Tell us about your cycle Yesterday.

Orion

rollingscone wrote: »

Yeah I've had that experience on the N3 and N4. If they could make a cycle flyover/underpass then they could legitimately be seen as cycling infrastructure.

Don't even suggest that - The one on the way in is terrible. You're supposed to come off at Liffey Valley, down by the Dead Mans Inn up on the path and then over this footbridge in to Palmerstown and eventually back out to the main road. So I just ignore than and stay on the N4 and straight over the M50.

bren_mc

rollingscone wrote: »

the surface on the R132 varies between amazing (40kph on the flat without too much effort) to rougher than a sandpaper massage (a life sucking 24kph coming down hills) made it to Drogheda with the help of a few comforting downslopes over the last 20km in 69km at 24K/ph, then Strava crashed.

I do that journey to Drogheda fairly often and always avoid the R132. Head out through St. Margarets or Ballyboghill and you'll find the roads much nicer and quieter albeit a bit more rolling. You can avoid the worst of the hills (if you dont fancy them) by turning for Stamullen when you get as far as Naul.

shaka

At about 45 km yesterday evening my dodgy tummy (crohns) decided it had had enough cycling , had averaged 30kh upto that. Had to get missus to collect me , it was that or would of had to buy new bibs

jober

83km today

Tallaght manor kilbride sallys gap took a quick detour and went up to kippure mast then headed into enniskerry dundrum and home to tallaght

No Pants

First spin up Howth Hill of 2014 tonight. I had promised myself that I wouldn't attempt it until I dropped from 16st 4lbs to under 15 stone and this afternoon the scales said 14st 13lbs. **** it!

So, I'm not fit yet and it was tough. Had been out for a short run earlier in the afternoon. I went up the Sutton side and came close enough to blowing up before I reached the first peak. Continued on, but didn't go up to the carpark. When I drop under 14 stone, that'll be my reward, along with a punch to the face.

On the way down, going the far side of 60km/h and it turns out that the council have been clowning around again. Someone has dug a small trench across the road, done something, filled the trench back in, but left it a couple of inches short. Next time I'm up there I'll stop and take a pic to send to the council. I'm sick of whoever they hire for road work making a complete pig's ear of it.

44kms from Swords in total and a lovely evening. Portmarnock wasn't the crowded mess it has been for the last while. Along the estuary was nice.

I'll do it again tomorrow.

crosstownk

I did my usual mid week spin today out by Tallaght to Brittas - Lisheen then turned back to the N81 and home. 28.7km/h for the spin and I smashed my time on the full Embankment segment by 1:15.

A good days work.

Time to catch up on the Tour of Switzerland.

rollingscone

crosstownk wrote: »

I did my usual mid week spin today out by Tallaght to Brittas - Lisheen then turned back to the N81 and home. 28.7km/h for the spin and I smashed my time on the full Embankment segment by 1:15.

A good days work.

Time to catch up on the Tour of Switzerland.

Mega.

I always find the embankment drag to be thoroughly demotivating.

Love descending it though

crosstownk

rollingscone wrote: »

I always find the embankment drag to be thoroughly demotivating.

Love descending it though

I used to find it demotivating too. Now I embrace it. I'll take it handy if I've a longer spin ahead but if I'm doing a quick 40km I'll give it my best shot.

As for descending, it's one of those descents that's not fast so I keep pedaling rather than rest. The wind, while not strong, was against me on the descent this evening so no PBs on the way down but I'm not the best at downhills.

Wishbone Ash

rollingscone wrote: »

...I always find the embankment drag to be thoroughly demotivating.

+1

..not helped by the fact that it generally feels a bit unsafe especially with all the close passing tipper trucks.

crosstownk

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

+1

..not helped by the fact that it generally feels a bit unsafe especially with all the close passing tipper trucks.

Yep. Quarry trucks and busses can be a bit unsettling at times. Evenings and weekends see that sort of traffic at a minimum.

If you want to avoid that sort of traffic then take the left at Hazel Grove Golf Club and up Seskin. That's some climb.

A_Sober_Paddy

I fairly nice day for a uncomfortable ride(the roads are so horrible in county Tipp & Limerick )

So Limerick, Tipp Town, Killmallock, Bruff, Limerick...Missed Chareville so lost around 13 more kms, not one sign for it in killmallock:mad:

But 109km @29.9km/hr solo, not bad

http://www.strava.com/activities/155875066

Got second on one of the segments, well it really is a first place since the guy who owns top spot is a pro(Ryan Sherlock) i think:pac:

http://www.strava.com/activities/155875066

shaka

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

I fairly nice day for a uncomfortable ride(the roads are so horrible in county Tipp & Limerick )

Missed Chareville so lost around 13 more kms, not one sign for it in killmallock:mad]

Turn left at library or turn left after aib bank under one of the castles/tower houses.

A_Sober_Paddy

shaka wrote: »

Turn left at library or turn left after aib bank under one of the castles/tower houses.

Yeah i saw that on google street view when i got home, but not a single sign in killmallock on the road i was on, which was the main road in from emily, just annoyed about the lack of signage...cheers tho

Sitec

First cycle in three years! Bought a Specialized Allez Elite and am so happy to be back on the saddle. My first ever road bike so was really nervous at the start but got the hang of it after a few trial and error gear shifts. :pac:

The handling and acceleration is so different to the mountain bike I used to ride a couple of years ago, not half as forgiving either when hitting a bump or a bad road surface but that's half the fun of it!

cdaly_

Just back from a 200k Balbriggan to Warrenpoint and back. That completes my 6th Audax spin this year. Halfway to an RRTY award.

Gorgeous day with stunning scenery, particularly up in the Cooley Mountains. Twice over Jenkinstown Hill! :eek:

rollingscone

Smashed out a flattish 50k from Kilmainham-Phoenix park-N3-kilbride-Bracetown-N3-Castleknock-Phoenix-Kilmainham-home.

Nothing much to report other than spending a fair amount of the time out of the saddle trying to keep my average up and some pretend sprinting on the quiet roads around Bracetown
as well of the self actualisation of blatting along a flat section of the N3 at 50kph.

Max speed was 50kph, average was a marginally less pathetic than usual 26.8kph.

Overall it was a surprisingly handy cycle.

G1032

Cycled around Lough Corrib today. 115km. Very windy though and I was tired after it. Shut down the Garmin after 37km as there was only 4% battery left. Was mad when I got the low battery alert but it was then nice to just cycle and not be worrying about time, heart rate, cadence, speed etc. A lot to be said for that too. Just go for a spin and forget about Strava.

smacl

Working this morning but snuck out for a quick spin up Cruagh - Glencree - Knockree - up and down the lower wall - Enniskerry and home. 45k in 1hr58, which is grand by my dwindling standards. Love the backroads around Knockree, more like mountain bike than road bike territory. Enniskerry road felt like a motorway afterwards. Steep descent into Enniskerry is a joy since being repaved.

furiousox

A quick 35km warm-up for the Swords spin tomorrow.
Short spin but I averaged 29kph which is off the scale for me!

The tax man

Cruagh-Sally Gap-Laragh-Wicklow Gap-Hollywood-Blessington-Tallaght-Home

103km 1,316m @27km/h avg
http://www.strava.com/activities/156316118

furiousox wrote: »

A quick 35km warm-up for the Swords spin tomorrow.
Short spin but I averaged 29kph which is off the scale for me!

I should have stuck to a warm-up plan like yours, I fear I may suffer like a dog tomorrow.

crosstownk

The tax man wrote: »

Cruagh-Sally Gap-Laragh-Wicklow Gap-Hollywood-Blessington-Tallaght-Home

103km 1,316m @27km/h avg

Serious average considering those climbs.

Sarz91

Lovely day again over here in the lakes. 81.1km 1,350m at 26.9 km/h. My descending is still shocking. Lose all confidence once the gradient hits about -16%. Been fairly dormant the last 3 weeks with work and moving to a new flat so I'm happy enough with how I'm going. Half thinking of getting back into racing. http://www.strava.com/activities/156212511

rollingscone

crosstownk wrote: »

Serious average considering those climbs.

The 70km max might have helped!

The tax man

crosstownk wrote: »

Serious average considering those climbs.

What goes up, must come down.:D

The tax man

rollingscone wrote: »

The 70km max might have helped!

That was coming down Glenmacnass, as I neared the bottom of the descent someone overtook me.

simonrooneyzaga

Did the Tour de Burren 96k today - fantastic day out.

Was aiming to beat 4 hours, and did it in 3:38 at 26.7kmph w/ 1047m climbing. Delighted! Onwards to the 160 in Westport in a month!

crosstownk

The tax man wrote: »

That was coming down Glenmacnass

I climbed that for the first time last week and the road surface didn't look great for descending.

How did you find it?

The tax man

I find it's the kind of descent that's better the faster you go. Slightly out of the saddle so my legs as well as my arms are absorbing the bumps. I'd start to slow things down when I reach the entrance to a house on the right. After that it gets rougher and not worth the risk taking those bends at speed.

Zyzz

Try this one for a fairly high speed attempt, good road surface and no need for brakes, hit 86.5km/h on it

http://www.strava.com/segments/corbally-descent-853281

dancrowley

Weekly Friday morning spin with the lads... it's pretty warm out there, these days, so I was on the road before 445am. The roads were nice and quiet then, too.

http://www.strava.com/activities/155753889

~80km done, iced tea with the gang and a short spin home started off the day well!

Since upgrading my wheels recently (stock Bontragers to Zondas), I've had a hankering for a bigger upgrade... it's window-shopping for me, for now!