Tell us about your cycle today part III

adrian522 · 07-06-2021 9:05pm

Cycled to the Aviva stadium this morning for my 1st dose of the vaccine. Then I met up with a group from the running club and took a spin out to Enniskerry which is apparently turning into a film set. Had a very pleasant coffee and cake and back in towards home after an hour or so.

50km all in, 23km/h average.

Type 17 · 08-06-2021 5:54pm

Now that we're fully vaccinated, my wife & I went down to her sister's in Waterford (first time in 16 months) and took a few trips on the greenway.
Also went out solo, and did a loop from WD city through Tramore, along the coast to Annestown and then north to join the greenway at Carrolls Cross - 72km at 27.5 average with 585 ascent - gorgeous...

magicbastarder · 09-06-2021 8:26pm

Kinda frustrating stop start evening this evening. Kept having to stop to pull gravel off my tyres after cycling through a stupidly tarry road resurfacing job, then decided to turn back on the ratoath dunshaughlin road due to high traffic volumes (I believe there may have been a fatality in the area, so there could have been road closures) then picked up my second puncture in the last month (and second in the last year) when a van came around a bend on a back road and I hit a pothole trying to avoid it.

A beautiful evening out nonetheless.

ednwireland · 09-06-2021 8:36pm

why does the rain start at 6.30pm and finish at 8pm on a Wednesday evening

09-06-2021 8:42pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

Kinda frustrating stop start evening this evening. Kept having to stop to pull gravel off my tyres after cycling through a stupidly tarry road resurfacing job, then decided to turn back on the ratoath dunshaughlin road due to high traffic volumes (I believe there may have been a fatality in the area, so there could have been road closures) then picked up my second puncture in the last month (and second in the last year) when a van came around a bend on a back road and I hit a pothole trying to avoid it.

A beautiful evening out nonetheless.

Unfortunately so, on the R125 towards Drumree I believe.

09-06-2021 8:56pm

Nine long days out of the saddle with a combination of a cold and sick kids. Had taken a few days off around the long weekend and planned a few very long spins but they were all canned.

Got out tonight for a lovely 45k with 700 climbing at 27kph. Lovely and warm even if it was very grey.

magicbastarder · 09-06-2021 9:18pm

ednwireland wrote: »

why does the rain start at 6.30pm and finish at 8pm on a Wednesday evening

because you live in donegal.

07Lapierre · 09-06-2021 10:12pm

Did the Waterford Greenway today. Dungarvan-Waterford-Dungarvan.

A great amenity and it was great to see so many cyclists of all abilities using it.

A few observations:
1. The amount of people who don’t seem to realize it’s a two-way route and cycle “all over the road”
2. The amount of people who don’t know how to wear a bicycle helmet!

Still.. very enjoyable and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Maidhci · 09-06-2021 10:24pm

07Lapierre wrote: »

Did the Waterford Greenway today. Dungarvan-Waterford-Dungarvan.

A great amenity and it was great to see so many cyclists of all abilities using it.

A few observations:
1. The amount of people who don’t seem to realize it’s a two-way route and cycle “all over the road”
2. The amount of people who don’t know how to wear a bicycle helmet!

Still.. very enjoyable and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Totally agree, did it two years ago, Dungarvan-Waterford-Dungarvan, thoroughly enjoyed it. Visited Mount Congreve Gardens on return journey, lovely place. Dungarvan is a great town to stay in, good restaurants and pubs and a great choice of accommodation etc. etc. Hope to do it again later in the summer all going well.

ednwireland · 10-06-2021 9:15am

magicbastarder wrote: »

because you live in donegal.

you sir are on my ignore list :eek::D:pac:

Seth Brundle · 10-06-2021 11:20am

Went out on my hybrid this morning and managed 51km @ 27.4km/h.
Lovely bright morning but was fairly breezy. Found my arms tiring on the flatbar after a while though.
I actually had it in my head to get a coffee from the cafe in Lyons on the spin but it turns out that they don't open until 11

I didn't put my camera on the bike and I kinda regret it now.
Along the Royal canal near Ardclough, a lad overtook me leaving centimetres between us. Anyone who knows this road will be familiar with the poor surface and that it is narrow. I shouted at him and he stopped using his mini-van thing to block the entire road giving out to me that I was in the middle of the road and I should be "over there as he pointed left which was literally the grass verge or canal itself :rolleyes:.

Further on, on the northerly stretch approaching Peamount Hospital, an artic decided to overtake me as a queue of traffic was approaching. I slowed to an almost stop - had to for obvious reasons. The oncoming traffic led by a tractor was made stop because of the feckless artic driver.
Kudos to the lad in a yellow van following the artic because he followed me all the way to the new junction at Grange Castle (about 2km). In fairness, I was doing about 35km/h there so wasn't really holding him up. Gave him a "thanks" wave when I turned right and got a nice friendly wave back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5445064413

10-06-2021 12:04pm

^ You should consider new grips with the bar ends on them Seth, so much more comfortable even for shorter day to day trips.

Weepsie · 10-06-2021 1:42pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Went out on my hybrid this morning and managed 51km @ 27.4km/h.
Lovely bright morning but was fairly breezy. Found my arms tiring on the flatbar after a while though.
I actually had it in my head to get a coffee from the cafe in Lyons on the spin but it turns out that they don't open until 11

I didn't put my camera on the bike and I kinda regret it now.
Along the Royal canal near Ardclough, a lad overtook me leaving centimetres between us. Anyone who knows this road will be familiar with the poor surface and that it is narrow. I shouted at him and he stopped using his mini-van thing to block the entire road giving out to me that I was in the middle of the road and I should be "over there as he pointed left which was literally the grass verge or canal itself :rolleyes:.

Further on, on the northerly stretch approaching Peamount Hospital, an artic decided to overtake me as a queue of traffic was approaching. I slowed to an almost stop - had to for obvious reasons. The oncoming traffic led by a tractor was made stop because of the feckless artic driver.
Kudos to the lad in a yellow van following the artic because he followed me all the way to the new junction at Grange Castle (about 2km). In fairness, I was doing about 35km/h there so wasn't really holding him up. Gave him a "thanks" wave when I turned right and got a nice friendly wave back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5445064413

I assumed that road was the canal path give! Narrow is one word

grouchyman · 10-06-2021 3:03pm

Early morning spin for me. warm & breezy 25.82 kms at 26.1 kph.

I just noticed there on strava that my relative effort for this spin is 32 previously it was between 124 and 141 for the same spin earlier this year. I must keep an eye on that to see if its a trend or just a fluke. But I presume it means that the fitness level is improving?

Wildly Boaring · 10-06-2021 3:30pm

grouchyman wrote: »

Early morning spin for me. warm & breezy 25.82 kms at 26.1 kph.

I just noticed there on strava that my relative effort for this spin is 32 previously it was between 124 and 141 for the same spin earlier this year. I must keep an eye on that to see if its a trend or just a fluke. But I presume it means that the fitness level is improving?

Think it's just a measure of heartrate zones by time added up

One thing with strava is that they have the heartrate zones completely balls up by default. eg Zone 5 is basically 100% and above, which is impossible.

Maybe you import from an app that sorts it for you

Wishbone Ash · 10-06-2021 11:31pm

grouchyman wrote: »

...I just noticed there on strava that my relative effort for this spin is 32 previously it was between 124 and 141 for the same spin earlier this year. I must keep an eye on that to see if its a trend or just a fluke. But I presume it means that the fitness level is improving?

I'm open to correction but I don't think Strava can take wind into account. You could be turning yourself inside out battling a very strong headwind yet Strava might indicate that, going by your average speed, you're slacking.

Similarly, you could coast along with a very strong tailwind, without scratching yourself and it may think that your pulling out all the stops going by your average speed.

grouchyman · 11-06-2021 9:23am

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Think it's just a measure of heartrate zones by time added up

One thing with strava is that they have the heartrate zones completely balls up by default. eg Zone 5 is basically 100% and above, which is impossible.

Maybe you import from an app that sorts it for you

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I'm open to correction but I don't think Strava can take wind into account. You could be turning yourself inside out battling a very strong headwind yet Strava might indicate that, going by your average speed, you're slacking.

Similarly, you could coast along with a very strong tailwind, without scratching yourself and it may think that your pulling out all the stops going by your average speed.

Thanks lads.

I reckon I'm as well off to just keep ignoring the relative effort so. I just thought it was gas - the difference.

positron · 11-06-2021 1:50pm

Cycled to the Dundalk vaccination center and back this morning. Lovely soft soft day for it, cross-wind wasn't too bad either. Spied the 'Milk Shack' near Dromiskin, and plenty of people filling up there. What a cool idea, I wish there were more of these around the country!

Overall 67kms @ 24.3kmph, 439m elevation.

Another interesting observation is that I scored a bunch of shiny PB's on the way back from vaccination... hmm, lesser known side-effects of mRNA vaccine perhaps?

Nigzcurran · 12-06-2021 12:45pm

Finally back out on the bike with no panniers as I didn’t need to bring the van to work so cycled over, blanch to castlewarden. That bit of a climb out of Newcastle village was tough but I nearly broke the speed barrier coming back over it!

Wildly Boaring · 12-06-2021 1:07pm

Lovely Saturday morning.
Bettystown, Platin, Donore Tullyallen. West up and up to lobinstown down to stackallen.
Then home by Ros na Ri, Donore, Drogheda

80k and about 850m.

I was supposed to be home at 11:30. Forgot myself and only looked at the time at Stackallen. Had to push on for the last hour home, stupidly with Strava paused.

Got there with a couple mins to spare.

Best part of it all was that from say Platin to the Sally Gardens, at least an hour later, not one vehicle.
Think I met a couple at Old bridge, that was it

12-06-2021 2:33pm

124kms 27.2kph, down to Carlow and back up through Kildare, saw a man racing a transit van with his horse and cart? if that’s what’s it’s called, interesting place Carlow,

byrnem31 · 12-06-2021 2:58pm

My first 100klm. Tallaght to baltinglass return. Lovely cycle and not as hard as I thought it would be.

magicbastarder · 12-06-2021 5:43pm

happy with that afternoon, first time i've bested 30km/h average on a cycle in many months. 70km at 30.3km/h, 454m elevation. though i will take issue with strava claiming 'Temperature: 17C; Feels like: 17C'.

secman · 12-06-2021 6:10pm

Cycled 15km into Gorey to meet up, headed to Arklow, Woodenbridge, Meeting of the waters, Ballinaclash, Aughrim, Balkycoog, , Inch, Gorey and 15km home.
105km Avg 27.6kph 820 meters.
First gran fondo since end of March, happy out.

Eamonnator · 12-06-2021 7:10pm

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Lovely Saturday morning.
Bettystown, Platin, Donore Tullyallen. West up and up to lobinstown down to stackallen.
Then home by Ros na Ri, Donore, Drogheda

80k and about 850m.

I was supposed to be home at 11:30. Forgot myself and only looked at the time at Stackallen. Had to push on for the last hour home, stupidly with Strava paused.

Got there with a couple mins to spare.

Best part of it all was that from say Platin to the Sally Gardens, at least an hour later, not one vehicle.
Think I met a couple at Old bridge, that was it

Lovely spin that.

Yeah and Meath is flat.

magicbastarder · 12-06-2021 7:36pm

weird that garristown seems to be about the same height as bellewstown. certainly doesn't feel that way.

https://en-ie.topographic-map.com/maps/85/County-Meath/

Wildly Boaring · 12-06-2021 7:57pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

weird that garristown seems to be about the same height as bellewstown. certainly doesn't feel that way.

https://en-ie.topographic-map.com/maps/85/County-Meath/

It's a bit further inland. A lot of the ground around the base of Bellewstown N E and W are almost sea level.

Tara and skryne are just higher than Bellewstown.
Skryne is only a pimple from the East and South.

magicbastarder · 12-06-2021 9:25pm

yeah, the fact that bellewstown has a river just to the north not much above sea level makes a big difference.

12-06-2021 10:09pm

Jez I fell like I should be posting in the wimp list thread having rode the coast of Co. Meath from Drogheda to Laytown and back this morning for a short spin, even heading into town I rolled down a hill with minus 7-10% in places

Though the hill through Julianstown saw me do a bit of climbing on the way back. I actually love riding that section of the R132 at that time of day, one of the few times I don't mind being on it, up over the hill and up through the gears again to TT home.

this.lad · 12-06-2021 10:28pm

Football, soccer and several other child related activities left me looking at getting out at 4 o clock. Went up to get changed and sat down on the bed, woke up two hours later!

Did 40km at 8pm, 28km/h fairly flat.

I'll either sleep like a baby, or I'll be up all night!

Tell us about your cycle today part III

Comments