Dash to Dublin

Day 7 and 8: The Big Finish

2011-11-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

Total time: 192 hours

Total distance: 3230 miles

GS Rick Baker and Senior Dusty Davidson give the tandem bike a whirl

The Dash to Dublin is officially over, with the 35+ rugby players having biked 3230 miles over 192 hours. The 8 days included 3 days of tandem bike and 5 days of rain.

The Rugby team celebrates finishing the Dash to Dublin

We would like to thank all of our supporters over the past 8 days. We are tallying the final total, but any donations are still greatly appreciated.

The Princeton Rugby Gear online store is open until November 29th, so please feel free to check out the "Gear" tab and the various fine pieces of custom athletic attire available!

Day 6: Going Tandem

2011-11-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

Total time: 143 hours

Total distance: 2374 miles


Princeton Rugby goes tandem for the remaining distance of the dash

The Dash to Dublin has stepped up the excitement for the final three days of the bike-a-thon by replacing the boring one-seater with a tandem bike.

Come by Frist and jump on the front to ride with us to Ireland. Contribute to our total distance or just sit back and pedal your way to a dreamy bicycle date with any one of our handsome and charming rugby players. Rumour has it that Co-Captain Spencer Ryan has already gotten a few requests from girls to hop onto his front seat...

Day 5: Over the Hump

2011-11-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Total time: 123 hours

Total distance: 2041 miles


Senior Chris Green gets a stretch in while biking in short shorts and rain

The team is quickly approaching the two-thirds point on the distance to Ireland. That being said, the fundraising effort is just over halfway at $7200. About $1700 of that has come from donations outside Frist so a huge thanks to all of the students and Princeton residents who have been supporting the team as we push through in the cold and wet New Jersey weather.

Don't forget to check out some of the Princeton Rugby Gear in the "Rugby Gear" tab at the top: proceeds go in part to the tour, and the store is only open until November 29th!

Day 4: Night time Vigilance

2011-11-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

Total time: 96 hours

Total distance: 1593 miles

The bike outside Frist can be a surreal and sometimes frightening experience in the wee hours of the morning. Completely alone at 3 or 4am with only the sound of the spinning wheels and an iPod if the rugger has thought ahead, the darkness seems to constantly press in on the tiny circle of light surrounding our tent outside Frist. Often with no signs of other people for hours at a time, any sudden appearance of movement, be it squirrel or late night Terrace member, can be unnerving.

Senior Kurt Brendel relates a story of a night time encounter from his bicycle shift at 3-5am last night.

I was about half an hour into my shift, so around 3:30am, and it was the usual kind of 3:30am New Jersey weather: cold, windy, wet and miserable. I didn't expect to see anyone the entire shift and the first half hour was living up to those expectations.
All of a sudden a man appeared out of the shadows around Frist, sniffing around the line of bicycles locked to their racks. His hoody was up and was looking sketchier than an Etch-a-Sketch. I noticed the massive pair of wire cutters around the same time he noticed the rugby player sitting on a stationary bike.

We had a bit of a stare down for a minute or so. I could tell what he was thinking: "Why the f*!k is there a kid biking at 3:30am?" I didn't even try to explain, but just gave him a nod and kept on peddling like we've been doing for the past 90 or so hours. I'll admit my hand was on my cellphone in case the guy either started cutting chains anyway or, worse, if he realized there was a plastic jug full of cash donations being guarded only by a college kid sitting on a bike going no where.

The clogs must have clunked together the right way in the guy's head, because he clearly decided that it was not the ideal time for bike theft and left. It was the only person I saw until the end of my shift, but the bikes outside Frist will be safe as long as the Princeton Rugby Team stands its night time vigil.

Day 3: Lazy Sunday

2011-11-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

Total time: 68 hours

Total distance: 1156 miles


Coach Richard Lopacki takes a break after covering for the oversleeping freshman Ed Fashole-Luke

After a raucous homecoming last night, the Dash greeted the sunrise of a very lazy Sunday for the quiet campus. Coach Richard got a few extra miles in when freshman Eddie overslept and didn't relieve Rich for some time, as a desperate "Where is Ed???" email at 7:30am evidenced.

We are officially past the 1/3 distance mark on our way to Ireland!

Day 2: Homecoming

2011-11-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

Total time: 44 hours

Total distance: 748 miles


GS Geoff Sigalet goes shorts-only late Friday night

After a parade of revellers from the Orange and Black ball kept things interesting outside Frist for the bike-a-thoners on Friday night, Saturday saw a huge flood of alumni on campus for Princeton's Homecoming Yale vs Princeton football game.

Alumni generosity is a significant component of the funds we hope to raise to reach our $14,000 goal, and we hope that Homecoming Weekend will extend our message to the large alumni community of Princeton.
Already an alumnus of the team who wishes to remain anonymous has very generously donated $1000 to the tour fund, bringing our current total to $5500.

Day 1: Rain and Shine

2011-11-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

Total time: 15 hours

Total distance: 255 miles

Freshman Cliff Bersani with the Dash's first donation

The Dash to Dublin kicked off with some traditional New Jersey weather: rain and cold, gusty wind. Guys on the bike last night and this morning were often doing two jobs, biking and holding the tent from being blown away.

Senior Chris Green braves a full spandex suit

Most passers-by were amused and incredulous, finding it hard to believe that the team is actually going to be outside 24 hours a day for the next week. The more inebriated spectators walked by with promises of bringing something later, not realizing that we would without a doubt be there "later," whenever that may be.

GS Chris Domencic puts in two hours early Friday morning

Online Apparel Store- Proceeds go to Princeton Rugby

2011-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Princeton Rugby has launched its first ever online apparel store in partnership with Boathouse Sports. The online store, found at princetonrugby.boathousegear.com and open until November 21st, is the perfect chance to stock up on the same custom Princeton Rugby gear that we wear with pride around campus and on the sideline. All the gear – from jackets to hoodies to shorts – is custom built by Boathouse in the USA and is guaranteed to be delivered by the holidays. By ordering through the store, not only will you be getting a high quality performance product but you will also be supporting Princeton Rugby as 15% of the proceeds will go towards the club’s spring tour fund.

After an exciting fall campaign that saw the men secure a place in the Ivy Wildcard Playoff and our women earning a spot in the Division I Sweet 16, Princeton Rugby is in the middle of one of its most exciting seasons ever. In March the men will be travelling to Galway, Ireland to spend a week training with Connacht Rugby, a top-tier professional team playing in the Heineken Cup. With your support via this online store we can ensure that all members of the club can afford to go on tour, which in the end will take us one step closer to securing the Ivy Wildcard bid to the national playoffs.

Ordering is simple: just go to princetonrugby.boathousegear.com, add the items you want to, place your order and your items will be shipped to you by December 12th. Remember though, the store closes on November 21st so please place your order soon!

Thanks for your support!

Summer Fundraising effort - Rugby Runs Across America

2011-11-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

Princeton Rugby started its fundraising efforts this summer as the team participated in a challenge to Run Across America. Thirty players each ran 100 miles over the summer for a total of 3000 miles, or approximately the width of the continental United States.

Each player raised 5 cents per mile from friends and family, totalling $4500 to get a head start on raising money for the Spring Tour fund.

A Tradition

2011-11-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

Coach Richard sent the team some photos from the last Dash to Dublin for inspiration. Needless to say, everyone is happy we don't have any snow on the ground (yet).

See this 2007 article from the Daily Princetonian.

Welcome to the Dash to Dublin!

2011-11-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Princeton Men's Rugby Team's fundraiser for its 2012 Spring Development Tour, the Dash to Dublin.

This blog will follow the team's progress as we bike across the Atlantic to Ireland, 24 hours a day for 8 days straight.

For more on the Dash and the team, please see the "About the Dash" and "About the Team" tabs.