Paris to Nice: Wish us good luck!!

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They say you only find adventure standing on the edge of your comfort zone, well here we are, teetering on the precipice, with my friends, Mike, AMT, Kelly and Arlene, about to push our boundaries. Over the last number of months we have amassed over 1500km each, we have climbed Mount Leinster, conquered Clifden and beaten everything Wicklow could throw at us. Are we ready for a 700km cycle over 6 days?

We've completed the training, not to the level we would have hoped but way more than we thought achievable when we set out in March on our first spin. I think we can all identify a point in time where we realised we had just achieved something we'd assumed impossible. Not quite record breaking feats but enough to engender a sense of pride.

These highs are accompanied by the inevitable lows. When the bike disappears from under you and terra firma smacks you hard or your energy drains to a level not conducive to completing another 50km. Your confidence is knocked and the ability to complete 700km through France seems like a fantasy. If I'm honest that's where I am. My last cycle left me with nothing in the tank. A day dozing on the couch and trying to replenish my stock of calories to get me through the evening was all I could manage.

So maybe the answer is, "I'm not sure...". However, there is a lot more to this journey than just us cyclists. In order to be eligible to cycle we needed to commit to raising €15,000. We couldn't do this on our own. Family and friends, "colleagues" has long since become friends, were going to be central to achieving our goal, and so it proved. The response to all our events was incredible, in days where demands on both finances and time are high, we were blown away by the efforts of all to help. The messages of support and donations from abroad are inspiring and it is clear we are not taking this journey alone. A huge thank you to Hays Ireland as well, who have supported us all immensely through-out this whole journey. They have been with us every step of the way and we are so grateful for that.

So with less than 24 hours before we take on this once in a life time challenge, it only remains to say thank you to everyone who has been there for us over the last few months, for giving of your time and money so that we can make a difference in the lives of the children that attend Barretstown. So, let's ask the question again. Are we ready? Of course we're ready, we havent come this far to give up now!

By Thursday 25th of September, we will have cycled 700km over six days to raise €15,000 for Barretstown. You can help by donating what you can here.

Philip Bourke 
Marketing Executive
Ireland

HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide 
16 Upper Fitzwilliam St Dublin 2
T: +353 1 619 0580
F: +353 1 670 4738　
E: philip.bourke@hays.com

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Wicklow 200

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With less than 90 days to go to the start of our Paris2Nice odyssey, things are getting serious.

For years I played football, training twice a week, playing once at the weekend. It consumed me. I lived for the feeling of absolute tiredness after another 90 minute battle, sometimes made easier by the sweet smell of success. Even in defeat, the physical exhaustion that came with the games was something I enjoyed; I knew I had been in a battle. I eventually gave up competitive football but that desire to be challenged never left. 

Thank God for the “Wicklow 200”. My grasp of distance is poor to say the least so I gladly signed up for 200km through the hills of Wicklow. I shrugged aside the idea that after three months intermittent training I might not be ready for 200km and signed up. Life is for living after all. 

I knew that it would take in excess of eight hours, that there would be ferocious hills and that 200km was a long way, but I concentrated on the fact I had not seen a disclaimer discouraging me from taking on the challenge. If someone else can do it, why can’t I? In hindsight, I was erring more on the side of stupidity than bravery.

Arlene (another member of the Hays Paris2Nice team) and I set off to take on the two Wicklow courses. Arlene was ready to conquer the “Wicklow 100” and I was ready to keep cycling till the pedals stopped turning, hopefully 200km after the start line.

The first couple of kilometres were manageable, a nice gradient accompanied by plenty of lush scenery. Suddenly things changed. The heavens opened and we were pelted with rain. It smashed against our helmets as visibility became less and less. Within seconds I was drenched and could see only yards in front of me. This was going to be a long day.

I had underestimated the mental side of this cycle. I was pretty sure I could physically continue for 200km but looking back I realise I had not thought about what ten hours on a bike would do to my mind. The urge to get off and quit grew and grew with every passing kilometre. At first it was easy to dismiss as I smiled to myself thinking I had not come far enough to even think about quitting. But with 25km left all I could think about was giving up. My most frequent thought was “what am I doing?” I didn’t have an answer so I just kept on pushing the thought away.

I couldn’t give up, not because of my desire to finish what I had started, or because I would be letting my sponsors down or even because of the Barretstown children. The main reason I kept going was because we were in the middle of nowhere and it was the only way home.

Getting off the bike after 200km of torture was an amazing feeling. I was exhausted. The little things became a chore, sitting down, standing up, walking; I had become an old man in the space of 10 hours. I think it was worth it though.

My standout memory from the Wicklow 200 is two awful climbs, one pretty much after the other. The bike felt like it was going backwards as I pounded the pedals, willing myself forward. This continued for what seemed like an age as pain shot through my calves, my hamstrings began to scream and my gluteus maximus seized up.

The desire to make the suffering end drove me to the top of each hill. I was acutely aware that stopping on either hill would be a disaster, trying to get back on the bike would be nigh on impossible. So I told myself - I am fit, healthy and happy. I am in the perfect position to conquer the physical challenge that these ascents pose.

It was incredibly difficult. Yet the pain subsides at the same time as the feeling of accomplishment and your mind wanders towards the next challenge. Although one thing remains - a sense of perspective.

The children that Barretstown provide care for have experienced pain few of us can imagine, they have climbed hills 1,000 times higher than anything I will ever climb, experienced excruciating muscle pain and unimaginable fatigue. We need to make sure that when they reach the top of their climb we are there for them, that if they stop at any stage we can help them get back on their bikes. We are cycling to help Barretstown continue their incredible work with these children. You can help too. 

We really need your support, our goal is to raise €15,000 for Barretstown and we can’t do it by ourselves. As little as €5 will go a long way to put a smile on a child’s face.

Philip Bourke 
Marketing Executive
Ireland

HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide 
16 Upper Fitzwilliam St Dublin 2
T: +353 1 619 0580
F: +353 1 670 4738　
E: philip.bourke@hays.com

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Paris 2 Nice

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It was back in December 2013 when the email came through asking if anyone was interested in cycling 700km from Paris to Nice. My initial reaction was “Yes please, count me in!” A quick review of my cycling history should have dictated a more measured response. I remember falling off the bike as a kid and picking gravel out of my hands and knees. Twenty years later, I was at it again, arriving at my parents’ house bloodied and bruised for dinner one Sunday evening, following another spectacular bike crash…

So why did I say yes? There are plenty of reasons. The challenge of cycling at least 120km a day for six straight days. The cycling team from Hays Ireland has “great craic” stamped all over it. And lastly, and most importantly, how many times will I have the opportunity to be part of something that will raise at least €15,000 for Barretstown?

The Barretstown link is key. In the past, I have worked with children of all ages. The majority of them fit and healthy kids with plenty of energy and enthusiasm but also the same worries and insecurities all kids have, including making friends, being cool and generally fitting in. How much more difficult must it be to show confidence, energy and enthusiasm when cancer has dealt you the cruellest of blows? The world can be a very unfair place and Barretstown make it their mission to rebuild the lives of children affected by serious illness. Compared to what the children helped by Barretstown have to go through, a 700km cycle will be easy.

The moment I took possession of my new bike things changed. There was no backing out now, I was about to become someone capable of cycling over 100km in one day. Not just myself but five colleagues from Hays were going to take on this mammoth challenge. Mike has previously cycled from Malin to Misenhead, while the rest of us looked more likely to fall on our heads! We may have no real experience of cycling, but myself, Anne-Marie, Kelly and Arlene have all picked up sports before, from Gaelic football to tag rugby and soccer to softball but this was going to be something special.

The baby steps took place in the Phoenix Park, one Saturday morning in February, as Mike patiently showed us how to clip our feet into our new pedals, how to use our gears and most importantly how to stay perched on the bike. With this mastered we soon graduated to training spins across Wicklow and beyond, before we knew it we were covering upwards of 50km on a Sunday morning. While the majority of Dublin was nursing a hangover, we were out in the fresh Sunday morning air and it felt good.

These training cycles took place alongside the extended Paris to Nice group and here we were exposed to stories about how great previous trips were, the best ways to prepare and how addictive cycling can be.

It is a great feeling to be out on the bike seeing the world from a different perspective. The great outdoors is an altogether harsher place when you are on your bike. The wind blows harder, the rain falls heavier, hills rise higher but the sun shines stronger. It is impossible not to notice the rugged beauty that surrounds us on Dublin’s doorstep.

We have only just begun but myself, Mike, Anne-Marie, Kelly and Arlene are giving everything we have to make sure we are in a position to take on this mammoth challenge. Each year it costs €4.5 million to run Barretstown’s programmes, the €15,000 we hope to raise will make a small dent in that massive amount, but every little contribution helps. 

Coming soon in blog… we took on everything the Tour de Connemara had to throw at us, and we won!

To find out more about our Hays cyclists and to sponsor us, click here.

Philip Bourke
Marketing Executive

HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide
16 Upper Fitzwilliam St
Dublin 2
T: +353 1 619 0580

When sport and work collide

Look around your office, can you tell me three things you know about each person working there? Often times, the further the person sits from you the less you know about them. It is only natural, the people you interact with most during the day are the ones you work closest with, figuratively and physically.

Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.” I’m rarely one to disagree with The Greatest, but when it comes to MY job it IS much more than that.

So, how is it that I enjoy coming into work in the morning? How is it I am happy enough to stay later if needs be or work the odd weekend? A lot of it is down to the people I work with, who I have come to know and have since become friends. And they don’t just sit beside me.

How did they get there? As much of it is linked to what goes on outside the day to day work. When I first arrived at Hays, over a year ago, we enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast together, organised by our American colleague Kelly, to raise money for Barretstown. This was quickly followed by the usual Christmas fare like Secret Santa and the Christmas party. Then with the new year upon us - and a desire to get more active - a group of us signed up for the Great Ireland run, then there was tag rugby, zip lining and most recently a 5 a side football team.

The basketball player Bob Cousy said, “Sports create a bond between contemporaries that lasts a lifetime. It also gives your life structure, discipline and a genuine, sincere, pure fulfilment that few other areas of endeavour provide.”

No stronger was that bond felt than when the Hays tag rugby team took to the field. Almost to a player we had very little idea what we were doing, why we were doing it or who we were doing it with. But as the games went by one thing remained constant - we kept turning up. Thankfully, what changed were our fortunes, we started to grasp the rules and the ball and suddenly we were scoring tries and defending our own line like a team. Regardless of our status within the workplace, from MD to new starter, we created a talking point for the office, one we could all participate in.

The sense of achievement that we all experience during our workday, is often only shared with our immediate teams. Tag rugby – and the other activities we took part in – allowed a relationship to build that went much further than our closest colleagues. In its simplest form it allowed imaginary boundaries to be broken down and conversation to flow that may have previously been stifled.

It is hard to disagree with Martina Navaratilova when she says, “Whoever said, ‘it is not whether you win or lose that counts’, probably lost”, we may not have won as much as we would have liked but it definitely counted for something.

Philip Bourke

Marketing Executive
Ireland

HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide
16 Upper Fitzwilliam St
Dublin 2

T: +353 1 619 0580

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