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

nilhg

Harvest 2017 will (weather permitting) kick off sometime this week, so impossible to plan anything till it's done so I wasn't going to miss the chance today to hit the hills even if I was a bit challenged for time.

Two of us drove over to Rosanalis and headed for the Blooms, up the Cut and on to the Glendine for my annual reminder that I don't really have enough gears, then down the lovely little road by Glenafelly to Kinnitty for refreshments in the nice new cafe. The return trip to the vans was via the Wolftrap and the Cut, if time permitted we'd have chanced the Ridge of Capard but that wasn't to be...

All in all a morning well spent, the Blooms were looking their best with the Foxgloves and Rosebay Willowherb all in bloom, a pleasure to be out and about.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1086128146

marvin80

Daroxtar wrote: »

That stretch after Castlebaldwin is horrible, no hard shoulder and loads of muppets flying past. I ended up cycling right in the middle of the lane for a couple of km where all the white crosses mark the places people have been killed. It worked out better for me tbh, people had to slow down then I swung in tight to let them safely past and then I pulled out wide again. I think in future I might take back roads around that area.

Backroads are the way to go - the roads from Ballyfarnon - Geevagh - Sooey aren't too bad, decent surface and not too many blind bends

magicbastarder

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It's a bit obscure alright. According to Strava I've done that lane dozens of times but I've no recollection of it as it has always been on a club ride.

I'll make a point of trying harder next time!

(BTW - Mercian Pro of this parish is just a few seconds behind you).

won't take much to take it off me!

magicbastarder

Daroxtar wrote: »

153km with 740m climbing in 5:23@ an average of 28.5kmh

153km @ 28.5 into a headwind? jaysus.

Daroxtar

magicbastarder wrote: »

153km @ 28.5 into a headwind? jaysus.

I'm not very tall and I was on the drops for a lot of it

Thud

monkeyslayer wrote: »

Belting down from glencree via djouce at approx 60kmph when three guys climbing three abreast brought me to a complete stop on a bend and even then the guy on the wrong side of the road didn't feel obliged to get in, somehow this fred felt I was in the wrong. Needless to say if I was in a car and had been a driver that didn't know any better at least two of them wouldv been dead. Some idiots out there.

was that about 11.20? think I might have passed them too

positron

Cycled to work first time ever. I have been dreaming about this for years, but never had a bike or the fitness to do it, and finally everything came together today and I loved it. Tooks tips from this thread from a few years ago about what roads to take etc. R130 is a nice road indeed. Thanks for sharing the knowledge, Jawgap and others! Beautiful day for it. Narrow country lanes between Duleek & Ardcath is poor enough, and few speeding cages did put a bit of fear into me, but it wasn't too bad everything considered. Perfect weather conditions, beautiful countryside, great shower at work etc. I might do this again I think.

Drogheda-Ardcath-Garristown-Glasnevin-Dundrum. 58kms or so in 2.5 hours. Return this evening is only upto Portmarnock, will give the new cycleway a go.

Alanstrainor

positron wrote: »

Drogheda-Ardcath-Garristown-Glasnevin-Dundrum. 58kms or so in 2.5 hours. Return this evening is only upto Portmarnock, will give the new cycleway a go.

Fair play! That's a good bit of mileage for a days cycling!

I use the cycleway up to Baldoyle and then cross the road to take the coast road up to Portmarnock. Once you're out of Baldoyle on the 60km/h Coast Road just try and stay out from the side of the road a bit and you'll be grand.

magicbastarder

positron wrote: »

R130 is a nice road indeed.

they seem to have started some patchwork repairs on it south of garristown; there's one section about 200m or 300m long which they've completely resurfaced; i don't recall that section being any different from the rest.

Mercian Pro

positron wrote: »

Cycled to work first time ever.... I might do this again I think.
Drogheda-Ardcath-Garristown-Glasnevin-Dundrum. 58kms or so in 2.5 hours.

The R108 south from Drogheda is a nice road. Just before the Naul you could turn right onto the R122 that will bring you to St Margarets. From there, Charlestown, Phibsborough, Christchurch and Ranelagh will get you to Dundrum.

For years my regular commute was about 4km and, for fitness sake, I often wished it were longer. I wasn't thinking of 58km though!

Wishbone Ash

positron wrote: »

Cycled to work first time ever......

........Drogheda-Ardcath-Garristown-Glasnevin-Dundrum. 58kms or so ......

Jesus, you're not one to ease yourself into it. That's seriously impressive for a first time commute.

positron

Mercian Pro wrote: »

The R108 south from Drogheda is a nice road. Just before the Naul you could turn right onto the R122 that will bring you to St Margarets. From there, Charlestown, Phibsborough, Christchurch and Ranelagh will get you to Dundrum.

For years my regular commute was about 4km and, for fitness sake, I often wished it were longer. I wasn't thinking of 58km though!

Thanks, I think I have done R108 up to Swords at least couple of times. But those hills between Drogheda and Naul... :eek: That reminds me, last time I was that way, just before reaching Naul, a bird of pray of some type had just caught a rabbit and it flew up, barely cleared the edge, and straight towards me (probably misjudged how heavy the rabbit was) and promptly dropped rabbit about 20 meters ahead of me - blood oozing everywhere, and very dead of course.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Jesus, you're not one to ease yourself into it. That's seriously impressive for a first time commute.

Lol, I have been going out most Sundays last two months or so, trying to build up the distance. Started at 15k, longest trip around 110k. This started off cross-training for my first marathon attempt, but then I started enjoying it too much and have a new crazy plan for end of the month. Fingers crossed.

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Fair play! That's a good bit of mileage for a days cycling!

I use the cycleway up to Baldoyle and then cross the road to take the coast road up to Portmarnock. Once you're out of Baldoyle on the 60km/h Coast Road just try and stay out from the side of the road a bit and you'll be grand.

Thanks, now I know what you meant by staying out from the side. My shoulder missed that concrete fence post leaning on to the road by less than inch. S2S was lovely though, wind was against me, and there were gangs of crazy young ones out to enjoy the sun riding wherever they feel like with their their mtb blocking the path for everyone etc, the views are fantastic and not to have to worry about cars every few meters was just brilliant. An amazing asset to that part of Dublin. It's still as horrible as ever around Point theater etc.

Anyhoo, that's another 25k today, little over an hour.

jrar

Cracking group spin yesterday in mostly sunny conditions though with a persistent "gentle" W/NW breeze which kept us honest -only sufficiently recovered to post now !

215kms with 1580M climbing with overall avg. of 29.8 i.e. just over 7 hours- great day's cycling !

LollipopJimmy

Weepsie wrote: »

I interviewed for a job that was 30+ km away. The OH was questioning how I'd get there etc. She didn't understand that I was looking forward to a 60km round commute.

Didn't get the job...

I'm a recruiter and currently filling roles in most places over the country, I can sort you out with a beast of a commute

macnab

Cycling into work this morning, doing about 32kmph in the 24 hour bus/cycle lane between Castleknock and Ashtown I hear a beep beep behind me. I look around expecting a taxi driver but its a guy on a motorbike. He says "Move over" in a slightly irate manner. The bloody cheek of him. He is going to get some land when i pull up behind him on my 1000cc superbike some morning and do the same to him ha ha.

magicbastarder

Weepsie wrote: »

I interviewed for a job that was 30+ km away. The OH was questioning how I'd get there etc. She didn't understand that I was looking forward to a 60km round commute.

Didn't get the job...

i'm doing 19.5km each way at the moment and am arriving into work thinking 'i coulda been doing with a bit more this morning'.
that said, i'm only doing it two or three times a week. five times a week might be a different story.

DominoDub

Weepsie wrote: »

I interviewed for a job that was 30+ km away. The OH was questioning how I'd get there etc. She didn't understand that I was looking forward to a 60km round commute.

Didn't get the job...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elrV-oHeSjE

Roadtoad

Bangor into Belfast along the small coastal road and coastal footpath. Then into Shankill, Falls etc to view the murals.... every gable wall gets the treatment! Very relaxed, as I wasn't intimidating myself worrying about a car with ROI plates, which was the other option.

secman

Sun. Headed for Kilmuckridge and 2nd turn out to main road, right turn for raheenduff, up to grainstore and took right down to boolavogue road, left heading for boolavogue and across to Ferns. Back to Gorey via camolin. Out old n11and right turn for Ballymoney , courtown, Ballygarrett, killenagh and home. 70 km ,avg 27.5 kph.

Today

Headed to Kilmuckridge and 2nd right for main road, right turn for raheenduff and right turn for boolavogue road, right turn back to ballyedmund. Left on main road to ballycanew and on to Gorey. Down to courtown, Ballygarrett, killenagh and home.
53 km avg 27. 6 kph.

2 lovely days for cycling. Squeezed a lot of gardening and 2 seawims in Cahore between the 2 spins

Luxman

119K with 1900m vertical today, a reservoir Dog recon, found some new roads and kicker after kicker on inclines, its a brute of a route. Warm day but stiff enough breeze from sally gap to lough Tay. I managed 222kph on the decent from Sally gap :-) according to my trusty Garmin, it was probably as knackered as me and just gave up (real speed was 72kph).

Boscoirl

70km club spin tonight, ~29kmph average, don't Normally go with that group, dropped twice, but managed to claw back on( they may have eased up for me)

When I got dropped the 3rd time, I cut them loose, and did my own pace home, best spin in a long time

magicbastarder

just 37km tonight - lovely evening for it, got a bit of protein on the way as the flying ants are out. 29km/h average, a best for me.

dahat

87km with 900m elevation, took in The Vee & Mt Road with the hairpins rather than Powers the Pot, beautiful day for it but my God the headwind & crosswind was savage tough.I reckon at least 70 of that was suffering due to the wind.
My legs blew in Ardfinnian so had to stop for some emergency rations to fuel the body to get home. A segment near home was wind effected in a good way so had a dig at the KOM and failed by a measly 4 seconds, a good way to end a seriously tough spin though.

87km at 28.7 avg, 900m elevation and a failed KOM attempt.

PukkaStukka

Coming from Summerhill over Ballybough bridge in Dublin on the commute home, one is confronted by the joy that is cycling on new tarmac. That is, until, after cresting the bridge we see that the cobblelock landmines are still there and untouched.

Does anyone know why these lethal yokes are allowed remain when they are a threat to just about any road user, let along cyclists?

LollipopJimmy

Won't be long until some utility company rip it up.

Where I live was done last year and has been torn up three times since by various companies

retalivity

D8 - strawberry beds - backroads to maynooth - rathcoffey - clane - ???? - kill - ???? - n81 - dublin.

Went away with no real plan in particular, no phone and unfamiliar roads. Was looking for the lamb on my way back but appears i got the climb next to it. Spilt my water after 50k and had no money, so was gasping the whole way back as well.

81k in 3h, 540m climbed

https://www.strava.com/activities/1096329675

D13exile

Out at 7am for an easy spin. Went from Clane to Sallins up to Straffan, Maynooth, Kilcloon, Summerhill, Agher, left turn to Kilcock and back home to Clane. 75kms in 2hrs 45mins at an average of 27kph. Had loads left in the legs when I got home and was sorry I didn't go for the 100km mark but have things to do🙄

Fighting Tao

Another item off the bucket list.

Visited my parents in Dundalk and back the next day. Just over 85km each way. Took a lovely quiet route once I got to Swords as far as Drogheda and then the old main road from Drogheda to Dundalk. I just reversed the route and used that to come back to Dublin.

Yesterday was much tougher with the head wind. I was exhausted after it. Then today was great. The tiredness from yesterday didn't really show today. I was also helped by virtually no wind for much of it and the temperature was lower.

I had a backpack both days. First time cycling with a backpack for more than 5km. I was also surprised that the hills I thought would be a problem weren't. Particularly Tullyesker coming out of Drogheda towards Dunleer.

Dublin to Dundalk: https://www.strava.com/activities/1095829261
Dundalk to Dublin: https://www.strava.com/activities/1097570811

Eamonnator

Fighting Tao wrote: »

I was also surprised that the hills I thought would be a problem weren't. Particularly Tullyesker coming out of Drogheda towards Dunleer.

a little hoor, that drag.

Fighting Tao

Eamonnator wrote: »

a little hoor, that drag.

I actually liked it but the hard shoulder is a bit bumpy. I just remember the hill seeming huge from my childhood. Haven't driven it much since the best thing to ever happen, the m1 around drogheda opened. Coming the opposite direction the bumpiness seemed to slow me down a lot. I didn't feel there was bang for the buck going downhill.