Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

Tony04

After wimping out gardening all day managed to get out and 8 and do 43k round Howth. 5 times up the summit a different way each time. Acctually prefer Howth in this weather as you can acctually cycle undisturbed as theres none of the 'the weathers nice let's go out to howth and have some cans/chipper/ice cream' crowd.

Nearly cr*pped myself down by the bailey though as the cross wind dragged me across the road, I'm running 23mm deep training wheels so it was one hell of a gust, the gate was open to go down the lighthouse but I didnt dare after that experience.

JMcL

82km yesterday morning in a stiff westerly wind. Getting over Mahon falls is on the bucket list for this year, so went up the first ramp of it today. Was feeling ok at the turnoff for the falls proper, and nearly went for it but decided not to on account of the wind as it's very exposed at the top and the descent would have been exposed as well. The Garmin was trying to tell me I was on 0% elevation as I was grinding my way up through the trees (no signal presumably)

The wind made for a very speedy return leg home along the N25

By chance, ended up heading back up in the afternoon (on 4 wheels this time) for a walk in the woods with the kids (4km at stop and look at everything pace)

Seaswimmer

secman wrote: »

Yesterday: a handy spin from the house to Kilmuckridge, Blackwater, Curracloe out to main road 27 km 1hr: 07 min, back main road Castlebridge, Ballyedmund and home 27km 53 min.

Today: headed to Gorey to meet up with touring group, Hollyfort, Carnew, Bunclody, towards Enniscorthy turning for Ferns and to Gorey. 90km avg 30.9 kph.
15km home as a cool down spin avg 27kph
Lovely weekend cycling:)

Glad I don't go touring with you!!

.red.

Got out this evening for the first time in over 3 weeks. Took a fall playing with the kids and hurt my ribs. Was told by the doc to have 3-6 weeks rest but felt good enough to cycle the last 5/6 days but didn't want to risk it.
Anyways, got the first cycle done today with the kids and no pain or discomfort so went for it after dinner.
Tore in the main road and really slowed coming home on the back roads. Any tiny bit of fitness I'd built up before was long gone from doing nothing for so long.
Just shy of 27kms in 61minutes averaging 25kph.
Felt good to be back out tho.
https://strava.app.link/zqWpjcVMI7

brownian

secman wrote: »

Im very familiar with your route , the road from Ferns to The Harrow, Boolavogue is a draggy one and then on to Ballyedmund, when you headed over towards Ballygarrett you cycled to a
T junction and a left turn onto the Killenagh to Kilmuckridge road , you thrn cycled right past my house before turning right for Ballygarrett. All those back roads are heavy surfaces. Same with the coast road around Tara hill to Arklow, they remind me of the lakes spin in Blessington! That was a decent spin you did, i still use that Red Hoy jacket i bought off you, still decent in nick and comfortable too.

Happy to hear it. Oddly, I've recently posted in the bike maintenance thread about front derailleurs 8-), and in the 'best bike jacket' one. Delighted you're still getting value from the jacket.

Having been brought up on 1798 ballads, it was strangely sad to ride through Boulavogue (maybe even over Vinegar Hill?). Nice part of the world to cycle though, and much of it totally new to this Wicklow native. A great change from the Sally Gap, Glencree, Laragh circuit (which is lovely, but I've done it too often).

beggars_bush

Short cycle after landing in Donegal

40km out towards Portnoo and back

Alanstrainor

Only realised recently that there was a steeper way of going up Howth through the village side, turn right at the church and head up to Windgate road. So I tackled that this morning, holy crap it was tough going, and I'd have thought I was fit these days. I'm thinking now that it was a great one, but at the time I wasn't sure if I'd survive. Good craic!

https://www.strava.com/activities/3691699411

magicbastarder

yep, that's a steep kick. i do like the way they've painted 'SLOW' on the road as a suggestion on how to take it.

Type 17

First time I went up that way, there was roadworks and a temporary traffic light on the steepest part - (re)starting off and clipping in was a bit tricky...

Tony04

At the top of windgates if you turn right into quarry the road will bring you up to the masts and theres even steeper paved kick right before the mast.

I wonder what's the steepest kick in Howth balkhill or up from the bailey lighthouse?

Type 17

Tony04 wrote: »

At the top of windgates if you turn right into quarry the road will bring you up to the masts and theres even steeper paved kick right before the mast.

I saw that, but was wondering about the surface - suitable for a road bike with "dainty" tyres, or should I wait until I have more durable winter tyres on?

mr spuckler

Type 17 wrote: »

I saw that, but was wondering about the surface - suitable for a road bike with "dainty" tyres, or should I wait until I have more durable winter tyres on?

I've been up through the quarry to the base of the mast plenty of times on a carbon road bike with 23mm tyres. Just need to pick your path carefully until you reach the paved bit near the top!

Tony04

Type 17 wrote: »

I saw that, but was wondering about the surface - suitable for a road bike with "dainty" tyres, or should I wait until I have more durable winter tyres on?

Just watch out for pinch flats on the way down. The gravel section is pretty much one smooth rut thanks to all the cars that go up there.

Type 17

Tony04 wrote: »

Just watch out for pinch flats on the way down. The gravel section is pretty much one smooth rut thanks to all the cars that go up there.

Just back from it - it's not too bad if you keep it slow (to avoid pinch flats) and the important bit is that the stones are polished by vehicles, rather than the sharp grey stuff, which will cut light tyres.

brownian

The boss wanted to do the Brown Mountain spin today, so we took the car and parked in Ballinaclash. From there it's a 4k-5k gentle drag up past the Macreddin Crossroads, and then up onto the fine balcony road that runs along the side of Croghan Maire before dropping down to Aughavannagh. Great open views. From Aughavannagh it's over the Ow, left onto the Aughrim road, and down down down the gentle Ow valley into Aughrim. The last leg is less idyllic, as there can be a bit of traffic and there's no hard shoulder - not too bad today.

40k, 450m climbing, a nice wee spin.

magicbastarder

reintroduced myself to meath today. only superficially, just enough to remind myself what meath flies taste like.

crosstownk

magicbastarder wrote: »

reintroduced myself to meath today. only superficially, just enough to remind myself what meath flies taste like.

Haha. Yes - the same with me today.

120km+ around south Meath/NW Kildare today. Flies everywhere, a few buzzed my ear, many more stuck in my eye (I wear glasses), countless insects stuck to my arms, legs and clothing but the KOM goes to the little boll1x of a wasp who got caught between my eye and my glasses and stung me. Jaysus, the pain! Slightly swollen eyelid now and tender to touch.

godtabh

A brief re introduction to the hills of Dublin this evening.

The garmin was stuck on about 695m. I knew that wasn't right. Got home and checked and it was c. 1125m. 70km with an average of 22km/h. I enjoyed that.

rushfan

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Only realised recently that there was a steeper way of going up Howth through the village side, turn right at the church and head up to Windgate road. So I tackled that this morning, holy crap it was tough going, and I'd have thought I was fit these days. I'm thinking now that it was a great one, but at the time I wasn't sure if I'd survive. Good craic!

https://www.strava.com/activities/3691699411

Brought my daughter up that way one time, some amount of rows I'll tell you. She enjoyed the route down to Sutton Cross, mind.

rushfan

81km yesterday around the North County including 2 laps of Ballyboughal to Wimbletown. And I'm fed up with those temporary traffic lights in Ballyboughal, Roganstown , & Knocksedan. Note to self: find an alternative route next time.

Wishbone Ash

crosstownk wrote: »

Fruit Pastilles. Still as tasty as ever. €1.50 for a pack of three in SuperValu last week.

You've been done! - €1 for a 4 pack in EuroGiant.

Weepsie

rushfan wrote: »

81km yesterday around the North County including 2 laps of Ballyboughal to Wimbletown. And I'm fed up with those temporary traffic lights in Ballyboughal, Roganstown , & Knocksedan. Note to self: find an alternative route next time.

None around oldtown or garristown if you don't mind going a bit more westward and looping back.

Or take the little l road that runs pretty much parralel and would dump you out at Nags head.

There's an airfield on it, and it can flood in spots.

Wishbone Ash

Weepsie wrote: »

None around oldtown or garristown if you don't mind going a bit more westward and looping back.

There has been stop/go systems on the R122 between Naul and Mallahow for the past few weeks.

Weepsie wrote:

..Or take the little l road that runs pretty much parralel and would dump you out at Nags head.

There's an airfield on it, and it can flood in spots.

Known locally as Brownstown/Magillstown.

Airfield: https://eibb.ie/

.red.

Took a new road today, the opposite direction to what I normally do. Left home, onto the N22, got to Coolcower and turned back.
Had strava running on.my phone in the saddle bag and the satellites lost me a few times and stopped it recording time too for some reason.
According to the trip computer I ended up doing 31.77km in just under 73 mins so roughly 26kph.
Happy enough with that.
https://strava.app.link/SA6xb473L7

dahat

Soaked good and proper but the Galibier foul weather gillet on July did help alot. Mad weather.

2hrs clipping @ 32.9 avg solo trying to race the rain home.

magicbastarder

Weepsie wrote: »

None around oldtown or garristown

i got stuck at a red for about 3 mins yesterday on the oldtown/naul road, just north of the turnoff for garristown.

didn't a boardsie have one of his overshoes chewed off by dogs passing the airfield at ballyboughal a couple of years ago?

nilhg

First TT of the season this evening, it's not that you forget how they hurt, but you sort of think that maybe this time it'll be different...

It wasn't, only the 3rd time in a year I'd sat on the TT bike, I need more time to acclimatise to the position again..

https://www.strava.com/activities/3699336434

Great to be back in (friendly) competition again though.

Type 17

Weepsie wrote: »

...take the little l road that runs pretty much parralel and would dump you out at Nags head.

There's an airfield on it, and it can flood in spots.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

There has been stop/go systems on the R122 between Naul and Mallahow for the past few weeks.

Known locally as Brownstown/Magillstown.

Love that road, real rural feel to it.

Did a loop including it today - 93km @ 28 av, but only 320m ascent.

The temporary lights were handy for a short break

Daroxtar

Headed home to Sligo for the first time this year. Up nice and early and hit Truskmore. 4km@10% with a max of 20%. Good way to start the morning!
I wanted to give it a good lash to see if the extra zwifting and messing/training over the lockdown had any effect. Nearly ideal conditions, cool but dry. Had a headwind on the way out. That wasn't too bad and didn't really go too badly against me until the last km or so of the climb, but anyone who knows the climb will know the segment on Strava called "ohforfuksake". Headwind and the garmin hitting 20% made for a serious dose of What the hell am I at? It's a a while since my HR was so high for so long.
Anyway got through it and the descent through a fair dose of sheep's manure. Glad then of the tailwind home.
80km with about 110m up. And knocked just over a minute and a half off my pr on the climb. It didn't get any easier but I did get faster
https://www.strava.com/activities/3701807743

rushfan

Weepsie wrote: »

None around oldtown or garristown if you don't mind going a bit more westward and looping back.

Or take the little l road that runs pretty much parralel and would dump you out at Nags head.

There's an airfield on it, and it can flood in spots.

Yeah, I'm often in Oldtown, the surface to there from Ballyboughal has improved recently. Not a fan of the surface around that airfield though.