My Cycling Life (2014)

thinks too much

Well as usual I am slow at getting the weekly details up but better late then never. After an extremely gluttonous Christmas I got back on the bike last week and decided to take it easy for the first week. Did a lunch spin with work colleagues on Thursday. Solo spin Friday covering 32 km and climbing 617 m so happy with that. Saturday the roads were a little slippy so did an easy one again clocking iup 31 km. A nice easy week to break the year in.

And on to where I stand as of today. Yesterday I decided to try the new mountain bike out and headed off down to local woods for an easy spin. Took a turn down what I thought was a nice easy track and quickly discovered it was a very tough downhill with lots of jumps. After all the rain last week etc the ground was all cut up and sloppy and I had a big fail on a jump and bang, down I went, Now my knee is swollen up and it looks like I will be off the bike for the rest of this week at the very least. I am gutted and my pride is dented but the new mountain bike is OK. so I may not have any news for a few weeks but I will be back.

Until then Happy Cycling

thinks too much

SO after my little fall last Monday I spent the week moping around like a sulky child. On Sunday morning I decided the knee was not as bad as it felt and headed out with a few friends for a handy 2 hr spin. The knee was still tender from the bruising but held up and although at an average speed of 24.6 kmph we did not break any speed records it was great to be out. Now I hope to get in a few more this week and hopefully the knee will heal soon and I can push on with some real training. But for now it looks like I won't be hitting the hills in the near future and if I can just keep the legs spinning I will be happy.

thinks too much

My best week since the start of December. Got out for 4 spins and did 215km for the week. I had thought i might get out at the weekend and get in a 5th spin but the kids and then the weather Gods put paid to that. Still though I am happy as it has given me a Bit of a spur to get back into the thick of it. My average speed for the week was 24.6 and considering the knee is still tender i am happy with that. I also found my climbing to be a lot improved although its still a long way off what i would have considered my peak last September. All in all though a good week and all going well so too will the week coming.

thinks too much

Went out on 3 of my lunch breaks and one afternoon spin this week managing 143 km in total. Felt good as on 2 of the dinner spins the conditions were awful and I was on my own and battling through the elements gave me a great workout. I think I am about a week away from my knee being fullt healed also. On Saturday I was on a turbo trainer for a fundraising event and did about 4 hrs in total so today was a day for rest. I am planning a good week this week coming if the weather holds up and will try to do at least 2 days getting back in the hills.

thinks too much

A good week for getting miles in the legs but the Portlaoise winter classic was a disaster of a day. All in all I did 370km in total and would be happy with that if it were not for the fact that on Sunday I was struggling to get around all together. I knew on Sunday morning before I left home that I could feel the beginnings of a dose coming on but ventured out nonetheless. The first 25 mins were torture for me between the wind and the rain and my inability to warm up. When we got to the climb in Ballyraggett I just took my time up it and got to castlecomer freezing and feeling poorly. I could not get any warmth info me at all. I was so tempted to bail out when we turned for the Swan and head home but with the car in portlaoise I had to keep going. I struggled to get into a rhythm on any climbs or drags and when we hit that headwind going in the Old Dublin road to Portlaoise I had lost all will to go on. I managed to get around in about 3hr 50 mins thanks to the tow off some clubmates but since then I have been sick as a dog. Going to just try to get in 150km this week if I can and try get a big one in next week again but with only 4 and a half months to go before my cycle to Rome I cannot afford to loose too much training to illness and at the same time have to be careful not to overdo it. The average speed for the week over the 370 km was 25kmph and I will be quite happy to maintain that especially as we go through France and Italy in June and July.

thinks too much

The less said about this week the better. For a variety of Non cycling reasons this has been the worst week i have had in a long time. Weather is Piss Poor. Storms wreck the house. and to top it all off a couple of nights in the hospital with one of the girls. Time to move on and hope that it gets better from here.

thinks too much

Well It was a reasonable week for me after the disaster of last week. On Wednesday myself and a few buddies from the club did the route for the Lap Of Laois Sportive. 125km in 4 and a half hours so happy with that. On Thursday I went out and did 34 km which included a blowout of the back Tyre but i got enough of a repair job done to get me home. Not impressed with these tyres at all as that is the second one to go in a short space of time, I am going back to the gatorskins now. For what it is worth they were rubena racing tyres. So on Saturday morning After the night shift I met a friend and we did 70 km averaging 28.4 kmph and I was thrilled with that considering I had been in work the previous night. I had a chance to go out today but decided to rest up instead. Total for the week was 240 and I am happy with how things are progressing so far this year. My weight has come down a slight bit and I am just under 81 kg now so if I can get it down to 80 around 78 kg I will be happy then. For anyone that is interested you can look up the details for the Lap Of Laois Sportive on Facebook. It is being run by Complex Cycling Club In Portlaoise. https://www.facebook.com/complexcycling.club?fref=ts

thinks too much

I really enjoyed this weeks cycling. With the exception of Friday I got out every day even if it was only for an hour. I felt as good on the bike this week as I ever had and am beginning to feel that I am starting to reap the benefits of those winter miles. on each of the spins this week I felt very comfortable and that if I needed to I could have gone and pushed it even harder but i am learning that it is just as important to keep training at a steady pace as much as it is to push your limits. With my summer trip to Rome in mind I am going to keep aiming at maintaining a steady pace in my weekly training. I have started trying to spin my legs a lot more on some of the days and I definitely found this to be helping as i set a few new Personal bests on some Strava segments this week. My distance for the week was 270km averaging 26.8 kmph and that to me is very acceptable. Hoping to keep up the same sort of distance this week and also have a day of mountain biking in Ballyhoura planned for Tuesday so looking forward to that,

thinks too much

3 road spins and a trip to Ballyhoura Mountain biking for me last week. The trip to Ballyhoura was great and it is nice to be doing something different cycling wise. Only had 3 spills and they were all minor. The road spins this week were all medium length spins and the pace for them was fairly good. I did not get a chance to go out at the weekend as had the kids in my capable although at times chaotic care. A pity as it was such a great day for a spin but the girls come first and cycling second. I have 3 night shifts early this week so will try get a couple of hours during the days. Next weekend is ruled out with work so I will try to get a long one in on Thursday or Friday also.

thinks too much

So this will be my last weekly post for a while as I had a Bit of an accident this week resulting in a broken collar bone. I posted already about this during the week on boards and will put a link to it below for anyone who wants to read all the BAAAAAD puns that the good folk on Boards could come up with.

So basically while descending after the Mama road climb in Waterford I had a sheep run across the road in front of me causing the broken Collarbone. Now this could not have come at a worse time as I was feeling like I was turning a corner in my cycling and also it is only 3 months until my planned cycle to Rome. I am due to go back to the hospital this Tuesday coming so hopefully I will get a full breakdown on how long it will take to get back in shape. Since the pace for the cycle in June will not be about speed but just getting there I am hoping that if I can get even three quarter ways recovered then I will just do it anyway. So for now its time to get a Turbo trainer and then just keep the legs turning until i can get back on the road.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057167454

thinks too much

i could not explain to anyone how much I missed being off the bike. After only 16 months since i started cycling I am addicted and Even on the day of my accident while Lying in the Accident and Emergency Dept of Waterford hospital the only question I had was when would I be able to cycle again.

I had a plate inserted in my shoulder on March 20th and 3 weeks later I went for a cycle to see how it would feel. Not too much discomfort over the 27 km i did and again the next day another 37 km and again comfortable. Third day out a nice easy 25 km and then a 80 km cycle with a friend the day after. The 80 km was tough enough as i find that the longer time in the saddle means my shoulder gets a lot stiffer. So first week back and I did 176 km in total and I am over the moon.

So last week we were down in Dungarvan again for a few days and it was originally planned to do the SKT tour on Tuesday 15th long before I broke my collarbone. So the guys all meet up in Clonmel to start the route there and I am not able to resist joining them. We set off and feeling comfortable as we arrived at Powers Th Pot Climb I thought to myself just take it handy on the way up and not to be a hero. Got up safely and felt good and on we continued. About 15 km before we reached Mahon Bridge i could feel a bit of pain and started to doubt myself. With about 5 k to the bridge I knew I would not make it around, I felt reasonably good but I knew I would be under pressure on the climbs in particular so I headed straight on to Dungarvan and celled it quits with 72 km. I went out with a friend for a couple of 1 hour spins the following 2 mornings and felt ok again. Friday was a 60km spin with 3 friends with no real hills and then on Sunday A 90 km cycle which was a real test physically and mentally. Along with the wind and the kilometers of the week already I was feeling it in the legs first but then in the shoulder also. My mind started to wander and doubts built up again. But I got through and did 280 km this week. A rest day today has me feeling good again and I will start off this week coming with a few shorter ones.

Its amazing how quickly your legs lose their form also. That is something that is really standing out to me at the moment so i think a good bit of spinning the legs may be needed.

I know that some will think I am back to soon and need some more time to recover etc but in 2 months I am due to do my cycle to Rome. I have reasonably good movement and strength in my arm and it is just in reaching arm fully up that I tend to really suffer. I know I am pushing myself and to be honest I need to. I also found that since I have been back on the bike I am also feeling better in myself overall. I was getting down in those few weeks not just because of lack of cycling but also being out of work and the days were long and I am not used to being idle.

For now though it is great to be doing something on the bike again

pprendeville

Fair play, 3 weeks off after a broken cb and back already. No mean feat. All roads lead to Rome from here on in eh.

thinks too much

This week was Definitely a week of 2 halves, After last weeks efforts I decided to take a rest day on Monday which then rolled into Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday. I cannot tell you if it was because of fatigue or laziness but I just did not fancy getting on the Bike.

So on Friday I finally decide to go out and do something and manage a nice 55 km in the wind. Saturday evening I stay close to home doing a circuit times 3 and manage 35 km. Today I went out with a pal and we decided to do 100km and I was concerned as I had not covered this distance in a few months and also was very worried about the pain factor from the shoulder. I managed to get 108 km in at about a fraction under 26kmph and was happy to have hit the 100 mark but my shoulder is sore after it.

I have an appointment Tuesday Morning for checkup to see how the bone is knitting together and if that goes as planned then intensive physio will be required. I am nervous now as its only about 8 weeks to the Cycle to Rome and I am starting to really worry if I can do it. Maybe I have under estimated the seriousness of the Broken Collarbone and the sensible thing to do would be call a halt to it. But I am doing this for a Cancer Support Center and have been raising a lot of donations on the basis of the cycle. I really do not want to let them down and also when i think of the pain that those suffering from Cancer go through I start to feel a right dick for complaining about some shoulder pain.

So lets hope that Tuesday will be good news and that physio will work its magic.

thinks too much

Started off the week by taking part in The Cycle Against Suicide from Dublin to Carlow. If anyone has done this event before you will know that the average pace does not go above 20 kmph and you have a 2 and a half hour stop in the middle. While some will find that hard and at times I found it tough myself particularly when on any sort of a descent as you were on your brakes all the time. But you have to remind yourself that it is an awareness campaign and not a race or a sportive. The experience of the CAS is great and the welcome into the towns is a real buzz.

Tuesday morning I had an xray on the shoulder and all is good with it healing very nicely and now I can Concentrate on getting intensive physio. So after that I went to Kilkenny and did the kilkenny to Waterford leg of the Cas. Had a bit of a mechanical issue when on the way out of kilkenny the chain broke and bent that rear derailleur. we managed to get the chain fixed and after a bit of pulling and bending got the derailleur into a place which would allow me to continue.

Took Wednesday and Thursday off and Friday I did a 50 k spin with a friend with my new Ultegra Derailleur on Board. I have started to upgrade the components a little at a time so now I have a mix of tiagra and Ultegra on the bike. Slowly I will build it up to full Ultegra as the Funds allow it.

On Saturday evening another 50 k with a friend and Sunday we did 100km. All in all a total of 370 for the week which I am happy with. I am heading away to Germany for a few days next weekend so will try to get a few spins in before that.

upthe19th

370km is a big week, even without the injury. Fair play on the CAS stuff. I know you've expressed concerns about the cycle to rome but it won't be for want of determination anyway. Keep up the good work.

thinks too much

As much as I love cycling and more than that I need to be getting in some serious training before my Trip to Rome in 5 weeks time. However family and life in general always come first so the last 2 weeks i have been out a total of 4 times averaging 50mkm each time. In that time I spent 5 days between Germany and Holland eating all the fabulous foods they had on offer. In Holland I marveled at the amount and quality of cycle paths available. And also the lack of hills.

I have signed up for the Wicklow 200 and am looking forward to that and it will be a good test for my adventures in June. Hopefully I can get a bit more done this week but we will see how that goes.

thinks too much

As I write this it is only 20 days until I depart on my epic (well epic for me anyway) cycle to Rome. So On Tuesday I had my latest appointment in Waterford to check how my collarbone was healing and I decided what better way to test it than cycle the 82 km to the hospital. So off i departed at 6 am for my 9 am appointment. I arrived at the hospital on time to see the doctor and he is happy with the progress and says we should be in a position to remove the plate from the shoulder in July. So happy with that I set off for home and to cut a long story short managed 202 km in 7 hrs 22 mins averaging 27.5 kmph.

A couple of easy hour long spins during lunch times at work and also on Saturday evening along with a few pals we decided to take on a few hills in the area. That was a tough one as 1 hill averaged 8 % another 7% and the third was 5% all within 5 k of each other. Great workout and need to do more as The Alps are going to be tough in June.

Overall i managed 327.5 k this week and am signed up to do the Wicklow 200 next Sunday so that will be a nice Test.

Getting excited now about the trip to Rome but also nervous. I was in Italy 15 years ago at that time of year and it was HOT. Cycling in that sort of heat is going to be alien to me to say the least.

Anyway Thats it for this week so until next week happy and safe cycling to everyone.

thinks too much

Good week this week. Managed to do 417 km over 5 spins with the Wicklow 200 today the icing on the cake. With over 200 done during the week i knew the legs would feel it today and boy was I right. 8 hrs and 33 minutes on the bike for the 200km. not the fastest spin ever but with my trip only 2 weeks away I am not out to break records just get mileage in the legs.

So another week coming up and I hope to get at least 300 in this week but we will see how things at home pan out first. Lots of jobs to do before I head off.

thinks too much

The excitement is getting too much..only 6 days to go and then I set off for Rome. Up to now I have not really thought too much about the cycle side of things as I was concentrating so much on the Fundraising for the charity. I am ashamed to admit that when i first signed on to do the Home To Rome Challenge that it was all about the cycle and the raising funds for the charity was just something you had to do. Now after 7 months of fundraising i am a different person.

The amount you had to raise was €2400 and €1200 of this covered the cost of the cycle etc. Personally even that seemed daunting to me. The charity I raised for is The Cuisle Center in Portlaoise which is a Cancer Support Center for people suffering and their families. After spending the last 7 months dealing with the volunteers who run the Center and the Patients I felt there was no way I was only raising €1200 for them after seeing what work and support these people do. It has been a very emotional and Tiring time overall. My family have been brilliant in their support and I am so proud of them all. This weekend we spent 2 days packing bags in Tesco Portlaoise which was the last of our Fundraisers and now we have raised €12500 for the charity.

I am not giving this information out to make people think what a great lad i am but to show that it is in everyone of us to make a difference in some way to people in far worse situations in life that ourselves. The highlight for me was when we held a fashion show and some of the ladies going through treatment took part as models. Afterwards one of them told me that she had not felt as good about herself in years as she did on the Catwalk that night. Coming from someone who has gad a double Mastectomy I am not afraid to admit I cried at this statement. with the exception of my wife and kids i can say that I have never in my life done anything that has given me as much joy and happiness in my life as the last 7 months of Charity fundraising has given me.

So now I feel that I have earned the right to do this cycle and to represent this amazing charity as I embark on the biggest physical challenge i have ever done in my life or am ever likely to do. Saturday can not come quick enough. I will be tired, I will be sore and I will be emotional during this trip but its only a small thing compared to what the people suffering from cancer go through and that will carry me through the 2 weeks. So as I said already I am a different man now and definitely for the better.

On a side note i did 305 km this week...