Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Lycra Lunatics!!! Apparently...

Anyone remember this gem? Apparently we were disqualified from Global Gutz because we were breaking red lights and Loxy decided to ride under a jeep... terrible antics indeed...
From quality rag the Sunday Mirror, July 14th 2002:

LYCRA LUNATICS

FIONA WHYNNE

THIS is an insight into the shocking world of illegal courier racing in Ireland.

The elite group of racers risk their lives for the thrill as they swerve on bicycles between rush hour traffic, only stopping for red lights when they see fit.

The young daredevils often race after dark - when a few drinks have given them some Dutch courage.

Dublin courier Gareth is an "Alleycat Racer". He appeared as part of RTE's new youth series Sampled, but wouldn't reveal his full name because of his involvement in the illegal races.

He said: "Courier racing is definitely to some degree a manifestation of the competitiveness that you see when you are working during the day."

Organiser Neil warned that nobody can tell the racers what to do: "We have no permits, no insurance, no permission, we just do it."

But this form of racing is not just happening in Dublin. Thrill- seekers in several countries around the world co-ordinate the race so thousands of cyclists take off at the same time.

Gareth said: "The race involves thousands of couriers all over the world starting simultaneously - so when we start in Dublin at nine of clock they'd be starting in New York at the corresponding time.

"It has to be the same race all over the planet to make it fair.

"When the race is over they post the results on the web and somebody wins."

Last year the Global Gutz race took place in 43 cities, including Perth, Toyko, Budapest, San Franciso and Katmandu.

The Dublin part of the race involved three checkpoints for 'tagging' cyclists along the course which ran from the quays to Pembroke Road.

But an early halt was called to the race when one speeding racer was knocked from his bike by a jeep.

The accident and the discovery of the antics of the Irish racers ultimately led to their disqualification from the world competition.

Gareth said: "When traffic is coming two ways and you want to get across it you sort of go one way with the traffic and then swing back across the other lane.

"One guy got nudged by a jeep and was knocked from his bicycle, but he was OK."

But this dangerous craze is still only getting started here and Irish racers haven't yet made it onto the world stage.

Organiser Neil agreed that Dublin's racers were only "small fish": "Everyone in Dublin is a small fish in a very big pond.

"We might think we are great but then we sent ten people to the World Championship in Budapest and not one of them made it through."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

ha ha ! yeah , i remember that . naturally i did give my full name . this report was just a coupla quick paragraphs from a journalist sitting in front of a telly watching a video preview of new series and told to do something utterly predictable on them . i do, though, recall that neil unsurprisingly called himself something else ( colin? ) in an interview with the times regarding the same t.v. show . how he thought this might be a smart thing to do baffles me . the small fish in a big pond comment ( which is an on-record , hero-worshipping, inferiority-complex-ridden quote from neil ) pissed me off more than the confused tabloid stuff . loxy, who i'll admit took way more than a "nudge" from the jeep was in work the following monday . x four !

Unknown said...

Whadda ya expect from a lass called "Whine" or WHYNNE or however she rhyme's...

messedup said...

Ha! good to hear you remember that Gar... that shit was funny... good times.

Anonymous said...

yeah, first checkpoint was down at civic offices i think . second was up in ranelagh . so me and murt doubled back to head up georges and most of the others went in the general direction of patricks, for some reason . on their way, they coincidentally happened upon what was supposed to be the fourth or fifth checkpoint, which was up past fumbally somewhere . consequently zippy had some nutty time like 20 minutes ha ha !
next year, have the start out in leixlip . the 4 (or is it 5?) checkpoints along the motorway, where people are just standing there with a big sign saying where the next one is, like westlink,palmerstown footbridge, heuston station,custom house... finish down the point depot . the winner may well be flying to tokyo . x gar

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