Baile Homes support Cycling Sheffield at The Rás in Ireland

Date: June 12, 2023 · Category: CSR

Ras Tailteann (or, The Rás), is an international cycling event held in Ireland. Traditionally taking place in May, the 5 day race has been a significant cycling fixture in Ireland since 1953.

It attracts Irish national teams and teams invited from Europe. The 2023 event, which was again held over 5 stages, saw a total of 37, five man teams take part, making the large peloton of 185 riders a logistic challenge for the organisers and no less so for the individual support teams.

One of the UK teams invited back this year was Cycling Sheffield, an under 23’s elite development team that Baile Homes supports through sponsorship. Cycling Sheffield’s manager Dave Coulson, an ex-racer himself, is dedicated to nurturing talented young riders, helping them to achieve their ambitions as professional cyclists. His approach has been described as ‘self-less and without ego’, qualities that are reflected in the team ethos.

His mentoring has produced some outstanding competitors, including Connor Swift, who was an up and coming Cycling Sheffield rider and is now enjoying an illustrious career with the World Tour team, INEOS Grenadiers.

At this year’s Rás, Baile Homes provided a support vehicle and Baile’s own Rob Hudson volunteered to help keep the five man team on the road during the 770km race.

It was no holiday though! Days started early with a quick coffee before preparing for the stage ahead. A routine that included making breakfast, filling bottles with energy drinks, packing up the van, then getting the riders to the start HQ. Once the bikes and their riders were delivered safely, it was off again. This time arriving at the halfway point so the team could receive fluids on the go, a manoeuvre that required careful co-ordination between Rob and the riders as they grabbed bottles while flying past. A missed opportunity to drink meant a stage without sustenance. Over the five days, only one bottle was dropped, not a bad effort.

As soon as the bottles were distributed, it was off again to reach the end point, without getting caught up behind the peloton and convoy, but making sure to get ahead of the riders and be set up, ready for the finish. Tired young men need rest and plenty of carbs, so in between the packing up and unloading, Rob made sure there was a supermarket en-route to stock up on porridge and pasta, the staple diet for the duration.

After each stage, and packing up the van again, it was off to the Air BnB for the night. A tasty carb loaded dinner was served and any bike repairs and maintenance taken care of, plus the laundry – no sweaty shirts on this tour!

For the riders it really was a routine of eat, sleep, ride. Rob, Dave and one other volunteer, Dougie took care of everything else.

After the rider debrief and review of the next day’s stage, it was bed time for the team at 9pm, leaving the support crew to discuss logistics for the next stage. Everything was carefully prepared, ready to do the whole thing again the following day.
By Thursday, no one was really sure what day it actually was.

And while no one is denying it was hard work, everyone agreed that the outcome was worth it.

The young team were a fantastic bunch, appreciative of the support and of the sponsorships that allows them to compete in events that are entirely funded by Cycling Sheffield.

Sponsors that are affiliated with the sport, offer assistance through equipment or kit donations – everything from the bikes to the bottles are generously given. The financial funding from others, allows the team to travel and enter races without the burden of cost. The organisation has a policy of equality so that no young, talented rider is excluded through hardship.

The Rás event, with ferry crossings and accommodation costs to cover, isn’t a cheap event. Taking part is only made possible by the network of sponsors and careful management at Cycling Sheffield.

Dave Coulson certainly chose his team well. Up against more experienced riders, they performed brilliantly, achieving 2nd and 3rd in the Under 23 General Category and 9th and 10th overall, out of 185 competitors. They were in the top 10 finishers in four out of five of the stages, coming 11th in the fifth stage.

Their success was down to team work, with everyone pulling together, following the predetermined tactics for each stage and reacting to the race as it evolved. This ensured the individual riders were in the right place each stage and resulted in an impressive set of results across the five days.

No podium the year, but a resounding ‘we’ll be back’ was promised at the end of stage five – watch out for team Cycling Sheffield next year.

What’s next for the Sheffield cyclists? Under the keen eye of Director Sportive Dave, they are on a trajectory of success. And for Rob Hudson? 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep we imagine.

A huge congratulations to Cycling Sheffield and the volunteers, Baile Homes looks forward to supporting them in the future. For any local supporters who would like to get involved, follow the link to their website.

Lincoln GP 100 Mile Cycling Race

Date: May 30, 2022 · Category: CSR

Lincoln GP is one of the most prestigious and challenging races in the UK. The 100 mile route consists of 10 laps around the city and famously includes the 20% gradient climb up the cobbles of Micklegate. This year’s race took place on Sunday 8th may and our Development Manager, Mike went along to cheer on our sponsored team, Cycling Sheffield, who had five riders in the race.
We’re pleased with the new team shirts and it was great to see Baile Homes’ brand out on the road, particularly as there was a big crowd of supporters. Well done to everyone who attended the event, Baile Homes and our enthusiastic riders look forward to more events throughout the season.

A £50,000 Challange

Date: February 25, 2022 · Category: CSR

Our colleagues at Peter Duffy Limited are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and we’re helping to raise funds for an ambitious goal.

Hoping to raise £50,000 through a year long calendar of events, employees and their friends and families are taking part in activities including, walking, running, swimming, cycling, baking and anything else that will achieve the total.

The funds will be divided between 5 charities: Cancer Research, The British Heart Foundation, Wakefield Hospice, Water Aid and The Lighthouse Club.

We have some keen cyclists at Baile Homes who will be adding their support to the events.

JASON GOES FROM ‘BINGE RUNNER’ TO IRON MAN

Date: February 15, 2022 · Category: CSR

When Jason Albrecht joined us in 2020 we knew he was a keen athlete but we’d no idea the extent of his achievements, he shares some of his personal milestones here.

I’d started running back in 2016 although I’d describe myself as a bit of a ‘binge runner’ back then, upping the training for the odd charity race but that’s it.

2019 was the year it got serious. I had the chance to take part in the London Marathon on behalf of the club I belonged to. This gave me a definite goal and I started to take a more structured approach to training, increasing my weekly milage in preparation as well as entering other events.

One of the really useful training strategies was to be a pacer for the York and Leeds 10k events. I paced the 55 minute time, which is helpful to runners who are pushing their own personal best times and want to complete in under an hour. I loved these sessions, not just for the training it afforded me but for motivating people with their own challenges and hearing their own reasons for taking part.

In March 2020 Covid meant that I was furloughed and, while it also meant disruption to planned races, including the London Marathon, it gave me the opportunity to get some really serious training in.

The London Marathon was delayed a couple of times, finally being rearranged for October 2021 and by then I had other challenges in my sights.

After finally completing the London Marathon in 3 hours, 53 minutes and raising some cash for Prostrate Cancer, I decided to push on and I took part in the Manchester Marathon, just a week after, finishing in 4 hours, 22 minutes.

Considered to be one of the toughest races, the Wooler marathon is a 29 mile trail over rough terrain and the day that took place we had 50mph winds so I was glad to finish in 6 hours, 23 minutes and end 2021 on a high.

This sense of achievement, in terms of personal fitness and raising funds made me want to raise the bar so I signed up for a Half Iron Man. I’d applied to do this in November 2020, due to a lot of Marathons being cancelled but ended up completing it in June 2021.

The preparation for a Half Iron Man is on another level! It involves cycling and swimming so the training now includes plenty of both disciplines. So far, I’ve taken part in the Leeds Go Tri at Roundhay park: a ‘toe in the water’ so to speak, as I’m pretty new to cycling and open water swimming.

I’ve also started cycling regularly with friend who got me involved in a coast to coast cycle between  Whitehaven and Robin Hoods bay on behalf of the Lewy Body Society – it’s always an added bonus to raise funds as well as getting experience. It took 2 days and we covered the 96 miles of day one’s difficult route in 8 hours, 37 minutes, which included a climb of 8980ft. On day 2 we had a less challenging climb of 4173ft and completed the 69 miles in 5 hours, 15 mins, raising £2,510 for the charity.

The Half Iron Man event itself was a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle and 13.1 mile run. It was a great day and I’m please to say that I finished in a credible 6 hours, 34 minutes and raised £1,022 for Cancer Research.

An event that was a bit more personal for me was the Great North Run. I did this in aid of Pancreatic Cancer and in honour of a legendary runner, Terry Midgley who died of the disease. He holds 3 world records for running the London in fancy dress as: a life guard (2.33 hrs); a pan-carrying chef (3.22hrs) and a rugby player, complete with ball (3.20hrs). He’s an inspiration and with his achievements in mind, my finishing time was 1 hour, 39 minutes and donated £610, raised from my generous sponsors.

I’m hoping to take part in many more events in 2022 and raise more cash for charities, including Baile Home’s partner, Cycle Sheffield. It’s great to be part of an organisation that has so many like minded colleagues who are supportive and always ready to cheer each other on. Bring on the 2022 challenges!

BAILE HOMES LOVE TO SUPPORT CYCLING

Date: November 25, 2021 · Category: CSR

With so many keen cyclists working at Yorkshire based Baile Homes it seemed a natural fit to become a supporting sponsor of a cycling team.

We chose Cycling Sheffield, because they are Yorkshire based too, because of their ethos and approach and because one of our directors, Rob Hudson, knows the founder and team manager, Dave Coulson. Rob and Dave go way back, racing together in the 1980’s and 90’s at the Beighton Wheelers cycling club in Sheffield. Dave had the ability to pursue a career in cycling, whereas Rob’s talent level meant he was best suited to be an avid fan of the professionals and a regular club level rider in his leisure time, but the pair have kept in touch for over 30 years.

When Dave retired from racing, he wanted to pass on his expertise to other, younger riders so he set up what has now become Cycling Sheffield. The team look to support and develop the young riders making their first steps into senior level racing and are therefore predominately riders between the ages of 18 and 23. Through sponsorship the team can support the riders with Team Bikes, Racing Kit and even a Support Car, to supplement the guidance on training and nutrition, provided by Dave as team manager and coach. From his years of racing experience, Dave is able to select races throughout the year in both the UK and abroad that are best suited to the team and the riders’ individual talents. But this can only be delivered with the funding that comes the sponsorship provided by Baile Homes and the other partners, whose names are emblazoned on the team car and rider’s kit.

Dave has every right to be proud of the Team’s success and the pathway it creates for riders to show their full potential, take a look at Connor Swift – National Road Champion and Tour de France Rider

But Cycling Sheffield is not just focused on its racing team and finding the stars of the future from the Yorkshire region. Its ethos is firmly based on promoting all aspect of cycling for, a healthy lifestyle, making friends, travel sustainability and creating a positive mental attitude. There has been much publicity about the benefits of sport and physical activity, particularly around mental wellbeing. Cycling certainly offers all that and more.

Cycling Sheffield are also involved with British Cycling and their Go Ride initiative. Go Ride aims to introduce young riders to cycling as a sport and the program is delivered by British Cycling Affiliated clubs and their volunteer coaches. The cycling community can always be relied upon to get involved; most riders are quite evangelical about the sport!

Rob as a club rider, for example, is not only linked with Cycling Sheffield, he also volunteers as a coach at Wakefield’s Calder Clarion Cycling Club. Calder Clarion have been running Go Ride since 2012, organising events on traffic free routes to build the confidence of riders and learn vital skills for all aspects of cycle racing. In fact, the sessions they run at Thomas – a – Becket school proved to be so successful that the head teacher (a cyclist too they are everywhere) secured funding from British Cycling to support the construction of a road circuit in the school grounds, which is now used every week by Go Ride and the wider cycling community.

Although the Go Ride coaches will tell you, it’s not all about finding the medal winners of the future, plenty of kids come along just to enjoy the ride.

We spotted an opportunity to bring all our contacts together and get Cycling Sheffield involved in a Calder Clarion Go Ride event. We helped to deliver an evening session: The riders were split into 3 ability-based groups for the first hour and it was fantastic to see the Cycling Sheffield riders participating in each group to share their experience and skills which added value to the sessions. Dave was also there with the team car which along with the riders being in their full Cycling Sheffield team kit and riding their team bikes gave a real professional feel to the night.

The Baile Homes team also got fully involved Rob was there in a coaching capacity and site manager Jason Albrecht joined in with the second hour, where the more experienced riders stay on for a more intense session, noting the high level of talent coming through the Go Ride club riders. Mike Williamson our development manager, who is also a keen cyclist was unable to ride on the night but came along to offer vocal support from the side lines.

This event certainly won’t be the last one we support – we’re committed to sponsoring Cycling Sheffield and our staff continue to lend their knowledge to local clubs and riders.

For more info on Cycling Sheffield: www.cyclingsheffield.com