The inaugural Over The Hill spinathon took place last Saturday 16th December at Ross's Centra Watergrasshill. The event kicked off at 8.00am with Joanne McHugh and Conor Mac Aree first up on the turbo trainers. Members pedaled for one hour at a time. Mid morning saw some of the juvenile club members strut their stuff in great style. The festive spirits and fantastic support helped the hours slip by and ensured the day was very enjoyable for all involved. Club secretary, Brian Atkinson had to be told to slow down when smoke was seen rising from his turbo trainer. A full time attendant with mop in hand was required to clean away the sweat dripping from Brendan Coakley. Not bad for a fella that had roofed a house in the morning.
Last but not least to take to the turbos were Dermot Brosnan, and event organiser, Nigel Carroll. To say spirits were high and the two lads were giddy would be an understatement. Christmas tunes were played during day to create the all important atmosphere, but the two lads insisted on finishing out to Proud Mary. As Tina Turner herself would say, you see we never ever do nothing nice, easy, we always do it nice and rough. The lads certainly did not take it easy as they powered to an epic finish at 10.00pm.
The event was organised to raise much needed funds for Cork Penny Dinners. We are delighted that the proceeds from the day reached the € 3,000 mark, with donations still coming in. If anybody would like to make a donation to this most worthy cause, please contact any club member.
The day would not have been such a great success without the energy and enthusiasm of Nigel Carroll. Nigel's infectious enthusiasm rubbed off on everyone, and ensured that day was memorable. The club is extremely proud of Nigel. The people of Watergrasshill donated all day, and we are most gracious for their generosity. A big thank you to Woodland Print who donated their services to promote the event, and Claire's Salon for their support. Also, thank you to O'Mahonys of Watergrasshill who provided complimentary refreshments when the day was over. Most importantly, thank you to Ross's Centra Watergrasshill, our event partners who gave use of their premises, and provided refreshments to juvenile members. All contributed to ensure the day was a resounding success.
Tom O'Sullivan led a group on Saturday morning to meet up with the Lee Roadies Club for the annual Christmas spin. The gang headed east and stopped for refreshments in the Green Grocer, Castlemartyr. They were well looked after by John Walsh and all his fabulous staff. We are looking forward to making plenty of visits to this fantastic family run business in 2018.
If any boys and girls are lucky enough to receive a new bicycle from Santa Claus this Christmas. Adult cycles leave Watergrasshill Village every Saturday at 8.00am and every Sunday at 9.00am. New members are always welcomes, and the club caters for all levels of road cyclists. Keep an eye on our club Facebook page as there are sure to be plenty of cycles over the holiday period. We wish all our members and friends a very happy Christmas and a happy and safe new year.
