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Some of the participants line out with Donncha O'Callaghan.
Rough Ride

In the saddle: a baptism of fire and ice on the road to World Cup glory

A group of Irish rugby fans have embarked on a mammoth bike ride across New Zealand for charity. Here, they send the first of their dispatches.

Throughout the Rugby World Cup a group of Irish fans will take part in the official IRFU Charitable Trust Cycle Tour of New Zealand. Wearing their official jersey - which you can buy here - they’ll criss-cross the country, following the team throughout the tournament. In the first of their dispatches for TheScore, AJ Garry gets in the saddle for a rough ride.

THE PHRASE “ONE of the greatest sporting events of all time” is often used to describe pivotal athletic accomplishments.

We are lucky then to have all just witnessed the greatest sporting experience of all time.

Although it is a title that will hopefully be short-lived given the absence of limits to the Irish campaign it will remain a high point in Irish rugby for years to come.

Prior to the match we attended a function held by the Irish Heritage Society of Aukland, where  those from numerous Irish generations were treated to great hospitality in the form of a few home comforts and gathered to walk to Eden Park.

Declan Kidney with the peloton.

The match that followed should need little description but one thing cannot be stressed enough – the atmosphere was beyond anything any of us had ever seen before. As we exited the stand we found ourselves admitted to an ad hoc street festival. People who had never met danced, hugged and sung their way to the nearest pub where if the Irish were ecstatic in victory the Australians were almost completely magnanimous in defeat.

On the back of such a momentous enjoyable day however we were to face what will hopefully be our hardest.

Well rested, spirits were high when we took off on Monday, a lucky thing too as we were about to be  tested on an unprecedented level. With a relatively handy warm-up several hours of pedaling would find many of us with snow-laden helmets and frozen fingers somewhere along the 1000-metre climb of Porters Pass.

Cian Healy gives the jerseys his thumbs-up

For it to snow heavily enough for it to mount on a moving target is one thing but at one stage the temperature was so low that it began to accumulate on my left cheek to the extent that after a minute or so I could no longer see.

The climbs’ rewards were also somewhat negated by the conditions as the view was not only obstructed by the fog but by the inability of anyone to let their eyes wander even slightly upward, lest they be met with the sting of sharp and heavy snowfall.

In the face of such adversity however the tour made it into our accommodation in ample time and was presented with some much-needed dinner.

Sitting down to watch the game again, we celebrated the victory once more, although this time relying more on water and a good night’s sleep to do so.

Help out the lads and get your official IRFU Charity Cycle Jersey here>