Men of the Glen gear up to climb ‘Le Col de Cool’

The Coolnasillagh Road. Up until this year, this two-mile-long mountain pass was used only by stray sheep and the people who lived along its steep slopes.

That was until ‘The Glen To Glen’ Bike Ride was organised. For many of the members of Watty Graham’s Glen, who will be cycling to Glen village in Donegal this Saturday, Coolnasillagh has become their personal L’Alpe D’Huez. Located a few miles outside Maghera, Coolnasillagh, or Le Col de Cool, as I prefer to call it, has become a favourite training ground for those who will be cycling the 65 miles through Dungiven, Donemana, Strabane, Lifford and Letterkenny.

Rising to a summit of 1,000ft, Coolnasillagh is a tough test for a fit cyclist and absolute hell if you haven’t been on a bike for 20 years.