Getting back in the saddle with Ireland's first ever speed dating cycle

Specialised dating sites and events are becoming more and more popular, as Deirdre Reynolds discovered when she signed up for Ireland’s first ever ‘speed dating cycle’.

Getting back in the saddle after a break-up is never easy.

If speed dating on two wheels doesn’t do the trick though, nothing will.

Hosted by Škoda, a brand new speed dating event unites single cyclists from across the country hoping to ride their way to romance.

Deirdre Reynolds tries speed dating on two wheels.

Twelve months after coming out of a long-term relationship, when an invite pinged into my inbox, I figured it was about time to get the leg over too.

Looping around the panoramic Blessington Lakes, 70 brave lycra-lovers from throughout the land signed up for Ireland’s first ever ‘speed dating cycle’ in Wicklow.

Breezing into Avon Rí Lakeshore Resort on a scorching Saturday morning, I wondered if it was too late to back-pedal.

Ranging in age from around 25 - 55, most of the other singletons had heard about the niche event through their cycling clubs.

A weekly spin class, on the other hand, is the closest I usually get to channeling my inner Stephen Roche.

Let’s face it, skin-tight spandex and helmet hair isn’t exactly my best look either.

On the plus side, there was no fear of being disappointed by a fellow dater failing to live up to their profile picture in flesh.

Sucking in my own spare tyre, I posed for a snap to help others remember who they clicked with on the cycle, and who just grinded their gears, and hoped for the best.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that ‘velo’ is an anagram of ‘love’ to begin with.

Deirdre Reynolds tries speed dating on two wheels.

The speed dating event came about after a number of pedalars ended up hitting it off at other Škoda cycling events here.

“Škoda have been doing cycling events now for seven years,” tells Ray Leddy, head of marketing at Škoda Ireland.

“Over the years, we know of at least six marriages that have occurred as a result of people actually attending our events and coming for a drink afterwards.

“So we thought why not just do a special event that revolves around cycling and brings single people together.

“We weren’t actually trying to bring single people together before and we got six marriages out of it – what could happen if we tried?” Cruising out of the car park onto the open road in pairs, it was time to put it to the test.

Just like regular speed dating, each “date” lasted a few minutes before a whistle sounded, prompting the male cyclist at the front to drop to the back giving everyone a new cycling buddy.

Unlike regular speed dating, there was the added pressure of keeping it between the ditches as I tried out my best cycling-related chat-up lines on a handsome young Cork chap.

“Boy, we need to get you to the bike repair shop, because you’re off the chain,” sadly didn’t quite have the effect I was hoping for.

Happily, I still had “If you were my boyfriend, I promise I’d never tyre of you”, tucked up my jersey sleeve for later on.

It’s not the first time the ‘speed’ has been put back into ‘speed dating’.

Two years ago, former British professional cyclist Kelli Salone set up dating site Ride2Love to help other freewheeling men and women find love.

With profiles covering everything from dream bikes to nightmare crashes, it matches members based on their cycling preferences, as well as the usual deal breakers such as height and age.

“A lot of women were telling me they’d like to find a partner who they could ride bikes with,” Salone previously told The Telegraph, “and then my men friends starting asking whether I knew any single women who cycled.

“People started calling me Cilla! I thought, ‘There must be something in this’... So many marriages break down because one half is out on the bike all the time. Cycling is quite time-consuming – and it can also be quite lonely. People have realised that they want someone to enjoy it with.”

With 82,000 Irish people now getting around by bike, according to the latest census, it’s a common theme on the 60-kilometre cycle.

Deirdre Reynolds tries speed dating on two wheels.

My next date – a Dubliner in his thirties – reveals how cycling caused his last relationship to hit the skids.

“I’m not necessarily looking for someone superfit,” he says, “but if you spend a lot of time out on your bike or in the gym, and your partner just wants to sit in watching box sets, then it is a bit of a problem.” As I struggle to keep up, our chances of making it to the ‘Netflix and chill’ stage in the first place seem increasingly bleak.

Nonetheless, there’s a lot to be said for common ground in dating.

As a non-smoker, for argument’s sake, I tend not to work the smoking area like some other single pals on a night out.

Then again, given that I’m not exactly the poster girl for healthy living either, maybe I should stick to the pub instead of the peloton too.

Worldwide, specialised dating sites and events are also becoming more and more popular. There’s Bristlr, for people who want to meet men with beards (yes, please), Wingman, for frequent fliers (insert your own mile high joke here), and Gluten Free Singles (which does what it says on the baking tin). Back at Avon Rí, it appears that plenty of people have bonded over bikes as well.

Like my fellow cyclists, I jotted down the bib numbers of those I wheelie fancied on a card, and nervously handed it in.

“Seventy people signed up to do the event today,” explains Ray Leddy of Škoda Ireland at the barbecue afterwards, “and we had 12 matches.

In other words, 24 people met someone they liked, who liked them back, on the cycle. Incidentally, Škoda is also running a wedding competition at the moment, so you never know!

Unsurprisingly, the most-matched female on the cycle was a complete ride - tall, blonde and in her twenties. While the most-matched male was equally young and good looking.

As for me, I won’t be splashing out on a tandem any time soon after failing to make a single match. Still, at least my dating life is finally getting back into gear. And, who knows, maybe there’s still someone out there who can ring my bell. Beardy, non-smoking, fairweather cyclists: you know where to find me.