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

Thinkingaboutit

Work, the usual Templeogue-town (near Stephen's Green), via Stannaway, Sundrive Rds, canal, Harold's X bridge to South Circular, Hatch St Upr, Earlsfort Terrace, and miracle of miracles there was a traffic green light in my favour rather than having to cross with the pedestrian light per usual, the lights only usually change for buses or taxis. Being on the road at half seven makes it so much easier, home was nearly the reverse except turning right on the canal isn't possible, so it was Harold's X Rd, Tivoli Ave, Wildfrid Rd, Clareville Rd and continuation, Blarney Pk, Stannaway Rd, etc. Nothing of note, a few dangerous overtakes, but that's usual. I try command the lane at problematic junctions, if I can. I'm not trusting anyone's competence or sanity.

secman

From Kilnamanagh up embankment to the Lamb, left for Manor Kilbride and left again for Brittas, down embankment to Kilnamanagh. 32.5 km Avg 27.2 kph on the Garmin.......... but Strava knocked me back to 26.6
Garmin rules:)

cython

Thinkingaboutit wrote: »

Work, the usual Templeogue-town (near Stephen's Green), via Stannaway, Sundrive Rds, canal, Harold's X bridge to South Circular, Hatch St Upr, Earlsfort Terrace, and miracle of miracles there was a traffic green light in my favour rather than having to cross with the pedestrian light per usual, the lights only usually change for buses or taxis. Being on the road at half seven makes it so much easier, home was nearly the reverse except turning right on the canal isn't possible, so it was Harold's X Rd, Tivoli Ave, Wildfrid Rd, Clareville Rd and continuation, Blarney Pk, Stannaway Rd, etc. Nothing of note, a few dangerous overtakes, but that's usual. I try command the lane at problematic junctions, if I can. I'm not trusting anyone's competence or sanity.

Assuming you're heading from Earlsfort Tce onto SSG, then I'd recommend you try stopping with your bike over the edge of the rectangle for the traffic sensor (should be basically a case of being to the right or left edge of it). I used to face the same problem going straight south onto Earlsfort Tce from SSG East, and have found that doing this in the straight on lane reliably triggers the lights. Admittedly that's with an alu framed bike, so YMMV, especially if you've a full carbon frame or the like.

moonshadow

Another 30 km with the newbies on our training spin.... 30 km @ 22 (do your head in) but they are learning ......switchover is good, road issues are called and they are busting with excitement ..
Hills .... they don't like hills �� Gave them plenty to think about tonight ��

Thinkingaboutit

cython wrote: »

Assuming you're heading from Earlsfort Tce onto SSG, then I'd recommend you try stopping with your bike over the edge of the rectangle for the traffic sensor (should be basically a case of being to the right or left edge of it). I used to face the same problem going straight south onto Earlsfort Tce from SSG East, and have found that doing this in the straight on lane reliably triggers the lights. Admittedly that's with an alu framed bike, so YMMV, especially if you've a full carbon frame or the like.

Mine is heavy, so there should be no lightweightedness issue.

floodser

Mount Venus - Viewing Point - Featherbeds and back via Devil's Elbow.

It was eerily quiet up on Military road last night.

https://www.strava.com/activities/921331765

Alanstrainor

Was battling the wind from Portmarnock to Fairview this morning. Still managed to get my smug face on when passing all the cars stuck in traffic with the bus strike!

Saw a number of people who had taken their kids bikes to get to work this morning! The wind was horrendous on the coast, definitely not a good day for a first commute, especially not on a pink bike with tassels!

Chuchote

Alanstrainor wrote: »

especially not on a pink bike with tassels!

Oh, I dunno, the tassels flying in the wind have a kind of a thing about them :P

Rogue-Trooper

Alanstrainor wrote: »

The wind was horrendous on the coast!

Dude! Listen to those in the know - take the Howth Road on windy mornings!!

Save the Coast Road for the tailwind going home!

mr spuckler

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Was battling the wind from Portmarnock to Fairview this morning. Still managed to get my smug face on when passing all the cars stuck in traffic with the bus strike!

Saw a number of people who had taken their kids bikes to get to work this morning! The wind was horrendous on the coast, definitely not a good day for a first commute, especially not on a pink bike with tassels!

i had to battle that on my way back towards town after heading up Howth this morning - it was absolutely brutal.

Fighting Tao

I'm in Limerick for a few days. Castletroy to be exact and I took the bike. Not knowing the area all that well I plotted a 50k route on Garmin Connect. Castletroy - Castleconnell - Montpellier - Birdhill - Killaloe - took the R453 towards Parteen - swung a left to go to the back of UL.

Little did I know that at about the 45k mark that the Garmin took me off road and down a river path. I was on the road bike and thankfully apart from mucky the path wasn't bad. All I knew was that I had to get across the river to get into UL and so I followed the tiny squiggly line on the Garmin. Then I got lost and I think I took a wrong turn on the path. Ended up in UL and got lost in there too.

So after getting lost I did and extra 6.2k.

https://www.strava.com/activities/921993989

Rogue-Trooper

Today was 'National Workplace Wellbeing Day' and our company organised a 'mile walk' at lunchtime for the staff. Totally underwhelmed by this initiative, I dragged 2 of the lads out on the bikes at lunctime and we went out to Howth and back. 35k on the nose took a leisurely 1hr 29mins, mostly because of that poxy wind that Alanstrainor mentioned above!

Would love to get away with doing that every day...................

mr spuckler

i don't think i fully appreciated the tailwind on my way out to howth this morning!

jober

Hit the hills today after work.. it's been a while .struggled badly
Didn't get many winter spins in this year and definitely feeling it

Inchicore to enniskerry .headed up old long hill and on to Sally gap.headed down towards manor kilbride and on to tallaght via the n81. Only 70k and I'm wrecked

Signed up to do the 160k in the westportif today. Better get some more kms or it'll be a struggle

triggermortis

I had planned on doing a lap of Howth today but 5 year old miss T decided today was a day to be violently sick and need looking after all day.. Not too sad at missing the wind noted earlier

dahat

Had a dose of fuk the turbo halfway through a session on Wednesday so not done a tap since so getting out on the road Sat & Sunday this week and quite looking forward to it.

Time

Not sure if this is really the right thread for this, but wanted to get it off my chest.

Wednesday morning rather than today. Was cycling on Dame St. towards college green. Stopped in the bike lane at a red light where Sth Georges St. joins onto Dame St, with a taxi stopped to my right.

Guy comes up behind me and twice hits into my back wheel. I turn around and he tells me to move on. I politely point out that theres a red light and i'm not going to break it (unlike the majority of people along that stretch). He gets off his bike mounts the footpath and goes around me and remounts a bit ahead.

Just as he does the light turns green so i move off, as i'm passing him i say to him that, that sort of behaviour is exactly why cyclists have a bad name, he responds by telling to "F off you c**t" and lashes out hitting me in the arm. I nearly lost my balance and hit the road but thankfully managed not to. He of course sped off as fast as he could.

I immediately took out my phone and rang 999, and started to follow him. At college green he went right (the way most traffic has too) then immediately went left against the flow of traffic, and through the pedestrian crossing, which had people walking across it as they had the green light, nearly knocking down a Garda who was crossing, who shouted at him

He then turned right towards Grafton St. and was forced to stop at the pedestrian crossing there due to people crossing. I was about 10m behind and shouted at the Guard that he had assaulted me. The guard ran after him and caught him as he had stopped.

Guard his details and then also took mine, i headed on and he was kept there. Going in to make a statement on Monday, luckily theres a set of Traffic Cameras right at that junction.

Just in case anybody knows who it was, or if you happen to be on here. I'll see you in court you absolute P**. You think at your age (50's) i guess you'd know better

veganrun

Probably should have known this but never cycle fast/try to turn or lean on a manhole cover/metal grating on the road that is wet from the rain.  Happened this morning as I was trying to turn slowly and the grating or something sort of unsteadied the bike and I sort of fell against the wall.  It was very slow speed so it was more like I bumped it, but lesson learned.  It's surprising how uneven roads and tracks in the tarmac etc can mess you up.

davef1000

moonshadow wrote: »

Great spin out tonight ....
Leading a beginner group out on a 30 km spin at 24kmph , 2nd spin for these folk in a couch to 200k spin over 10 weeks...they were so excited.

Is couch to 200k in 10 weeks really a thing? I did the couch to 5k jogging routine a few years ago and it takes nine weeks. I can't imagine training for 8+ hours in the saddle in 10 weeks...

cython

davef1000 wrote: »

Is couch to 200k in 10 weeks really a thing? I did the couch to 5k jogging routine a few years ago and it takes nine weeks. I can't imagine training for 8+ hours in the saddle in 10 weeks...

These folks have been doing basically that for a number of years now. Official training for them starts at about 10km in January, and next weekend it's the "main event" of 195km from Maynooth to Galway. The long one used to take place a couple of weeks earlier in the year as well until recently, so that would have been basically building to 200km in 10 weeks or as close as makes no difference.

davef1000

cython wrote: »

These folks have been doing basically that for a number of years now. Official training for them starts at about 10km in January, and next weekend it's the "main event" of 195km from Maynooth to Galway. The long one used to take place a couple of weeks earlier in the year as well until recently, so that would have been basically building to 200km in 10 weeks or as close as makes no difference.

Wow. That's impressive.

magicbastarder

davef1000 wrote: »

Is couch to 200k in 10 weeks really a thing?

and islandeady thought they were doing well with their 'couch to €20k'...

robyntmorton

magicbastarder wrote: »

and islandeady thought they were doing well with their 'couch to €20k'...

That's evil. I love it.

retalivity

Horrible day in the saddle, just.....slow. Out for 3 hours, wanted to do about 75k, barely managed 60k.
Strava fcuked up twice, so no idea what the total was for the day. Pretty misty up above the viewpoint and lough tay, much better and warmenr in the vallies.

monkeyslayer

Yep horrible up in the mountains this morning, went out with epic intentions, went up up up into the dense fog and was ruined by half way down the decent from ballinascorney by lashing rain, hands n feet turned to blocks of ice on the decent... Decided i was too wet and too underdressed for more freezing long decents so skipped the gap and headed back toward Tallaght, sun came out and was nearly dry by time I got home... 50km of fairly high intensity so happy enough I guess.

wanderer 22

Some inanely heavy rain showers up in the Dublin hills today :-O Left the house aiming to get 3000m climbing in but had to cut it short as I couldn't stop shivering on the descents. Still got 2300m in 80km (at an embarrassingly slow average!)

dahat

Out at just after 8am to avoid the heavy showers forecast from early afternoon, which I did!!!!

Few Sprint efforts on a small drag locally with a few other small digs to liven up the spin, glad to be on the road without the company of 100 other lads!!!

Spun out to Enniskerry and then back to Dublin via the Featherbeds. Nice spin until the weather turned. Got absolutely p**sed on descending. Driving rain. Could barely feel my fingers by the time I got to Marlay park.

velo.2010

Yep, I got caught in the hail storm today. N81 lunchtime, Brrr!

Somedude9

Thanks all for letting me know that I made the right choice in opting for the turbo instead