WilcoYHF's Log

WilcoYHF

Right so, it's time I got my log started. I was cycling an awful mountain bike with only one gear working and was planning on starting a log when I got a new road bike. Trying to get on the bike to work scheme in my company has been a major pain in the back side, so when my crap mountain bike got nicked I had to get the best bike I could afford which is a pretty poor, and heavy, hybrid but it has more than one gear. Now it's time to keep track of my training.

Current Situation:
I'm 27, 5'10 and 13stone. I've never been very fit, I played astro once a week up until a few months ago. I have been cycling quite a bit since then doing 10k to and from work most days and maybe a 30k or so cycle at the weekends.

Goals:
Do a 100k cycle by the end of the year.
Get a road bike.
Join a club.
Do the 2012 Wicklow 200.
Weight loss should be a consequence of these goals so I'm not too focused on this but I will be if it doesn't come down.

This Weeks Progress
Mon: no cycle
Tue: 22.15k
Wed: 32.75k
Thu: 22.15k
Fri: 41.7k
Sat: no cycle
Sun: 50.65k

I bought the new bike online and I was pretty disappointed how heavy it was but at least it'll be good for training. I went for my first long cycle on Friday taking the long way from work going through Adamstown, Lucan, Strawberry Beds, Knockmaroon Hill, a lap of the Phoenix Park and down the canal back to Ranelagh. It went ok although it was very windy. The saddle was killing me and by the time I got to the Phoenix Park my lower back was in agony. I'll have to adjust the saddle. My bike computer was nicked with my old bike so any figures are rough for the moment.

Distance: 30.55k
Time: 1hr 22mins
Average Speed: 22.4 km/h.


http://runkeeper.com/user/WilcoYHF/activity/48454961

I planned on doing a 50k cycle today but was nervous as my back was really painful on Friday. I didn't get up early as planned but got bored around one so of I went down the canal through Harolds Cross, Terenure, Rathfarnham, Cruagh Road, Johnnie Fox's, Kiliney Hill Blackrock, Sandymount and back. I did 50k on my old bike the week it got nicked so I knew the distance wouldn't be a problem. What I wasn't ready for was the Cruagh Road. I had to get off and walk a little bit but once I got to the top it was fine. The descent from Johnnie Fox's down to Kilternan was easily the fastest I've gone on a bike. I'll have to get a new bike computer to see what I get to. Vico Road in Killiney was a killer but it went better than on the old bike. From there back the ride went smoothly.

Distance: 50.65k
Time: 2hrs 30mins
Average Speed: 20.26 km/h


http://runkeeper.com/user/WilcoYHF/activity/48703287

I hope to do at lest the same next week as I did this week and hopefully get a bike computer so I can log some real times.

What do people think of cycling up Cruagh Road? Is it as tough as I thought or have I a long way to go?

Note: I'm gonna try figure out how to put up pics.

insinkerator

Welcome to the logs . It is surprisingly motivating coming along at the end of a spin, or a week, and writing up about it. Especially when you meet any goals you set for yourself.

It looks like you were trying to post a picture up, you can attach one to your post, by clicking the "Go Advanced" button below the quick reply feature, or else upload to a site like tinypic.com, and copy the link designated for forums and messageboards.

WilcoYHF

Thanks Insinkerator! I was indeed trying to upload a pic thanks for the advice!

G rock

cruagh road kills me as well, heart is usually pumping at top of it.

give it a while and you'll manage it no prob, keep up the good work!

smacl

WilcoYHF wrote: »

What do people think of cycling up Cruagh Road? Is it as tough as I thought or have I a long way to go?

Nah, Cruagh is pretty tough ok, but a great hill for getting used to climbing if you can do it regularly. It also gives you a lot of options to extend your spins, so once you get used to Johnnie Foxes, you can keep going at the bridge and head up to Glencree first, then on to Sallygap, Laragh, etc...

Rofo

Welcome to the logs!

I've been cycling since March (I keep a log on here on a fairly irregular basis) and have recently been up Cruagh Rd a couple of times. It is tough and I find myself communing with butterflies long before the top. It's a great one to gauge where you're at though. I will keep going back there to try and improve my climbing.

WilcoYHF

Cheers Rofo, I've been keeping an eye on your log and your right it is good at gauging where your at! I thought I was pathetic struggling up Cruagh Road so I'm delighted that people think it is difficult. Hopefully we'll get to that magical 100!!

WilcoYHF

I'm pretty annoyed with the lack of cycling done this week. Work commitments meant I couldn't cycle in on Wednesday and Friday and drinking commitments meant I was too wrecked to do what I planned! Nothing much to note on the commutes apart from the standard near misses with cars. Didn't get out on saturday due to an awful hangover and I just couldn't miss the first live villa game of the season although did my best.

So Sunday began with another hangover but I couldn't let the week go by with just 66k done. I decided I head for Ticknock as its not too far and I presumed it would be a decent climb, having not been up there before. It actually went a lot better than I thought and I'll have to go up again. I was surprised by the amount of people on horses up there and one of them lost control of their steed just as I was passing and I fell in to a ditch avoiding it. It was pretty funny actually! Coming down was brilliant although being Sunday afternoon there was a lot of people about so I couldn't really fly down. At the top I noticed all the downpours over the city while I was standing in the perfect sunshine but then, just as I got lost on my back it bucketed down but the at least I was on my way home.

Highlights:
Getting to the summit at Ticknock.
The view up there.

Lowlights:
Being forced into a ditched by a horse.
Getting lost in the rain.
Not having a bike computer to see the stats I'm going to have to sort that out.

WilcoYHF

This week I was in the same situation as last week as the evil drink got the better of me on Friday night, well being at that Ireland game would drive anyone to the drink! So that was Saturdays cycle over.

After going up Cruagh Road two weeks ago and up to Ticknock last week I got up early on Sunday planning to do the same 50k route from Ranelagh-Rathfarnham-Cruagh Road-Johnnie Fox's-Killiney Hill-Ranelagh. I had a quick look at google maps to check the route and thought "hold on a second Sally Gap doesn't look too far from the top of Cruagh Road". Being from Tallaght I think, or thought, that Kippure is the highest part in Wicklow and it would be all downhill from there.

Anyway I headed off got to the bottom of Cruagh Road where I had in my head to make better use of the gears which I did and was feeling much better when I got to the top. On the way over to viewpoint I was feeling tired and was hunched over the handlebars climbing slowly. Then I remembered the very good hill climbing article which said you should sit upright in the saddle and have very little downward pressure on the handlebars. I duly obliged and was feeling much better onwards. Thanks to St Tiernans for posting that article!!

Now I know Wicklow is known as the Garden of Ireland but the road from Viewpoint to Sally Gap was actually quite barren and eerie, the dull whether obviously had something to do with that. The climb up by Lower Lough Bray was tough but the sight of what I thought was the summit kept me going. Although not the summit the road from there to Sally Gap was nice and easy. I got to Sally Gap and thought right its downhill from here and felt great. Then I looked down along the road to Roundwood and thought "Oh ****ox". The sight before me was by no means downhill. Thinking of it now, it never crossed my mind to turn back and take the handy trip back down. I suppose it shows how stubborn I can be when I have a route in my head. I'm sure theres many more like me!! I enjoyed the brief downhill trip before the climb by Lough Tay. I began that climb thinking I'll just take it bit by bit and then I just had to stop and take in the view just after the bridge. So that's the Garden!! I said to myself I'll take a few minutes here for a break but after 30 seconds I just wanted to keep going. Not far from the next summit I decided I could go for the summit or walk the last couple of hundred meters. Having a long still to go to get back home I decided to walk.

Getting over the top of that summit, albeit on foot, was a relief as it surely had to be downhill from here. The downhill stretch from here was great although I'll have to get a pair of glasses as the rain was painful hitting my eyes. I began to tire pretty badly on the road to Bray and found myself counting down the kilometres on the road sign which wasn't good. I got to N11 and grabbed an apple, banana and snickers and scoffed them.

When I got to the N11 after cycling through Shankill I was relieved as I finally felt on the home stretch. Then the promised rain that stopped me from going to the Electric Picnic arrived and actually made me feel good as that decision was justified! Not far from Stillorgan while cycling in the bus lane (for fear of getting a puncture in that god awful cycle lane) a black Mercedes absolutely flew past me with only inches to spare. I caught up with it at the next set of lights and gave him evils as he tended to his child in the back, I'd no energy for much more. After the lights went green he flew past me again this time with the window down screaming something incomprehensible at me. What I'd like to know is why I can cycle on a road in Wicklow, not much wider than one of the three lanes on the N11, with cars waiting patiently behind me for a wider stretch and not on a main thoroughfare in the city.

Despite this incident I got home safely with no more energy than to collapse on the couch and watch the hurling. I think next week I'll go back to the 50k route and stick to that for a while to build up my fitness. Although, come next Sunday I'll probably think I can do the same again!

I wasn't planning on this log being so comprehensive and maybe this is just a one off but I've never really done anything like this before. I hope all the text hasn't turned anyone off!!

Till next week.................

WilcoYHF

Soooooo next week eh!!!!!!!

Well it all went wrong in September I was away in France, where I did a bit of enjoyable cycling on a crap bike though. Then I began the final semester of a masters I'm doing so all my spare time was taken up until last week. The excesses of xmas had me making big plans for the new year. So the day before new years eve I got up early to begin my first long cycle a few hours before another excessive weekend in Kinsale.



I was planning on getting on the bike at 7 in the morning but forgot it would be pitch black so I started at 8 (when it was pitch black!!!). I headed up to Dundrum via Milltown, passing the shopping centre and up towards Sandyford I began feeling quite tired but this is always a tough bit and I knew it didn't last too long. After Kilternan I turned left down Ballycorus Road. This was the first time I've been down this road, it's a nice road to go down. Heading over the M50 I wasn't where I thought I was and began thinking I might be late for my lift to Kinsale, so I just made my way to Killiney and on to Dun Laoghaire. Then on to Blackrock, Ballsbridge and Ranelagh.

36 km in total in 1hr 45mins in total and felt pretty good. Hope it's a good foundation for the forthcoming tough work.

So the masters is finished now and I can spend my spare time back on the bike. I'm working on a training plan that I hope will take me to a 150k+ ride by June and lose 15kg in the process. I was hoping to do the Wicklow 200 in June but going to Poland put paid to that. I also want to get a good road bike and join a club, have to join the credit union first!!

Goals:

Stick to training plan
Do a 150k+
Lose 15kg
Get a good road bike
Join a club

WilcoYHF

I've been away from this for a long time as I lost all confidence in my rubbish halfords hybrid and a trip up the mountains was likely to end up in a long walk home. Finally after months of knocking on my HR departments door they agreed to let me get on the bike to work scheme so I got a Trek Defy 3 just last week.



Its not the bike I would've chosen given a decent budget but beggars can't be choosers. The day after I got it I went up the Cruagh Road, a route I did a lot on my old hybrid, not too far up I was shifting down the gears thinking there was a few more left for left for when it started to get tough. When I tried to shift down another gear there was nothing. I was on the lowest gear!! This wasn't what I was used to. I was expecting it to be easier to get up the Cruagh Road on the new bike but it was actually harder!

On Military Road I turned right to head down towards the water works in Bohernabreena this is where the fun began. Going down towards the reservoir was brilliant fun the bike was really comfortable and handled really well so my confidence in releasing the brakes more grew. Overall my early opinions of the new bike was that it was tough getting up the hills but great fun descending. On the flat it was very comfortable and quick although I've yet to connect my bike computer to judge this. A few days later I read a review of the bike which said that apart from from the high gearing which made climbing tough it was a fantastic bike (for its price range) and great fun coming down hills. Just what I thought. I'd just have to get used to the high gearing. It also said the wheels are very heavy which I though was quite strange. Maybe its the first upgrade I'll have to carry out.

The plan it to join St Tiernans Cycling Club and it turns out that the guy who deals with membership applications so I told him I plan to get out on my own for a couple of rides to get myself up to speed. Which takes me to yesterdays ride. The planned route was Ranelagh-Tallaght-Brittas-Straffan-Maynooth-Lucan-Ranelagh. The climb over Mount Seskin was a struggle which I have to put down to the high gearing as it was anything I haven't seen before. Towards the end my back and neck were quite sore, I'm not sure if I have the saddle at a proper height and I'd say I just need to build up the neck muscles as they're not used to being in that position for three/four hours at a time.

The route below is the route I actually did. When I got to the junction between the luas red line and the canal I sprinted all the way back to Ranelagh which was fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what speeds I get to. Then, when I got back to my apartment I realised I left my keys in Tallaght when I popped in to my parents. Having emptied the tank on the final sprint I then had to cycle back to Tallaght, uphill and against the wind which really pissed me off. I even gave out to two lads crossing the road at a snails pace! Very sound of me!!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gdnFfUbaQo0/UHrPORtUTSI/AAAAAAAAAA4/H_0yFkPI6QA/s614/12102012.jpg

Overall I enjoyed the ride but I'm a bit nervous that I might be a fair bit off the pace of club cycles so I think I need to get more miles in my legs.