Having left boxing and drinking behind, Mickey Regan has rediscovered his love for two wheels. In this great video and accompanying story, he shares some of his highlights from last year.
My love for biking has always been there. Like most of us it started on BMX’s; messing around with friends building ramps, doing wheelies and stoppies on a Raleigh burner.
As I got a bit older I had a few rigid mountain bikes and then spent a few years on the road bike.
Amateur boxing later took up a lot of my time and just when I was getting really good, winning Ulster titles and the like, I discovered drink! That put an end to everything sporty for a number of years. Good times though.
Then six years ago I decided to get back into biking.
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My fiancée’s family are all MTB’ers from Barcelona and this has given me the opportunity to ride some spectacular trails in Catalunya.
The mountain bike culture over there is amazing. I know the weather has a big part to play, but it seems to be like a family network there. We have a similar culture here in Ireland but on a much smaller scale. Thankfully as the years go on I can see it getting bigger and bigger.
Last year pedalling for 75km into the Catalan Pyrenees on a single track with real mountain climbs was tough but enjoyable.
Another highlight was riding from Barcelona city centre up to Tibidabo, the mountain above the city. The single track behind the cathedral was amazing and being able to ride it back down into the sprawling metropolis was really something else.
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Closer to home in 2011 I had a big MTB road trip; seven days in Scotland riding Glentress, Innerleithen, Laggan Wolftrax and Fortwilliam.
With all the fun-time riding comes the odd race here and there. I haven’t raced that much competitively but I do enjoy the endurance type events. Riding the bull raid 12-hour MTB for the second year running was a good laugh.
Having ridden a single speed for the first time in Catalunya earlier in the year I had a bit of a taste for it. The Single Speed World Championships were held in Ballyhoura Mountain bike trail centre and my Catalan family and friends got their entries in.
To an outsider it may have looked more like a drinking session than a World Championships; with competitors dressing up in fancy dress for the occasion and drinking mid race.
The town was abuzz with entertainment, with the locals really making everyone welcome. It showed the world just how hospitable we Irish are.
Niall Davis of biking.ie had a belter of a race, lifting the title of Single Speed World Champion. He has the tattoo to prove it, though you might only see it if he moons at you.
I had such an amazing year on the bikes. I spent some of it on local trails trying out a DIY mount I made for my GoPro camera.
The mount has the camera facing me on a boom (brush shaft) strapped to my helmet; a scorpion or a unicorn mount as it is sometimes known.
Getting up the trail at sunrise gave great light, and a dusting of snow on some of the trails really topped a fantastic year’s riding. The video here shows just some of the highlights.
Thanks for reading and watching. See you on the trails.
Cheers
Mickey
