Cow's Blood and Raw Meat

(photo courtesy of The Bike Show)

This guy is awesome. And just in time for St. Paddy's Day too. Mick Murphy: the legend of the Ras, Ireland's national stage race.

The legend goes a bit like this: he trained with weights made from stone, he made a living as a circus performer, on one stage in the 1958 Rás, after his bike had broken down, he stole an ordinary bicycle from a farmer and chased down the leading pack. It 's said that he rode for three days with a broken collar bone, that he would cycle for forty miles having completed a gruelling stage just to cool down, that he drank cow's blood and ate raw meat. It's said he was indestructible. (from the RTE radio documentary, "A Convict of the Road")

Listen to the documentary here. It's long (40 min.), but well worth the time.