Tell us about your cycle Yesterday.

marty_crane

finally the first day out of the year and what a day it was. I had my new Aksiums (Cycle Superstore Advent Calendar), new stem (CRC sale), new Sealskinz overshoes and Sealskinz all weather gloves (Cyclestore sale) and my former summer, my now winter shoes (new Mavics bought in CRC sale for summer).

All in all rolled along nicely for 50k. Kept it flat on the N11 there and back (with a few diversions) and allowed myself a relaxed latte in the gardens of Avoca at Mount Usher Gardens. This was truly a happy new year. What a day.

With special thanks (I think!) to whoever posted bikebargains.co.uk originally over on the bargains thread

retalivity

Nice morning, first spin up the dublin mountains of 2016. Realised after 1k i forgot gloves, carried on regardless... bad idea. Fingers were frozen within 45 mins, struggled on regardless. D8 out to ballyboden, Up stocking lane to viewpoint, across cruagh road and on to glencullen, down to kilternan and back via dundrum and rathgar. Pleasantly surprised to see pr's all over the place, must have been the cold egging me to get home quicker. 40k in under 2 hrs.

[url]Https://www.strava.com/activities/466331270[/url]

Also, passed a nico lookalike on the road into glencullen, out on his own in sky livery under a red jacket. The jaw was unmistakeable, but appears the real nico is only out of hospital

Bolloxology

Headed South down the coast,roads were fine considering,the off pool here and there.
Cool morning,never really felt comfortable heat wide which probably contributed to me keeping the speed up.
Can't complain as not a drop of rain about for the entire ride.
Bray,Wicklow,Blainroe toward Brittas and back to Ashford,legs felt good so headed up to Roundwood and back home via Bray.
Decent amount of cyclist about.Nearly came off in Shankill as a gob****e cut across me going into the Pub.
90k at a decent tempo with a bit of small bit of climbing to get the weekend off to a flying start ☺


90.8 km Ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/466448352

JJJJNR

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Wind assistance?

Id say Turbo boost

dahat

First time out on my new bike today which was also my first spin on a road bike.

Giant Roam 3 to Thompson R7200.

Different feeling altogether and was pretty nervous getting down onto the drops as control felt minimal, LBS advised to get down there regular to get my body used to the new position...

Just under 40km at 28.8km/h and a dirty bike (heartbreaking) but a small clean and ready to rock n roll again tomorrow morning.

Don't Chute!

46kms this morning with just over 1000m of climbing on the hills around Greystones. Going to the Alps in June so I need to get more climbing done!

https://www.strava.com/activities/466393023

Unknown Soldier

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

My cycling is actually fuelled by Tyskie Beer, believe it or not.

Great beer!

I should really rethink this fuelling strategy. Or just have a few beers in the fridge so I don't go overboard. The head on me this morning

Thank the sky fairies for my Tassimo coffee machine. Great yoke.

Did a 40km'ish spin with a group and post spin was at about 60km when I was near the gaff and then the usual madness took over, that madness being in my head.

So me and The Beast Of Ballycullen aka my Canyon Ultimate AL9.0 did a few hills and local routes.

I was at about 80km when I found my legs had given up, and why wouldn't they! I was going up Stocking in my lowest rear gear and I was feeling banjaxed. I was just turning the pedals out of bullish perseverance and crap in my head.

Turned out I was in the big ring in the front.

We will be trying to avoid that error again, once again.

Finished the day off with 103km done and 858m climbed.

Turns out I do have will power and I just need to focus it on other areas of my life, like smoking.

I was caught having a sneaky fag break @ 95km by a fellow cyclist, for my shame.

I'd earned it though!


Anyways.. Tyskie time!

retalivity

858km climbed... air must have been thin up there!

Unknown Soldier

retalivity wrote: »

858km climbed... air must have been thin up there!

I suffer from a lack of blood to the brain after long spins :P

Amended!

Qualitymark

16km cycled, 35m climbed (wipes brow).

marty_crane

Wet!

ezra_

77km through the snow and ice (of which there wasn't that much once we did an about turn and headed north).

26k average with some nasty hills.

Not much left in the tank at the end but a nice spin.

G1032

Got in a spin this morning!
4.9km travelled.
14.5 km/hr average speed.
48m climbed
83 calories burned
1fall off the bike

Tea drinker

Went up to Ticknock for a walk today, no chance, some tool in a Transit managed to get stuck and block the one way up the hill. A few of us tried push him out but no luck, and now I have a sore neck from the scrum :-)
anyway I guess some of you bike guys saw the commotion, was it ever got out or is it still there :D:D

smacl

First decent spin of the year today. Plan was Ballyboden / Grand canal to Digby's bridge / backroads Naas / Ballymore Eustace / Blessington / Bohernabreena home. Canal from Clondalkin to Hazelhatch was a swamp with rumours of resurfacing turning out to be unfounded. Regretted having semi-slicks on rather than cross tyres but kept with it and came across the actual resurfacing after Hazelhatch which got me to Ardclough and more mud. Ditching the canal, I headed for Straffan / Sallins back on the canal and yet more heavy mud after the Leinster aqueduct forcing me to double back and take the road to Naas. From there I took the old Ballymore Eustace / Craddockstown road through a series of somewhat flooded but really picturesque l-roads skirting the Wicklow Kildare border finally arriving at Blessington and heading back via Brittas / Ballinascorny and home. Six hours for just over 100k but did I mention the mud? Anyway, fantastic day to be out on the bike, a real gift for this time of year.

Mercian Pro

smacl wrote: »

Anyway, fantastic day to be out on the bike, a real gift for this time of year.

It really was especially once the temperature climbed a few degrees. At 8.30 it must have been close to 2 degrees heading out to Swords. Joined the MSCC spin to Newcastle and Celbridge. The combined effects of the hill climb beyond Newcastle, the coffee stop in Celbridge, the following wind home and the rise in temperature eventually thawed out the fingers and toes. Beautiful scenery in the low sunlight heading back to NCD.

111km in 4:20'

BoardsMember

Have been out on about 4 spins since July. Had been fit (for me) in July after taking up cycling previous October, did the Wicklow 200 @ circa 26km average. God it goes quickly, went out this morning and really struggled to keep up with the group, average apeed 23km, flattish apin. Lots of work to do, wrecked now, but determined to get back into it. It was a beautiful day to be on the bike.

dahat

dahat wrote: »

First time out on my new bike today which was also my first spin on a road bike.

Giant Roam 3 to Thompson R7200.

Different feeling altogether and was pretty nervous getting down onto the drops as control felt minimal, LBS advised to get down there regular to get my body used to the new position...

Just under 40km at 28.8km/h and a dirty bike (heartbreaking) but a small clean and ready to rock n roll again tomorrow morning.

Off again today but as i had panto duties in early afternoon i had to brave the cold and go at 9am. Met loads if groups around the Clonmel /Carrick area, great to see.

55km ish at 28.5km/h, had planned a little longet with some climbing at the end but as it wasy first time doing consecutive days i emptied so decided the climbing was out.

Wishbone Ash

Mercian Pro wrote: »

... must have been close to 2 degrees heading out to Swords. Joined the MSCC spin to Newcastle and Celbridge. The combined effects of the hill climb beyond Newcastle, the coffee stop in Celbridge, the following wind home and the rise in temperature eventually thawed out the fingers and toes....'

We had a few out in the juniors/intermediates with fingerless gloves or no gloves at all. I don't know how they do it. My hands were cold at times with full gloves on.

marty_crane

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I don't know how they do it. My hands were cold at times with full gloves on.

You're getting ould

Fian

Only cycle today was my normal commute into work.

can sum it up in one word: Chilly.

Was wearing winter gloves (not really hot ones but normally they are fine) despite that fingers were numb by the time i had done my 7km commute, Not to mention toes.

Winter seems to have arrived.

marty_crane

Cold but great-and slow. Had to put my hand over my mouth at the start to try and get some air in my lungs. Roads, even the ones from the N11 to the coast, in surprisingly good nick. Dry and clean for the best part. A few other about today. Nice latte in Avoca at Mount Usher.

smacl

Put the studs on the cross bike last night and headed up to the featherbeds at lunch. Difficult tyres to get on and riding them up hill at the recommended pressure for ice or snow (55psi max) felt like cycling through treacle. Needless to say when I got up the hill all the bloody snow had thawed and the main road cleared of ice, but still dramatic enough in the Winter sun. I'll hopefully get a longer foray in over the weekend.

Some pics here

Alek

Needless to say when I got up the hill all the bloody snow had thawed

No good. Wanted to take kids up there in a trailer on Saturday so they can see snow for the first time...

smacl

Alek wrote: »

No good. Wanted to take kids up there in a trailer on Saturday so they can see snow for the first time...

Also scheduled to take the youngest and her friend for a hike from Marlay up to Fairy castle on Saturday and I'm going to have some serious questions to answer if there's no snow....

cdaly_

What's still there should hang around for the weekend but there won't be any more.

Ciaran_B

Bit slippery in the estate but fine once I got to the main roads. I took it easy on the corners though. Dublin 12 to Dublin 1.

cython

Took a spill on some black ice at the roundabout nearest the zoo in the Phoenix Park this morning myself Scuffing to my hip and elbow, and to the RH shifter on the bike. Pannier seems to have protected the derailleur, etc. from the ground, which is something of a saving grace.

Had gone to the effort of walking out of the estate to the main road, as there was no way I was getting out of there on two wheels, but should probably have just gotten the train in and walked up, though I've snotted myself walking from the train to the office other winters so might not have been better! In hindsight I think I made the mistake of taking a normal cycling line through the roundabout which would have crossed the tyre tracks, and the ice was probably between those, so lesson learned on that!

Pinch Flat

cython wrote: »

Took a spill on some black ice at the roundabout nearest the zoo in the Phoenix Park this morning myself

Ouch, go that way myself in the mornings. Saw a cyclist yesterday morning take a spill in the same spot - meant to post a warning on here. Both Chesterfield and zoo roundabouts lethal. Feel guilty now.

Alek

Extended commute spin to Viewing Point and then to work via city centre. Ice, ice baby: everywhere.

Studded tyres are still grinning.