Orwell Randonnee 2015

crosstownk

A massive 'Chapeau' to all that did this today. I had considered doing this earlier in the year but then I forgot and let it slide. However, had I signed up for it I would have rolled over in bed this morning for more sleep upon hearing the rain.

Well done to all who even attempted it today. Rule no. 5 applied.

Kaisr Sose

Kudos to all who did the Orwell Randonee today. It was not a day for a cycle..:.hope you all made it through the course incident free!!

doozerie

I was determined to do the ride today regardless of weather. My form fell off a cliff a few weeks back, I'm on a campaign to get it back again so a tough 120km seemed as good a means as any. Besides, I have some wet weather Castelli gear that I've not had a chance to properly put to the test since I bought it, and today certainly fit the bill for that!

I opted for my winter bike. It has spent the last couple of months as a turbo bike. Once I had it out on the road I was quickly reminded of one of the lingering bits of maintenance it has needed since the winter - new brake pads. There is a fair bit of life left in the existing pads, Koolstop salmon on the front and Swissstop green on the rear, but they just don't work anything like as well as they used to. In the wet they are not a patch on the Campag Record pads on my "good" bike, which I remembered as the T-junction at the bottom of the hill in my estate approached at speed. It could be a long day ahead. Or indeed a very short but sore one!

I made it to the start on time, quite an achievement for me. I was a little disappointed to hear that The Wall had been taken out, but it was certainly the right choice and as it happens it might have broken me anyway. Heading up to Glencullen I moved towards the front. I can't seem to resist getting involved when the pace goes up on hills, I clearly never learn. A group rode off the front, I'm guessing there were no more than half a dozen in it, but whatever its size they and the lead car disappeared into the distance and I never saw them again.

I didn't find it too bad on the way to Kilakee Road, I was certainly puffing and panting but usually I settle into a ride quickly enough in those circumstances where I am working hard. Then we hit that nasty wind on the way to Featherbeds. That hurt. I glanced down to see how many gears I had left. None. Shyte. My winter bike doesn't have a great gear range on it, 39-26 is as low as it goes, that makes for some challenging rides at times, this was looking set to be one of them. There were three of us together along there for a while, DirkVoodoo and someone I didn't know seemed very comfortable, I tried to hide behind them as much as I could.

I don't like the descent down the back of Powerscourt, I prefer to go up it than down it, it has some tricky bends on it which make the descent hairy. In particular the bend near the waterfall entrance. Me and my rubbish brakes made it safely as far as that last one. As I approached it I was on the brakes early because I know how sharp a bend it is. Old-school Campag brakes used to be better known as "speed attenuators", my brakes were feeling quite traditional today, I was pulling the bejaysus out of the levers but the rims just brushed off the efforts, I imagine that inside they were going "wheeeeeeee" as I approached the bend at a stupid speed. The marshals were doing a good job of warning people to slow down ahead of the bend, I wasn't ignoring ye, really I wasn't, I was yelling at my bike with even more determination than ye were yelling at me, it just laughed off my efforts.

I was never going to make the turn, I still had too much speed, so I had to swing over to the other side of the road, where it was slightly less steep, hands still clamped on brake levers, and hope for the best. Fortunately, no traffic came the other way, and my brakes finally did bite enough to scrub enough speed to allow me to get round the bend upright. Phew! The marshals must have been wondering what kind of feckin' eejit I was though, the answer is a very relieved one! As bad as those brakes have been a few times over the winter, they were never this bad, they really pick their moments.

I passed by the bottom of The Wall, and silently thanked Orwell for leaving it out, my legs really weren't up for it today. Old Long Hill proved to be an ugly struggle too, it's never an easy climb but I was making a right dog's dinner of it today. A bit further on I decided it was time to add another layer. I was wearing a long-sleeved roll-necked merino base layer and a Castelli Alpha jersey over the top. It's a surprisingly good combination, by then I was soaked through (some people claim the Castelli Alpha jersey is waterproof, it's not but its water resistance is quite good) - I wasn't cold at all, the jersey and base layer provide excellent protection against wind, and good merino keeps you warm even when wet. But I threw a (Rapha) rain jacket over the top just in case, and this combination worked great too for the rest of the day, I never got cold and the breathability of the combination was really good. So today was a useful test of various combinations of kit.

I was with a group of about 6 or 7 others heading into Laragh. They headed for the food step. I briefly considered doing likewise, but basically it was going to be a carb brothel, it couldn't be anything else at a cycling event. I remembered it from previous times I've done the Randonees, delicious cakes throwing themselves wantonly at me. That was fine when I was a carb slut, but the reformed me tries to avoid carbs for the mostpart and today I think my resolve might have weakened very quickly. Besides, I was finding the pace a bit hot by then anyway, I'd probably fare better on my own. So I was Billy No Mates for the rest of the ride, I passed a small few stragglers much later on, they may have been people who turned back at Laragh, but saw no-one else.

Before I got to Shay Eliott I stopped and checked my rear wheel. To compound my brake block issues/failings, my rear brakes had been shuddering too. I was half expecting to find a dented rim, or something stuck in a brake pad, instead I found a small piece of metal that seemed to be welded to my rim. What? How? Gah! I went at it with a stone. Here I was surrounded by modern technology in the form of a modern bicycle and its associated modern gadgets, and I was left hitting it with a stone. My inner neanderthal approved.

Shay Eliott was eerie, visibility was rubbish and there was very little traffic so it felt very desolate. In the midst of my isolation, my phone cheerfully pinged its "You've got mail" noise. What? I was in Manor Kilbride on Thursday evening, a lovely bright clear evening with no clouds or overhanging trees to speak of, and my phone couldn't pick up a signal. Two days later, I feel like I'm on the top of the most rural stretch of road the country has to offer, can't see beyond my nose, and my phone detects an e-mail. Fcuk you Meteor, I fail to see the humour in that anomaly!

The descent from Shay Eliott was interesting. Crap visibility, sunglasses coated in crap, brake pads crap and still juddering a bit. Cue more marshals motioning me to slow down as I approached the crossroads at the bottom. I'm not sure how you motion "I'm trying" while simultaneously hauling on. I stayed upright though. Onwards and upwards to Rathdrum. Particularly upwards, I'd forgotten how much that road rises. My poor legs.

And on to the Laragh Classic circuit (great race, tell your friends ), so more familiar roads again. It brought back memories of racing it last year though. My poor poor legs. As I approached the finish line of the circuit I decided to practice my finishing celebration. So as I rolled over the line I hunched my shoulders, let my head sag, and shook my head in a "I could have won that. If only I hadn't come last" motion. That practice will come in handy in the future.

Beyond Roundwood I pulled over. I was getting hungry but I wasn't ready to dig into the carb-fest of the emergency bananas in my pockets. So I dug out the packet of Brazil nuts I'd brought with me. There are times when being on a low-carb diet feels perfectly normal, there are other times when you feel like you are pulling into a remote lay-by to scoff your high-fat alternatives in a secret little world of shame. I shoved a handful of the nuts into my mouth, and at that moment an Orwell car pulled up to ask if I was okay. I stood there, my filled cheeks puffed like a hamster's, unable to say anything for fear of peppering driver and car in a spray of Brazil but fragments. I gave him a thumbs up and the closest I could approximate to a grin but which probably looked somewhere between deranged and psychotic.

Back on the bike, trying to chew the nuts as I went, realising that this was quite a challenge. Moments later I pass another Orwell food/watering point, they ask me if I want anything as I pass, unable to speak I stick my hand up and try another smile which no doubt also looked unhinged. The road climbed ahead, and as I tried to chew and breathe at the same time, chunks of semi-chewed Brazil nuts fell out of my mouth. Am I smooth, or wha'?!

Going down Old Long Hill was going to be a challenge. I was on the brakes for ages before I hit that bend at the end, which the council had decided to add loose gravel to, for sh1ts and giggles I have to assume. Despite that I still had too much speed into the bend and had to take a straight line across the gravel to avoid hitting it side on and coming down. This resulted in my ending up on the wrong side of the road again. Once more the marshals must have been wondering what kind of idiot I was. Me too.

My legs felt okay on Lover's Leap, surprisingly. As I started the descent towards Enniskerry, a car overtook and no sooner had it gone past me than it simultaneously stuck on its indicator to turn left into Powerscourt and hit the brakes hard. This has happened me quite a few times just there, some knob decides that he/she has to get past the cyclist even though they'll be slamming on their brakes to make their turn, turning their car into an obstacle in the process. It happens often enough that they deserve their own name, "knobstacles" seems fitting. Despite my crap brakes I got round the knobstacle and onto the main part of the descent. Cue more Orwell marshals gesturing for me to slow down as I approach the left turn before Enniskerry village. I felt bad again. I would, I really would slow down, if I could.

I encountered a couple more knobstacles before Stepaside, apparently driving past a cyclist and instantly pulling very far left up against the edge of the road while slowing for traffic/lights/a turn ahead counts for reasonable driving for some people.

I rode back to the school starting point. I'm not sure why, I could have turned for home a few km earlier on, but some part of my brain feared I'd have an OCD fit in the middle of the night, waking up and shouting "I DIDN'T FINISH IT!" before hopping on to the bike to officially complete the circuit. So I "officially" completed the circuit, before riding back the way that I'd come to head for home.

So all in all it was an interesting day on the bike. I'm very glad that I did it, even though my hands are still not quite back to normal - I wore silk liners under Castelli neoprene gloves today and they alternated between being very effective and being very ineffective, of all my kit today those gloves were the one thing I'd change next time. Orwell did a great job of organising and running the event, thanks a lot to everyone involved - in weather like today that is a thankless task but ye all did it with good humour. And to those that had to witness my appalling cornering on the steepest of the descents, I shall ceremoniously burn those brake pads tomorrow and you are all invited to come and sprinkle some petrol on them.

doozerie

Oh, and just to add, choice of kit on a day like today really makes the difference between the ride being bearable and being torture. I was as soaked as anyone, but other than my hands I never got cold as most of my kit worked very well. In the wrong kit I'd have struggled to complete the ride today, but it was actually grand relatively speaking. The fact that I didn't stop for any length of time helped too of course, if I had then that could have changed things dramatically.

manafana

doozerie wrote: »

f


Beyond Roundwood I pulled over. I was getting hungry but I wasn't ready to dig into the carb-fest of the emergency bananas in my pockets. So I dug out the packet of Brazil nuts I'd brought with me. There are times when being on a low-carb diet feels perfectly normal, there are other times when you feel like you are pulling into a remote lay-by to scoff your high-fat alternatives in a secret little world of shame. I shoved a handful of the nuts into my mouth, and at that moment an Orwell car pulled up to ask if I was okay. I stood there, my filled cheeks puffed like a hamster's, unable to say anything for fear of peppering driver and car in a spray of Brazil but fragments. I gave him a thumbs up and the closest I could approximate to a grin but which probably looked somewhere between deranged and psychotic.

B.

Low carb diets arn't that great, the right carbs with low gi are prefect and bannas are great when out cycling eat them, nuts are for after not during.

irishrover99

manafana wrote: »

Low carb diets arn't that great, the right carbs with low gi are prefect and bannas are great when out cycling eat them, nuts are for after not during.

I got a pack of haribo jellies of a woman just before the climb to ballinastoe, she opened the pack and poured them all into my glove and into the gob they went.
Went down a bloody threat

doozerie

manafana wrote: »

Low carb diets arn't that great, the right carbs with low gi are prefect and bannas are great when out cycling eat them, nuts are for after not during.

I disagree with much of that, but debating diet is way off topic for this thread.

bazermc

irishrover99 wrote: »

I got a pack of haribo jellies of a woman just before the climb to ballinastoe, she opened the pack and poured them all into my glove and into the gob they went.
Went down a bloody threat

Would that be low or high GI

manafana

doozerie wrote: »

I disagree with much of that, but debating diet is way off topic for this thread.

I will agree that a low carb diet will help you lose weight, everything else Im afraid has been proven to have no long term health benefits, just like when we used be too told fats where bad, got have your "good" carbs for cycling

doozerie

manafana wrote: »

I will agree that a low carb diet will help you lose weight, everything else Im afraid has been proven to have no long term health benefits, just like when we used be too told fats where bad, got have your "good" carbs for cycling

That's largely ill-informed nonsense, you should have a read of this thread, for links to interesting resources if nothing else.

There is very little that is black or white when it comes to diet, if the endless debate and bickering about diet has taught us nothing else it certainly has taught us that.

Kaisr Sose

doozerie wrote: »

That's largely ill-informed nonsense, you should have a read of this thread, for links to interesting resources if nothing else.

There is very little that is black or white when it comes to diet, if the endless debate and bickering about diet has taught us nothing else it certainly has taught us that.

Second that. I remember hearing C Froome say he went on a low carb diet during the winter prior to 2013 or maybe it was the 2014 season. He said he benefited from it (aka the aggregation of marginal gains)

This is not a thread for this discussion though.

CramCycle

MOD VOICE: Unless it's about carrot cake, all other diet conversations should be had elsewhere.

rfreese888

Noah's Ark Gran Fondo!

Wettest day ever spent on a bike. Had to prove myself after abandoning Skoda in Laragh with hypothermia.

Wore latex gloves under Diluvios, double socks under booties, Belgian winter hat, winter bib tights, base layer, jersey and jacket. Feet and hands got cold but could feel the brakes and see straight. Winter bike.

Featherbeds was an adventure. Descent down Glencree not fun. Food stop in Laragh was spot on. Shay Elliot a doddle. Drag to Rathdrum a slog on my own. Coffee in Mystic Picnic in Roundwood - had to ask for help getting money out of zipper pocket! Turned down lifts between Ballinastoe and Enniskerry. Still had gas in the tank at the end. Home to Shankill from Enniskerry as could not face warming up with burgers and then back on the bike in the wet.

Feel more prepared for the Mick and the Wick as a result.

Orwell team were the business.

at1withmyself

Made the trip up from Galway for this and was a little disappointed that the route was cut short as I thought that would reduce the challenge. I was however wrong and that was some challenge. Had this one have been in Galway I may have stead in bed but as I made the journey up I rolled out of bed and cycled to the start.

I thought I was well dressed and I was for the rain but not for the cold as I only had 1 base layer under the rain coat as I didn't pay attention to the temperature when monitoring the weather forecast all week! So I was cold at the start before it kicked off but warmed up again on the first ascent. The scenery I imagine is pretty good around the mountains but wasn't my day for scenery so I got the head down and made good progress to Laragh where I stopped for food. Got some food into me and started shivering after about 10 minutes so back on the bike.

At this stage I decided to go back and began the cycle back, visibility was poor and the weather getting no better I had no regrets about cutting it short. The descents were tough and not suited to the carbon rims in the wet (wish I had discs!) but I made it down ok.

Burger and chips were great at the end but again I got cold quickly. Unfortunately there was no climbs back to the hotel (Tallaght) just a ridiculous amount of lights so didn't warm up and that turned out to be the hardest part of the cycle!

Overall a tough challenge made harder by my stupidity not to acknowledge how cold the mountains can get (not used of them) but still a great day on the bike.

120 km all in so proud of that and well done to all who got out of bed on the day let alone the hard ones who made the full distance. Great set up from the Orwell crew and I look forward to next years event.