We rolled out of Ballyliffin this morning and headed fro Buncranna. We had a stiff wind in our face, and unfortunately it persisted for the day. There was some solace as John Heaphy promised that not a drop of rain would fall on use all day. The cycle was largely uneventful until Bridgend. Declan Brady decided to head off course despite the Garmin and twenty other cyclists telling him otherwise. Tom O'Sullivan had to put all his experience to use to convince Declan to turn around and get him back onto the correct route. As punishment for his mistake, Declan was roomed with Peter and Aidan for the night.
Heavy traffic slowed progress in Ballybofey. Most of us stopped for food here, but Tom O'Sullivan had his group fasting. There was no fear of Colin O'Neill and his group getting thirsty. They took a detour into Bundoran to sample the hospitality in The Chasin Bull. John Heaphy's promise did not hold good, and the rain came down as we approached Sligo. As most of the cycle had been dry, we counted ourselves lucky. Peter Curtin was unfortunate to puncture. Jerry Fitzgerald, Pat O'Callaghan, and Marie MacAree finished the cycle strongly and guided us into the Sligo Park Hotel.
Once checked in, wee all made a beeline for the leisure centre to rest our weary bones.Rory Crowley and Martin Buckley hogged the plunge pool, so the rest of use had to make do with the swimming pool. It remains a mystery how Jeremy Duane completed 40 lengths of the pool after cycling 170kms. After a beautiful meal, we all retired to the bar to review the day.
