PH-FITNESS SLIEVE BLOOM EPIC CYCLING CHALLENGE IN AID OF DOGS TRUST IRELAND

A Challenge for the Love of Real Road Cycling and Dogs

This is not going to be an ordinary day on the bike. PH-FITNESS is taking on an epic two-lap challenge through the Slieve Bloom Mountains in aid of Dogs Trust Ireland, combining two things that mean a great deal to us: a love of dogs and a lifelong passion for real road cycling. The challenge will cover approximately 160 kilometres, with just under 3,000 metres of climbing across some of the toughest roads the Slieve Blooms have to offer. The riders are Phil Hennessy, a former Category 1 “A” rider, and David Duffy, both sponsored by PH-FITNESS.

THE RIDERS AND THEIR BIKES

DAVID DUFFY

David will complete the first lap alongside Phil, riding his:
Canyon Aeroad

• Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed groupset
• Campagnolo Neutron clincher wheelset

PHIL HENNESSY

Height: 5’11”
Weight: 73 kg
Phil will use two very different machines across the two laps.

LAP 1 BIKE

A classic 1990 steel Colnago Super, featuring:

• Columbus SL road frame
• Campagnolo Super Record 10-speed groupset
• Hand-built Campagnolo Record tubular wheelset
  There is something special about taking a genuine steel racing bicycle back into terrain like this. No modern shortcuts. Just the rider, the road and a beautiful piece of cycling history.

LAP 2 BIKE

For the second lap Phil will switch to a:
Cannondale CAAD10

• Campagnolo Record 10-speed groupset
• Tune tubular front wheel
• ZIPP / DT Swiss tubular rear wheel
  The second lap is where the challenge becomes particularly serious.

LAP 1: CLONASLEE, THE CUT, WOLFTRAP, KINNITTY AND GLENDINE

The challenge begins in Clonaslee, County Laois, before heading immediately towards the first climb of the day.

CLIMB 1: THE CUT

Straight out of Clonaslee and up The Cut.
There will be very little time to settle into the ride before the climbing begins.
From the top, we descend the far side towards the foot of the Wolftrap.

CLIMB 2: WOLFTRAP

From the bottom, it is straight onto the Wolftrap, before descending the far side towards the beautiful village of Kinnitty.
From Kinnitty, we continue out through the countryside towards one of the defining climbs of the entire challenge.

CLIMB 3: GLENDINE

The mighty Glendine.
This is a serious climb, with long sections around 8% to 10%, switchbacks and relentless climbing all the way towards the summit.
It is long, demanding and unforgiving.
From the top, we descend Glendine eastwards before continuing towards the bottom of The Cut.

CLIMB 4: THE CUT

The Cut must then be climbed again before the long descent back into Clonaslee.
That completes Lap 1.
At this point, David will dismount with his job done.
Phil, however, will have another complete lap of the Slieve Blooms ahead of him.
There may be just enough time for a cup of tea and some pasta before getting back on the bike.

LAP 2: WHERE THE REAL TEST BEGINS

The second lap begins once again in Clonaslee.
By now, fatigue will already be in the legs, but the hardest climbing is still to come.

CLIMB 5: THE CUT

Lap 2 starts by heading straight back up The Cut.
This climb will also mark the beginning of something very personal.
During the second lap, Phil will honour four of professional cycling’s greatest champions by wearing replicas of their famous trade-team jerseys on individual climbs.
For the fifth climb, The Cut, Phil will honour:

EDDY MERCKX

Phil will wear the famous Belgian Champion jersey with World Champion bands and Faemino sponsorship, representing the era of Eddy Merckx in the early 1970s.
Merckx remains one of the defining figures in the history of professional road cycling.
Then comes the descent from The Cut towards the foot of the most brutal climb of the entire challenge.

CLIMB 6: GLENDINE

This is the one.
The Glendine from this direction is an absolute beast.
Approximately 5.7 kilometres long, with gradients reaching around 12.8% near the top, its steep ramps demand a level of conditioning far beyond that required for an average leisure ride.
The climb gains approximately 297 metres of elevation, but numbers alone do not describe how difficult those final ramps feel when there are already well over 100 kilometres in the legs.
For this climb, Phil will honour one of Ireland’s greatest ever sportsmen.

SEAN KELLY

Phil will wear King Kelly’s iconic KAS jersey, synonymous with Kelly’s extraordinary career during the 1980s.
There could hardly be a more appropriate jersey for the hardest climb of the day.
Sean Kelly represented toughness, resilience, tactical intelligence and an ability to suffer that made him one of the greatest Classics riders and all-round professionals cycling has ever produced.
After reaching the top, it is back down the Glendine and onwards towards Kinnitty.
And at that stage, there will hopefully be time for another cup of tea and a packet of Jaffa Cakes.
Then it is back on the bike.

CLIMB 7: OUT OF KINNITTY AND OVER THE WOLFTRAP

The route climbs away from Kinnitty and continues towards the Wolftrap.
For this section, Phil will honour:

FRANCESCO MOSER

The jersey will be the famous Sanson Campagnolo Italian tricolour Champion jersey with World Champion bands, associated with Moser’s career during the late 1970s. Moser was one of the dominant figures of his generation: powerful, stylish and relentless. By this stage of the challenge, style may be considerably harder to maintain. There will still be one major climb remaining.

CLIMB 8: THE FINAL ASCENT OF THE CUT

After descending the Wolftrap, the route turns towards the final climb of the entire challenge.
The Cut. Again.
After nearly 160 kilometres and thousands of metres of climbing, there will be nowhere left to hide.
For the final climb, Phil will honour one of cycling’s greatest sprinters:

FREDDY MAERTENS

Phil will wear the famous Flandria Merlin Plage jersey from the late 1970s. Maertens was one of the most extraordinary winners of his era, combining devastating sprinting speed with the strength to win across a remarkable range of races. Once the summit of The Cut is reached for the final time, there is only one thing left to do: descend towards Clonaslee and finish.

HONOURING THE HEROES OF ROAD CYCLING

Eddy Merckx. Sean Kelly. Francesco Moser. Freddy Maertens. These were the riders who inspired me as a boy and who still inspire me as a man today. They raced during an extraordinary period in professional cycling when toughness, courage, tactical instinct and an almost unimaginable ability to suffer defined the sport. To me, they possessed something approaching other-worldly ability. They were champions in every sense of the word. Wearing their jerseys on the second lap is my own small tribute to the riders who helped create my lifelong love of road cycling.

MORE THAN A BIKE RIDE

This challenge will hurt. There will be steep gradients, tired legs, long climbs, fast descents and moments when every kilometre feels far longer than it should. But that is exactly what makes a challenge like this worthwhile: two laps of the Slieve Blooms, approximately 160 km, almost 3,000 metres of climbing and eight major climbs. Two riders will take on Lap 1, with Phil continuing alone through Lap 2, wearing four legendary cycling jerseys in tribute to the greats of the sport, all in support of one very important cause, Dogs Trust Ireland.
Dogs Trust Ireland.

This ride brings together the love of dogs, the history and tradition of road cycling and the belief behind PH-FITNESS that fitness is not simply about looking fit. It is about preparing the body and mind to do difficult things. And then having the courage to go and do them.