FUNDRAISER KEITH HARTE - SUNDAY SPIN 4 OCTOBER

Hi All

Last November a very close friend and member of Orwell, Keith Harte, was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on his spine. Keith has undergone numerous surgical procedures over the past 10 months and is currently awaiting the next batch of treatment which is due to start this coming Monday. Over the past month or so Keith has suffered the loss of sensation and movement in his lower limbs and last week it was confirmed that he will not recover mobility of his legs. Keith's bravery, determination and positive attitude toward these life changing events has been an inspiration to me and all those who know him. The Club have kindly agreed to set up a fundraiser for Keith which will take place on the 4th October, details below. So please come along on the 4th and let's make this a day to remember.

If you have not as yet read Keith’s Fundraiser page on the Orwell Home page/Facebook please click HERE .

If you would like to take part in Keith’s Sunday Spin please register your name together with your preferred group on this link: KEITH’S SUNDAY SPIN .

We have 5 top class dispatchers and 30 top class ride captains/leaders to look after you on this very special Sunday Spin.

The routes are as follows:

WHITE/YELLOW GROUPS - ROUTE

ORANGE/RED GROUPS - ROUTE

Glendalough Green Café, Laragh is the nominated coffee stop.

Please pass the word to other members who may not be aware of this Fundraiser.

Finally, I would like to thank the Orwell Committee, Eileen Byrne, Billy Parker, Brian McArdle, Gar Connolly and Mark Mulcahy for their help in organising this fundraiser at such short notice.

Regards

Ken

My cycling memories with Keith are too large to mention but we both
joined Orwell around the same time back in the early days of the
current renaissance of 2011...
I remember Keith and myself both struggling on one of Denis' beginners
spins and wondering out loud how would keep up with the faster ones in
the beginner group. Keith has since gone to A3 racing and completed
nearly every sportif known to man. I've kept going to and it was
thanks to people like Keith and his support over the years.
One of the true woman warriors of Orwell Louise Keane told me earlier
in the week that the 1st sportif she did was the Tour de Foothills and
was struggling to finish until Keith kept her going with moral support
and encouragement...she refused to give up and finished the spin with
Keith side by side. I admit I smiled at the thought of one of Orwell's
true woman warriors struggling on any cycle but it just shows you how
Keith has made a difference to everyone from the strong to the less
strong. He convinced her to keep at the cycling and join Orwell. Since
then Louise has completed every Sportif in Ireland and most
particularly the Marmotte 2014 and Etape 2015. Keith's encouragement
that day mattered.
I consider Keith a superb Orwell team mate, a loyal and encouraging
Orwell leader and most of all a good friend to lots of us.
It's time for us to give back to one of our own who has put so much
into the club.
Please help support this cycle. To me this cycle outranks the Raid,
Beast, W200, club and A4 racing, TKAS etc etc in order of importance
of cycling this year.
Please support this and lets make it a success
Garret

Ken wrote:

The routes are as follows:

WHITE/YELLOW GROUPS - ROUTE

ORANGE/RED GROUPS - ROUTE

A very special kickoff to the winter spin season.

Don't let Strava's ascent figure for this route put you off. The actual ascent for the white/yellow groups route is only a few hundred metres, just a fraction of Strava's outrageously inflated 1500m. Every club member will be well able for the route, so see you in Laragh for coffee and a slice of delicious spiced orange cake.

Thanks Barry
You're absolutely correct. Strava has lost the plot these days. For old school(tom Weymes) the routes are:

White-light yellow
Joes-enniskerry-new long hill-roundwood-laragh and back. Around 80km 600m

Darker yellow and above
Joes-Sally gap-laragh and back
85km 1500m approx

All of these routes are designed to ensure nobody can get lost and easily take easy/harder option on way home if you feel like or the weather dictates. This spin is not really about training as such it's about the club showing support for a valued loyal club mate and friend, Keith Harte

Let's all get out there and show support
Garret

I have just received news that friends of Keith and his wife Emma who live in the UK have also set up a fundraising cycle event for Keith to take place on the 27th September, 2015. Their aim is to raise £1,000 and will lodge the raised amount to Orwell’s fundraising account. We thank them very much for linking their fundraising event to Orwell's.

JUST GIVING - KEITH HARTE

Hi All

Just a quick reminder to anyone who has yet to register for Keith's Sunday Spin on the 4th Oct.

Regards

Ken

Hi All

Thanks to everyone to date who have both registered on Doodle for Keith's spin along with making a donation.

Here's another reminder to anyone who has not yet registered to please log on, register and donate as soon as possible.

Regards

Ken

The magic of social media guys! Thrilled it's catching on across the pond too!
m.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/13775221....or_race_track_relay/
Unbelievable!
Northwich cyclists supporting the Keith harte fundraiser

Thanks to everyone for buying tickets last night for the Keith Harte fundraiser raffle . We raised 1220euro in ticket sales and we will do the draw next Sunday in Laragh. We will be selling tickets next Sunday too. 10er for 1 strip 20 for 3. Prizes are 2 Nicolas Roche signed national team jerseys kindly donated by Maria in spin 11. Also Stephen O Shea kindly donated his Fantasy Vuelta prize of Prosecco and dinner for 2 in the Cavern wine bar. Touching to see a club like ours rally around to help a club mate and friend to us. Chapeau to everyone

Hi All

Thanks to everyone to date who have both registered on Doodle for Keith's spin along with making a donation.

Here's another reminder to anyone who has not yet registered to please log on, register and donate as soon as possible. As per Gars earlier post there will also be raffle tickets for sale on Sunday morning and the raffle will take place in Laragh.

Regards

Ken

Hi All

We are looking for someone to take on the role of official photographer for Keith's Sunday Spin. If anyone is available can you please let me know.

Thanks

Ken

Hello Ken,
Is this a club members only cycle?
Thanks,
Fintan.

Thanks Brian,
Fintan.

Hi all

See below details of times of the groups and the leaders of the different colours. Thanks to Ken for finalising the list. Its quite possible we may need to change some of the leaders to other groups if
the turnout is different to what we expect.

Dispatchers
Billy Parker
Denis Glesson
Eileen Byrne
Gar Connolly
Ken O'Neill

If the leaders can turn up at 815am for a pre ride briefing. We hope to have 2 leaders with each group of 12 we send out.

Reds 830am Across from Joe's
No Leaders necessary-Self Lead
Route Joes-Cruagh-Sally Gap-Laragh coffee stop and back via Glenmacnass-Sally-Featherbeds
26-30km ph

Orange 850am Same route as Red
Leaders
Brendan Lawless
Brendan Kenny
Brianne Mulvihill
Bryan Geary
James O'Callaghan
John Kehoe
Jonny O'Reilly
Kilian Doyle
Paul Perry
David Hendron
Daragh Boyd
Owen O'Flaherty
Garry Blair
Stephen Barry
24-26kmph

Yellow Group 910am
Route Joes-Enniskerry-Roundwood via Sugarloaf-Laragh for Coffee and back the Old Road via Djouce.
Leaders
Aishling O'Connor
Ann Horan
Billy Parker
Colin Caeser
Dave Halpin
Eileen Byrne
Lucy Soden
Mary Brady
Michael Hanley
Paul Kane
Peter Grealis
Richard McSharry
Ronan Gill
Louise Keane
Jules DeMeester
Breda Horan
Eugene Dillon
22-24kmph

White Group 930am
Route Same as Yellow
Leaders
Brian McArdle
Gar Connolly
John Blennerhasset
Neal Hudson
Graham Scanlon
Bernard English
20-22kmph

The prize draw will happen in Laragh when myself and Ken arrive(prob with the whites/yellows. We will forum up the winners if they are not there.
Prizes:
-2 Nicolas Roche signed Irish National Team jerseys from Spin 11 (same Ireland jerseys as worn by the team in Richmond Virginia last week).
-Stephen O'Shea won the prize at the recent Vuelta Fantasy Championship and he donated his prize back to the pot. Prosecco and dinner for 2 at my wine bar Cavern on Baggot Street(under Baggot Street Wines)

Huge thanks to all the volunteers who will act as leaders for the days...we couldn't have done it without you all.

Most of all thanks to everyone who has signed up and donated. There is still plenty of time to sign up and donate.
www.orwellwheelers.org/home/news-and-eve...iser-for-keith-harte
See link above for donate via paypal info.

It's heart warming to see so many club members volunteer, sign on and donate to help support Keith through this extremely difficult time for him and his family. We all have cycling aims and targets on the bike, be it the Ras, the etape, the Marmotte, W200 etc etc. The challenge Keith and his family are going through right now makes our cycling challenges pale in comparison and it's wonderful as a club that we are doing something to make that challenge a small bit easier. You should all be very proud yourselves...thanks guys, Chapeau

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday.

Garret

To all those participating, excluding leaders, can you please arrive 10 mins before your chosen groups start time. This should help keep things moving.

All leaders to meet at 08:15

Regards

Ken

Garret wrote:

...See below details of times of the groups and the leaders of the different colours ... If the leaders can turn up at 815am for a pre ride briefing.

Hi Gar,

I was down to lead a White group on the 4th, but not listed in your post above. I can still come along @ 8:15 if needed. If not, I'll just head along at 9:00 and go out with Yellow. Just let me know...

Cheers,
Stephen.

Hi Stephen
That would be brilliant. See you at 9. If we get a big turn out will send you with whites.
Cheers
Garret

Hi all

Many thanks to Donal O Connor who has generously donated his signed Sean Kelly jersey into the prize pot for the raffle draw on Sunday. It's much appreciated Donal.

Also if the leaders can bring along a camera to take some snaps of the day out for their groups that would be brilliant. Our aim will be to create a Keith Harte fundraiser photo book with tonnes of photos from all the groups from red(no leaders so if you're heading out in red bring a camera along!) to whites.
If you're down as a leader and have a small camera bring it with you!
Garret