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

  • 04-07-2016 10:31am
    #1
    Administrators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 74,773 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Beasty


    Old thread here

    No cycle for me today - back's gone and can barely walk, so over to the rest of you.....


«134567330

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,854 ✭✭✭Rogue-Trooper


    Late getting out the door this morning so only managed 32k before work.

    However, as the first post in the new thread, it makes my spin epic! ;)

    Smashing morning for it too by the way.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,374 ✭✭✭Eponymous


    Yesterday's effort was Greystones - Bray - Leopardstown - Rathfarnham - Stepaside - Enniskerry - N11 - Greystones.

    Not sure why but I really felt like I was suffering until I reached Leopardstown, but somehow managed some PBs along the way even on the climb up Bray Head, which was the most surprising as a jogger passed me in the last 200m of it! I was just about ready to climb off the bike at that stage.

    http://www.strava.com/activities/628758818/


  • Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Oymyakon


    Another puncture on the way to work, hand pump wasn't working.... Great start to a Monday morning.


  • Registered Users Posts: 313 ✭✭strmin


    Signed up for Great Dublin bike ride and wanted to check out the route. Took a wrong turn, so not exactly the same. It was pleasant 97km ride:

    https://www.strava.com/activities/628394674


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    Camping with the family in Clare over the weekend and managed to sneak in ~110k here and there when no one was looking. Blustery around Loop head on Saturday but great gas once the wind was behind you.


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  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 16,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭yop


    Tough club spin, was uncomfortable from the start and the level of pain increased hour by hour and I'm worried now I'm in major trouble for Tuesday nights 40KM TT.
    We clocked up 117km just under 30kmph average. Windy but a lovely dry day.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,236 ✭✭✭Idleater


    I suppose I could do a bit of a write up. Since getting: (images of beauty thread)
    Idleater wrote: »
    My new horizontal top tube non SRAM bike for Nederland. It's a full Campagnolo super record from the 70's.
    I found out that L'Eroica had an event in Limburg, southern Netherlands so I signed up. 160km, on an old bike, be grand.

    Spent the interim weeks researching and buying bits n pieces like 28mm tyres because apparently as it was the first running of the event, they planned some "special" routes.

    Got the first train down to Maastricht on Sunday morning, and cycled to the start in Valkenburg, to find a nice throng of people at the start square:
    27981172262_1a07ce9acc.jpg

    27980839392_567f09c439.jpg
    First stop was in a lovely country villa where there were sandwiches, tomato soup, gazpacho, coffee and (as only the Belgians would think of), sparkling or still water from the onsite spring.

    Second stop was: (pic from your cycle thread)
    Idleater wrote: »
    Nicest and most welcome coffee at the second stop on l'Eroica Limburg.
    and from there it was on to Dreilandenpunkt, through the Brand bier brewery and on to a final stop at another country farm for asparagus soup and focaccia. The local water here only had mint leaves in it.

    Another 60 km later was a celebratory beer back in Valkenburg
    28049295246_d93f6a25ee.jpg

    The scenery was spectacular throughout and the weather held up nicely on the day (though there has been plenty of rain so far this year). The route was extremely well signposted, though it needed to be considering the "paths" it went down. Met many walkers and mountain bikers who were bemused to say the least at the "tour de France" bikes going up and down the rock/sand/stone mud hills lanes alley ways and caves.

    The bike held up well, though after being off road for probably 80 of the 160km it looked like it needed a wash.
    27469428594_b6e577280f.jpg

    Thoroughly enjoyable in a kind of satisfying though wondering why did I think this was a good idea way. Met many very sound people en route, some absolute nutters doing the distance on "single" (double) speed bikes with a 56 front ring, and Uwe, who I happened to cycle with for the second half.

    ~2000m of climbing and the strava details (though the garmin was in my pocket for authenticity)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,054 ✭✭✭Bloggsie


    28.8 kms in 65mins 26.5 avg.

    I will pass the 1000km mark on my spin home this evening, not bad considering I only started commuting to & from work in the second week of May

    not as much as some on here but Im chuffed with hitting the mark.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,785 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    Folks although I did a good bit of cycling in my younger years, I haven't thrown my leg over a bike in 20 years. I got a bike lately and finally got out for a spin this evening. I did 26.86 km at an average of 20.4 km/h. (out and back flat just 98m climbing according to these new-fangled computers) I know 'tis little enough but little acorns etc etc

    Seven Worlds will Collide



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,952 ✭✭✭✭retalivity


    Lovely evening for a spin, 2 ascents in the dublin mountains, one up cruagh to the viewpoint then stocking lane. Was the clearest ive seen it at the viewpoint (admittedly ive only been up there 12-15 times), could see the mountains on the Cooley peninsula & the mournes beyond.

    Cruagh PBs, dont normally go up that way and noticed that I went up today in half the time it took me my first ever attempt at it last summer. Onwards and upwards

    https://www.strava.com/activities/631176084

    ZRG5Aaj_VOudFR7wA62hA7lpfpt2GHJcMMBq1wyzu-g-2048x1536.jpg


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  • Registered Users Posts: 16,596 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Tipp League TT tonight which was my first ever try at a TT. Enjoyed it immensely as i went pretty well tbh.

    16KM TT in 24.43 at 39km avg speed.... Really pleased.


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 16,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭yop


    Broke the hour in tonights Connacht 40km TT. Worse prep with around 2 hours kip as my son was sick and then ended up at doc for the full morning with him, so no proper sleep, no proper food or drink, so that wasn't looking good. Turned up then and realised with everything I had forgot my Garmin. My wife put the 2 kids into the car and drove the 30 minutes to leave it to me.
    Felt tired, even the warm up was a disaster, just couldn' find my legs. Took a gel way to early and just felt that I wanted to end it before it started.
    Outleg I felt alright, average was poor and the average power was at 285 watts which was 20 watts down on the last time I did that TT 3 weeks
    ago. I went out at position 3, caught the front 2 by the 10km mark, Got to the turn and was just passed by a lad who started 2 minutes behind me. Total downer on that. 32 minutes, so was looking at a 64 minute finish time, 3.5 minutes more than 3 weeks previous.

    But I hit a gel, got some water and turned into the wind. I said I would live on the average watts and not worry about the average speed which was 38kmph bang on. So even on the down (there was 2) and on the hills I kept it over the 300 watts, I was concerned my back and hips were going to give up but I just relaxed and didn't panic.

    I kept the lad who passed me in good eye view so maybe that helped. With 10km to go I felt pretty good. I upped the output again and then with 5km to go I realised my time wasn't as bad as I thought. At 3KM out I was at 55.5 minutes so I buried everything I had to see if I could get sub 1 hour.
    I managed to finish out the 3KM with just under 400 watts average in just over 4 minutes @ 44.1kmph average. And 4 seconds to spare off the 1 hour! :)

    I have to say I was over the moon.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,596 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Any tips on approach for a 40km TT?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,054 ✭✭✭Bloggsie


    on the commute home yesterday, I saw the most reckless behaviour from a cyclist. Between the henry street/o'connell street junctions and also on parnell square-street she broke almost every red light narrowly missing pedistrians and just avoided being milled by an aircoach. I pulled up beside her and tried to engage her, I must have been wearing my cloak of invisibility cos she just ignored me and broke another light and headed on her way.

    ohh and just to lob a grenade in, she was wearing headphones!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,054 ✭✭✭Bloggsie


    yop wrote: »
    Broke the hour in tonights Connacht 40km TT. Worse prep with around 2 hours kip as my son was sick and then ended up at doc for the full morning with him, so no proper sleep, no proper food or drink, so that wasn't looking good. Turned up then and realised with everything I had forgot my Garmin. My wife put the 2 kids into the car and drove the 30 minutes to leave it to me.
    Felt tired, even the warm up was a disaster, just couldn' find my legs. Took a gel way to early and just felt that I wanted to end it before it started.
    Outleg I felt alright, average was poor and the average power was at 285 watts which was 20 watts down on the last time I did that TT 3 weeks
    ago. I went out at position 3, caught the front 2 by the 10km mark, Got to the turn and was just passed by a lad who started 2 minutes behind me. Total downer on that. 32 minutes, so was looking at a 64 minute finish time, 3.5 minutes more than 3 weeks previous.

    But I hit a gel, got some water and turned into the wind. I said I would live on the average watts and not worry about the average speed which was 38kmph bang on. So even on the down (there was 2) and on the hills I kept it over the 300 watts, I was concerned my back and hips were going to give up but I just relaxed and didn't panic.

    I kept the lad who passed me in good eye view so maybe that helped. With 10km to go I felt pretty good. I upped the output again and then with 5km to go I realised my time wasn't as bad as I thought. At 3KM out I was at 55.5 minutes so I buried everything I had to see if I could get sub 1 hour.
    I managed to finish out the 3KM with just under 400 watts average in just over 4 minutes @ 44.1kmph average. And 4 seconds to spare off the 1 hour! :)

    I have to say I was over the moon.
    safe to say that you werent just mooching along then!


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 16,722 Mod ✭✭✭✭yop


    dahat wrote: »
    Any tips on approach for a 40km TT?
    As in food or warm up? I just spin the legs for 20 minutes tbh. I eat around 2 hours before and just nibble a bar/banana in the final 30 minutes.
    I took at drink twice, 20 and 40 minutes, gel at 30 minutes also.
    That was only my 3rd ever, so total newbie!
    Bloggsie wrote: »
    safe to say that you werent just mooching along then!

    Whats odd is that I put no pressure on myself, I probably have a habit of overthinking leading and getting up in a heap. But ya I just kept it very steady, learned a lot in that one last night.


  • Registered Users Posts: 730 ✭✭✭Buzwaldo


    Took a day out from family holiday in southern France yesterday for a two hour drive up to Bedoin, base camp for Mont Ventoux.
    Got to hire shop at 8.15 and instead of intended domane triple, had my head turned by a lighter emonda with compact & 32 on the back (more later)
    The 21 km climb starts gently enough for the first five or so km, but then the middle section through the forest is quite steep. Initial thoughts of getting to chalet renard 6 km from the top without stopping soon went out the window. The heat and the constant gradient in excess of 10% for I don't know how long changed my plans. Got to the chalet anyway, another brief rest, and onwards and upwards - less steep now until that last km, but the goal was in sight then, and I was too busy posing for the photographers (three in all) snapping away and handing out their cards.
    There was quite a bit of traffic on the road - cyclists of all shapes and variety, and sightseers in cars, some vintage, & on motorbikes. The top was pretty busy with an ill-organised queue for snaps at the summit sign.
    It was an arduous climb, taking me about 2 hours &. 20 or so minutes including stops, but I didn't travel that far for half a days cycling, so down the far side I went to Malucene for lunch followed by another 21k of upward mobility.
    The stats from this side are similar at almost 1600m of climbing over similar distances but I had convinced myself that this was a bit kinder. In truth, it possibly was, but still had a 4-5 k bit in the middle averaging greater tha 10%. (The 11k to go marker signifies that the next km averages 12%)
    Needless to say, my planned 3 stop strategy soon morphed to 4, then 5, then out the window. As on the first ascent, heat was an issue, with every sip of water being accompanied with splashing some on my head or back of my neck. Having said that, it was only about 28-29 degrees, and cooler at the top, could be worse.
    After the tough middle section, I had a coke & coffee at a cafe with 6 k to go. While I was stopped it clouded over and as I was wet from sweat & water I cooled down quite a bit. Never mind, climbing would soon warm me, I thought, but not so. I had just donned my rain jacket for heat, when the rain did come. Not too much, but it kept on up to the top - much less crowded now, and on down to Bedoin I headed.
    I had the obligatory stop at the Tom Simpson memorial, in memory of the cyclist who died there on the 1967 tour.
    Lovely descent down - similar on both sides- good surface, winding roads, nice bends, but few hairpins. It was wasted on me as I am a crap descender, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
    All in all 84 km with total climbing of 3184m at an average of 14.5 kph according to my Garmin.
    There is a third ascent from Sault which is easier about 1300 m spread over 26 k and many do the three in the one day. Wouldn't mind trying it, but not with the constraints of one day bike hire.
    On the gearing, I would never need or use a 32 in Ireland, but with being conservative early on, and under pressure later, I probably did about half the climbing in 34/32 gear. On the hard part of the second climb, the speedo was reading 7kph or thereabouts for long periods! Grinding a 32 cassette indeed. Had I gone with the triple I would have had a wider choice of low gears available to me at the expense of maybe a kilo of bike.
    Anyway, a very memorable day on the bike, on of my toughest yet, but enjoyable nonetheless.


  • Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Oymyakon


    When I was cycling to work this morning I overtook a 33 as it began to move off from a stop

    At the next lights I was stopped and the bus pulled right up to me and the driver opened the doors, I was expecting him to give out to me or something

    He said:

    "What's your average cadence"


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,937 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    Oymyakon wrote: »
    When I was cycling to work this morning I overtook a 33 as it began to move off from a stop

    At the next lights I was stopped and the bus pulled right up to me and the driver opened the doors, I was expecting him to give out to me or something

    He said:

    "What's your average cadence"
    There's a driver on the No.33 who is a keen cyclist and races. Sometimes goes out with the McNally Swords groups. Probably him. He gives me the odd beep when I'm commuting. ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,168 ✭✭✭secman


    Haven't been out since Sunday...
    A summer headcold... pits ...Probably won't be able to get out till weekend hopefully. Poxy summer headcold..... you expect these in the winter :(


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  • Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Oymyakon


    There's a driver on the No.33 who is a keen cyclist and races. Sometimes goes out with the McNally Swords groups. Probably him. He gives me the odd beep when I'm commuting. ;)

    It's probably him so, I'll have to keep an eye out for him at the club :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,520 ✭✭✭Alek


    He also drives the 16, but I'm yet to meet him on the road :)

    [edit]

    Asked on Strava, he confirmed it was him in the 33 :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,572 ✭✭✭DominoDub


    So the Sun is out in Dublin , "Howth for lunch" I said.

    Plan was to do the Sutton to Howth Village Climb non stop (as it's only my second time doing it :o).

    Bagged it at a slow pace at 19mins. So as treat and reward for my little effort I had a nice seafood lunch at "Octopussy's Seafood Tapas Bar".:D

    391068.jpg


    So I was feeling great on my return leg of my lunch spin, when along those Clontarf Sea Front road works I was forced into a Pot Hole at speed ,,,cheers Mr Van Driver..

    The result was an instant "Double Puncture" event.:mad: ( Only had one spare tube)

    Thanks to the friendly guys at "360 Cycles" I was back on the road quick enough.

    ***So a heads up warning to watch out for that Clontarf road surface during these road works.

    https://www.strava.com/activities/633118000


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,054 ✭✭✭Bloggsie


    Oymyakon wrote: »
    When I was cycling to work this morning I overtook a 33 as it began to move off from a stop

    At the next lights I was stopped and the bus pulled right up to me and the driver opened the doors, I was expecting him to give out to me or something

    He said:

    "What's your average cadence"
    Thats great, I really hope you told him & not think he was taking the p**s. in the 3 years or so since I have begun cycling, I have noticed the behaviour of Dublin Bus drivers has improved greatly towards cyclists, some of the private companies could do with taking a leaf out of their book!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,202 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    Boss owed me a day off so I said feck it I'd take it today.

    Had a route in mind and set out to see where the morning would take me. 8 hours later I had 200km in the legs and felling of satisfaction that this has been my most productive day all week!

    https://www.strava.com/activities/633246516


  • Registered Users Posts: 245 ✭✭Oymyakon


    DominoDub wrote:
    ***So a heads up warning to watch out for that Clontarf road surface during these road works.


    Those roadworks are Hell on Earth. Avoid that road like the plague now.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    Headed out to the hills after work, planning on Ballyboden - Bohernabreena - Glassamucky and back down, but missed the turn off and ended up coming up Piperstown instead which is still a nice climb. Met two rather lost young hikers near Piperstown wondering where exactly on the Wicklow Way they were, having come from Marlay Park, Enniskerry and Glencree, and felt rather sad telling them the nearest point to the Wicklow way from where they were at that point was probably Marlay Park. One way of discovering Ireland I guess.


  • Registered Users Posts: 183 ✭✭Hauki


    godtabh wrote: »
    Boss owed me a day off so I said feck it I'd take it today.

    Had a route in mind and set out to see where the morning would take me. 8 hours later I had 200km in the legs and felling of satisfaction that this has been my most productive day all week!

    https://www.strava.com/activities/633246516
    Looks like a nice route, might give it a go in the coming weeks :cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,863 ✭✭✭✭crosstownk


    I left home this morning for my usual commute to work. On the incline to Whitehall, Alek pulled alongside me and we had a chat.

    On my way home I met Alek again on Dorset St. and we yapped all the way to the South Circulsr Road where our routes split.

    Nice to have a chat on a commute with a fellow Boardsie and Alek is sound. It was an interesting twist to my usual commute.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,054 ✭✭✭Bloggsie


    godtabh wrote: »
    Boss owed me a day off so I said feck it I'd take it today.

    Had a route in mind and set out to see where the morning would take me. 8 hours later I had 200km in the legs and felling of satisfaction that this has been my most productive day all week!

    https://www.strava.com/activities/633246516
    seems like you have a nice boss, can i have a job?


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