Tell us about your cycle today part III

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118273381#Comment_118273381

Best of luck in your recovery. The pain from falls like this are intolerable the next day and recovery days following it.

CianRyan

Headed out on a Charity Cycle today around Clondalkin along with said In-Law. About 160 Santa's turned out for a very casual 20km loop.

Would have loved to pick up the pace to be honest, my toes were frozen!

Went to visit Santa yesterday morning, so my usual Saturday morning spin became Sunday morning, and the weather was much better in my neck of the woods. Plan was to go out before sunrise at about 7.15am but there was a frost and didn't want to take the risk. Got going at 8.15 am and took it fairly handy as there were patches of frost on the back roads. Beautiful morning and far less of a windchill than yesterday and got the gear spot on again. Managed to ruin the screw heads on brackets for bottle cage on new bike so had to carry a bottle in my jersey which was far from ideal.

Saw plenty out including a man in about his 50s doing a super tuck going down a big hill which had patches of ice at the end. Tried to warn him but but he was gone too quickly. Hopefully he stayed upright.

Anyway, lovely spin in great sunshine. 70k with 640m climbing at 29.7kph: https://www.strava.com/activities/6345644886

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118273381#Comment_118273381

argh. hopefully no significant damage to your knee.

rushfan

Went out yesterday, 58km around NCD, it was a bit of a struggle tbh, felt it was the hardest of that distance in quite a while. 3c with that wind just was no fun. Doubt I'll be out again up to Weds. I'm back to work on Thurs morning, tempted to cycle as I'll be nicely frustrated by then.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118275185#Comment_118275185

we might have passed each other - as per my post above, was probably the hardest day i've done on the bike since i last climbed up to kippure.

NamelessPhil

251km on the Dawn Raid 200 Audax permanent on Sunday. I made it a bit harder by starting the route in Blessington as that's the part closest to my house. I left the house at 08:43 and dragged my frozen carcass over my own threshold at 11pm.

The main road out to Blessington was gritted but there was frost in the ditches. It was sunny with banks of cloud over the Wicklow mountains. I was slooow, but made my peace with my pace because I knew I'd be able to pick up the pace on the flatter stretches later (or so I thought).

Round the back of the Lakes and up into the clouds to Wicklow Gap. The whole day my Wahoo claimed it was -1°C. The descent into Laragh chilled my face and feet so I sat beside the brazier in Laragh and smelt like a smoked salmon for the rest of the day. Up a picture postcard Glenmacnass and the long slog to Sally Gap. I caught up with a Dutch guy on a bike who was tricked out with mostly Apidura kit. He was training for some long-distance events next year so I tried to persuade him to look us up in Audax Ireland.

Over the N81 and the last tough climb of the day up The Lamb. I walked it, my back was niggling at me and I haven't done enough climbing during the last few months. Down and across the N7 and out into the flatlands of Kildare. I was making better pace now but the sun had set by the time I reached Taghadoe at 16:30 with at least 130km until my house. I hoped that the night would be cloudy to prevent frost from forming rapidly on untreated surfaces and it did cloud over.

Through Kilcock and the wide R roads to Summerhill and almost into Trim. By now my back was pretty sore and I was looking forward to a break in Kilmessan (the official start and end of the route). Back roads to Bective then the familiar road to Kilmessan where I got some food and a break. Got talking to a chatty local farmer and we put the world to rights until I froze!

I slowly thawed on the way back to Maynooth, it was pitch dark and there wasn't much traffic. I enjoy night riding I have decent dynamo lights and I was wearing good reflective clothing. All the same it only takes one eejit in a vehicle to end my fun.

After Maynooth I had just over 30km left to get back to Blessington, by now my left knee had decided to start cramping and despite changing position I could not stop it from hurting which consequently reduced my speed. Any kind of slope exacerbated the pain. Sheer effort of will got me back to Blessington and the completion of the 200km route. Now I had to get home.

I tried to stretch out my back and leg without attracting the attention of the local tipsy teenage yokels. After a few stretches and just being off the bike the pain had reduced enough to get me back on the bike. I made reasonable progress home, traffic was light and the roads were frost free. Coming into Tallaght the Wahoo reported that the temperature was a balmy 2°C. I pushed home even though the pain was returning and got in my door in one piece. No mechanicals during the ride and I'll be contacting a physio this week to sort out the muscle issues.

The route would be great on a pleasant summer's day, it has a good balance of flat roads and decent climbs.

https://strava.app.link/SQ9HAwDPKlb

Nigzcurran

That is some going! Fair play to you for pushing on through the pain

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271985#Comment_118271985

A VW Golf, eh? Quelle surprise.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118275625#Comment_118275625

That is some going - fair play to you. 250km in that bitter cold and with leg pains? You're a machine!

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118275625#Comment_118275625

My God, you're an animal!

(Would you not think of getting yourself a nice warm little car?😃)

01Surveyor

Phil, thats a hell of a spin, well done!

I got out for a few pre spin laps of the runway at 0800 on Sunday and then a group spin at 09.00 around North Co Dublin and Meath.

Roads were lethal early on and I nearly came a cropper a couple of times. There was plenty of very slippery frost on some roads up to 10.00.

Got home about 12.30 after a tough 100+km

crosstownk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118275625#Comment_118275625

Chapeau.

Hopefully the Physio gets you sorted.

Wildly Boaring

Got in an hour this evening.

First spin in 2 weeks. Had the joys of covid in the interim.

There was no flying up hills but felt strong if a little short of breath

magicbastarder

Got a little lucky today; the nut holding the front mudguard on (at the crown of the fork) worked loose. Thankfully the bolt stayed roughly in place so the mudguard didn't drop immediately into the wheel. I assumed the nut would be lost but I found it about 100m back up the road, very lucky it didn't bounce into the ditch.

Seth Brundle

Between one thing and another, I've not been out as much as I'd have liked recently. Even this weekend was written off as a result of the booster vaccine knocking me over. Anyhow, decided last night that I'd get up early and had a route planned out in my head to head up towards Bective Abbey near(ish) to Navan. Headed out before dawn and as I was leaving my driveway, I had changed my mind and decided to head down towards Blessington - a similar distanced spin involving crossing the first bridge rather than doing the full loop - about 80kms but the Blessington spin would have a few more hills than the Meath one.

Lovely day for it. The weather was quite mild: dry and not that cold. Absolutely loads of traffic on the back roads - even going up Slade hill between the N7 and N81 - I'm not sure if it was regular commuting traffic or did many drivers cross over the hills to avoid the main roads because of the truck drivers' protest (even though the N7 and N81 were fine when I crossed them). It meant that I had a fair bit of stopping to let the drivers past on the narrow uphill laneways.

In the end, I did a fair bit of stopping to check my work emails and answer messages on Teams but I decided that this justified stretching out my 80km spin to 100kms (even though I really should have been at home working but say nothing!). This meant that I managed to complete my 29th 100+km spin of the year which I'm chuffed about. I've 700kms left to complete this year to hit my 10k kms target - should manage it if work would ever stop getting in the way!

103km @ 26.5km/h with 974m - https://www.strava.com/activities/6378255775

Phone call of shame home yesterday morning. Stupidly, took the good bike, which still has slick tyres on, out and paid the price. Headed out in the dark and should have stuck to the main roads but took a chance on a smaller back road. Unfortunately, there are two farms on it and even in summer the farmers there leave them in shocking condition as their cows cross the road to be milked. There is also machinery and debris strewn around the place and loads of people think the road has ended there which it hasn't. Road was destroyed and punctured shortly in - managed to fix it but punctured again a minute later when I discovered a shard of metal in the tyre. Only had one spare tube so walked 3k to local shop and decided to ring home as I was already freezing and there were no other cyclists about. My very pregnant wife and two small kids made an adventure out of it and came to rescue me. Old bike it is until the weather turns. To add insult to injury, we had to pass through said road again, and the car was so destroyed in cow sh*t I had to wash it later.

35k with 400m up @ 29.5kph.

hesker

Would you mind pointing out these farms so I can avoid a similar fate. I think we cycle a lot of the same roads.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118317969#Comment_118317969

Road coming from Kinsale just past the crossroads to Ballinspittle. I think the Strava segment is called 'Drive on through the sh*t'. I won't be cycling it again until the weather turns as it's not worth the hassle.

wheelo01

Got out this lunch time for 52km @26kph, was lovely day for it, if a bit cold. There was a relatively strong breeze, constant, but not gusting.

Drimnagh, leixlip, Maynooth, Celbridge and home again.

Was in the office for a while earlier this evening to set up some new equipment (take it out of the box and connect it basically) and rode the long way home which is a loop out of town and back in bringing my lights to see as opposed to just be seen. First time I've rode on unlit roads in an age. 15km with very little traffic but amazing how much clearer the night sky is when you get even a few km from town. Jupiter looked amazing in the SW and it still looked seriously bright pulling into the driveway at the house. Close to home a BE double decker bus was coming against me heading for the depot and instead of the route and route number being displayed or out of service the driver had "The North Pole" on it !!!!

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118323172#Comment_118323172

Meanwhile on Jupiter ...

"Graarg fzzk egtjj Earth plkfjzd Magicshine kplrrkt Lycra ttkk!!!"

Luxman

Went exploring north of Slane today. Encounter with 4 cows lose on a back road. As I moved they galloped off ahead of me so there was no easy way round. Until a farmer appeared on a tractor and ran them as I hid in a driveway. Also loset power to the front di2 derailleur (battery charge low I hope). Some serious climbing to be done up that direction. 95k with 1200m

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118344822#Comment_118344822

Oh yeah there are some absolutely leg sapping routes (to me anyway) between Slane and Collon direction. There are parts though when you get up to a height you can see for miles on a good day even though you've only gained 150 meters or so.

Wildly Boaring

The whole area is hills. Love how quiet it is. But yeah leg sapping.

beggars_bush

88km spin this morning. Enjoyable after missing a few weeks

smacl

Out around the back roads near Enniskerry and up to Glencree via Knockree hostel coming back by the Featherbeds this morning. Very foggy until the Featherbeds and then glorious sun above the clouds which remained visible below. Back into the cloud for a cold descent of Stocking lane and nearly wiped out of it on Ballyboden roundabout by an SUV that didn't bother looking before entering the roundabout. The Christmas dodgy driver brigade would appear to be out in force. Lovely for all that for just 50k with 870m of up.

smacl

Extended lunch spin including a couple of laps of Bohernabreena reservoirs to nudge my annual total over 5K km. Had planned on getting a good bit more in this year, but circumstances had me off the bike for much of Sept, Oct and Nov. 36k with 267m of up at a mellow 21kph.

Luxman

One fail and one win today.

Fail was planning a route which consisted of solid head breeze (cold as it was) for 13k on the homeward leg of my spin. South easterlys are rare.

Win was not having my 'proper' cycling gloves to hand (in the wash) and grabbing a pair of the kids woolly gloves which worked perfectly, maybe even better dexterity for fiddling with Garmin buttons. Didn't feel the cold once on the fingers.

Seth Brundle

Headed out early with a clubmate and made our way out to Howth. By the time we were near the M50 (having travelled from Leixlip) the heavy rain had made its way into my shoes and my thermal socks were soaked. By the time we both up to the summit, I was able to wring loads of water out of my gloves.

The plan was to head up to the summit the easy way and then on down to the village only to turn around and climb back up. The cold wet weather scuppered that plan though.

Thankfully we had one small mercy from the weather which was a tailwind home.

By the time I was nearing home again, I had really wanted to just dry off and warm up. I had about 75kms done and I figured feck it, I'd stay out for the ton so wandered around for a bit but just tipped the 100 by the time I got home with 478m of up.

All showered, fed and coffee-ed now but still feeling bloody freezing!

https://strava.app.link/VsUUOVIgcmb