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

magicbastarder · 17-09-2017 06:11PM

90km around NCD this afternoon; decided to take advantage of the fact the roads would be quieter. had not been intending on being out that long, and the last 15km became a bit of a struggle as i was underfueled. still, nice day for it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1188892969

rollingscone · 17-09-2017 07:44PM

Time to start walking the distances back up after my Spanish adventures.

Headed out this morning with no real idea of what I was up for, forgot my armwarmers and suffered a bit for that I started out with shiny tyres on shiny roads but the climb out of Enniskerry to Glencree warmed me up nicely (and spotting a red squirrell warmed my heart) and the weather improved steadily after that, from Glencree I did the two gaps and got some of my descending Mojo back. Took some moments to appreciate the landscape but never because I couldn't continue..except on the Wicklow Gap where it was psychological rather than physical.

As is traditional a tour bus passed me danger close on the Wicklow Gap only for me to pass it parked in the first car park...

Only got passed and dropped once...which is good going for me and it was on a descent, chap on one of the high end Boardmans.

Passed a few lads on the final stretch back to Crooksling which was nice.

Definitely a quiet day out there.

Turned out to be a nice one.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1188500902/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1505664519

secman · 17-09-2017 10:08PM

Sat: slept it out and only managed to get out to Blessington and back road to Manor Kilbride and back home for 11 o'clock to see grandson in his football academy, get a kick out watching him, he's only 5.
45 km avg just under 28 kph.

Sunday :Headed to ballycanew and on to Gorey, out old n11 to inch and on to Arklow. Down to Woodenbridge and out a bit towards Avoca. Back to woodenbridge, stopped for a quick cuppa and a bar, back to Arklow and on to Gorey. Took road down to Courtown and coast road back towards Ballygarrett, took first turn for killenagh and home. 82 km avg 27 kph.

terrydel · 18-09-2017 10:09AM

secman wrote: »

Sat: slept it out and only managed to get out to Blessington and back road to Manor Kilbride and back home for 11 o'clock to see grandson in his football academy, get a kick out watching him, he's only 5.
45 km avg just under 28 kph.

Sunday :Headed to ballycanew and on to Gorey, out old n11 to inch and on to Arklow. Down to Woodenbridge and out a bit towards Avoca. Back to woodenbridge, stopped for a quick cuppa and a bar, back to Arklow and on to Gorey. Took road down to Courtown and coast road back towards Ballygarrett, took first turn for killenagh and home. 82 km avg 27 kph.

You seem to be flying mate. are you still living in Kilnamanagh?
You might recall me saying I gre up there, lived on Boot Road in Clondalkin for 7 years up til July, but have moved out to Valleymount past Blessington now, lovely spot to cycle.

secman · 18-09-2017 11:13AM

terrydel wrote: »

You seem to be flying mate. are you still living in Kilnamanagh?
You might recall me saying I gre up there, lived on Boot Road in Clondalkin for 7 years up til July, but have moved out to Valleymount past Blessington now, lovely spot to cycle.

Yep still in kilnamanagh Mon to Fri/ Sat and out in sticks in North wexford on weekends hence the blessington and Gorey spins. Yeh I saw from your posts that you are in Valleymount, really lovely spot, love cycling around there. The only thing is , will it be hard for you to get some winter mid week spins in ? Thanks for the comment, really enjoying the biking at the moment and invested in 2 new bikes recently , the upside to hitting 60. Sure you are flying yourself on those hills and sportives.
Best of luck on your new house.

Alanstrainor · 18-09-2017 12:38PM

Lovely morning for it. Not too hot, not too cold and a lovely clear morning to boot. A great time of year to be on the bike!

terrydel · 18-09-2017 01:07PM

secman wrote: »

Yep still in kilnamanagh Mon to Fri/ Sat and out in sticks in North wexford on weekends hence the blessington and Gorey spins. Yeh I saw from your posts that you are in Valleymount, really lovely spot, love cycling around there. The only thing is , will it be hard for you to get some winter mid week spins in ? Thanks for the comment, really enjoying the biking at the moment and invested in 2 new bikes recently , the upside to hitting 60. Sure you are flying yourself on those hills and sportives.
Best of luck on your new house.

Cheers mate. I've never done too many after dark winter spins so it'll be same again, use the turbo and perhaps every so often go out with the lights on in the pitch black! But its worth it to live in such a beautiful place.
Seeing the improvement is a greater motivator isnt it? I've seen a lot of improvement the last 12 months and it makes it feel worthwhile

What bikes did you get? I'm due a cycle to work scheme spring next year, cant wait :pac:

triggermortis · 18-09-2017 01:31PM

https://www.strava.com/activities/1189886387

Lovely morning for a spin - should have left earlier to make more of the time.
45Km around NCD taking in Naul and Snowtown

Daroxtar · 18-09-2017 03:14PM

Back from Northern Spain after a couple of epic spins with a buddy of mine.
TL;DR Nearly 300km in 3 days with 7000m odd climbing. Pics at the bottom of the post

As mentioned above, climbed the Angliru and La Cubilla on day 1.
On day 2 we tackled Lagos De Covadonga in the morning and Alto de Sotres (Jitu Escrandi). Compared to the Angliru they were easy but they are anything but easy. I've been up Covadonga before and knew that the 12km@7.8% is deceptive as there's a flat and downhill sections so it's really 9km@9% and a km of that at 12.5% without a break up around the Huesera ramp.

The weather was fine so I set off at a good pace and kept it going to the top, improving last years time by nearly 5 minutes. My mate followed shortly afterwards and after a lovely coffee and croissant in the cafe at the top we made the descent. I love that descent. It's a great balance between technical and lightning fast, a real rewarding hurtle down the mountain. Made it down safely and buzzing and threw the bikes in the van and headed over for the second climb of the day.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1184856415

Sotres is 11km@7% but again there's a couple of easy kms offset by vicious ramps up to 20% including one section of nearly a km@16% near the top. With heavy enough legs after the morning spin this was far more of a steady touristy spin and to be honest, I was just astounded by the beauty of the area. It's a stunning canyon with thousand foot cliffs either side. The spin started off dry but about 3km from the top it got nasty and we had to put in a bit of a spurt to get into a cafe before we got pelted with rain and hailstones. We decided not to bother with the last km to the very top where the Vuelta stage finished last year as another km averaging 18-20% all the way didn't appeal as much as the thought of getting back down during a break in the weather. The road was dodgy on the descent and the last 3 or 4 km it opened the heavens again so we were just happy to get out of the wet and cold and away home.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1185167192
Total for the day- 83km with 2236m climbed.

Day 3 saw us cycle the Puerto San Glorio pass over the mountains and on to the town of Riano. This meant a lot to me because seeing this place on the Vuelta 3 years ago was the clincher for me to plan a holiday in Northern Spain, but despite coming here twice previously, I hadn't cycled up here due either time due to time constraints and weather, turning back a few km short the first time.
This year I was getting there no matter what.
Puerto San Glorio is a really long climb steady, 26km@5% from Potes, a bit easier to start with the last 16@6.5%. The two previous days really started to affect my friend and about 10 km into the cycle he asked for the keys of the van and told me he'd go back and collect me later if I needed it. I slowed the pace right down and coaxed him a little, he soldiered on and eventually once he saw the top of the pass in the distance he said he'd continue at his own pace and meet me on the other side. I pushed on a bit after that and took in another viewing point off the top of the main climb. I could see him in the distance coming to the top of the pass so by the time I got down we had a gentle descent and about 10km flat to the town.
It was breathtaking. The lake with the mountains in the background left me with a lump in my throat. 3 years waiting was worth every minute.
We had a fantastic meal in a fancy hotel there. The Veal Tenderloin just melted in my mouth. The cycle back was at a much more reserved effort as quite frankly I was now bolloxed. When we made the top we could see some clouds rolling in behind us so we didn't hang around. The best part of a 26km climb on perfect roads? The descent!! I went down it like a bullet. If my wife ever sees the video I took we'll probably have issues

Rolled on home for 118.8km with 2125m climbed.
The weather was fairly Irish over the 3 days, maximum of about 17, much colder up top of the mountains and a few showers of rain and some mist just to remind us that this was definitely not a summer training camp in Majorca but in general it was grand for being on the bike.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1186788163

Then realised Ryanair had cancelled our flights home from Santander so another adventure ensued involving a few frantic phone calls, less than 5 hours sleep, a 6 hour train journey to Madrid and the last 2 seats left on the plane. But anyway.... It was a fcking blast.

secman · 18-09-2017 03:41PM

terrydel wrote: »

What bikes did you get? I'm due a cycle to work scheme spring next year, cant wait :pac:

Trek emonda Sl 6 pro , full ultegra & with carbon wheels... beong the good bike in wexford
Planet x pro carbon full ultegra & stock fulcrum wheels now the Dublin bike.
Winter bike wexford, caad 9 full ultegra with a few carbon bits , forks, seat post, saddle and crank.
And then there's the vintage Raparee steel frame with dura ace on decent mavic wheels... which will be confined to occasional nostalgic spins in wexford.

rollingscone · 18-09-2017 03:42PM

Great riding, great photos and great report.

Chapeau on the triple threat Daroxtar

terrydel · 18-09-2017 04:24PM

secman wrote: »

Trek emonda Sl 6 pro , full ultegra & with carbon wheels... beong the good bike in wexford
Planet x pro carbon full ultegra & stock fulcrum wheels now the Dublin bike.
Winter bike wexford, caad 9 full ultegra with a few carbon bits , forks, seat post, saddle and crank.
And then there's the vintage Raparee steel frame with dura ace on decent mavic wheels... which will be confined to occasional nostalgic spins in wexford.

Thats a fine stable, I've 105 on mine but had full ultegra on a rental in Italy this year and its a big step up, imho its as much as the likes of you and me could ever need. Just feels really good quality

Enjoy those new bikes as much as you can

terrydel · 18-09-2017 04:25PM

rollingscone wrote: »

Great riding, great photos and great report.

Chapeau on the triple threat Daroxtar

Second that, seems like a seriously impressive few days.

CrowdedHouse · 18-09-2017 07:27PM

I did just 18 Km today on the Great Western Greenway from Newport to Mulranny on a hired Kona hybrid that was way too big for me, just couldn't get the saddle height right and I seemed to be fully stretched on top. Seemed to take the same out of me as 50 Km on my road bike.

That said it was a lovely day out, nice scenery, the OH had an e-bike and she enjoyed the trip. First time using hydraulic disc brakes and liked the operation of them.

triggermortis · 19-09-2017 11:45AM

58Km out around NCD and saw a few new places.. Thanks to Eamon on the red Planet X for the directions from Ard Cath!!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1191179823

smacl · 19-09-2017 02:10PM

25k over lunch up by Kilternan and back via Cruagh. While getting up the hill with a couple of extra kgs on board was hard, descending Cruagh with knackered shoulders was a total nightmare and one I won't be repeating again any time soon. Will try it the other way around next time.

smacl · 19-09-2017 02:11PM

terrydel wrote: »

Second that, seems like a seriously impressive few days.

Third! Truly impressive stuff.

Daroxtar · 19-09-2017 02:46PM

Cheers lads. I ended up doing less than originally planned as my mate was just getting over a bad chest infection and didn't have the legs for another 50km and 1000m per day. Having the van meant we could cut out a fair bit of dead miles between the main climbs and have a nice few hours recovery and food in the middle. By the end of the last day my quads were in a fairly tender state and would doubtlessly have been worse if we'd gone ahead with the original routes. Plus it leaves more for the next time

magicbastarder · 20-09-2017 07:05AM

cycling up newtownpark avenue this morning, up near the very last steep bit, i passed a chap on a bike towing his six year old up the hill. made my effort look a little pale.

triggermortis · 21-09-2017 02:30PM

https://www.strava.com/activities/1194564478

66km around NCD @ 27kmh. Lovely afternoon for a spin.

Wishbone Ash · 21-09-2017 03:25PM

Daroxtar wrote: »

Snap!!

21-09-2017 04:04PM

Loving the coloured tyres on that Wishbone!!!!! Very nice indeed.

Borderfox · 21-09-2017 04:16PM

https://www.strava.com/activities/1194281239

38.6km today from Dunshaughlin to Dunboyne then Ratoath and home, had a quick stop in to get the Horses feed ready for tomorrow hence pictures of the neddys. Coming back from flu but legs feeling better from the break

dahat · 21-09-2017 04:47PM

Day 4 of my end of season rest period, not a happy camper, 1 left to go and need it to end quickly.

I miss my bike!!!

Daroxtar · 21-09-2017 06:35PM

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Snap!!

Its some spot in all fairness, Pics really do it no justice

nice_guy80 · 24-09-2017 08:28PM

went for a cycle today along the Royal Canal from Mullingar out to the Meath border
about 21km and then back again on a regular hybrid
was a glorious day for it
lovely wooded sections, colours of autumn in full flow
three pubs along the canal between Hill of Down and McKneads bridge at the motorway (we might have stopped in one or two)

a few weekends ago we went from Mullingar to Ballynacarrigy in the other direction - more locks, much quieter in terms of walkers or cyclists, the canal is raised above the surrounding landscape a bit more

loads of parking at various points along the route. highly recommended

moonshadow · 24-09-2017 08:45PM

Busy weekend starting with the Tony Golden Garda memorial passport cycle on Saturday morning, involving 165 km with 1200m climbing and getting your "passport" stamped at every Garda station in county louth.
This was tough.. very very tough with significant climbs in Cooley and the wind holy jeebus the wind was savage.But man was it good brilliant event limited numbers but may grow watch out for it next year.
(Btw all funds were donated to rnli , Golden famlies choice to donate in respect of lost 116 crewman and neighbour Mark Duffy RIP) quodos.
Sunday hangover recovery spin of 60 km @ 35 avg to raise a few bob for a local cyclist who had a bad smash this year.
#legs bo11ixed.

Daroxtar · 24-09-2017 09:40PM

Nice club spin today. Good number out and a nice steady pace. I was barely breaking sweat for most of it until the last few km when the group split and the strong young lads headed over to Newtown Hill and gombeen here decided to go with them. Lads who place top 10 in the Junior tour should be let off on their own!

Was wondering towards the end of the spin why my legs were beginning to feel it when I had only done about 55km. Then I realised I had somehow managed to change my display to miles.
Finished up with bang on the 100km. Much better than 62

https://www.strava.com/activities/1199105571

LollipopJimmy · 24-09-2017 10:10PM

moonshadow wrote: »

Busy weekend starting with the Tony Golden Garda memorial passport cycle on Saturday morning, involving 165 km with 1200m climbing and getting your "passport" stamped at every Garda station in county louth.
This was tough.. very very tough with significant climbs in Cooley and the wind holy jeebus the wind was savage.But man was it good brilliant event limited numbers but may grow watch out for it next year.
(Btw all funds were donated to rnli , Golden famlies choice to donate in respect of lost 116 crewman and neighbour Mark Duffy RIP) quodos.
Sunday hangover recovery spin of 60 km @ 35 avg to raise a few bob for a local cyclist who had a bad smash this year.
#legs bo11ixed.

I saw that cycle advertised earlier in the year, it looked good craic and I made a mental note to look into it. I forgot though

Boscoirl · 25-09-2017 07:44AM

Daroxtar wrote: »

Was wondering towards the end of the spin why my legs were beginning to feel it when I had only done about 55km. Then I realised I had somehow managed to change my display to miles.
Finished up with bang on the 100km. Much better than 62
https://www.strava.com/activities/1199105571

This happened to me yesterday too. l had a look at the distance after about an hour and had less than 20k done. But my average speed was over 25. I was rightly confused

Was afraid to try change it incase in messed up the recording.

Spent the rest if the day trying to convert what I had done into km

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

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