You Are Here: About the race  > Race Preparations  > Irelands Navan Avonmore Team
Irelands Navan Avonmore Team - RAAM 2008
In a rare idle moment, sport psychologist and personal trainer Alan Heary flicked on a BBC2 documentary about a cycling race from one side of America to the other.   Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind an idea formed.

He asked the question “what if a team of complete novice riders were selected from the general public and then trained and prepared by the best coaches, psychologists and fitness professionals Ireland had to offer, could they finish the Race Across America (RAAM) with only six months preparation”.

Advertisements were placed in local papers and on radio looking for people to take part in some fitness tests and auditions in front of a panel of judges.   The judges consisted of Alan, as well as one of Irelands top cycling team managers and former Cycling Ireland President, PJ Nolan, Olympic coach Padraig Marrey and Ireland’s Beijing 10000 metres athlete, Fionnula Britton. Alan, PJ and Padraig were to be the mentors for the athletes over the following six months.

Out of the group of forty that showed up 13 were chosen to fight it out for the four places that would represent Ireland in RAAM.  Three training camps were to be held six weeks apart where the athletes that showed most progress and dedication would progress to next stage.

On the first training camp in January, the lack of experience of the group was clear, when a couple of people fell off their bikes because they were not used to wearing cycling shoes.  This was before the group even left the car park!  Elected Cycling Coach Padraig Marrey was beginning to think he had bitten off more than he could chew when he soon realised that the group couldn’t cycle close together for fear of crashing into one another.  Lack of fitness was another concern and a training plan was devised for everyone to follow.

The second training camp held six weeks later was full of surprises.  The participants showed big improvements in fitness, with the group having lost a combined 96lbs and cycling faster and showing greater strength.  This weekend introduced the cyclists to night cycling and mental toughness, as freezing conditions led to bottles becoming frozen as they rode the tough routes.  Four didn’t make it through to the next round.

At this point raising money also became a focus of attention and sponsorship started to come in when local carpenter Neville Murray gave some support and then Navan Road Club, Avonmore Supermilk and Brookdale Partners added to the sponsorship required.

The third training camp was held in the Wicklow Mountains on one of the toughest weekends of cycling anyone had ever put in.  Some crashes in the mountains on the night cycle showed just how tough the Race Across America was going to be . Four cyclists were selected by the mentors.  They were Steve McManmon, Alan Duffy, Adrian McNally and Colm Laverty.  The Irelands Navan Avonmore team was named.

Preparations were now truly under way and a new goal became the focus of attention.  They were out to break the Irish record set by a team in 2005 of 7 days, 12 hours and 40 minutes.  Nothing would be left to chance.  All aspects of performance was to be addressed, physical training, skill development, sport psychology, nutrition and biomechanics.

Anyone who had not made it onto the team was invited to become part of the crew.

The Crew were:

Alan Heary (Psychologist and Team Director)

PJ Nolan (Crew Chief)

Padraig Marrey (Coach)

Declan Seery (Chef)

Ian McGovern (Physio)

Simon Linscheid (camera man and documentary Director)

Simon O'Dea (Driver and Navigator)

Niall Shanley (Driver and Navigator)

Matt Smith (Driver and Navigator)

Brendan Heery (Driver and Navigator)


Training was stepped up another gear.   Dublin City University’s Sport Science department fitness tested the guys and revealed that their fitness levels were excellent. Another training program was devised that would have the four doing fast 10 mile time trials with short recoveries.  This would also become the strategy for the race.  Two of the athletes would do 80 miles in relays of 10 miles while the other two rested.  After 80 miles the two cyclists were changed over.

Before the squad set out for the US it was decided by the mentors that a practice run should be done in Ireland. A 30 hour cycle was thought to be a good way to test the logistics of the event. Alan and Simon O’Dea set out driving a course that they thought would take the cyclists 30 hours to complete.  Part of this course will be included in the Race Around Ireland to be held in September 2009. An RV was loaned to the group and two cars were used for the change over.  The goal was to do a full dress rehearsal for the event itself.

This turned out to be a fantastic exercise, as lots of mistakes were made and strategies were redefined.  The change over was certainly an area that needed to be practiced.  Another area that needed to be addressed was sleep.  Both the crew and the team were finding this a difficulty.  This was later combated when Alan recorded a relaxation CD which would not only help with sleep, but also with recovery (available on www.alanheary.com).  Everyone downloaded it onto their MP3’s and it was used as part of their training and preparation.

The 30 hours also produced another surprise - the realisation that the record could be broken as the team put in a very impressive average speed which led to more miles being added so that they could reach the target 30 hours.  These guys were special.

On a training night in early May professional rider Morgan Fox came a long to give his encouragement and advice to the team.   PJ Nolan also had another announcement for the squad, Planet X would supply the team with their top of the range bikes and power meters which meant the performance of the team could be measured throughout the event.

While the training was stepped up for the team, meetings were also held regularly to work out other important issues like the race route, rules, crew roles, safety, nutrition, and equipment.  These meetings became very important team building exercises with everyone getting to know the different strengths and personalities of each person in the squad.  Strategies were also discussed for the change over for the cyclists with toy cars being used to demonstrate the different theories.

With the team prepared as well as they could be, legendary Irish Cyclist, Sean Kelly turned up to wish everyone the best of luck at a Press Conference held in Dublin.

Feverishly working in the background was Lorraine Lewis whose job it was to organise the travel arrangements, passports, accommodation, car hire (kindly sponsored by www.breakaway.ie) and RV hire.

The excited and apprehensive Irish Squad were now heading off from Dublin Airport with Lorraine pushing to get the team the best seats on the plane for comfort so that they would not be too exhausted when they arrived on US soil.

On arrival in America complete with the full 2 weeks itinerary in hand that was presented to the team managers by Lorraine, the squad set about preparing for the challenge.  The RV and cars were picked up, but, unfortunately a problem arose when the hire company would only allow a small amount of people to drive each vehicle. This meant that a very tight schedule for driving would have to be devised.

The next place to visit was Walmart.  Actually there were several expensive visits with supplies needed for nutrition, hygiene, safety, and some comfort supplies like cushions and sleeping bags. Questions like how much toilet rolls is needed or how many packs of baby wipes can be fitted into the RV were answered with surprising mathematics, assumptions and guesstamations.

Two pieces of equipment were also picked up that would be essential for a trip across the Country, GPS and phones.  These were handed to Niall Shanley, the techie guy who managed to download the bread crumbs onto the GPS (absolutely a life saver) and set up all the phones so that they could be used.  A very clever strategy was used whereby a sticker with RV, Car1 or leapfrog car was put on the back of the device so that they would stay in the correct vehicles.

A string attached to the phone might have been a better idea and would have stopped exhausted people putting them in their pockets when they were changing from one car to another.  There were interesting discussions half way through the race when “I need to talk to the RV!!!! WHAT PHONE HAVE YOU GOT?? was screamed at levels only dogs could hear.

In order to pass the RAAM inspection for safety, bikes and vehicles must have proper lights and reflectors, however the Irish squad ran into problems on trying to kit out the second car when they were missing a triangle and some lights . Frantic searches were done in all the local car and hardware stores to no avail. RAAM came to the rescue and supplied the missing pieces of equipment and they were ready to role up to the start line.

The start line is a mix of emotion, pride, nervousness, excitement and admiration for what everyone has accomplished to get here.  Sacrifices have been made by all and now it is time to focus and get the job done.  

With the race officially under way the Irish team lead out by Colm Laverty and Adrian McNally showed a determination and effort that would become the precedence of the team.  The magnificent scenery and amazing landscape was to leave more than the team breathless.

As the first night closed in waiting for the two cyclists to change over Alan and Simon O Dea were chatting to a local guy. His name was John and he was a spectator who had followed this race every year with great interest as it came through his town.  He looked over at Adrian McNally who was sitting on his bike eager to go and asked where his glasses were.  When Simon told him that Adrian didn’t have any clear ones John was shocked and told them that the bugs at night in the desert were huge and if one went in your eye it would be a disaster so he immediately ran home to his house and brought back his own clear cycling ones for Adrian to wear.  He wouldn’t accept any money and so was presented with the lucky leprechaun which had been sitting on the dash of the RV.  This summed up the generosity that the team were to find all along the Route.

Nutrition for the cyclists was extremely important and Declan Seery who is a chef by profession, became one of the most important cogs in the wheel that would get the cyclists across the Continent.  His job was to prepare food only for the cyclists with the crew fending for themselves at time stations.  He was brilliant.  He would have a different meal for the team every time they arrived back to the RV.  His role was also to give feedback to Alan as regards what the lads were eating and if some of the guys were having trouble taking in the calories.

A few days into the event and the leaders of the four person category were the Irish squad.  Brilliance and craziness from the guys had put them in that position.  Stories were being told all through the squad about how Colm Laverty was looking more like a pro each day, a deer had run out beside Steve, Alan Duffy had bunny hoped a barrier at high speed, Adrian had been on the tri-bars with no brakes attached at ridiculous speeds as he descended down the mountain with the coach hanging out the window screaming at him to use the drops.  

The team knew that the British team Utag were closing in and in stealth like manoeuvre, Utag caught and then passed the Irish team.  This race is renowned for camaraderie and there was nothing but respect shown between the two teams.  For a few hundred miles they battled hard with the Utag team and at Time Station #31 in Camdenton, MO Utag were only 23 minutes ahead. Then disaster struck for Irelands Navan Avomore team when they went off course and added almost two hours to their overall time.

Thousands of people were now regularly checking into www.alanheary.com to see what was happening, with information being updated by Lorraine who was getting feedback from Alan and RAAM.  Emails were flooding in to help keep the spirits of the crew and team high.  The RAAM site had more inspiring blogs and some great photos including the shot of Jefferson Memorial Fountain, Missouri State Capitol when all the guys just saw a big bath and an opportunity to cool off and wash themselves. Sorry America!

With Utag out of reach, the priority became holding onto second spot in the 4 person category. PJ and Padraig came up with a cunning plan to stay ahead of the excellent mixed team of Extreme 4. For the last 18 hours they would push the guys harder than they had ever been pushed by switching them much faster with fewer breaks. As had been the spirit of the team up to this point Alan, Adrian, Colm and Steve would do what ever it took.

Extreme 4 were closing in fast and when the Irish team finished they waited with bathed breath to see if they had stayed ahead for second position.  Incredibly they had hung on and took the second spot by only one minute.  They had also smashed the Irish record by over 30 hours finishing in 6 days 4 hours and 17 minutes.

Great celebrations were had by the team and crew as they cruised in to the finishing podium where they were met by a huge cheer from the crowd including the Utag team.

On the podium Adrian McNally summed up the thoughts of the Irish squad when he said “The worst week of my life has become the Best day of my life”

They had done it. Steve McManmon, Alan Duffy, Adrian McNally and Colm Laverty had answered Heary’s question.  With dedication, sacrifice and the right team around them they proved they would not only finish the race but would smash the Irish record and finish second in the toughest bike race in the World – The Race Across America.


Alan Heary