearly under duress. Anyway feeling much better now, getting an excellent massage now which will help in morning. Tomorrow is ‘just’ a time trial up alpe D’huez – ‘just 14k’. I will be taking it real easy! Survived today, hugely challenging, but survived. 4 stages left 🙂

Impersonating the dead in medical tent.

Stage  4

Haute Route stage 4 – so today was just a TT up the infamous Alpe D’huez – 14k, 21 hairpins – each turn named after the winner of the Alpe d’huez stage of Le Tour. Great night’s sleep last night plus a later breakfast – 7:15am – helped towards a feeling of relative freshness – aside from assorted body part pains.

We rolled down from the top of the mountain to the starting ramp at the bottom. I thought the start ramp was so cool, had visions of myself falling of the ramp though! My number was called, got the 10 second countdown and off I rolled. I knew the first 4 turns kicks up to 12% so it was just a case of turning the pedals, keeping the heart rate under 150 and try to enjoy the hurt!

Felt surprisingly good so upped the pace a touch. I did some quick maths and figured maybe I could make 1hr 18 or so. Temperature was a lot cooler than the last few days, which certainly helped my state of mind! Kept pushing at 8-9 k but pulled back a bit as I hit 10k. Great vibes with fellow riders along the way which was great for the spirits.

At 3 k to go you arrive into the village of Huez, the road flattens a touch which is super sauce for the legs, gives you a respite before the final km’s. Got to the line in 1′ 22 – if I had been told that yesterday I would have traded a body part! The advantage of being well down GC is that you get to get your massage and electro massage very quickly, super for recovery. Got to chill out in Huez for the day, all of us at dinner now.

Tomorrow will be not 2 far off yesterday which is worrying but it is what it is at this stage. This time tomorrow 5 stages will be done with 2 to do. happy days. Thanks for all the great words & encouragement everyone. I have been tapping into them during the times of pain! Till tomo 🙂

Emma Pooley- womens race leader – she weighs 49kg, about the weight of my legs!

TT Ramp

I can testify that Shannonside CC’s chamois are very good. they were certainly tested in the Alps.

Stage 5

So day 5 haute route – Alpe d’huez to Risol – 140 k – 3 big climbs (of course) Col du lauterat, D’iziorad and Col du Risol. Woke up feeling very fatigued, sore and cranky. Roll out again at 7:30, so 5am wake up call. We headed straight into a climb of about 6% so heart rate went straight to 155- not good!

From there into a nuts 15 – 20 k descent down a country road of about -8%. The organisers could only let groups of 50 or so go as it was just very sketchy. To add to the chaos a sheep farmer started to drive his herd up between us – very Irish! Quite funny actually. So next up Lauterate, 22 k of relatively ok %’s- 4-5%. Down the other side , next up Col D’izoard. Jesus wept – a bloody monster climb. 19 k with averages of 9%. By now the man in my shoe – Tommy Hot Foot – plus my wiggling shoulder was dragging me into a dark place. All I could think of to take my mind off it was that showband song – The Hucklebuck – because it has the lines “wiggle like a snake, waddle like a duck”. I just had to laugh or I’d cry – again! Got to the top of iziorad and it started blowing a gale and raining! Terrific! Temperatures were a lot lower today thankfully – helps so much. The rain was warm but so welcome. This week is very tough mentally as well as physically. I’ve discovered that I can suffer – just not enough though. Plus carrying 80kg up these mountains adds to the pain. 75kg would be that much easier. The last Col apparently was the lowest of the mountains, plus I was well inside the time limit so could relax a touch. Still bloody hurts like hell though. 7 hrs 15 or so on the bike I think although my Garmin is gone a bit nuts so not sure. Fed now, in the q for massage. Food again in a bit then bed. 2 stages left , tomorrow not as long. Nice inches closer .

Day 6

Haute/ Hate Route – stage 6 Risol to Auron – 110 k 3200 metres of climbing. Ok so as mentioned earlier, funny moments and the depths of pain all on what was actually the shortest stage of the week. Rolled out from Risol at 7:30am with a lot of fatigued people on their bikes. Had thought I was carefully maintaining my, let’s call it my ‘undercarriage’. Wrong. Quick ‘inspection’ revealed there will be trouble ahead.

So asked a few riders had they any sudocrem / Vaseline etc. Guys mentioned that the ambulances should have some ( one of the guys I chatted with is James Cracknell’s mentor / fitness adviser – sound bloke – hard as nails) anyway I flagged one of the ambulances – they didn’t have any but would ring ahead, i was to stop just a few k’s ahead. So pulled in, the female medic says jump in to ambulance. I thought strange – all I need is a scoop of cream.

Anyway I hop in and she’s holding a surgical lance , and indicating to bend over. The look on my face must have been priceless. I tried to explain it didn’t need to be lanced but she insisted on an inspection. So with no choice I bend over , down with the bibs and spread for Ireland. At this stage I was just cracking up. In broken English she said she could do a temporary job but I should see the doc’s later. Just comical, I hopped out of ambulance, they’re laughing, I’m in knots and off I went.

Pretty much from this moment on the day got rougher and rougher. We tacked the ‘rooftop of Europe’ the Col De Bonnette – 25 k long, 2890 metres high. Merciful hour I absolutely died twice on that mountain. Shoulder, tommy hotfoot and my undercarriage all wanted a cut at my mental stability. To add to it the organisers had set a very difficult time cut for the Bonnette so I just had to ride through the pain.

Got to the top 5 minutes outside time but Aidan & Theresa who had joined me figured out if we descended like lunatics we would make the day time cut. Descending – your either good or crap… I’m crap. Aidan is excellent so I just tried to keep him in sight, plus hold his line in the corners. The amount of near misses with cars at 55km/ hr doesn’t bear thinking about! The final climb of the day was just 8 k with an average gradient of 6%. Aidan knew we had to dig very very deep to make the cut. In years to come I will remember how much I suffered on that 8k. One of the organisers cars pulled up beside us offering encouragement, and pouring water over us out of the car window. They were radioing the timing guys at the top giving them updates on how much effort we were putting in – routing for us hugely – absolutely fantastic. Meanwhile I’m rocking like a rocking chair, chewing my handlebars, heart rate up to 180, screaming at myself to just keep going. Meanwhile Aidan is roaring at me to stick to his wheel, screaming encouragement. The bike was covered in water, spit, snot, gels, electrolyte. With one Km to go I thought it was lights out for me until I just saw a glimpse of the village. More screaming, water over the head from the car, a tow from Aidan and we saw the finish line. We rolled over arm in arm and immediately collapsed on to the ground . Medics drowning us in water. We had missed the cut the by 2 minutes but the organisers let us through for riding with panache – which the French love to see. I would not have made the time cut without my team mate Aidan, Plus the 2 guys in the car were amazing – just like every member of staff working on this.

Caught up with a few more of the 100 or so who are riding to survive this. Serious outpouring of emotion all around, mixed with great spirits. Headed for food , massage, and the doctors. Dropping ones shorts in front of complete strangers twice in one day is a first for me! The docs treated the now open wound with betadine and another French medicine – which I’ve now bought! Another day done – survived! We’re in our communal gym now, about 80 of us. The sound effects during the night should be interesting. Looking forward to writing the final report!!

Pic- The  money shot!

Day 7

Right final report for Haute Route 2012 – just after a very agreeable liquid lunch. 2 glasses of wine and I feel like doing handstands, maybe singing a song or 2. Anyway  final  stage – St. Etienne to Vence / Nice – another long stage 175 k, 2800 metres of climbing. My heart really sank when I read the Roadbook the night before. I thought these organisers are just bloody sadists.

Our final day and they are trying to crush us! Anyway another 6:45am roll out straight into 30 k descent. For the roll outs we have been broken into groups of 100 or so with the first 75 GC guys getting a 5 minute head start. Then it’s just as we q up on the start line. I figured I had to get as close to the front just to get in the right place mentally. Phychologically it was important to get to the first climb at a decent pace as there was a time cut at the top of the biggest climb of the day, then another time cut at the final climb. I dug as deep as I could on first climb, no point in detailing the various pains as I’m sure your sick of hearing it now. I just said to myself – “Brian, man the f@@k up and turn the bloody pedals”. Got to the time cut 30 minutes inside so could afford a few extra minutes at the food stop. We then had a descent of close on 30k through spectacular mountain passes and valleys. I did put the hammer down, took stupid risks- which I’ve mentioned already. It was here we saw the cavalcade of medics and police ripping down the climb to attend to a fallen rider. Even writing this now I do have to pause to think about that poor man – Pontus Schultz – and his family and friends. On from here we just had one climb to do – Col Du Vence. Rolled up as best I could with my new found road friends trying, just trying to enjoy it. I saw the 1 k to go sign, pulled up, took a pic, and just shed floods of tears. The feeling of having made it inside the time cut, right through the week, through all the pain and suffering, polarised emotions, laughter, darkness, sadness and uncontrollable giddiness, totally caught a hold of me for a couple of minutes. Gathered myself, called myself a big jesse – out loud – and rolled down to the village of Vence where we grabbed our finishers medal, grub and a beer. I had another quick visit to the medics so a poor apprentice medic could treat the commotion that was / IS now my undercarriage.

We had just one final roll out- and they really saved the best to last IMO. All of the riders left in the race rolled 30k, downhill thank god, from Vence to Nice. It’s a sight I will remember for many years – a tight knit peloton, flanked by 60 motorbike outriders, Gendarmarie, organisation cars , everyone in top form, fist pumping, shaking hands, hugging ( all while rolling at 30k/hr!) onto Nice promenade. It’s the height of the summer hols in Nice, so it’s a testament to the organisers to get permission for this rolling road closure. It’s the closest any of us  will ever get to feeling like we are in a pro peloton!

We rolled over the line, parked the bikes, and proceeded to pick our way down through Nice’s beautiful people & sun gods / goddess’s in our cycling kit. The look of total disgust on their faces was priceless. We soaked in beautifully warm water for a half hour or so – magical for aching limbs. Then – that was it – basically we had to strip and pack our bikes in baking heat being stared at by passing residents / tourists. Bikes that were lovingly and carefully packed pre trip were being pulled apart as quick as possible. I’d say if I had a saw or an axe I would have torn into the bike.

Bit of an ordeal finding a cab to take 5 sweaty paddies’s with heaps of luggage but finally got to our digs. Quick turnaround and headed back down to the finale party ( via a quick stop in Subway where we absolutely demolished 5 foot long rolls). About now the news was confirmed that a rider had died – Pontus Schultz. As a result the party was the opposite to what a party should be for obvious reasons. I spoke quickly with the main man behind the event ( who had also biked the event) he looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Rather bizarrely a hectic thunderstorm  rolled in quickly and dramatically. As mentioned the venue was 1500 feet up (via stairs – about 4 million of them – of course we found out at the top there was a lift) we had a beer and left, got saturated again. We grabbed one beer and called it a night. Annoyingly I couldn’t get to sleep for ages and woke up at 7am / I guess the body adjusting. I knew I had some DIY undercarriage surgery to look after which I won’t get into. All I will say is my poor buddy Chris saw sights no human should be subjected to in such a fragile site. John Wayne has now entered my legs and has taken control for the next few days.

Final numbers 819 k, 21000 calories burned, 39 hours in the saddle, 21,000 metres climbed, Average HR 136, max  HR 182,  max speed 78 km/hr.

So all in all an incredible, emotional trip. I looked deep inside this week, not sure if I want to go there again! Although never say never 🙂

 
prized possession.

For the gear heads this was the third tour of duty on my Felt AR3 ( Paris Roubaix sportive / L’etape du tour the  2 others) I think it’s time I retire the Felt…

I used Mavic Ksyrium SL ( the newer model of these was the wheel of choice for a large % of riders) Schwalbe ultramemo tyres, SRAM Red, an FSA compact and 28/ 11 sprocket rig, Fizik Antares saddle, Fizik microtek bar tape ( crucial – it can take some punishment – gels, snot, puke, gallons of sweat)

I had repeated discussions with my gearing guru’s – Gary McDonald & Paul O Connell from Gary’s Bike repairs in Ennis – about using the SRAM wi fli climbers kit. The 28 sprocket got a serious amount of use obviously. A major benefit of more ratio / long derailleur cage is that I might have had more in the legs at the end of the week. Maybe not – heaps of riders went for that set up though – a discussion for another time.

What next I wonder..:)

The final act

Roll into NICE- amazing.

A Little reflection on the Haute Route 2012, by numbers…

• 600 cyclists and 740 dedicated volunteers made and supported the epic 780km journey from Geneva to Nice.
• 474 received the coveted “Finisher” status, completing all 7 stages within the imposed time limits.
• 33 nationalities were represented within the peloton, from every continent, as part of 95 international teams.
• Fuelled by 3150kg of fresh and dried fruit, and 3000 litres of coke, riders burned up to 5000 calories per day, also devouring over 4000 post-race lunches between them
• Participants and their bikes were well looked after by the support teams, with over 2500 massages and 85 hours of bike fixing from the Mavic technical team.
• Over 5000 hotel beds filled across 7 cities and resorts
• Several hundred thousand people have followed the event online, in social media, on youtube, and on TV
• A cumulative 22 hours in the saddle for the fastest, 43 hours for the slowest Finisher
• 474 riders completed the Haute Route 2012 within the time limit, and received “Official Finisher” status – they completed every stage at an average speed of at least 15km/h. 18% of participants missed out on this cut-off, but that took little away from the efforts they made and the achievement of nonetheless for most of them making it to Nice.  However, the tough cut-off time remains a feature of the Haute Route, which helps ensure its reputation at the toughest and highest. It’s not an event to enter unless you are fully committed.
• Five-time French MTB champion Peter Pouly led the peloton to win every stage, spending a total of 22 hours, 34 minutes and 44 seconds on his bike across the 7 days. At the other end of the spectrum, and a testament to the range of abilities amongst the peloton, the slowest rider was in the saddle for almost twice as long as Pouly, and completed the event in 43 hours, 37 minutes and 21 seconds.
• The youngest rider on this year’s event was 18 year-old Elliot Jones from Great Britain, whilst 71 year-old Belgian cyclist Victor Leroy joined the Bio-Racer Team.
• Of the 95 teams that took part, some consisted of between 3 and 9 riders all from one nation, such as the Kenyan Riders, Team Ireland, and Brazil Winds, whilst others had participants from all over the world competing together. Team Y D A F UK, for example, had British, French, Swiss, German, Kiwi and American riders all doing their bit to ensure the best possible result in the Team Rankings.
• 1700kg of bananas were consumed during the week, along with 1000kg of oranges, and 450kg of dried fruits.
• Cereal bars (6500 units), sweet and savoury cake (13000 slices), ham (2000 slices) and cheese (2000 slices) provided some variety at each of the 24 refreshment points along the whole course.
• Riders were burning up to 5000 calories a day, so energy bars and gels were essential to sustain their strength and provide an extra boost for tired muscles. 6000 units of energy gels and 2500 units of energy bars were consistently welcomed by participants, as their bodies battled with fatigue.
• Keeping hydrated was especially important given the hot conditions and 22,000 litres of water, 3000 litres of coke, and 300kg of energy powder were available to quench the riders’ thirst.
• 400 visits were made to the Compex stand in the Race Village, who provided electro-stimulation treatments.
• The Haute Route Alps 2012 visited two prestigious cities, Geneva and Nice, and five Alpine resorts during its journey to the Mediterranean. In total, over 5000 hotel beds were used for both the riders and the organisation along with numerous motorhomes brought along by families to show their support.
• Over 50,000 people followed the pelotons progress on the official Haute Route Website, and 522,000 impressions were made on Twitter. The seven inspirational daily videos, which will no doubt be watched again by riders have returned home and miss the stunning alpine scenery, have been viewed by over 25,000 people so far.

www.hauteroute.org

Information about Loftus Hall

Loftus Hall, situated on the Hook peninsula, Co. Wexford, recently re-opened its doors to the public as a sporting and outdoor adventure retreat following an extensive refurbishment. Loftus Hall was originally built in 1350 although the existing building dates back to 1870. Loftus Hall is said to be Ireland’s most haunted house.

The new Loftus Hall offers outdoor adventure pursuits, novel accommodation options (including “glamping” or glamorous camping), high spec bike rental and animated house tours, to invoke the imaginations of those with supernatural interests.

The official launch will take place in October 2012 although Loftus Hall has been open on a limited basis since June.  The outdoor adventure activities combined with the spectacular scenery, modern facilities and affordable prices, are a welcome addition to the local tourism attractions in the region.

Our thanks go out to

Loftus Hall & Aidan Quigley, our friends, partners and families, Planet X, Kinetica, Action Physio in Athlone, Gary’s Bike Repairs, Athlone IT, Dolmen CC, Shannonside CC, Ennis TC, C4SC. apologies to anyone I have left out, you know who you are!

Writtern by:  Brian Nevin