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I’ve attended SSEC (Single Speed European Championships) a total of four times now.  In 2007 I was invited to this race by my friend David Guillot, to Piolenc, in the south of France.  David was the organizer that year and did such a great job with it that I didn’t go back until five years later.  It’s not that he did a poor job (I just said he did a great job, didn’t I?), but for a number of reasons I was unable to attend it for the next four years.  After attending it for the second, third, and now the fourth time this year, this event has become somewhat of a tradition.

This year the event was held in Northern Ireland, at Castlewellan Forest Park.  My traveling partner Fleck and I arrived in Dublin and proceeded directly from our hotel into town for some grub and a few pints.

Outside, nighttime view of a bar restaurant with country flags hanging from it, in Dublin, Northern Ireland

Nothing fights off jet lag better than a few fresh pints of Irish beer.

Headshot of the right side of person, holding a glass of beer, inside of a bar

Close up of a glass of beer with a Galway Hooker logo on it, with a blurred person holding it up from behind

After the pub we decided to have a look around Dublin in the rain.

Black Sabbath was blasting in my head as I framed this photo.

Black & white image of the outside of a church, with bare tree branches hanging down in front

The next day we picked up our rental motorhome and hit the Irish expressway for the event.  Castlewellan is only a two hour drive from Dublin, so we didn’t have far to travel by motor vehicle.

Front, right side view of a motorhome, on a gravel road, with flat topped hedge bushes behind it

We saw many sheep along the way. 

Left side view of sheep crossing a gravel road, with a tree on the right, and mountains in the background

This is base camp at Castlewellan Forest Park.  Note the mist rolling through.  This happened pretty much every evening as the sun set.

A campsite, with people, tents and cars, in a grass field with trees behind them, and a hazy sun above

One side of the camp was lined with the flags of all participating European countries, including the most dignified of European countries:  the U.S.A.

Side view of a rope, tied to a tree with the flags of countries hanging from it, and a field with a campsite behind

These are the Belgians.  They brought some good beer for us to drink, which pretty much makes us friends for life.  They did not bring any waffles though. 

Front view of 4 people holding up glasses of beer, standing side by side in a grass field with trees behind, at sunset

These are the Brits.  They also gave us beer, so we had no choice but to be friends with them.

Front view of 4 people standing side by side, in front of tents, in a grass field with trees behind it

Fleck cooked food in the camper van.  This is why I brought him along.

Left side view of a person, cooking a pan of small potatoes, on a stovetop in a motorhome

Castlewellan Forest Park has a beautiful lake within its borders, fully stocked with Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout.

Silhouette of a person standing in a lake, while fly fishing during a sunrise, with trees and hills in the background

There is also a hedge maze there that puts the one from The Shining to shame.

A large hedge maze, with green fields and a mountain range in the background

Sometime during the weekend a race was held.  I didn’t take any photos of it but here’s one of Fleck and Charlie working on their winning strategy prior to the start.

A group of cyclists standing with their bikes, behind the back of a van, outside of an area with small buildings

I’m pretty sure their strategy failed.

We handed out a ton of Racing Sucks patches to many puzzled looks, but I think the single speed crowd gets the message, regardless of language and cultural differences.  This sums up the reason why we attend SSEC on a regular basis:  because it’s FUN.  Fun is what bicycles are all about, and we want to continue to reinforce this through the many friends we make at these events.

Here’s one last shot from the camp.  It’s the final sunset over the lake during our stay.

A still lake with trees around it, at sunset, with a pink and gold clouds above

Special thanks to Rick, Davey and the Trail Badgers for organizing a great event.  This one will go down as one of the best SSEC events ever.

I hope to see our many friends and to make some new ones in Sicily in 2015.