Looking for your cycling stories/pictures - good and bad experiences

tommy21

Hey all, I'm writing an article on the daily trials and tribulations of the Irish cyclist, and would love some anecdotes from cycling addicts. In Cork for instance I'm looking at the woeful nature of some of the cycling paths, but anyone who would be interested in sending me on (or posting here) stories or pictures of the positive or negative side of cycling, from any part of the country (including Cork) feel free to do so. If your happy to provide your info, your name would grace the pages of said article also!

Captain Havoc

This is a thread I previously started a while back, I've done two more sportives since. Basically I lost my job and the bike kept me sane while I was out of work.

Hungrycol

Who's the article for?

This forum is filled with stories. Just have a look at the "Should have left the credit card at home" thread or the many arguments on helmet use, cycle lanes, errant motorists, Busses, Glandon, fixies, bike building, bike choice, POB, tech advice, Cycle To Work, doping, bonking, lovely bikes, ugly bikes, strength of carbon, precipitation, good deals, bikes on planes, trains and racks on cars, nutrition, latest equipment, commuting distance, best bike shop, worst bike shop, gradients, Lance, and on and on and on. This cycling forum alone is a story!

thebouldwhacker

tommy21 wrote: »

Hey all, I'm writing an article on the daily trials and tribulations of the Irish cyclist

I fell off my bike once:(

SunshineCyclist

I once cycled behind a man whose cycle shorts were so worn that an area of them became transparent (you can imagine!), needless to say it nearly put me off the sport.

coolbeans

tommy21 wrote: »

Hey all, I'm writing an article on the daily trials and tribulations of the Irish cyclist, and would love some anecdotes from cycling addicts. In Cork for instance I'm looking at the woeful nature of some of the cycling paths, but anyone who would be interested in sending me on (or posting here) stories or pictures of the positive or negative side of cycling, from any part of the country (including Cork) feel free to do so. If your happy to provide your info, your name would grace the pages of said article also!

Roysh, I'll TRY to be brief. Few years ago I was working up in Dublin as a cycle courier. Usual story dropping packages from one office to another. Really liked the job as it was never boring and the people while often a little inaccessible were far from the crusty hippy types that are characteristic of the stereotype.
Anyway, I digress. One day down the North Lotts I was dropping off a package which involved a thirty second drop i.e. park the bike in the doorway, run up the stairs, get the signature from the foxy receptionist and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt job done. It was such a short drop that I didn't think it worth locking the bike. Upon completion and to my consternation I couldn't help but notice the absence of me beloved velo. I panicked. I'd dropped it in the doorway actually inside the building but the doorway was bereft of me bike. "F**k" I says to meself, "he can't have gone far". I ran out to the street and sure enough there was this fat, spotty oik wobbling down the road on my Specialized at a fairly sedate speed. I tear down the road after him and demand that he get off. He says "awlreeh boood, what's da problem?".That's my f******g bike you f****r, get off!" says I. "No problem booody, it wasn't locked ya know, so I thought I'd have it ya know, I lost me bus fare on da ponies and the mot'll moorder me when she finds out. Here ya go, noice boike. Any chance of €2 for da Daniel Day Luas?"
I was of course speechless and in hindsight I actually admire his balls. What could I do only cycle home and thank my lucky stars that I still had a bike. Moral of the story lads is TIE IT DOWN.

tomasrojo

@tommy21, whatever you do, make sure your article doesn't follow this model:

oflahero wrote: »

Danger, danger, danger, death, danger, misery, daily battle.

(courtesy of http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=62461721&postcount=100)

tommy21

Hungrycol wrote: »

Who's the article for?

This forum is filled with stories. Just have a look at the "Should have left the credit card at home" thread or the many arguments on helmet use, cycle lanes, errant motorists, Busses, Glandon, fixies, bike building, bike choice, POB, tech advice, Cycle To Work, doping, bonking, lovely bikes, ugly bikes, strength of carbon, precipitation, good deals, bikes on planes, trains and racks on cars, nutrition, latest equipment, commuting distance, best bike shop, worst bike shop, gradients, Lance, and on and on and on. This cycling forum alone is a story!

Are you Irvine Welsh?;) Choose cycling!

tommy21

tomasrojo wrote: »

@tommy21, whatever you do, make sure your article doesn't follow this model:



(courtesy of http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=62461721&postcount=100)

Oh totally, I want the negative but also the positive, like anything else.

tommy21

coolbeans wrote: »

Roysh, I'll TRY to be brief. Few years ago I was working up in Dublin as a cycle courier. Usual story dropping packages from one office to another. Really liked the job as it was never boring and the people while often a little inaccessible were far from the crusty hippy types that are characteristic of the stereotype.
Anyway, I digress. One day down the North Lotts I was dropping off a package which involved a thirty second drop i.e. park the bike in the doorway, run up the stairs, get the signature from the foxy receptionist and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt job done. It was such a short drop that I didn't think it worth locking the bike. Upon completion and to my consternation I couldn't help but notice the absence of me beloved velo. I panicked. I'd dropped it in the doorway actually inside the building but the doorway was bereft of me bike. "F**k" I says to meself, "he can't have gone far". I ran out to the street and sure enough there was this fat, spotty oik wobbling down the road on my Specialized at a fairly sedate speed. I tear down the road after him and demand that he get off. He says "awlreeh boood, what's da problem?".That's my f******g bike you f****r, get off!" says I. "No problem booody, it wasn't locked ya know, so I thought I'd have it ya know, I lost me bus fare on da ponies and the mot'll moorder me when she finds out. Here ya go, noice boike. Any chance of €2 for da Daniel Day Luas?"
I was of course speechless and in hindsight I actually admire his balls. What could I do only cycle home and thank my lucky stars that I still had a bike. Moral of the story lads is TIE IT DOWN.

I hope you've considered comedic writing, that was hilarious! Did you give him the €2?:eek:

coolbeans

tommy21 wrote: »

I hope you've considered comedic writing, that was hilarious! Did you give him the €2?:eek:

No, I hadn't a penny on me. What's this collection you're putting together gonna be called? PM just sent.

petethedrummer

Positive: http://www.google.ie/#hl=en&q=site%3Aboards.ie+saturday+spin&meta=&fp=59c3e667f170b1ec

Negative: http://www.flickr.com/groups/908348@N25/

Lumen

I was cycling offroad through the Phoenix Park a couple of weeks ago (with another boardsie) when we came across a teenage couple taking "sexy pictures" in amongst the trees. I imagine it would be referred to as "emo erotic art".

I was completely lost for words, unusually.

Apparently this sort of thing is quite common in that neck of the woods, so to speak.

mockler007

jerseyeire wrote: »

This is a thread I previously started a while back, I've done two more sportives since. Basically I lost my job and the bike kept me sane while I was out of work.

same here man, if i didnt have me bike id be lost, imagine we had to pay for our transport, if i feel like crap i get on the bike and go for a spin,

mockler007

Lumen wrote: »

I was cycling offroad through the Phoenix Park a couple of weeks ago (with another boardsie) when we came across a teenage couple taking "sexy pictures" in amongst the trees. I imagine it would be referred to as "emo erotic art".

I was completely lost for words, unusually.

Apparently this sort of thing is quite common in that neck of the woods, so to speak.

and i missed it by 2 mins, i shall never be late again

DePurpereWolf

In Cork, last Tuesday, I had to take the car to work because it was raining and I needed to drop off the wife for a job interview. I can't park at work so had to use the UCC car Park, 10 minutes from work. While leaving at 6PM the total amount for the parking was E15,-. (which I think is highway robbery). But on top of that, college road was so choked, it took me 40 minutes to drive home, so including the bit of walking, it was 45 minutes instead of 20 minutes on the bike. And I hate being stuck in traffic.

I bike all the time, in the rain, when it's dark, I even bike home during lunch to walk the dogs if needed. I start yelling at people when I'm stuck in traffic in the car. There is lots of negativity towards cycling, it's cold, it's dangerous, it's tiring. I just wouldn't know what to do without it. The only problem with cycling is that I get a bit sweaty now and then biking to work.

I can start complaining about the conditions of the cycle paths (what cycle paths) but it's not the cycle paths that are the problem in Cork, it's the roads as well, together with the footpaths. I don't believe focusing on only one of these will solve the problem, all have to be considered together.

Ant

Lumen wrote: »

I was cycling offroad through the Phoenix Park a couple of weeks ago (with another boardsie) when we came across a teenage couple taking "sexy pictures" in amongst the trees. I imagine it would be referred to as "emo erotic art".

I was completely lost for words, unusually.

Apparently this sort of thing is quite common in that neck of the woods, so to speak.

So that's why you were cycling so slowly? I only caught a quick glimpse out of the corner of my eye and was tempted to turn back to see why you were taking so long - but I thought it'd be better to leave the artistic couple some privacy.