Three Passes 600 (19/6/2010)

rottenhat

Repost from the Audax Ireland list:

arranmoreelw wrote:

The final part of the SR series will take place on 19/6/2010
This event will start from the usual place at 6am
As per normal no entry,s after last post on friday 11th including phone calls ,text, or email
Licence no. must be shown at sign on or no card given
There is a lot of time available to crash for a few hours on return to Bray if you so wish in your car
as the next control close.s at 10.20am
It might be an idea to do this as nothing might be opened in Wicklow,Dunlavin, Tinahely thru the night.
It goes with out saying good lights ,extra clothing and food in your bag is essential
Time limit is 40 hours cut of 10pm Sunday
The route is New Ross + Slievemane together, rough estimate 6500m - 7000m of climbing
Entry five euro
Send two stamped addressed envelopes with entry fee before 11/6/2010

Contact cloughcorrone@aol.com for his address etc. The "usual place" is the Centra on the Dargle road in Bray.

This is the only 600 on the Irish calendar this year so this is your only chance to complete an SR series this year without having to go abroad.

This will be quite a demanding ride, I think - although there is not a great deal of climbing on the first day (Sally Gap, Wicklow Gap and some miscellaneous stuff around Graiguenamanagh), the second day features five of the big Wicklow climbs and you'll already have 400k in your legs from the previous day.

rughdh

rottenhat wrote: »

Repost from the Audax Ireland list:



Contact cloughcorrone@aol.com for his address etc. The "usual place" is the Centra on the Dargle road in Bray.

This is the only 600 on the Irish calendar this year so this is your only chance to complete an SR series this year without having to go abroad.

This will be quite a demanding ride, I think - although there is not a great deal of climbing on the first day (Sally Gap, Wicklow Gap and some miscellaneous stuff around Graiguenamanagh), the second day features five of the big Wicklow climbs and you'll already have 400k in your legs from the previous day.

I think it's going to have to be a space blanket job for me if I do it.

penexpers

Question for those who know : will there likely be any other 600's on the calendar next year, given that it's a PBP year

rottenhat

penexpers wrote: »

Question for those who know : will there likely be any other 600's on the calendar next year, given that it's a PBP year

It's hard to say, but my best guess is that there might be two 600s next year - this one (assuming John runs his series again) and one run by Paul O'Donoghue (either the National 600 or a new route).

If you're planning on doing PBP you should factor the dates for your qualifying rides in to your plans - the calendars for all nations are submitted to ACP by the end of September and are usually available in early October. I would even be inclined to plan on doing two 600s if possible in case some disaster results in a DNF on the first one.

rottenhat

A quick bump for this one - entries due in by the end of the week.

rughdh

Just posted my entry now.

FuruncleMann

Have sent the 5 euros to John today, allthough still sore feet from the Rek400.

LastGasp

FuruncleMann wrote: »

Have sent the 5 euros to John today, allthough still sore feet from the Rek400.

What sort of foot pains are you getting ? Just curious, as I have persistent "hot foot" issues myself !
I initially thought I had sorted it out by moving my cleats back as far as possible but it came back.
Then I got high arch cushioned Insoles, thought it was sorted again so I bought 4 pairs of them, but the pain came back again !
Next attempt was Specialized Body Geometry Shoes, which are a roomier shoe, and have an arch support, and metatarsal button - same result.
I use Speedplay Pedals and found an online suggestion which I tried, involving switching the right and left cleats, and mounting them backwards to put them quite a bit further back. Again this helped for a short time, but after 140kms the pain came back again.
Back to the drawing board !

The last resort I can think of is Custom Insoles

theclimber

Best of luck to all the lads on the 600k Hope all goes well!:eek:

DualFrontDiscs

+1

rottenhat

OK, 4:50am, eating breakfast and readying myself for day 2. Two and a half hours sleep - the Greeks who live upstairs are having a party which is now into the drunken singing of "Thank You For The Music" stage. (Astramonti, if you are there, we are no longer friends). They're disturbing my breakfast rather more than they did my sleep. Aiming to be back on the road by 6am, 200km and five Wicklow cols to go. Jim from Marble City CC is probably finishing up by now.

CramCycle

Sounds fun, hope your surviving OK, looking forward to hearing the full report,

rottenhat

I hurt. My knees hurt. My bum hurts. My entire body hurts. On the plus side, I finished over an hour ago and my first SR series is in the bag. Full report later, for now I need a drink. Or several.

The tax man

Congratulations on the series rottenhat. Looking forward to the report.
Well done to all the other lunatics that took part.:)

Caroline_ie

Niceonetom and me met a few of the guys at the hippy Cafe in Larragh on their last 50 km home and they looked in good spirit. they were just fillling up bottles. It was very hot out ... (lastgasp, andreas.voigt)

Well done!!!!!!!!!!

Arranmoreelw

Congratulations to all who finished the 600km Audax
12 started
11 finished
2 DNS
Chapeau to to those have gained their first Super Randoneur medal

rughdh

Arranmoreelw wrote: »

Congratulations to all who finished the 600km Audax
12 started
11 finished
2 DNS
Chapeau to to those have gained their first Super Randoneur medal

That's a great start/finish rate for an Irish 600. Thanks for organising it Arranmoreelw, and the rest of the series.

rughdh

theclimber wrote: »

Best of luck to all the lads on the 600k Hope all goes well!:eek:

Thanks for the lift home. Sorry I keep you out late.

niceonetom

You guys know you're crazy, right? :P

Well done and congratulation to all who took it on. Properly awesome stuff.

AstraMonti

Arranmoreelw wrote: »

2 DNS

Do not survived? :eek:

Congratulations you loons, it's quite an achievement!

rughdh

niceonetom wrote: »

You guys know you're crazy, right? :P

Well done and congratulation to all who took it on. Properly awesome stuff.

Now that they're banning head shops, it's the only way I can get a legal fix without consuming alcohol. The hallucinations were a bit disappointing, though, in that what you see actually exists as something else. They say they're much better on 1200s.

...it starts with a 200...

rughdh

AstraMonti wrote: »

Do not survived? :eek:

Congratulations you loons, it's quite an achievement!

Did Not Sleep

mfdc

rughdh wrote: »

Did Not Sleep

Holy ****... as if a mere 600km wasn't enough. Hats off to all you folks, that's some hardcore cycling.

rottenhat

Well, as you might imagine, I was sound asleep before I made it even halfway through my vital electrolyte replacement drink (Weihenstephaner Hefe)....

I was impressed to see so many people on the line at the start - last year all of two people did the National 600. In the absence of Eddie I stepped into the role of querulous old bastard who spends all day telling people they're going too fast, and I think it's a role I'm well cut out for. My plan was to take it as easy as possible over the first 400, take a short sleep stop, and get back out on the road early. Knowing the route (it was the New Ross 400 and the Slieve Maan 200 bolted together which you could see as being economical or lazy), I wanted to keep a group together for the long main road stretches on the first day. Unfortunately the group that materialised included the likes of LastGasp and Andreas.Voigt who have a markedly different notion of what "taking it easy" might imply and are much faster riders than me on the flat so I burnt a few too many matches keeping up with them.

We made pretty good time over Sally Gap to Blessington and Wicklow Gap back to Ashford, then settled in for a fast run down to Gorey. Everyone was keen to keep control stops brief which suited me - it's far too easy to lose half an hour while everyone is taking it in turn to go to the toilet, repack their bags etc. The road from Gorey to Carlow takes in some pleasant scenery but some asshole did his best to spoil our fun by throwing a bottle (plastic I think) at us from his car - it hit LastGasp on the shoulder but fortunately he kept it steady and there was no harm done. From Carlow it was on down through Graiguenamanagh, and a lovely stretch along the Kilkenny bike route, to New Ross where we had a welcoming party (Tony from Barrow Wheelers, who took photos of us eating ice creams and generally looking like the highly trained endurance athletes that we are). New Ross to Wexford along the N24 was a miserable grind - windy, draggy, nothing to see, and we were beginning to tire. I had been expecting that we would be straight into the wind on the way back up the coast road but in the event it was barely noticeable and the group was working well together so we just about made it to Arklow by dark.

Arrannmoreelw had said at the start that we were welcome to head up the N11 instead of the coast road if we preferred. The coast road is a hideous experience when you're already knackered, terrible surface and constantly up and down, but the N11 has a very narrow stretch that is single lane in both directions and has no hard shoulder which I didn't fancy in the dark either. In a fit of madness I suggested heading up through Rathdrum instead and in multiple fits of madness the others (eventually) agreed with me. It added about 6k to the distance, I think, so probably up the N11 would have been the best option. We got into Bray just before 1am.

I wanted to keep sleep to a minimum to get an idea of how that would affect me as I don't think I'll be getting a lot of it on the Mille Cymru so I peeled myself out of bed after two and a half hours and made it back to Bray by 6am. There I found Ronnie who had been sitting there since 5, waiting for the Centra to open so he could get some breakfast. I wished him god speed and set off down the N11. I was determined to take it very easy as my left knee had been bothering me towards the end of the previous day but soon enough I passed Rughdh taking a break by the side of the road and by 7:15 I was in Wicklow. I trickled up Devil's Glen and Wicklow Gap, pushing very light gears, and started to feel quite optimistic about the rest of the day. The hills around Hollywood and Dunlavin were, as ever, bigger than I remembered but a nice steady run down the N81 compensated. On a sunny day, the rural towns of Wicklow and Carlow are empty - Hackettstown and Tinahely were like scenes from a western, the town deserted but for a single drunk slumped next to a building in the sunshine.

Then the tough stuff began - I was pursued up the hill to Knockananna by a bulldog and then decided to warm up for Slieve Maan by taking the wrong turn there and getting in a few bonus climbs on the way to Aghavanna. My left knee was doing fine, but now my right knee was getting sore and I had to get out of the saddle every couple of minutes to keep the blood circulating in my buttocks. I grovelled up the first section of Slieve Maan before regaining some dignity and shifting up to something approximating my usual gear. I'd always thought Shay Elliott was the shorter climb but there wasn't much in it, as it took me 19 minutes to get over versus 21 on Slieve Maan. I stopped in Laragh and looked on in disgust at all the people who were out there actually enjoying themselves instead of doing some good honest suffering on this sunny day. Glenmacnass was pretty tortuous, and the drag afterwards seemed to go on for ever, as indeed it will if you're piddling along in 28 x 21. By now both knees had reached an agreement and were hurting simultaneously and even the descent into Enniskerry was painful as the road hammered my increasingly tender backside mercilessly. Rarely have I been so happy to get to Bray.

Anyway, very satisfied to have two of my three audax goals done for the year (first fleche, first SR) and this was another good lesson in how important it is to ride within yourself at all times on these long rides - I took about 45 minutes longer on the (much hillier) REK 400 than on the first 400 of this, and I would have been in much better shape afterwards to have gone on riding for a second day, even if I'd had to do it on less sleep. Live and learn, eh?

LastGasp

Well, that was interesting !

Saturday, started off at 6am and quickly settled into a group of 5, Rottenhat, Jim, Noel, Andreas.Voigt (aka Kurbunclemann) and myself. Another Jim (Fitzpatrick) stayed with us for a bit, but he was a good bit stronger and went on ahead after a while. We headed up through Enniskerry, Glencree, Sally Gap, Blessington (1st Control, 46km), and then back across the mountains again through Valleymount and Wicklow Gap, down to Laragh, Annamoe and second Control at Ashford (96km). Then we had a nice long run that seemed to be mostly downhill and downwind through Arklow, Inch, Gorey (Control 141km), Tullow, Carlow (Control 197km) and New Ross (Control, 255km).

Then things got a bit tougher, with several climbs on the N25 from New Ross to Wexford (Control 290km). From Wexford we headed up the N11 into a fairly strong headwind, through Gorey, Inch and Arklow. It was getting dark at this stage so we stopped to put on Lights, extra clothes etc, and headed off again. Rottenhat suggested that the route from Arklow through Rathdrum and Laragh would be easier than the poorly surfaced Coast Road, so we agreed to go that way. We had a good single pace line going on the main road with the five of us in one line, the front man pushed along for a couple of minutes, then moved aside and drifted to the back with the next person doing the work. When we turned off onto the quieter roads after Arklow we went 2 abreast so we could see better with 2 lights at the front. We were all getting cold at this stage, and we were very pleased to get to the top of the Sugar Loaf at last, and the last roll home downhill to Bray (Control 403km). We got in at about 1am, and I jumped in the car and dashed home for a hot shower, warm bed and a few hours sleep. Rottenhat wanted to see how he would manage on very little sleep for his upcoming Mille Cymru (hilly 1000km) so he planned on heading off again at 5.30am. The rest of us weren't quite so keen, so we agreed on 7.30. We had managed the 400kms in a pretty good time of about 18 hours including stops.

The four of us were back in Bray at 7.30 for the second day, which started off OK with a run down the N11 to Wicklow (Control 432km), and back up to Ashford - then the climbing began ! We headed up Devils Glen (steepest climb of the 2 days) and into Annamoe and Laragh, and then over the Wicklow Gap and down to Hollywood. We passed Rughdh as we climbed Wicklow Gap - he had been going all night with no sleep, and he had just headed off the road for a rest. We crossed over the N81, and went on into Dunlavin (Control 486km) which was all uphill ! After having a nice sit-down lunch (on seats with cushions !) in Dunlavin, we headed off towards Baltinglass, with more uphill. At last we got over the top of the Dunlavin hills and enjoyed the fast, straight descent back onto the N81. We kept left in Baltinglass and headed through Hacketstown and into Tinahely (Control 528km) and stopped for
more refreshments. By this time my Hot Foot problem was killing me and every time we stopped I had to take off my shoes and massage my feet to try and reduce the pain. I remembered that the previous night the pain had been less when it got dark, and cooler, so I tried pouring cold water on my feet to cool them down, and it definitely helped but the effect didn't last for long. As we left Tinahely we passed Ronald coming in. From here we had 70km to go, including three mountains. We followed the wiggly route through Knockananna (another fairly long climb !) and then "cross country" on tiny roads to the start of the serious climbing at Slievemann. We struggled over that, enjoyed the fast descent to Glenmalure, and then started immediately into the Glenmalure/Shay Elliott climb. We all got to the top fairly wrecked and charged off down the hill to Laragh. We stopped at the triangle in Laragh for a few minutes and topped up water bottles and got a few things in the shop. We bumped into Niceonetom and Caroline ie from Boards who had taken some time off to go HILLWALKING before their trip to the Alps for the Marmotte next week - Good Luck to them for that. Then eventually it was time to face the last climb of the day. The road from Laragh up to Sally Gap past Glenmacnass waterfall isn't as steep as the other climbs we had done, but it seems to go on for ever, and the road surface is very rough and energy-sapping in spots. Noel and myself finally reached the top, picked up the answer to the last "info" control, and headed on to Sally Gap crossroads to wait for Jim and Kurbunclemann. We had a nice rest, as it turned out that Kurbunclemann had punctured so it took a few minutes to get that sorted. Eventually he and Jim arrived, and we headed off on the last stretch. From Sally Gap to Kippure was the last bit of uphill but it's not too bad, and organisers Arranmoreelw and Rose met us in their car along the way to encourage us onwards. Finally we got to Kippure, and the long descent down through Glencree, Enniskerry and into the finish at Bray at 19.45, 12 hrs 15mins after starting. We thought we had been going really slowly, but it's interesting to see that Rottenhat had a similar time, so now I don't feel quite so bad !
Sat: 403kms, approx 26kph average
Sun: 200kms, approx 21kph average
Total Riding time: 25hrs 19mins, overall average 24kph.

Well done to Rueben and Ronald for perseverance - that's really tough going !

Cheers, LastGasp.

LastGasp

A few pics

LastGasp

A few more

blorg

Sounds like fast average speeds over that distance, well done all.

Caroline_ie

blorg wrote: »

Sounds like fast average speeds over that distance, well done all.

Are you saying that so we ask you about your adventure??????

Dr_Colossus

Who's that with the white Scott, nice looking carry bag strapped onto the seatpost under the saddle bag, ideal looking for such trips. Anyone know what type of bag it is etc?

rottenhat

That's Jim R from Barrow Wheelers - it's an Altura bag that uses a Klick-Fix attachment onto the seatpost. I think LastGasp and the Taxman have the same one, or else something very similar.

rughdh

The first 400 went fine, except for a slow puncture, discovered on route from New Ross to Wexford. I was reluctant to fix it, because I didn't trust the mini-pump, (which I just have for decoration), and I had trouble getting the tyre on in the first place. I got the pressure up to adequate levels and it lasted 4 hours and then another 4 and then I had to fix it on route to Wicklow, just after Rottenhat whizzed by during one of my anything-but-cycling moments. It took me an age to get the tyre off the rim and then I couldn't get any air into it. The pump appeared to be broken. I thought of packing for the first time. Progress had been extremely slow anyway. Oddly enough, I had it pumped up and ready to go with the second spare tube in a couple of minutes. I was obviously spoiled with the no-name rims I'd used to date.

I started the event with only 1.5 hours sleep, so decided that a few cat naps or an hour or two in one go were essential. Tried it just off the N11 on route to Wicklow on the second day, but it didn't work. Birds! Same tune over and over. The 15 minute rest seemed to have a positive effect for a short while, though.

I seemed to get bursts of energy every now and then and make a bit of progress but then get overcome with a desire to sleep. I found it best to just get off the bike and do something else. Wicklow to Laragh was fine, but Laragh to Dunlavin was one of the lowest points of the day. It was nice to see LastGasp, Kurbunclemann et al on the Wicklow Gap. Thanks for checking I was alright. It gave me a bit of a boost. Dunlavin to Tinahely was another struggle, so I decided that I would bypass Slieve Maan and the Shay Elliot and reroute to Laragh via Aughrim and Rathdrum and make a final decision on packing at Laragh. I'd had enough of hills! It's within the rules. Mountains are optional as long as you go through each control and are over the required distance. I changed my mind as I neared Tinahely and saw my competitor for the lanterne rouge heading towards Knockananna.

Two bottles of energy drink and 250g of jellies fuelled the next leg as far as Laragh. I got lost somewhere beyond Knockananna. I thought I had memorised the route, but it turned out that I was going by road surface alone, which didn't work now that they had resurfaced the roads. Lost about 40 valuable minutes here, but decided that the best thing to do was head back to Knockananna and find the sign post for Aghavannagh, which did the trick. Regardless of how much energy you have and how awake you feel, hills always feel steeper on the second day, but the desire to sleep had gone at this stage and I made it to Laragh in one piece, despite a risky descent of Slieve Maan.

I refilled at Laragh and began the ascent of the Sally Gap thinking I wasn't going to make it. I was in good spirits, though, and remained focussed. Things were looking a bit better time-wise as I began the descent to Enniskerry, but 2 minutes in, the back wheel hit a pot hole and burst the tube, jamming my blistered right foot into the pedal. To cut a long story short, I made it in the end. 23 hours for the first 400 (an improvement of 25 mins over last one) and 17 for the final 200. A long time for a 200, but to be honest, most of it was spent either off the bike or repeatedly attempting to freewheel uphill and not learning that it doesn't work!

As LastGasp mentioned, it was nice to get on-road encouragement (i.a.) from Aranmoreelw and Rose and thanks once again to theclimber for the lift home.

Dr_Colossus

Thanks for the good honest reports, sounds like an amazing experience/torture. You certainly got the weather for it anyway, how did you all find the heat and how did you manage sunscreen when on the bike for such lengths. Was it a case of apply liberly in the morning and hope too much of it doesn't get washed off with all the sweat.

In terms of logistics and supplies on the day how did you manage food and drink. Were the saddle/carry bags filled with prepared food and you then topped up at shops along the way. Must have been a fair bit of gear with lights and extra clothing required for the night riding.

How're you all feeling today, stiff and sore and barely able to walk. Any ice baths after the cycle to try and invigorate the legs and reduce some of the stiffness?

One day I'd hope to attempt a 400, the furthest I've got to date has been 165km although on a mountain bike. Thanks again for the reports

rughdh

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Thanks for the good honest reports, sounds like an amazing experience/torture. You certainly got the weather for it anyway, how did you all find the heat and how did you manage sunscreen when on the bike for such lengths. Was it a case of apply liberly in the morning and hope too much of it doesn't get washed off with all the sweat.

I just apply sunscreen once for the longer rides, but as you say sweat may wash it off. Occasionally I use P20 which lasts all day anyway.

It didn't really get hot until yesterday afternoon, but there were plenty of places on route to get drinks or refill bottles. It was just a matter of drinking more.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

In terms of logistics and supplies on the day how did you manage food and drink. Were the saddle/carry bags filled with prepared food and you then topped up at shops along the way. Must have been a fair bit of gear with lights and extra clothing required for the night riding.

You really only need to carry food at the start and for the night leg apart from light snacks and gels/jellies. I just bought sandwiches and energy drinks at service stations and chocolate flapjacks and two slices of fruitcake for getting me through the night. Eat food you like. If you have time in hand it's good to go for a proper sit-down meal.

My bag weighed 4 kilos at the end. Need to replace the jacket which weighs 1 kilo!

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

How're you all feeling today, stiff and sore and barely able to walk. Any ice baths after the cycle to try and invigorate the legs and reduce some of the stiffness?

I had trouble getting up the stairs last night, but I'm fine now.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

One day I'd hope to attempt a 400, the furthest I've got to date has been 165km although on a mountain bike. Thanks again for the reports

165k on a mountain bike has to equate to a lot more on a road bike. There are a couple of 300k events left on the calendar this year. The flattish one would be a good one to start if you have enough ks in the legs. If not, the Dying Sow is on in September. Plenty of time to get training. It's a tough one, though. Anybody who does 165k on a mountain bike is well able for a 400 with adequate training.

rottenhat

At the risk of this post being a bit "what Rughdh said"....

The heat was noticeable, but not enough to make me really suffer. I drank as much water as I could, with electrolyte tablets every other bottle, and a couple of bottles of Lucozade sport. I put sunblock only once, around noon on Sunday when I stopped to remove arm and knee warmers - I had a bit of a base laid down from previous rides so I wasn't too worried about getting burned if I sweated some of it off.

I had a couple of sandwiches and two oat bars in the bag each day but the bulk of the food came from shops on the way - on the longer rides the controls aren't manned so you need to get receipts (with time, date, location) to prove passage so buying a sandwich or whatever covers you both ways. I threw my saddlebag on the scale before I left and it was about the 4kg mark - given the time of year, I wasn't expecting to do a lot of riding in the dark or for it to get that cold so I was just carrying a light jacket for that. Earlier in the year I would have had tights, long gloves, overshoes etc.

My knees are still a bit sore - if I have the knee bent for a while and then straighten it, I'll feel a bit an ache - and I can feel it in the quads walking up stairs but aside from that no stiffness. I feel very worn out even after a solid ten hours sleep last night and I'm hungry every couple of hours. I know from experience it will take a few days for the hunger to diminish.

As Rughdh says, if you can do 165k on a mountain, you can do longer on a road bike. The main thing is to build up to the distances - it's not just about the physical fitness aspect, it's also about learning how you manage spending that long on the bike and how to deal with things going wrong. You've done something easily equivalent to a 200 so I'd set your sights on a 300 next - I'd highly recommend the Surf & Turf 300 down in Clonmel on August 15th, very picturesque and not excessively hilly. I'm sure the Three Rivers 300 down in Midleton on September 4th will be decent - the organiser is a very experienced audaxer and Cork has some nice countryside. And the Dying Sow on September 18th is a good ride but it's tough enough. Contact details for all in the calendar.

Hope to see you on a ride soon, and if you're not already on it, drop me a PM with your email and I'll add you to the Audax Ireland mailing list.

The tax man

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Who's that with the white Scott, nice looking carry bag strapped onto the seatpost under the saddle bag, ideal looking for such trips. Anyone know what type of bag it is etc?

It looks like the Altura Arran(included frame not pictured) seat post bag. I have one and it's a great bit of kit.The top expands upwards if more space is required.

Better pic of bag+frame.

Edit: Only noticed that this question was already answered hours ago,sorry.:o

LastGasp

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

how did you all find the heat and how did you manage sunscreen when on the bike for such lengths.

I mostly felt it when we stopped, and going up Slievemann, the rest was pretty OK. When you're moving along you create your own breeze and it doesn't feel as hot.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Must have been a fair bit of gear with lights and extra clothing required for the night riding.

The Lights just stay on the bike, although I did have a small emergency spare, but I lent that to one of the others at the start. Extra clothing was just arm warmers and Altura Pocket Rocket lightweight jacket, and reflective belt. I forgot my Leg Warmers on Saturday, and by the time we got back to Bray at 1am I was freezing. The late night shower was one of the most enjoyable ever !

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

How're you all feeling today, stiff and sore and barely able to walk.

Sore feet, otherwise a bit stiff but OK.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

the furthest I've got to date has been 165km although on a mountain bike.

When we were struggling up Glenmacnass at about 10kph we were passed by a guy on a mountain bike who steamed off up the hill and left us for dead ! He did look pretty fresh, and was only going to the Waterfall Car Park. Still didn't do anything for the ego though !

FuruncleMann

Hi there,

I took a few photos as well, there you are ...

FuruncleMann

more photos