Tell us about your cycle Yesterday.

NamelessPhil · 30-07-2014 2:29pm

Some people do it with nothing more than a small saddle bag with a spare tube and pump and that is pretty much all I'll use for a 200. For a 400 or 600 you'll be riding through the night so spare clothes to allow for temperature changes and lights and reflective clothing are all necessary.

The ability to carry food is also important because if you are a slow rider nothing will be open and you might have to do 100 -150km before you find an open shop.

I use a Garmin 500 and it doesn't follow a course very well over long distances, so I use it as a speedo and to upload to Strava afterwards. I bring a physical copy of a map and the routesheet. If you keep an eye on your distance you can follow the instructions perfectly. Also the GPS files sometimes have glitches.

magicbastarder · 30-07-2014 2:43pm

so, did you get any earworms that proved impossible to shift?

The green and red · 30-07-2014 4:11pm

First time poster here in cycling.

Trying to get into a bit more cycling here in Mayo for the remainder of the summer and then the South Dublin area come September.
Im on a fairly old Peugot Road bike which is a step up from my old mountain bike. Id use it to cycle into GAA training and the like so nothing over 10k really.

This morning I did a local 20k loop, a small bit of climbing and the roads were poor enough so I had to take it easy in spots. I came in at 45 minutes but would like to cut that by five or ten minutes by the end of August.

hueylewis · 30-07-2014 7:31pm

Went out to enniskerry today via kilternan, and back by the devil's elbow for the first time. Usually do it the other way round. I was a bit too cautious in conserving energy for some reason and ended up taking that part of the route a lot slower than I would have liked. I knew two descents on my usual route would be two tough ascents this time round, but they turned out to be easier (relatively) than I was expecting, and my caution wasn't really justified.

Prior to that I was trying to improve on my time through the glencullen area, and I'm starting to regret my impatient purchase of a bike with a less than ideal crankset (48-34). The bike's great, but a 50-34 would be far preferable, and now I'm considering ditching the compact entirely and switching to a 53-39.

magicbastarder · 30-07-2014 8:27pm

The green and red wrote: »

This morning I did a local 20k loop, a small bit of climbing and the roads were poor enough so I had to take it easy in spots. I came in at 45 minutes but would like to cut that by five or ten minutes by the end of August.

not bad going for a hilly road, i'm struggling to break 45mins on a fairly flat 21km loop i do, and i'm just back on the bike in the last month.

Weepsie · 30-07-2014 9:29pm

40 km earlier today around the Park twice clockwise i guess with detours around Carperterstown and then Blackhall Place to see if I could get keo cleats (I couldn't). Another 15 km this evening out to Glasnevin and back.

First spin since the heritage at the weekend. Saw someone sporting the Heritage jersey in the park too

G1032 · 30-07-2014 9:43pm

hueylewis wrote: »

Went out to enniskerry today via kilternan, and back by the devil's elbow for the first time. Usually do it the other way round. I was a bit too cautious in conserving energy for some reason and ended up taking that part of the route a lot slower than I would have liked. I knew two descents on my usual route would be two tough ascents this time round, but they turned out to be easier (relatively) than I was expecting, and my caution wasn't really justified.

Prior to that I was trying to improve on my time through the glencullen area, and I'm starting to regret my impatient purchase of a bike with a less than ideal crankset (48-34). The bike's great, but a 50-34 would be far preferable, and now I'm considering ditching the compact entirely and switching to a 53-39.

Ya. I've a 52-39. I can't see me switching to a compact any time soon. Stick a 12-30 on the back and you'll climb anything. I also have a 12-25 which is fine 99% of the time.

Boscoirl · 30-07-2014 11:38pm

First proper ride this evening, only got the bike 1.5 weeks ago(firest road bike), but due to work and social commitments, have not got out on it as much as I wanted( only did about 80km in total' all shot runs 10-15km).

Was it itching to get out as I drove home from work this evening.

Managed 33km, with a 24kph avg from Nenagh in the old limerick road as far as the ballina turn(into a head wind), and back again, was starting to struggle by the time I turned back. That's when I found out I was gradually climbing the whole way out, flew back to nenagh(by my standards) at a leisurely 35-40kph. At first I was a bit disappointed in myself for turning back too early, but now I am glad I had more in the tank when I got home, looking forward to going out again tomorrow. I have definately come a long way from 4weeks ago, when I got my hybrid out and did 10k around the nenagh bypass and was completely cream crackered.

Will do the same route tomorrow evening and will aim for birdhill and back.

Peterx · 31-07-2014 8:46am

I'm struggling with the today part...
Lovely Spin down through Blessington and over the Wicklow Gap into Glendo last evening.
After the sharp shock of Ballinascorney driving the heartrate through the roof the relative flatness along the N81 into Blessington made up for the many many cars and then once off the N81 it was blissfulness and mainly a car free zone until the end. Saw a man exercising a wee flock of homing pigeons and it was still warm enough to descend the Wicklow Gap without needing a gilet after busting a gut trying to get up there in a decent time for the oul strava stats.
And then a lift home with the chat after the solitude spin. All good.

fillup · 31-07-2014 11:27am

Being on a Nord Cider cyclist, Howth is the spuds in my meat and two veg of a cycling diet. It’s the staple in most of my midweek spins.
Usually I ascend over the Sutton side then descend into the village, turn around in the car park across from Il Panorama (mmm mm espressos) and climb back up to the Summit keeping the church on my right hand side as I exit the village (Thormanby Road?)
I had heard that the climb to the right of the church (Balglass Road?) up to Balkill road was tougher and I had reccied it in the car last week just to see what it was like, there’s nowt worse than climbing a hill and not knowing what’s around the next corner. There are few things in life more soul destroying than slogging up a hill, rounding a corner and seeing the road continue to rise into the distance.
Anyways I digress… I gave it a shot yest morn and I can happily report that it is indeed a ball and lung buster. There’s a bend on it with a very steep incline that had me standing full weight on the pedals in the lowest gear just to keep the buggers turning.
No land speed records were broken and it’s not quite Ventoux but I’m quite chuffed that I managed it in one piece.
I noticed a road off it, Windgate Road that keep climbing higher up the hill so I guess I’ll have the haul ass up that next time I’m out there

NeedMoreGears · 31-07-2014 12:55pm

@fillup - I set a personal slow speed record on that section before the left bend. Windgate is not quite as steep but a good bit longer -worth giving a go

Alek · 31-07-2014 1:18pm

This is the worsest badass short climb around Dublin IMHO.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1782510

fillup · 31-07-2014 1:19pm

Cheers NeedMoreGears - the breathing had just about returned to normal by the time i got to the top of Balkill so i'm aiming to give Windgate a lash at some stage this week

And regarding the struggle for speed up that turn, it's a mixture of trying to get in enough power to turn the damn crank to get ya up there and keeping yerself balanced to prevent a clipped-in pratfall from the inertia

But sure isn't that part of the fun....

quozl · 31-07-2014 1:22pm

Alek wrote: »

This is the worsest badass short climb around Dublin IMHO.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1782510

have you tried http://www.strava.com/segments/634414 ?

fillup · 31-07-2014 1:23pm

Alek wrote: »

This is the worsest badass short climb around Dublin IMHO.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1782510

Nice to see it's 12% and that i wasn't struggling on something smaller but it is short so if there's a tougher one out there in the vicinity of NthCoDub, i wanna hear about it!!

Alek · 31-07-2014 1:35pm

have you tried http://www.strava.com/segments/634414 ?

Actually no, I've always turned into the the offroad section in the middle. Thanks, I'll give it a go next time

If it has been sherlocked at 15.9km/h it must be hardcore!

RainyDay · 31-07-2014 2:26pm

Alek wrote: »

Actually no, I've always turned into the the offroad section in the middle. Thanks, I'll give it a go next time

If you're talking about Kilmashogue Wood and the track up to Three Rock, you're a fair way off the middle!

wanderer 22 · 31-07-2014 2:32pm

Alek wrote: »

This is the worsest badass short climb around Dublin IMHO.

http://app.strava.com/segments/1782510

It's torture, Strava says I've done it 25 times...got my PR last weekend, almost puked at the top:pac:

Edit: er thought you were referring to the Final ramp at Kilmashogue..nevermind!

Wishbone Ash · 31-07-2014 3:56pm

Balglass/Balkill Rd in Howth is steep but very short. It's not at all comparable to Kilmashogue Lane which, in my opinion, is much tougher.

The worst thing about Balglass/Balkill Road for us mere mortals is seeing the likes of Raam doing half a dozen laps of it to pass an hour of an evening!

fillup · 31-07-2014 4:48pm

Hey Wishbone -

i normally climb up to Sally Gap via Yellow House -> Edmonstown Rd (past Merry Plowman) -> Curagh Woods - its a fairly long drag with some steep sh1t on it

do you know how the Kilmashogue Lane climb compares to that?

quozl · 31-07-2014 4:51pm

Kilmashogue lane is a good bit steeper and harder than that Cruagh road climb. It's a good bit shorter than Yellow House to Cruagh Woods but it's long enough at a steep enough grade to be significantly less pleasant

It's pretty near by to that climb too, you should pop up it some day

Share the misery.

Alek · 31-07-2014 4:55pm

Wow, this final ramp at Kilmashogue seems to be some mythical altar of the god of suffering, slippery from blood and tears. :eek:

I'm definitely going there at the next occasion!

fillup · 31-07-2014 4:57pm

i can smell a meet up!!!

lets see who cracks first

f1000 · 31-07-2014 8:29pm

commuting into town this morning, heading down from Whitehall (Regency Hotel to the junction at Griffith Ave). I had a driver in a gold shuttle bus constantly beeping at me while tailgating very closely. I know the cycle lane there is quite short (250m) and the lights ahead were red. But no need for the hostility. When I arrived at the lights turned to see him gesture with anger that I should be in the cycle lane.

Diffused the situation by blowing him a kiss

He didn't know what to do after that.

wanderer 22 · 31-07-2014 8:38pm

Alek wrote: »

Wow, this final ramp at Kilmashogue seems to be some mythical altar of the god of suffering, slippery from blood and tears. :eek:

I'm definitely going there at the next occasion!

There was a brilliant photo taken at the hill climb championships a couple of years back of someone (possibly RAAM) looking in absolute agony as he made his way up that part!

Alek · 31-07-2014 11:14pm

colm18 wrote: »

There was a brilliant photo taken at the hill climb championships a couple of years back of someone (possibly RAAM) looking in absolute agony as he made his way up that part!

Pics or....!

wanderer 22 · 31-07-2014 11:25pm

found it!
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9767/img5200r.jpg

Zyzz · 31-07-2014 11:40pm

Relatively slow 60km today after work, been off the strava trail for a while so I decided to give the 'Glencree TT' a bit of a lash. Road isn't great in some parts, as well as the corners being a bit dodgy with tourist drivers! Managed to KOM it, legs were absolutely drained by the end of it..need to shift quite a few kilos

http://www.strava.com/segments/1229914?filter=overall

The tax man · 31-07-2014 11:56pm

Zyzz wrote: »

Relatively slow 60km today after work, been off the strava trail for a while so I decided to give the 'Glencree TT' a bit of a lash. Road isn't great in some parts, as well as the corners being a bit dodgy with tourist drivers! Managed to KOM it, legs were absolutely drained by the end of it..need to shift quite a few kilos

http://www.strava.com/segments/1229914?filter=overall

You've got this KOM thing all backwards Zyzz.

The tax man · 01-08-2014 12:00am

First day out on the bike since completing the RR challenge. Body and legs felt like crap. I knew it was a bad idea staying off the bike for so long.
Only reason I ventured out was to get my 1k kms for the month.

http://www.strava.com/activities/173472676

Tell us about your cycle Yesterday.

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