Tell us about your cycle Yesterday.

dakar

Just 20k at 25kph in between finishing work and picking up the kids from school.

The rough roads contributed nicely to toughening up my backside and the wet windy weather blew away the cobwebs. Mostly I'm just glad I got up on the bike and got out there.

Weepsie

Yesterday : 56km altogether. Up to parents and back for a visit at noon, by the time then run was over in the park I was itching to get back out due to sun and did 40 km (27kph). My new (used) bike with the 105 is making it a lot more enjoyable, half tempted to try the Skoda cycle in Wicklow next week

OldBean

Complete head-bonk. Went to do Sally Gap and back, around 70km. Headwind was terrible, I hadn't been on a decent cycle in a month+, I'd been eating crap and drinking beer, traffic was bad, the trucks were flying down, I should have drank more water this morning, I should have grabbed something more substantial to eat this morning. All the usual excuses, but mostly I'm completely unfit at the moment. Got to a crescent about 20km in, stopped, gave up and rolled home.

Gah.

OldBean

After yesterday's fail, I set out to do a more manageable 50km - ish today. Fared better - struggled up past Johnny Foxes, with a little bit of walking. Really feeling the extra weight I've put on recently. All the more reason to work towards getting rid.

Nearly ended up in a pretty nasty situation at the junction of St. Patricks/Kevin St when a muppet turning right at speed against me didn't see me coming through the junction (Green on my side). I have absolutely no idea what I did to not get hit. His bumper would have been precious centimetres from my legs. He stopped, I stopped, I pointed at the lights and before I could unclip, he'd sped off.

Got home and discovered I'd forgotten to turn my Strava recording back on after a lady asked me directions just before crossing over the M50.

Still better than yesterday!

not yet

OldBean wrote: »

After yesterday's fail, I set out to do a more manageable 50km - ish today. Fared better - struggled up past Johnny Foxes, with a little bit of walking. Really feeling the extra weight I've put on recently. All the more reason to work towards getting rid.

Nearly ended up in a pretty nasty situation at the junction of St. Patricks/Kevin St when a muppet turning right at speed against me didn't see me coming through the junction (Green on my side). I have absolutely no idea what I did to not get hit. His bumper would have been precious centimetres from my legs. He stopped, I stopped, I pointed at the lights and before I could unclip, he'd sped off.

Got home and discovered I'd forgotten to turn my Strava recording back on after a lady asked me directions just before crossing over the M50.

Still better than yesterday!

I hear ya about the weight, gave up the cigs 2 years ago after 34yrs, downside: 1.5st heavier, upside: Can open up my lungs and do 40k no bother.

micar

to work this morning - santry to rathfarnham to the Old Military Road, dropped int0 Enniskerry, Kilternan and over to cherrywood. slightly under 50km in just about 2 hours. First serious climb of the year. Found it really tough after run intervals on the track last night.

From work home - from cherrywood to santry via city center - 23km in under an hour.

So total of 70km today.

Legs are shattered but was delighted to have done it.

Unknown Soldier

not yet wrote: »

I hear ya about the weight, gave up the cigs 2 years ago after 34yrs, downside: 1.5st heavier, upside: Can open up my lungs and do 40k no bother.

I still smoke a lot but just noticed I managed 2114.3 for 2014 so far.

I'm well chuffed but my thighs are quite sore this week

Did a small cleat change today too after reading this while researching a certain knee pain last night.

It was about a 2mm move back for the cleats but the ride home today felt great.

42km for the day too.

Wishbone Ash

not yet wrote: »

....gave up the cigs 2 years ago after 34yrs, downside: 1.5st heavier, upside: Can open up my lungs and do 40k no bother.

Do you miss them? I gave up a 50 a day habit 17 years ago and think about them all the time.

G1032

23km after work yesterday. There were a couple of hard drags. I hate that little route but it has to be done. Managed 28.4 km/hr average. Not too bad but would like to get over the 30 average on that spin within a couple of months

not yet

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Do you miss them? I gave up a 50 a day habit 17 years ago and think about them all the time.

Think and talk about them a bit but don't miss them as such. Once in a while I get a crazy urge to have one.

I'm 48 and smoked for 34 years but I seen a few people I love suffer really hard because of them and thought, If I keep going that's whats ahead of me.

smacl

Sneaky little lunch time spin up Cruagh - Johnny Foxes and back by Marlay Park. Still struggling on the hills though having a cold isn't helping. Lovely weather out for a spin.

joxerjohn

What a beautiful spring day !

Naas Blessington round the lakes and back by Ballymore. Lot of sping lambs hopping about and daffodils in bloom along the roadsides.

Hope the weather holds up for the Naas CC / Kare Tour de Foothils this Sunday which will follow a similar for their shorter 67Km spin.

dakar

So I'm still just settling in to this cycling lark and today was a chance to stretch my legs a bit and find out where I'm at as a baseline. I had a lovely 55km spin around the shorelines of Lough Arrow and Lough Key. Total newbie that I am when it comes to the rules, I was doing my best, tidied up on some sartorial mistakes, but mostly today was about #5.

It was very much a cycle of two halves, a nice run along the lake shores with the wind at my back and some grand gentle climbs to test me a bit on the way to Boyle, then a cursed headwind-ridden drag home along the N4.

Things I learned:

• I can cycle 55km. It took me 2hrs 20 minutes and I'm not dead.
• Headwinds suck.
• Long drags suck.
• Exposed N-roads with no shelter suck.
• A combination of the above three things *really* sucks.
• The payoff of a long sweeping descent makes up for it, especially when you've toughed it out according to Rule 90 on the way up.
• Rule 5.

Now that I'm done, I feel a bit crotchety and stiff, but at one point along the N4, a couple of k before I turned for home, a guy on a Cube Peleton caught up with me and we shot the breeze about, well, the breeze and bikes and the Skoda and An Post cycles and for a few minutes I felt like a cyclist, not just some schmo on a bike.

And it felt good.

Unknown Soldier

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

It was about a 2mm move back for the cleats but the ride home today felt great.

Right, I have a new set of legs.

The left one is just the best leg ever.

The right one needed a bit of a talking too, which we did this morning. I did actually spend some time talking to my leg, there was bollix all else to do while cycling, tbh.

Did some more mini cleat adjustments of the right foot to allow my ankle to come in more towards the bike and back another 1mm as either it's different to the left or the shoes are.

Had a great extended commute into work this morning. The weather helped

About 45km for the day.


I'm a strava badge slave, I've realised

Brian?

First time back in shorts today.

Scrappy600

First spin on the new machine today, met a friend in Dunboyne for a spin, not sure of exact locations as i've never cycled the area before but headed from there to tara hill and around ratoath dunboyne and home again. Longest ive done so far is 63km and was totally unprepared today, inadequate breakfast, no lunch, only two gels and a litre of water. ended up doing 105k!! Hit the wall majorly after 80k or so and struggled to keep at any pace over 20k, got so bad i pulled in at the rear entrance to Carton and a chap who had just started his cycle stopped and gave me a bar of chocolate to get me home. I hate turkish delight normally but by god that was the nicest piece of chocolate i've had in a long long time. If he's on here i was so bad i probably didnt do a great job of thanking him, but thank you sir, you definitely got me home, and i wont forget your help. Its one of my major milestones to break 100k, big jump from 63k to 100 and i will definitely be better prepared next time.

cdaly_

You're shagged now. No stopping you. For next time, bring proper food, not gels and a bit of cash for emergency food...

Zyzz

Went out for my short 50km spin today with a bottle of water, a gel and spent the last of my weeks wages on a Turkish delight..absolutely love the bar like! Anyways long story short this cyclist pulls up along side, he looked absolutely shagged and next thing I know my Turkish delight is missing and the I see the guy pedaling like a maniac into the distance..

Some people..

ford2600

@scrappy best of luck with new bike. Advice is a bit late but I wouldn't have went for such a long spin for first spin.
Can take body a while to adjust

dakar

26k in just over an hour in the spilling rain this morning before the usual Saturday morning running around dropping the kids at their various activities.

I took in the loop section of today's 12hr TT route. I didn't envy them 12 hours of wet roads and standing water but the weather's been kind and the roads have dried up nicely. Still, I can only dream of that kind of effort.

Onwards and upwards. Rule 5 and Rule 9 and a bit of headspace and the satisfaction of getting up and out on a Saturday morning.

Amprodude

Did 95km today. I clocked 200km this week and im happy with that. Another 100km tomorrow.

G1032

Did 70k this morning. 7am start. It was raining, it was windy and it was cold. Rode as hard as I could for the 70k.
Kept the average above 30 km/hr for the first 55 but the last 15 was into that b!tch of a wind and I dropped down to a 28.9km/hr average. Still won my 10km race with a tractor!!!

Still getting work done by physio on my hip/neck so orders were to have a cold shower after a spin. That was the hardest part of the cycle!!! I bloody hate that.

zindicato

134 kms with 1915 meters of climbing done today with a new guy who joined our group......... ( disaster) too much breaks with him as he needs to have a rest and recover every so often..... but he did well imo .... only the 3rd time up the mountains for him first one and 2nd time both only 60+kms :-)

http://www.strava.com/activities/129472206

Gallant_JJ

162km early this morning. Cavan, Ballyconnell, Glan, Dowra, Ballinamore and back. Extraordinary day, two hours of constant wind and rain to start with. Followed by four hours of beautiful sunshine. Was frozen to the core descending Glan, only for the hand drier in the Cafe in Dowra to dry the clothes I could have been in bother. 100km on the cards tomorrow.

Ironlungs

34km on new steed. Waited for weather to clear, was nice afternoon here. 1'10", 6 mins better than this season's best, so happy enough.

helimachoptor

Had planned to do Sandyford - Greystones - Rock Road - Howth - Sandyford

I was in Bray when i realised i didnt have my helmet on.. no idea how it happened to be honest, i dont get on my bike without it so did about 30k around south county dublin and did the vico hill for the first time this year got to the plateau and my wheel fell off :eek: very lucky it wasnt going downhill.
I hadnt secured it properly after changing a tube last week.

So out to Howth early tomorrow, will be in the limey gear if anyone sees me give me a wave!

Ole Rodrigo

200km on the fixie, Dublin to Kingscourt and back down through Athboy and Trim. My bike and I smell of cow poop. Good day though.

t'bear

100k from Ratoath to Moyvalley for scones and back home through Summerhill. Avg on the way out was low but picked it up to around 27.5k on the way home for the overall. Somehow I ended up (again) leading the sprinters (read slackers) for the last 15k. Pinch Flat, not a word to the collective, right?

Ironlungs

helimachoptor wrote: »

Had planned to do Sandyford - Greystones - Rock Road - Howth - Sandyford

I was in Bray when i realised i didnt have my helmet on.. no idea how it happened to be honest, i dont get on my bike without it so did about 30k around south county dublin and did the vico hill for the first time this year got to the plateau and my wheel fell off :eek: very lucky it wasnt going downhill.
I hadnt secured it properly after changing a tube last week.

So out to Howth early tomorrow, will be in the limey gear if anyone sees me give me a wave!

Happened to me once before as well, amazing how naked you feel without a helmet now days! Never wore one in my teens.

Scrappy600

24k recovery spin this evening to try get the legs freed up. Had a quick bikefit done before I left the house by a mate. Saddle was almost half an inch too high and too far forward. Seems a bit better so far. At one point on Dublin Road out of Celbridge the front of the bike disappeared down a new pothole I've never seen before with such a bang I thought the new bike had snapped in half but got away with only a puncture! Going to take a few days off the bike now to recover and let the pains of yesterday ease off.