Team Donegal Oil are entering a mixed team of 8 riders in the Donegal Atlantic Way Ultra Race (DAWUR) https://donegalatlanticwayultra.com, a 555km bike race starting and finishing in Letterkenny.
It starts on Friday the 23rd of June 2017 and keeps going until we reach the finishing line. Team Donegal Oil was set up earlier this year as part of a social corporate responsibility for Donegal Oil Company. It is all about encouraging people to #haveago at any type of outdoor activity. So now before we officially launch we have decided to put together a team of novices to both cycle and crew the event.
“My aim for Team Donegal Oil is to try and encourage everyone to “have a go” at getting people outside to participate in any sport, whether it’s walking, cycling, running, kayaking or mountain climbing. Just to get the body moving and to participate in some of the fantastic events we have here in Donegal is great for our physical and mental health, you don’t have to be an elite athlete to enjoy it.” says Arthur McMahon, founder of Team Donegal OIl.
“I’ve been really lucky in that I played team sport until I was 36 years old. For a combination of reasons (young family, work commitments, felt I was too old), I drifted away from sport for about 8 years. A friend convinced me to come and try an adventure race so I started riding the bike and doing a bit of very slow running. I found that, after a while, I felt great. My physical condition improved and I even began to enjoy riding the bike. I found that things were just clearer after a while on the bike”.
Team Donegal Oil and Arthur McMahon have already competed in the Race Around Ireland (2150km) as both cyclist and crew and in June 2016 a Team Donegal Oil six man outfit completed the Donegal Atlantic Way Ultra in a little over 20 hours, a great result for a scratch team. There is a lot of experience built up in the team and it would be great to share that with another group of cyclists and crew.
“It struck me recently when the Cycle Against Suicide and the Pieta House Darkness Into Light events came to Donegal that one of the ways we can help to feel better is by getting a bit of exercise. We’re not talking about mad stuff here, just getting out in the fresh air and getting the blood pumping a bit. It really can do wonders for your physical & mental wellbeing.”
“With that in mind I decided that we would create Team Donegal Oil as a vehicle to encourage people to “Have a Go”. So if you’re interested in taking part in this race in June 2017 as part of a mixed team of 8 riders we’d love to hear from you. Our sponsor is covering the cost of the entry so there is no cost to the riders or crew. The criteria for getting on the team are:
– We want people who have never cycled long distances before.
– You’ll be expected to cycle for approximately 3 hours in total split into 6 stints of 30 minutes each over the course of a day.
– If you think that sounds really hard or impossible, we want you!
– You’ll need to be available all day on Friday the 23rd of June and Saturday the 24th of June. The event itself is likely to take 24 hours but the group will have to come together on Friday morning and we’ll be finished up after lunch on Saturday.
– Group training sessions will be fun from January until the race in June.
– We also need a support crew of at least 6 people to look after and navigate the cyclists. All the cyclists will be fitted with two way radios.
– All the cyclists, crew and their families will be invited to a party a couple of weeks after the event where you can re-live the race and the experience.
“This will be the second running of this event. We had a team of 6 last year and we had an absolute ball. This isn’t about winning, it’s about taking part. It’s about challenging yourself to get out there and try something outside your comfort zone and making new friends at the same time. You will never forget the time you completed the Donegal Atlantic Way Ultra Race. Go on #haveago.” asks Arthur.
You can easily apply for the role of cyclist or crew member by e-mail to teamdonegaloil@donegaloil.ie or by sending a PM to Team Donegal Oil on our Facebook Page (link below) and we look forward to having as many join us at #teamdonegaloil in 2017! https://www.facebook.com/TeamDonegalOil
