Many of the members of Orwell took part in the epic Wicklow 200 of 2011. The conditions were horrendous and many of the cyclists who signed up for the event quite understandably did not complete the course. Here are the stories from 2 first-timers who survived the day and lived to tell.

• The second best decision I ever made... by Billy Parker
• I survived 200k of torture-fest and was somehow still smiling… by Jacqui Howard