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

Takca · 12-04-2021 11:11PM

Ditched work an hour early to do my first long spin in a ages.

I've been doing a lot of short spins recently and started off today in short spin mode
I knew I was pushing too hard but for some reason convinced myself it'd be grand

50km done and 50km to go and I was feeling it, 106km in total, knackered and in pain
for the second half. If I was still stuck inside the 5km radius I'd given up 30km earlier.

triggermortis · 13-04-2021 01:06PM

I took the day off as its my sons birthday, but as he's in school I treated myself to a spin outside the old 5km limit. Plan was initially to head for Howth, but had to be in Oldtown for 11.30 so I didn't think I'd have enough time for that. I must have unconsciously missing work as I found myself doing a lap of the airport...
Got a bit lost going some back roads that I haven't been on in months, but found my way in the end. Needed to stop for a comfort break, but made it only 5 mins later than planned.
First coffee stop I've had on a spin in ages and met a few other lads to ride with for a short time after.
Best spin in ages.

102km @ 28.5kmh

LollipopJimmy · 13-04-2021 01:10PM

Just a quick spin into town for a socially distant coffee with a colleague, traffic was mad though.

smacl · 13-04-2021 01:30PM

Took a bit of time off this morning and snuck up to the Sally Gap for the first time in what feels like a very long time. Forgotten how much I enjoy cycling along the Military road and it felt like getting reacquainted with an old friend. A bit breezy on the way back but great conditions for the time of year. 50k with 860m of up all in, smiling all the way.

DaveyDave · 13-04-2021 02:02PM

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Just a quick spin into town for a socially distant coffee with a colleague, traffic was mad though.

Traffic has been crap since the restrictions got extended back in March. Overnight people decided to stop caring. For weeks I've been seeing people leaving parks in Lucan and driving home to Blanch, absolutely unnecessary. Considering retail and non essential businesses are closed, most click and collect is limited and a huge number of the population are working from home there was far too many cars on the roads.

I've found traffic heavy enough for the last two months to be fair so not expecting a huge change now.

magicbastarder · 13-04-2021 02:21PM

we popped out to howth (in the car) yesterday evening for fish'n'chips, and a takeaway pint for my wife.
the traffic was insanely light. we left at about half five.

velo.2010 · 13-04-2021 03:06PM

Went out along the Royal Canal to to Johnstown Bridge and on to Carbury, Lullymore, Rathangan and Monasterevin. Came back via Kildare, Newbridge and Naas. Bang on 120km for the day. That's the longest ride in months for me. Don't feel too bad, though the McDonalds in Newbridge may have helped!

Just glad to be out there today.

RobertFoster · 13-04-2021 03:23PM

Got to the edge of my 5km and turned right instead of left :eek:

Saw the sea (and the Liffey, and the Phoenix Park...) for the first time since September. The sun was shining making me slightly overdressed for the stop/start nature of traffic in town.

The Clontarf track was busier than O'Connell St. and the quays. Lots of people out walking and cycling, felt more like a Sunday than a Tuesday. Someone took a tow from the causeway and then reciprocated from Clontarf until we parted ways at Alfie Byrne Rd.

Nearly squeezed by a car and then immediately by a bus on Wood Quay for some reason. Waved through a checkpoint outside Guinness' (first I've seen since before Christmas) before heading home through the park.

Only a leisurely 60km, but ~20km more than I've been doing so far this year.

devonp · 13-04-2021 05:20PM

rode the northern part of the K200 cw. lumpy sections(and bad surfaces!) from Kill to Kilcullen, then short cutted across the Curragh to Rathangan , Lullymore etc. ok til Johnstown bridge but then felt crap and very cold (just me ? today). had intended to do the full 200 but alarm malfunctioned (just as well methinks) so settled for the top part.

160Km @ 28.5

did i meet/pass velo2010? seemed we had some similar sections

velo.2010 · 13-04-2021 05:33PM

devonp wrote: »

rode the northern part of the K200 cw. lumpy sections(and bad surfaces!) from Kill to Kilcullen, then short cutted across the Curragh to Rathangan , Lullymore etc. ok til Johnstown bridge but then felt crap and very cold (just me ? today). had intended to do the full 200 but alarm malfunctioned (just as well methinks) so settled for the top part.

160Km @ 28.5

did i meet/pass velo2010? seemed we had some similar sections

Quite possible, though I didn't notice too many out and about on those roads today. Most roads were pretty decent (apart from a bad section near Lullymore) with plenty of newly laid surfaces. Obviously, Kildare CC kept themselves pretty busy over the last few months.

youcancallmeal · 13-04-2021 05:47PM

Took advantage of the new limits this afternoon with a nice loop from South Dublin up to Glencullen. Sally Gap also just within my 20km so will give that a go at the weekend

cletus · 13-04-2021 05:51PM

devonp wrote: »

rode the northern part of the K200 cw. lumpy sections(and bad surfaces!) from Kill to Kilcullen, then short cutted across the Curragh to Rathangan , Lullymore etc. ok til Johnstown bridge but then felt crap and very cold (just me ? today). had intended to do the full 200 but alarm malfunctioned (just as well methinks) so settled for the top part.

160Km @ 28.5

did i meet/pass velo2010? seemed we had some similar sections

Through my homeplace. Is there a link to a map of the route, by any chance?

devonp · 13-04-2021 06:12PM

here's the full kildare 200 starting in Celbridge, its not designed by me but by a noted Audaxer, think it might be an official AI route now. i did the full one last yr acw in good summer weather, this way there's a real sting in the tail with the lumpy stuff at the end

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32969994

and heres my shorter route from today

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35689274

13-04-2021 07:33PM

First of (hopefully) many evening spins this year. Beautiful weather here in Cork and a great feeling to be out. 42k @ 31kph with 500 up. Amazing how much faster you can go by shedding the winter gear and riding in warm weather.

secman · 13-04-2021 07:34PM

First proper hill spin in over 6 months, i was following so not overly familiar with first section, but it is tge Kellystown loop and then Cruagh to viewing point and on up to the Cunard turn, down Cunard and home. 40 km and 670 meters, picked up a few pb, 2nds and 3rds which really surprised me

wheelo01 · 13-04-2021 08:13PM

Aimed to go up to pine forest/Johnny foxes, but after Gunny hill and mount venus road, I looked left and realised I'd left my climbing legs at home.

Got to do 50km at 26kph, absolutely glorious day for it, shorts and Jersey weather. I'll look forward to trying again later in the week, just today I hadnt the physical, or mental strength to climb.

https://strava.app.link/cl8tnSOLqfb

magicbastarder · 13-04-2021 08:38PM

just 51km around NCD. definitely can tell the dropoff in fitness, it was nearly twice as long as the spins i've been doing for the last three and a half months.
if i had a camera, i'd have caught three actionable stunts within five or ten minutes, two of which were lunatic HGV drivers northbound on the garristown road (presumably headed for sam dennigans) - one missed me by about a foot, the second overtook me into a blind bend. if he'd had more than 100m visibility of the oncoming lane at one point, i'd have been surprised.

i also had to locate a horse wrangler; i happened on a loose horse on the road near ballyboughal. the horse was as chill as ****, thankfully.

positron · 13-04-2021 09:04PM

^^^ Sounds like everything is going to back how it were! Not good!

My 60k ride to north of Drogheda was much better compared to that. Reasonably empty roads and no close passes. Beautiful evening to be out on the bike, strong evening sun lighting up the countryside against dark sky and silhouette of mountains in the distance, not too windy or too cold or too warm. One of those rides that's good for body, mind and spirit.

strmin · 14-04-2021 07:45AM

First time evening spin in Wicklow mountains. Surreal experience. Never felt more isolated on a bike. Not a soul in sight around Sally Gap. Completely empty road near Guinness lake made me think about zombies eating all tourists.
Very cold but very enjoyable spin. 68km with 1340m of elevation gain at 25km/h. Still on heavy winter bike so happy with that. Fitness is slowly coming back.

Seaswimmer · 14-04-2021 07:53AM

Went Deansgrange > Johnny foxes > Cruagh > Glencree > Enniskerry and home via Rathmichael yesterday.
Hadn't been up there for months. The surface on the road going up past Cruagh was poor. Looks like most of the tarmac has gone. Not much of an issue going up but fairly bumpy coming down at speed I would think.

youcancallmeal · 14-04-2021 11:35AM

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Went Deansgrange > Johnny foxes > Cruagh > Glencree > Enniskerry and home via Rathmichael yesterday.
Hadn't been up there for months. The surface on the road going up past Cruagh was poor. Looks like most of the tarmac has gone. Not much of an issue going up but fairly bumpy coming down at speed I would think.

Yeah I cycled a loop past Cruagh a lot during 5km lockdown and I would always go up that way, never down

vintcerf · 14-04-2021 01:33PM

picked up cycling late February and enjoying it quite a lot! Been doing some tiny hills around me and even got a KOM yesterday! What is the etiquette regarding KOM hunting?

magicbastarder · 14-04-2021 01:37PM

the etiquette is ride them as fast and hard as you can. (as long as you do it safely!)

14-04-2021 02:38PM

vintcerf wrote: »

picked up cycling late February and enjoying it quite a lot! Been doing some tiny hills around me and even got a KOM yesterday! What is the etiquette regarding KOM hunting?

Wait for a massive tailwind, drive to the quietest segment you can find, go into the segment with loads of momentum. Tell all the people you know that know nothing about cycling that you are now the fastest in the world.

Nah, I just pick a segment or two on solo rides and give them a rattle if there is no headwind. It's nearly always windy in Ireland so there's a good chance most of the good times on a segment were done with a tailwind. Allows me to enjoy the competitive side of cycling as I've never experienced racing. Using live segments on Strava makes a huge difference.

magicbastarder · 14-04-2021 02:48PM

also, depending on where you live, you may see times on some segments you'll never match on your own, because they may have been set by group rides out for a hard spin, who will be able to move faster than you on your own.

there's a segment which has been held by several boardsies (i'm currently number 1) but on the same segment in reverse, i'm 69th - it has been used by swords mcnally for races.

Agent Smyth · 14-04-2021 02:57PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

also, depending on where you live, you may see times on some segments you'll never match on your own, because they may have been set by group rides out for a hard spin, who will be able to move faster than you on your own.

And don't forget the people who leave their garmin on while traveling to and from their start/finish points in their car

DaveyDave · 14-04-2021 03:01PM

Decided to get out for a quick local spin after running some errands, first spin on a new chain and cassette and the chain is hopping all over the place. Changing to the big ring when up to speed it seems to completely come off the chain ring and drops several gears on the cassette.

Gears shift fine and they're new parts so don't know what it is. Dropped it down to the bike shop but it will be next week before I get it back. Shame as I'm off this week and next week and weather will be decent. First spin in almost a month too

silverharp · 14-04-2021 03:01PM

are KOM short distances only? can you extract times on say a route like some point in dublin near the city to say Enniskerry village

smacl · 14-04-2021 03:06PM

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Went Deansgrange > Johnny foxes > Cruagh > Glencree > Enniskerry and home via Rathmichael yesterday.
Hadn't been up there for months. The surface on the road going up past Cruagh was poor. Looks like most of the tarmac has gone. Not much of an issue going up but fairly bumpy coming down at speed I would think.

About a third of it has been repaved last year and is great and the rest is rough enough. Was going down there at ~50kph yesterday and a lad went tearing past me in around 70kph at a guess. Not too bad to descend but you have to keep an eye out for walkers and cars overtaking cyclists on the way up. Only bit I don't like on the Cruagh descent is all the new speed bumps they've added on the bottom along Edmonstown road.

Another trip up the Military road for me over lunch, rediscovering a few old boggy off-road favourites. Looking forward to more longer warmer evenings for this kind of lark.

magicbastarder · 14-04-2021 03:09PM

silverharp wrote: »

are KOM short distances only? can you extract times on say a route like some point in dublin near the city to say Enniskerry village

no, any segment will have a leaderboard, no matter how ong the segment is.

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

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