Saturday Spin: 11 October 08

Chips Lovell

Caroline_ie wrote: »

51.6kph spill ... after 35km. Ouch ... thx to Dr 72oo & the lads who nursed me back to kind of health. In bed with PC & frozen peas watching Sean Kelly winning Milan SanRemo.

Jebus. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Caroline_ie

SetOverSet wrote: »

Good to see you have your priorities right

I m discovering more scratches & bruises as they start hurting. Left thumb is very swollen and sore as hell, but not broken i think. As Tom was saying to the bunch of mammies and grannies who rescued me on the road earlier "Skin heals itself, Carbon doesn't" ...
*(thx to these ladies who were very nice to me too)

72hundred

@Caroline: Hope you feel well soon! Quite a spill you took today, make sure and look after yourself! plenty of rest and chocolate!

Otherwise a very enjoyable spin! 135km for myself from Castleknock.

Chips Lovell

How did it happen?

blorg

Get well soon Caroline, be sure to get anti-inflammatories, they are very effective in my experience. I think I have one of your gloves (it is very small) - hope you have the other one! Also have Tom's helmet, gloves and sunglasses, I will bring them with me next time we are heading out?

115km for me with over 1,000m (real) of climbing- we took in the second half of that killer hill emty is fond of, Djouce, Laragh, Wicklow Gap and then home around the lakes and Bohernabreena. A bit tired now TBH but still planning on giving the Orwell spin a go tomorrow unless I wake up stiff as a plank. Still have to get my road bike built back up, will give that a go this evening.

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

...we took in the second half of that killer hill emty is fond of, Djouce, Laragh, Wicklow Gap and then home around the lakes and Bohernabreena...

You did all of them on a fixed wheel:eek:

72hundred

el tonto wrote: »

You did all of them on a fixed wheel:eek:

Yeah and he came down from Wicklow Gap summit to encourage me to get up! Talk about gloating! (only joking of course)

blorg

You should slap a front brake on that Concept and get up the hills Tonto, it really is great. Managed over 18km/h average up the Wicklow Gap. Descending is the tricky bit. Climbing is generally OK although anything over 11-12% is pretty difficult. Going up emty's hill both the bike and myself were making noises I had never heard before and pulling up I managed to unclip during the 20%+ section. I then had to start off again up the hill, but of course I was in the wrong gear for it

Caroline_ie

el tonto wrote: »

How did it happen?

Road was greasy, I was going fast ... that was the car or the road ... I didn't want to damage the bike... I took the fall.

My lip is still swollen too.... f*****ing sore.

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

...Climbing is generally OK although anything over 11-12% is pretty difficult....

I'd be worried about destroying my knees.

TinyExplosions

Jesus Caroline, that looks nasty -hope you get better soon! High speed spills are never pleasant!

niceonetom

el tonto wrote: »

I'd be worried about destroying my knees.

that's a legitimate concern actually.

i've never taken my fixie further than enniskerry but i'm considering it at the moment - but not until l i've geared down a bit. perhaps to about 70"? it's a tricky one, if you try to be kind to your knees on the way up you might be in serious trouble trying to keep up with the pedals on the way down.

i did once take a very steep hill out of lucan up to the back of westmanstown, and while i grinded (ground?) up the hill ok (i had to take it from a standing start at the bottom too :rolleyes:) my left knee began to swell up in a very disconcerting manner once i got home. it went down again after a few days but i've taken that as a warning against being too adventurous while without gears.

i think this problem could be proportional to the weight of the rider i.e. a more, em... , 'powerfully built' rider would have to be much more careful than a wee clmber if cranking it up the hills all day.

blorg's knees are obviously made from some substance as yet unknown to science. blorgium possibly... blorgassium? blorgonium?

blorg

Well as I was a bit late I missed the Orwell spin but had a cracker of a solo one myself. Started off towards Enniskerry but met someone who said that one of the spins was headed out in the Blessington direction, so changed course and headed out the N81 instead. Caught one of the Orwell groups on the hill just before Brittas but it wasn't Tonto's one, which had headed out towards Enniskerry after all. The Orwell group were taking it easy so went on up over Sally Gap and Lugalla to Roundwood in an failed effort to hook up with Tonto's group, which went a different way back. Headed back home via Enniskerry. Saw ROK_ON (I think!) in his distinctive skeleton top headed out in the other direction at Powerscourt. Was my first time going up the Kilbride side of Sally Gap; I have now been up and down all four sides. Lots of cyclists out and a lovely morning for it.

87.77km in 2h59m, 29.5km/h average. Solo, including a fair amount of climbing, after murdering myself yesterday up the Wicklow Gap on the fixie! 25km/h average for the 16km climb between the N81 and the top of Sally Gap. Christ, I am very happy with that.

Chips Lovell

100km for me. Avg speed = 27 kph. Route here. Saw unionman at the start, but we were going in different groups.

niceonetom wrote: »

that's a legitimate concern actually.

Yes, I met a guy from Orwell at the Tour of Kildare who was telling me he missed most of the season because he'd done his winter training on a fixie and buggered up his knees because it was overgeared.

blorg wrote: »

Well as I was a bit late I missed the Orwell spin

I was meaning to tell you, given your propensity for lateness, that they leave at 9:30 on the button, but then forgot. Sorry we didn't hookup, and sorry for sporadic phone calls. It's hard to field a call when you're hemmed in by three riders.

blorg wrote: »

87.77km in 2h59m, 29.5km/h average. Solo, including a fair amount of climbing, after murdering myself yesterday up the Wicklow Gap on the fixie! 25km/h average for the 16km climb between the N81 and the top of Sally Gap. Christ, I am very happy with that.

I think any group would have been too slow for you today.

unionman

Very impressive stats blorg. Of course the one Orwell group you didn't track down was mine:D We (beginners) went out via Bray and Kilcoole as far as Newcastle. Then back in via Newtownmountkennedy and the N11, turning off at Kilmacanoge to head for Enniskerry and back to Dundrum. 86km for me altogether, averaging only 22kmh but the group stayed pretty tight most of the time, which was great.

The big breakthrough moment for me was the descent into Enniskerry (from Ballybawn / Crow Lane), for a change I didn't completely bottle it and dump my speed. Went with it and got comfortable and felt great. That long straight as you come down from Scalp was great fun too, we all started to sprint (I hit 51kmh at this point I think).

Good sized group, about 15/18 I think, and very well supervised by three leaders. One of them has been a member of the club since 1955. At 72 years of age he puts a lot of younger ones to shame, lovely guy too.

Coming into Dundrum from Sandyford, one lad had a nasty spill there where the single lane shifts from the right to the left. Didn't see it happen, but it was described in all its hair raising detail. He was OK, shaken but no cuts or obvious injuries. His leggings and jacket were completely shredded, without them it would have been a very nasty case of road rash.

Definitely heading back there next Sunday (if I get permission:D), the pace and discipline and general atmosphere all excellent, and it is all starting from a base I feel comfortable with.

Great day.

Chips Lovell

Glad you enjoyed it. We'll have you togging out for the club league before you know it.

blorg

@Tonto- I'll come along another Sunday and make sure to be early. Don't worry about not hooking up, I had a really great ride trying to catch up with you all! Pushed myself a bit harder than normal.

With regard to the fixie and hills, it is a concern all right, I don't think I would be trying it up the really crazy gradients again anyway. Below 10% it seems to be OK, so far at least.

Raam

86km, 87km, 100km...yis are putting me to shame.
I did three laps of Howth. Do I get any points for that?

unionman

blorg wrote: »

With regard to the fixie and hills, it is a concern all right, I don't think I would be trying it up the really crazy gradients again anyway. Below 10% it seems to be OK, so far at least.

Short little climbs around town are great fun on a fixie, great for sprinting, but I just could not imagine tackling any kind of a long spin involving hills on one. One of the lads today suggested I do the next one on a fixie, but I'm pretty sure he was joking. He looked horrifed when I explained that as long as the back wheel is turning you must keep pedalling. I think he thinks fixies are for loonies.

blorg

The Wicklow Gap was OK on it, the gradients there are not too bad and you can get into a good rhythm. That short crazy 20%+ hill from Powerscourt up to Djouce, not so good though, I would plan on avoiding that sort of thing in the future, don't think it has any upside. I do Sandyford-Johnnie Foxes on it most lunchtimes and get up pretty comfortably.

ROK ON

blorg wrote: »

Saw ROK_ON (I think!) in his distinctive skeleton top headed out in the other direction at Powerscourt. Was my first time going up the Kilbride side of Sally Gap; I have now been up and down all four sides. Lots of cyclists out and a lovely morning for it.

Yep that was me. Thanks for the wave. Got in a sneaky final cycle with a work colleague, before the missus heads into hospital to increase the family size. That Skeleton top never fails to attract attention, but i am getting jaded of it at this stage.

Up to Sally Gap via Liam Horner memorial and home via Kilbride and Saggart. Beautiful day. Loads of cyclist out.
95km at 23km/h. I am actually getting better at this type of thing.
A lot fewer rests needed I find compared to the first time you dragged me up there.
Have only been up 2 sides of sally meself. Powerscourt/Glencree is easier but Djouce, Ballinastoe Lough Tay is far more rewarding (but I find it unbelieveably tough).

DirkVoodoo

ROK ON wrote: »

Yep that was me. Thanks for the wave. Got in a sneaky final cycle with a work colleague, before the missus heads into hospital to increase the family size

Congrats!

scottreynolds

100km for me too.... I also caused a wee accident -- well some poor guy wrote off his car for me.. nice Guy. We were at a cross roads and he was stopped about to pull off but I flagged him down and asked him of I could take either if these teo roads as my panned route was closed. He said 'Yes' -- so I preceded to cycle off and he pulled out, no waiting to see if it was clear, and Boom side swiped from a car. Both drivers were al right but I crapped my self..... I was freaked out for the next 30k afriad the driver was chasing me down to bump me in a ditch.. alas I got home safely and all everyone was alright.

Is was my first 100ks in North Dublin and I enjoyed it throughly.

Was my first time going up the Kilbride side of Sally Gap; I have now been up and down all four sides.

Interesting sounds like we have our own Marmotte here..... all four sides in a single day :-)......