Day6-Foyle Club-ISDE Update

Day One

The FOYLE CLUB TEAM of Philip Caldwell, Seamus Muldoon and Gordon Roberts all HTM Husaberg mounted are Ireland’s only representatives in this year’s event .

The riders all completed the first day’s competition without problem and  are currently lying 42 nd in the Club Team competition. The route was 300kms of forest tracks with a total of eight special tests.

Thanks to: www.foyleclub.com

Day 2

Day 2 is always a re-run of the same course from the opening day and with it already chewed up by the 500+ riders ripping the soft, sandy terrain to shred, the heavy overnight rain made a tough course even tougher (when it rains in Finland it pours…vioently!) Anyway this has been no trouble for our hardy Irish men, they’ve seen grown men cry in the bogs of Feeny and so the soldier on!

Today Seamus has set the best time after almost an hour of special tests but the important issue is that all three team riders are still going, on what is proving to be one of the toughest ISDE for a number of years. Currently moved up to 38th place in Club Team competition.

Day 3

Riders are faced with a new 250 km route and new terrain to freshen the mind and ache the pains of tired muscles.  Many of the forest tracks are covered in rocks which makes it hard work and gives both riders and machine a real hammering. The special tests are mostly sandy but due to the rain become very rutted. But with day 3 now in the can, all three are safely past the halfway mark

All three Foyle Team riders completed the day’s run and have moved up to 32nd place in the Club Team competition.

Day 4

“Phew!” is probably the only possible way to describe surviving todays stage. With organisers laying on yet another completely new course riders almost had to pack their passports as they set out on an 8-hour trek that took them close up to the Russian border. In all 340km was covered taking in 6 special tests but here they are with the end almost in sight. It’s been a tough week so far for anyone involved in the ISDE and already the Foyle boy’s have ridden more ground in the last four days the an entire Irish enduro championship and they’ve still got one more full day left in the saddle before Saturday’s shortened final day. All three are still in the hunt while Phil was clean on time today and worked through the horrible specials…. Roll on tomorrow!

Day 5

And so the end is near, but first they must face the final curtain. The marathon that is the ISDE is nearing conclusion and our hardy Irish men have reached Day 5 in what has been a tortuous slog of a week… kinda like the good auld days of Mt Leinster, only sandy and for five days straight! But what doesn’t kill ya can only make you stronger and after gutting out over 1500km in the last few days, the Foyle club team of Philip Caldwell, Seamus Muldoon and Gordon Roberts now sit in a proud position of 28th from the 63 teams that rode off the start line last Monday. After the epic going on’s of late tomorrows route of 40km plus that all important motocross race will seem like a wee walk in the park but a compulsory one at that before the well earned beer can start to flow. Well done lads, excellent work now take her home!

Day 6

The 86th ISDE is now in the bag. In an event that was one of the most testing in the history of the race itself, the Foyle club trio of Phil Caldwell, Seamus Muldoon and Gordon Roberts have not just made it to the finish but have done so with their heads held high. Sitting 28th out of the 63 Club teams entered, the band of brothers did not just sit on their laurels and coast the final day home but instead pushed to the final wave of the chequered flag ending the six continuous days of competition in 25th spot. In a event that threw everything at them from torrential rain, non-stop 8-hour days and endless miles of mud, ruts, rocks and sand, the lads never quite, never stopped fighting and never gave up. Well done lads the medals didn’t come easy, I’m sure there’ll be another celebratory pint or two to be had in Killavullen!