Pat’s Family
While myself and Sheamie were stopped for a rest during an early Sunday morning practice spin we heard another bike in the distance. We could hear it getting closer and closer and soon enough it came into view. We watched as bike and rider flowed easily across rough terrain….we could see the roost from the back wheel as he crossed the bog and came out through a small forest. He crossed a few ditches on the back wheel. We were impressed!! The bike was a 2stroke Husky and the rider Pat Mc Erlane. “Howya lads?” he says to us. This was our first time to meet Pat. The year was 1991. From then on we regularly met him and his son Mark for Sunday spins. In 1993 on a recently purchased 10 yr old air cooled kdx 200 I done my first enduro and from then on became involved in laying out and marking enduro courses. Pat was “The Man” for this. He knew every single trail and rabbit track in Wicklow. We must have spent thousands of hours in the forests and bogs of Hollywood, Glendalough, Ballinderry, Aughavannagh etc. He was always able to judge if a section would hold up for the day or if it would become too difficult to include as part of the course. We had great craic out all day on the bikes or out on foot cutting paths or building bridges over boggy areas. We were often on foot in the woods with lights until 11pm marking special tests. One thing that was always foremost in Pats mind was as he called them “the little lads”. This was his way of referring to the novice, sportsman and clubman classes.” Don’t worry about them seniors and experts”, he would say.” They will find a way through it or around it!” “You have to look after the little lads”. Myself and Pat rode on the same minute many times in the clubman class and while I thought I was quicker he always beat me by not making mistakes and by always taking the best line through any technical bits. He was a great man to encourage new riders and was always helpful. I know a lot of the current crop of riders did not know him but they should be grateful to him for his tireless work to promote and keep the sport going. As we have said before many times without this type of work there will be no enduro. We need more of his kind if the sport is to survive. Sadly Pat passed away in March 2015. We will miss his knowledge of the Wicklow forests and all the laughs we had with him. …R.I.P. Pat.
Kevin Hayes.
Enduro.ie