Maria Shannon gives an account of the recent Grand Fondo sportive.

Sunday, June 28, 2015
"The excitement was building as I left the house at 5-20am to meet up with Maura Bradley, Brigid Quinn, Davey Rankin and Patsy McGurk at the Dunsilly roundabout, before heading on into the Belfast start.
The Titanic slipways were awash with colour as cyclists mustered in the pens allocated for their pre-selected average times. 
At 7-30am a gun shot was fired for the start and I began to creep forward anxiously to the start line. I and my riding partner Patsy McGurk hit the starting line and soon settled into a good pace whilst keeping a keen eye on the wheels in front from the throng of cyclists heading out of Belfast. It was a real joy having closed roads, no cars to look out for and no traffic lights. The PSNI did a fantastic job not only policing these points but with their enthusiasm too.
I was blown away at the first sighting of the majestic Mourne Mountains which I had never seen before, they were absolutely stunning. The mountains of Slieve Croob, Leitrim, Spelga Dam and Dree Hill were very challenging climbs with gradients of 17% in places: cyclists pushing their bikes
became a familiar sight!
The support and encouragement from the general public lining the route was fantastic, with their enthusiasm never waning despite the changeable weather. Marshals and volunteers also did a great job adding to the general feel good atmosphere throughout the day.
It was a very tough but rewarding days cycling with Patsy placed 15th in his category and myself first.”