Tell us about your cycle Yesterday.

godtabh

It was wet. The end.

smacl

smacl wrote: »

First night spin in a while last night. Short enough up Cruagh, Military road for a bit, and back via Stocking lane. Still a bit slow descending in the dark, but impressed with the B&M Ixon IQ premium. Still quite warm out at 9pm at the viewing point, which seems to become the snogging point after hours.

What are the roads like at that hour? Many cars? Would be slightly nervous about cycling in the dark up there but I have to say I miss my evening spins.

cdaly_

smacl wrote: »

which seems to become the sndogging point after hours.

fyp

smacl

ronoc wrote: »

What are the roads like at that hour? Many cars? Would be slightly nervous about cycling in the dark up there but I have to say I miss my evening spins.

No cars on the Military road, but a fair few around Stocking lane and Cruagh. Roads were ok wih a fair amount of wet leaves in the corners of Stocking lane. Not having been cycling on unlit roads for a while, I descended slowly enough (35-40kph) and had no problems. There were walkers around Cruagh, Masseys and the Hellfire, so you wouldn't want to come down at full tilt. Good fun, but I'd probably prefer the early morning cycles where you climb in the dark and hopefully get met by the dawn in the hills.

smacl

cdaly_ wrote: »

fyp

I'll take your word for it, I didn't go that close :pac:

godtabh

smacl wrote: »

No cars on the Military road, but a fair few around Stocking lane and Cruagh. Roads were ok wih a fair amount of wet leaves in the corners of Stocking lane. Not having been cycling on unlit roads for a while, I descended slowly enough (35-40kph) and had no problems. There were walkers around Cruagh, Masseys and the Hellfire, so you wouldn't want to come down at full tilt. Good fun, but I'd probably prefer the early morning cycles where you climb in the dark and hopefully get met by the dawn in the hills.

I havent been up that way this winter yet but during the summer those roads would be dead first thing in the morning.

Rogue-Trooper

Late getting out the door. :mad:

Switch broke on my Lezyne Power Dive XL and now it won't turn on. Cateye back-up employed.

Puncture on the Sutton cycle path @ Bayside (broken green beer bottle the culprit). :mad:

2 squidgy-bum moments on wet manhole covers. :eek:

1 near-miss with a car on East Wall Road who slammed on her brakes to let a truck out and I nearly ended up in the car with her. :eek:

On the plus side, my new Endura Road overshoes performed well on their maiden voyage and my faith in humanity was restored when a couple of passing cyclists asked if I needed anything (I think one of them was NoMoreGears?). I always carry the requisite bits but it's always nice to know help is there if needed!

coach22

"Working From Home"

A nice 40km up Stocking Lane to viewing point, over to Glen Cullen and in to Enniskerry via devils elbow. Fairly wet out there today.

They are doing road works on the road from Enniskerry to dundrum before the Ski Slope. Fixing the mess they made of the road. Some nice smooth tarmac going down now

godtabh

coach22 wrote: »

"Working From Home"

A nice 40km up Stocking Lane to viewing point, over to Glen Cullen and in to Enniskerry via devils elbow. Fairly wet out there today.

They are doing road works on the road from Enniskerry to dundrum before the Ski Slope. Fixing the mess they made of the road. Some nice smooth tarmac going down now

Nice smooth tarmac in those conditions might not be what's needed.

xebec

coach22 wrote: »

They are doing road works on the road from Enniskerry to dundrum before the Ski Slope. Fixing the mess they made of the road. Some nice smooth tarmac going down now

godtabh wrote: »

Nice smooth tarmac in those conditions might not be what's needed.

Compared to what has been there for the last few weeks it definitely can't be any worse. Has been lethal even in the dry for a couple of months now.

Alanstrainor

Fierce mild out there fellas, pitty about how dark it is already, never mind after 5

thesimpsons

godtabh wrote: »

It was wet. The end.

it was windy. the end

tigerboon

thesimpsons wrote: »

it was windy. the end

Yeah it was. Checked accuweather this morning and it gave 7 kph wind speed, gusts of 13kph.:mad:

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Fierce mild out there fellas, pitty about how dark it is already, never mind after 5

Exceptionally mild alright - I was overheating in shorts and short sleeved jersey. Almost every other cyclist seemed ridiculously overdressed including some with those ski mask/balaclava yokes.

Don't people check the weather forecast!

Unknown Soldier

smacl wrote: »

<snip> but I'd probably prefer the early morning cycles where you climb in the dark and hopefully get met by the dawn in the hills.

godtabh wrote: »

I haven't been up that way this winter yet but during the summer those roads would be dead first thing in the morning.

It's very quite now in the mornings, not that it is super busy at that time during the summer. I've been up there a few times from about 6am-7am and you might meet one or two cars. Wednesday is bin lorry day btw.

You do have to take it handy though, lots of leaves, debris and little twigs/branches on the road.

Hopefully for November, work permitting, I'll be up there a whole lot more.

All that aside... I'm 20km off 15,000km for the guts of two years of cycling.

w00t!

thesimpsons

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Exceptionally mild alright - I was overheating in shorts and short sleeved jersey. Almost every other cyclist seemed ridiculously overdressed including some with those ski mask/balaclava yokes.

Don't people check the weather forecast!

I'm still in shorts and a base layer with a gilet, summer gloves. yet most I cycle with are in full winter gear by now. never thought I was a warm person but I'm surprised how wintery some people are already

Einstein?

Lads careful descending into Enniskerry from Stepaside, not only is the new road buttery as butter but there's a goat stuck on it trying to climb over the wall

retalivity

Woke up at 6.30 and couldnt get back to sleep so decided to go for a spin. Went out ballinascorney, talbotstown, back roads to sally gap, first attempt at kippure (failed), glencree, viewing point, stocking lane and home. Didnt olan on going so far, and zonked badly on kippure with no food and water. Had no speed on anything that wasnt a descent from there til the first garage in ballyboden where i got a juice and a sausage sambo. Legs had cramped and could hardly stand before getting something in to me.

All in all, longest ride ive done for a while, cold and wet up kippure but grand everywhere else.

http://www.strava.com/activities/423513234?fb_action_ids=10153035805101566

Also, there's work on the first liffey bridge down from sally gap on the manor kilbride side, only passable if you carry your bike across the sides

godtabh

140km down to Athlone averaging 29km/h. Was going to go via the greenway but the weather was miserable to that point.

Happy out. Now time for trick or treating

cython

Just over 90km from Maynooth to Blessington, around the lake and back. Got very lucky with the weather and the sun was even out for us on the way home. Felt the lack of climbing of late on some of the hills (mountain goat setting the route), but was happy to be no more than second up the hills behind said mountain goat.

Hauki

Regular 100k-ish with 1000m of climbing up and down Wicklow. Does anyone know if the road from Sally Gap down to Blessington is accessible? There were "road closed - local access only" signs at the top.

https://www.strava.com/activities/423779166

Wishbone Ash

Hauki wrote: »

...Does anyone know if the road from Sally Gap down to Blessington is accessible? There were "road closed - local access only" signs at the top.

https://www.strava.com/activities/423779166

its closed off at the first bridge on the descent. Unless you wish to cross via the stream there's no access.

Hauki

Thanks! Figured there might be something that I couldn't get trough so I decided not to take risk of descending just to find out that I need to climb back up.

frosty90

Did a 64km loop around south Kilkenny, 1000m of climbing including Woodstock hill in Inistiogue twice and up and down Cuppanagh on the way to Graig. Nice, dry weather but greasy roads!

Qualitymark

retalivity wrote: »

Woke up at 6.30 and couldnt get back to sleep so decided to go for a spin. Went out ballinascorney, talbotstown, back roads to sally gap, first attempt at kippure (failed), glencree, viewing point, stocking lane and home.

As you do…

Peterx

Picked up a disc equipped Trek Crockett 5 CX bike from Wheelworx yesterday and with pretending to be a useful man about the house only got out on it today, after dark. Grud bless night lights.
A 2x11 105 gruppo with the easiest being a 36x28 was just enough to get me up the Kilmashogue fireroad onto that lovely lovely new Coillte trail that goes up and then down to the tarmac just before the masts on 3 rock. It's actually a prefect spin from the house of a winter's night.
And the bike was great too. Disc brakes, even mechanical BB5's, are just fecking deadly as compared to poor oul cantis. It feels really really nice, maybe a longer stem and push the saddle back a little to accommodate my long back and we'll be dialled in.
It was cool watching all the fireworks going off over the city.

Qualitymark

Peterx wrote: »

It was cool watching all the fireworks going off over the city.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/dublin-fire-brigade-we-are-dealing-with-a-999-call-every-40-seconds-34158350.html

Dublin Fire Brigade: "At present we are dealing with a 999 call every 40 seconds"

ezra_

Amazing weather for the 1st of November!

Out for a short spin around Blessington, kept getting distracted by the views!

nilhg

In Tenerife for a few days so decided to have a go at the climb up to the crater rim of Teide, while I've a reasonable amount of kms in my legs this year and a fair bit of climbing it would be by far and away the longest and highest climb I'd ever attempted, I'd never been above 900m on a bike before so a conservative approach seemed sensible.
I left early to avoid the heat of the day (that might have backfired on me) and rode well within myself, I'd read articles about the effect of altitude when you're not used to it so didn't want to get close to the top then blow a gasket, I felt really good getting to Vilaflor and only stopped there for coffee cause I'd promised herself I'd let her know I was alive during the day.
The temperature had been reasonably consistent as I climbed, dropping a bit wit altitude but rising with the heat of the sun but just over Vilaflor I went into the clouds and it dropped quickly from there. Above 1700m I could feel the effects of the thinner air, my speed was dropping for a given grade but I still felt OK and had no real problem making it up to the crater rim at 2175m,once I stopped to take a few photos I could feel the chill getting into me. I had arm warmers and a gilet but at 11c they weren't really up to the job an I really suffered from the cold coming back down, it was only when I got under 1000m that I felt comfortable again and by the time I got back to Los Cristianos it was 26c. Fifteen minutes after I got off the bike I was swimming in the Atlantic, you can't beat that for recovery.....
http://www.strava.com/activities/424390907

Thargor

Any pics of the crater and roads?