Some of the harsh conditions that were endured in New Zealand For a glimpse of the highs (witnessing Ireland destroy Australia and Italy) and the lows (Hypothermia) that Andy went through on his tour of New Zealand, watch the video below. A massive thank you to everyone who helped out with the Digino Challenge. Don’t [...]
Category Archives: Digino Challenge
The Green Army in Dunedin
Chris, Brian, Peter, Andy & Gary celebrating in the Octagon in Dunedin after the Kangaroo Court Dunedin had been completely infiltrated by the Irish for the Italian match. However, before we could rejoin the festivities there was the small matter of the ‘Kangaroo Court’ to contend with. This Kangaroo court was set up to individually [...]
Posted in Digino Challenge Tagged Dunedin, Ireland V Italy, IRFU Charibable Trust, New Zealand Leave a comment
The Final Dash
Sat 1st October: Naseby to Middlemarch via MacCrae’s – 139km Our tenth day on the road was to be our final one. The early wake up calls and the constant struggle to uniform up in our Lycra attire, the dehydration and constant hunger would all be a memory in only a few hill climb filled [...]
A Pleasant Day in Otago
Fri 30th September: Naseby to Middlemarch direct – 79 km The ride to Middlemarch was nothing short of a joy. Rolling landscape, light winds and sunshine made the day pass without a hitch. There were a few tough climbs early in the morning and some long drags after our break but most of us were [...]
Curling in Naseby
Thurs 29th September: Alexandra to Naseby – 89 km We were warned in our morning briefing in Alexandria that there would be one or two long hills to contend with on our way to Naseby, but compared to what we had encountered to date we’d be well able for them. Now the countryside seemed much [...]
A Gentle Introduction for Gaillimh
Wed 28th September: Queenstown to Alexandra – 93 km The IRFU Charitable Trust Lads at Fergburger Queenstown was great but if we were to watch our lads do the business against the Italians in Dunedin we had to get back on the saddle. We said our goodbyes to FergBurger, Lake Wakitipu and our luxury hotel [...]
Posted in Digino Challenge Tagged Clyde, Cromwell, Fergburger, Kawarau Gorge, New Zealand Leave a comment
Queenstown
Boats on the shore of Lake Wakitipu Queenstown has to be seen to be believed. There is a real energy about the place that makes it really hard to leave. We were staying in a great hotel and everyone was receiving some much needed treatment in the spa. A few of us even dived into [...]
Posted in Digino Challenge Tagged Bungee, Lake Wakitipu, New Zealand, Queenstown, Remarkables Leave a comment
A Final Push to Ferg!
Sun 25th September: Wanaka to Queenstown – 68 km As nice as it was to be hot-tubbing it on the shores of Lake Wananka, enjoying the world renowned Ferg Burger in Queenstown was literally something I had dreamed of since I last visited in 2008. Between us and Queenstown was the task of climbing through [...]
Posted in Digino Challenge Tagged Crown Range, Fergburger, New Zealand, Queenstown, Wanaka Leave a comment
Mountains, Waterfalls, Blue Pools, Valleys, Rivers and Lakes
Sat 24th September: Haast to Wanaka – 141 km One of the many waterfalls at Haast Pass The journey from Haast to Wanaka began with freezing cold rain that just got heavier and heavier as the morning progressed. This rain fed the giant waterfalls that pounded down the steep mountains on both sides of the [...]
Posted in Digino Challenge Tagged Haast, Haast Pass, Hell's Pass, Lake Hawea, Lake Wanaka, Waterfall Leave a comment
Three Sisters, One Andy
Fri 23rd September: Franz Joseph Glacier to Haast – 145 km Franz Josef was the perfect place to rest. Saying that, three days of hard cycling were beginning to take their toll and our team was riddled with injuries. Thankfully, other than a longing for a softer saddle, I managed to keep injury free. This [...]
A Trip to the Glacier
Wed 21st September:Hokitika to Franz Joseph Glacier – 132 km Our bikes laid out for us at our motel in Hokitika before a tough day on the saddle Day three, from Hokitika to Franz Josef, turned out to be our hilliest day in the saddle. Cycling though the rain forests was amazing and helped to [...]
Arthur’s Pass to the Coast
Tues 20th September: Flock Hill to Hokitika – 137 km Despite having just survived some of the ‘gnarliest’ conditions our guides had ever seen there was no time to reflect as the next morning we were up at first light to get our bikes serviced. Thankfully the weather system had passed and although it felt [...]
From High Spirits to Hypothermia
Mon 19th September: Christchurch to Flock Hill – 112km Day one, Christchurch to Flockhill, began with a slight drag and little drizzle before our lunch break. We seemed to be making great pace and everyone was in great spirits, if not a little apprehensive with the mountain climb ahead of us. I had worked out [...]
Witnessing The Historic Ireland V Australia Match
Garry, Chris, Andy, Peter and Alan at Edin Park for Ireland V Australia On the 13th of September thirty of us representing the IRFU Charitable Trust, set off from Dublin on our trip of a lifetime. What felt like a never ending journey to New Zealand, took us via London, Dubai, and Bandar Seri Begawan [...]
Digino Challenge Sponsored Jersey
The official Digino Challenge cycling jersey (above) arrived just in time for Andy to pack for his epic trip to New Zealand. Andy will be wearing the sponsored jersey throughout his 1000km cycle of New Zealand. The jersey, designed in Italy, features the logos of our proud supporters. A massive thank you has to go [...]
We’ve Reached Our Target!
Ireland’s Donncha O’Callaghan celebrating in Dublin Airport on hearing the news we had reached our target! Digino’s Niall celebrating after he heard the news we had reached our target! We’re there! €6000 Raised! A massive thank you to everyone involved in the Digino Challenge to date. From the Fundraising at Féile Brian Ború to Swanky [...]
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A Very Glam Digino!
From left to right: Niamh, Shellie, Emily, Niall, Ed, Dave, Emma, Fergal and Andy There was a certain swagger to the proceedings in Digino last Friday as the crew dressed up for Swanky Friday. The success of the this stylish fundraiser means we are edging even closer to our target. To help us get over [...]
Training in the Wicklow Mountains
Pictured above, Marguerite from Transflow Therepy and Digino‘s Andy climbing the Sally Gap. This weekend Digino‘s Andy joined up with fellow participants in the IRFU Charitable Trust cycling tour of New Zealand for training in the Wicklow Mountains. Saturday saw the cyclists take on some of the most challenging climbs in the country in preparation [...]
Swanky Friday!
At Digino we like to do things with style – that’s why this coming friday, as part of the Digino Challenge, we will be playing host to ‘Swanky Friday’. Essentially, instead of the same old, same old ‘Dress-down Friday’ the Digino crew will be donning their glad-rags and top-hats to work, to raise money of [...]
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The New Zealand Climb
Last weekend, during our public fundraising for the IRFU Charitable Trust, there was quite a bit of interest as to the nature of Andy’s 1000km route. So having previously posted the Route Map of the South Island Cycle we decided to include a break down of the elevation of each stage of the journey below. [...]
David Moore Claims Ború’s Best Bicyclist 2011
Digino’s Andy Warner and Ború’s Best Bicyclist , David Moore David Moore was crowned Ború’s Best Bicyclist at the weekend when he clocked up a brilliant 47 second kilometre! Brian O’Neill came out on top in the in the Under 18 division who recorded an equally impressive 52 second kilometre. The leader board was packed [...]
A Great Day for Bucket Collecting
Digino’s Fergal Mohan, who collected for the whole day on the Bridge in Killaloe. Saturday, the 2nd of July, turned out to be a fantastic day, the summer sun shined brightly and the support from the festival goers was really encouraging. We are still counting the donations but, with only the coppers left to count, [...]
Fundraising at Féile Brian Ború, Killaloe
A team of hardy Digino volunteers will put foot to pedal this Sunday at this year’s Féile Brian Ború to raise much needed funds for the IRFU Charitable Trust, with an innovative challenge to the sports-mad residents of the region. Festival goers are invited to compete for the title of ‘Boru’s Best Bicyclist’ in aid [...]
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Win a Signed Irish Rugby Jersey!
The official Irish Rugby Jersey, signed by the whole Irish team, arrived in Digino HQ in Killaloe this morning, all the way from Landsdowne Road. This is not your average signed team shirt, the jersey includes the signatures of Magners league, Heineken Cup, Triple Crown and 6 Nations Grand Slam champions, not to mention a [...]
Only Three Months To Go…
Irish Cycling legend, Sean Kelly seen here with Digino’s own Andy Warner at ‘Cycle for Sight’, in Ennis on Sunday, the 6th June 2011 Three months to go and we’re almost a third of the way to our fundraising goal. Thanks again to everyone who has supported the Digino Challenge to date. Emily has been [...]
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Training Well Under Way
We’re delighted to announce that to date we have raised €1,405 for the IRFU Charitable Trust. We’re almost a quarter of the way to our target. As Digino‘s fundraising is well underway, Andy has been busy preparing for his huge 1000km cycle around New Zealand’s south Island this September (see Route Map below). Since the [...]
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An Introduction to the Digino Challenge
The IRFU charitable Trust raises funds for seriously injured players. There are currently 36 seriously injured players registered with the Charitable Trust in Ireland, most of whom are wheelchair bound and have some form of permanent paralysis. We wanted to fundraise for the trust. We decided on the Digino 2000 Challenge, 2000 km of cycling. [...]