Tell us about your cycle today part III

Wildly Boaring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119250325#Comment_119250325

Back by ballymakenny road. Usually do sandpit. Fancied a change. No mad traffic about the place anyway. I've a nicer spin through Drogheda if I go sandpit too.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119250333#Comment_119250333

Yeah agreed re: through Drogheda and I'd have the same opinion in the car.

phatkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119248994#Comment_119248994

Was up around this neck of the woods yesterday as well. Tackled the the 9 stones route, starting in Bunclody, heading up Mount Leinster, down through Kiltealy/Ballindaggan, across to Ferns, Ballcanew, Gorey, back to Camolin and then up to Carnew and back down to Bunclody

120km,1700m up, 24 kph avg. Far and away the hardest spin I've done on a bike, completely snapped going up and over Sliabh Bhui, which came at around 100km. Stopped in Carnew for pint and a sandwich, sorted me right out and gave me the legs to get back to Bunclody

secman

Good spin that on your own in the wind and rain yesterday . 6 of us out, 4 doing the work towing 2 lads around.

mr spuckler

I'm in Bormio for 2 weeks on a family holiday so plan to take the opportunity to get out on the bike 2 or 3 times. Yesterday was Gavia pass & Lago di Cancano!

Started early with a forecast of 3 degrees for the top of Gavia - we have family living here and they told us it had snowed up top the previous night! Thankfully though the sun was shining which meant it was ok at the summit although I was still very glad I had brought full finger gloves, arm warmers and hat for the descent! As a climb it was ok, scenic in parts but also quite narrow and varied road surface, the 1-1.5km of 10% at around 2,300m killed me and I had to stop to catch my breath before ploughing on. The road surface was a pain, in particular on the descent as shadows meant I often couldn't tell whether the surface was broken or not.

Back in Bormio I had a coffee stop with the wife & kids before heading for Cancano! This is an absolute cracker of a climb, incredible scenery pretty much the whole way up, with km & gradient markers as you climb and really good surface too. At one point you realise you're looking at the bank of hairpins that you still have to ascend and it's hard to believe that you'll climb that high in under 5km! Through a couple of tunnels at the top you come to the Torri di Fraele tower that marks the top of the climb and also provides an incredible view of both the hairpins below and the surrounding mountains. Another km or so further on is the lake which again is beautiful, so much so that we're planning to come back up with the kids to cycle around the lake later this week :)

The descent from Cancano is sheer bliss, hairpins, some sweeping bends and long straights to get up decent speed! All in all while it's less well known than many climbs in the area I'd highly recommend it.

One of the most enjoyable days on a bike I think I've ever had! 😊

magicbastarder

that was a cracker of a morning. nice and calm too. at one point i cycled through a cloud of what i presume were horseflies, which was so dense you could see it from about 50m away. felt like cycling through a shower of hail.

secman

Gorey to Ferns, Enniscorthy and on to Wexford town; left at Ferricarrig Bridge and across bridge to Castlebridge, group split and 6 worked together back to Gorey.

94km, 629 m, avg 31kph. Lovely days spin, had done only 25km during the week due to a viral infection , happy out with todays spin .. ps virus was not the covid19 one 😃

cletus

Pre work morning spin (not my work, my wife's. I won't be working again till the end of August 😀).

Saw two herons and a fox.

The difference between Sora and GRX is very noticeable. The difference between a 9 speed and 11 speed cassette is also noticeable.

magicbastarder

smoother? just a general feeling of quality?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119330386#Comment_119330386

Smoother, quicker changes. Easier changes too, if that makes sense?

magicbastarder

70km this evening, beautiful evening for it; was out exploring some roads i'd not been on before, between kentstown and skryne. there's a mad little kicker of a hill i was on for the first time - washboard surface, but got up to 60 without pedalling going down it.

Wildly Boaring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119333872#Comment_119333872

Réaltóg or Hill of the Rock??

Or just Skryne but assume you were up there before

Hill of the Rock is a hidden little gem.

magicbastarder

the one you've marked there at the bottom - the stretch just to the east of the junction at the very bottom of the screenshot was the hill i was referring to; the drop to the NW is too technical to get up to a high speed. i didn't do the road from end to end; i approached from the south and headed towards walterstown first; lovely view off to the NW from that junction as you drop into walterstown.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7464152922

Wildly Boaring

Brave man hitting those speeds on a surface fit for a horse and cart!!

When I was a teenager I didn't know the hill existed. Went off down to Balrath on my bike, hill appeared out of nowhere on my way home. Steep fucker.

mr spuckler

On Wednesday I bit off slightly more than I could chew with my second Italian cycle. 4 mountain passes, Passo del Bernina, Forcola di Livigno, Eira & Foscagno. What was always going to be a tough spin was made much moreso by my non-recovery from last Friday's effort up Gavia & Cancano, running short on water & food mid-ride and the high temperatures as it was consistently above 30 degrees, even at altitude.

Amazing scenery almost all the way, although there was a lot of traffic on parts of the Bernina pass as well as signal controlled road works which were quite frustrating. Moving onto the Forcola di Livigno after Bernina, I was expecting 4km at 6% per the route description I'd read but it turned out to be mainly around 10%, with the average coming from a short descent early in the climb. Fairly broken after the efforts till then I stopped in Livigno for lunch before climbing the relatively easier Eira & Foscagno passes, although these were a massive struggle again given how I'd suffered earlier and the unrelenting heat! That said there was a lot of pro spotting to distract me, loads of riders from Lotto Soudal, Quickstep, Bahrain Victorious, Trek Segafredo etc. While stopped for food at the top of the Foscagno, Vincenzo Nibali spun by followed a good bit behind by the rest of the Astana team!

Foscagno to Bormio was such a relief, almost constant descent of around 1,100m to see a broken version of me home. Next up on Monday is the Stelvio, if I can recover at all by then!

127km, 2,688m elevation.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7462165657

traco

Lads they are some spins. I picked up a secondhand bike a few weeks back did a few bits on it and took me and it for a first shakedown. Portmarnock to Howth village, up passed the Summit pub (I blew up on the way up) and back home.

So I'm crap and bike needs new cables and a tune up. 22km in an hour.

I suppose the good news is that there is loads of room for improvement, the downside is that I doubt I could be any worse????

Luxman

That’s some top speed. 77kph. Most I ever managed was 72 from sally gap and it was a brown bibs moment.

WJL

Just back. 55km cycle around hilly territory Kilkenny, Laois, Carlow border. Most enjoyable.

Wildly Boaring

110km and 1000m around east Meath and NCD.

Bettystown. Bellewstown. Stamullen. Naul. Garristown. Ardccath Duleek. Balrath. Slane. Yellow Furze. Walterstown. Skryne. Big lunch with parents. Then back to the sea via duleek.

A day for plenty water, actually ran out around slane and ground it out to skryne. Heart rate was bananas for last 15 mins but head was good so stuck with it. Plenty sweat lost.

Had a friend down from Dublin for the weekend so we got out for a long spin early yesterday morning. He's a competitive guy and was pushing it from the go so I knew it was going to be a hard day in the saddle.

Heat wasn't too bad. Maintained my policy of constant eating and drinking on long spins: 3 big bottles, one coffee, five fun sized bags of Haribo jellies, two Snickers, one banana and two jam sandwiches after a good breakfast. Definitely noticed a huge improvement in recovery and my ability to push through long spins without fatiguing since I started fuelling properly.

Anyway, stunning spin on a near perfect route in the Boggeragh mountains north of Cork. We had the place to ourselves and the roads are very good.

All in, 100k with 1,100m climbing at 31.6km per hour and didn't feel like a zombie for the day after.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7477319946

mr spuckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119343209#Comment_119343209

I can pretty much guarantee that 72kph from Sally Gap will be a lot more terrifying that 77kph on smooth roads 😄 I have topped 80 descending the Manor Kilbride side of Sally Gap and that was sketchy to say the least...

arsebiscuits82

80km this morning with 700m climbing around with a 23kph average. Bandon-bishopstown-crookstown bandon.

as someone getting back on the bike and going solo, I’m happy enough but must start pushing more and try and get a few hill repeats in during the week.

thinking of joining the local club, where would my average speed slot in? Can’t seem to get it any faster though the last 7km to home are uphill.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119349479#Comment_119349479

I do that route fairly regularly. Do you go up and over Moskeagh from Crookstown towards Bandon?

Mix up your spins and do shorter, harder stuff during the week if you can. Some lovely hills from Inishannon towards Dunderrow on the Cork side and to Ballinspittle on the Bandon side.

As for the cycling club, they would have a few different group rides and you will go much faster with the group. Give them a shout.

Seth Brundle

thinking of joining the local club, where would my average speed slot in? Can’t seem to get it any faster though the last 7km to home are uphill.

As @[Deleted User] said, clubs will have a few different groups depending ability (speed, climbing, etc) but any club may want you to start off in a group slightly slower than your current average speed simply so you get used to group riding but that shouldn't take long to get used to at all

arsebiscuits82

Many moons ago I raced up at home in local leagues and was fairly handy. It helped I had no car for a summer job so it was 40k each way everyday for 10 weeks, I’ve never been as fit. Also rode with a club for a few years so group riding is no bother.

just trying to find the right routes around cork now, this morning I just went out with no plan other than I wanted to do 80/90km.

Bottom line I need to get my ass in the saddle more! Hard with 3 kids and a 50hour work week though!

cheers!

BoardsMember

First time on the bike in ages. Like years really. Harold's cross up Cruagh, across to Viewing Point, down Stocking Lane, across Mount Venus for another loop up Cruagh and over to Viewing Point.

Pushed fairly hard from viewing point to Terenure, did it in 15 mins, decent tailwind though. Wasn't too wrecked once I cooled down but pretty tired now and have been eating like a horse all day!

magicbastarder

well, you did better than i did years ago when i tried that spin after not being on the bike in a year or two; i'd lain down at the side of the road halfway up to recover, and as a german tourist pulled up in his camper van to ask directions, i hosed down the side of the road and he floored it.

BoardsMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119351426#Comment_119351426

Thanks!.....I'll have that in my head next time I head up. Hopefully sooner than a few years.

Had my youngest (4) with me this evening on the beater bike down along the river. She likes to listen to music on my phone in my jersey pocket when she's on the bike with me and some teens drinking cans gave us the devil horns as we passed them "They think we're kewl daddy" We had Far Beyond Driven by Pantera on so my faith in teens has been restored somewhat.

magicbastarder

respect.