Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

North of 32

Rented a bike to cycle around the hills of Crete while on holiday. Ultegra R800, a nice step up from my Tiagra back home. Lovely views to take in.

Came around a corner for the last 100m of climbing and I was salivating at the thought of the descent full of tasty hairpins. I was just spinning away when suddenly - bang - the rear derailleur hanger snapped.

There followed a 10km downhill hike in my cycling shoes, weeping while I walked through the hairpins.

c.p.w.g.w

82km spin this morning @ 30.8km/h.

That Ennis to Quin road is awful, so bumpy and uncomfortable, my arse and wrists are killing me, although I imagine it's as similarly soul destroying as riding cobbles

NUTLEY BOY

Type 17 wrote: »

I grew up in Sandymount, and (since 1980 at least) the road was always closed during Horse Show week (and Spring Show week). They used to let us through on our bikes (Raleigh Burners), but they're probably right to be cagey these days, as we always used to slip off into the RDS while were were making our way to the other end of the closure - free entry was handy when you were a 13-year old without much cash, and we enjoyed seeing the horses and the general buzz - when I was a bit older, I worked there during the HS and SS, selling catalogues, etc.

That was very naughty.

Funnily enough someone did say that the reason for firmer control this year was that some people were actually bunking in :eek:

magicbastarder

a massive five and a half kilometres; just a shakedown ride for the new bike. only issue was needing to tighten one of the shifters.

Mercian Pro

Down to Laragh via Sally Gap to meet up with some friends for coffee, a spin and lunch before heading back to town. Not bad as far as the Gap but then the cloud turned into mist, into drizzle and finally into rain on the decent to Laragh. The stiff SE wind didn't help and the Garmin was showing 9 degrees up top.

Never quite managed to get to the spin stage but the coffee, lunch and company in Ann's Coffee Shop helped me dry out and warm up. Wimped out and accepted the offer of a lift back home.

Lots of notices up advising of road closures on Sunday 19th for the Dun Laoghaire Ironman cycle. Looks like it will affect Stepaside to Enniskerry to Roundwood (via the Old Long Hill) to Sally Gap to the Viewing Point and back to DL via Stepaside. More details at http://m.eu.ironman.com/~/media/f0f3aa8192e040618222bee4b01588dc/ironman%20703%20dun%20laoghaire%20bike%20updated.pdf

Wishbone Ash

Mercian Pro wrote: »

The stiff SE wind didn't help and the Garmin was showing 9 degrees up top....

I was shocked at how cold it was this morning when going to work around 6am. Garmin was showing 3 degrees around Blake's Cross area. Hands were frozen - no gloves.

secman

From CSS back roads to rathcoole , Kill and on to Naas. Across to Blessington and around back of lake towards Manor Kilbride , a right turn for ballysmutten up to road down from gap and back by Lisheen and n81 and home. Just over 70 km avg 27.7 kph. 600m. + climbing. Lovely morning, and warmed up nicely to 22° and dry if windy. Headed down to Wexford and just at end of M50 drove into very misty rain 16 °and .ow st 8 bells it's still misty rain ... Sunny southeast !

Internet Friend

76Km with the brothers today, did Slieve Mann and Shay Elliot, 1342m gained average speed was 22.9km/h but we took it handy enough at times!

pjmn

63km out west this morning - encountered heavy rain for 20 mins or so

avg 29.5kmph 523 climbing

https://www.strava.com/activities/1766632575

Miklos

Collins Christle Memorial A1/2/3. Super quick!

magicbastarder

50km around a damper than expected NCD this morning. 28.6km/h average, disappointing cos that's slower than i've been managing of late, plus i was on the new bike which is a few kilos lighter than my other bike.
still, i managed to knock 20s off my personal best up snowtown from the northside, and still had some fuel in the tank by the time i got to the top too.

Free of the kids for the weekend , we did what most couples do I'm sure and had herself remove my latest batch of stitches which have healed nicely.

First spin in a few weeks for me and first with my partner in a long time due to her having a baby bump in recent times.


Nice spin out the coast to clogherhead and beyond swung left toward togher and back in. Thought even with my few kg of daddy weight I'm working on shifting I'd have a go on the hills and best herself at least once today but no she still had her goats legs

I don't think we've ever seen quite so many traffic cones in once place before there was a near 1km stretch of them on the way into Drogheda to stop parking during the fleadh. We hopped off the bike when we got back to town and the place was buzzing so weird walking the bikes in the middle of the road the wrong way down what would normally be a one way system and are no closed roads swarming with families. Got some chips in Dominic's and a couple of cans to wash them them down in the offy. F'd if I was paying €5 for a plastic cup of beer out a pub window to drink it on the street.

Unreal talent in some of the kids playing music on the street, couple of girls we sat and watched playing a mean fiddle and squeezebox. I'd say they were about 11-12.

Lovely day back in the saddle for us.

LollipopJimmy

Did Galway to Dublin with my mate yesterday, 212kms at 28km/h so really happy with the pace and happier with how I was feeling today

positron

I tried Inishowen i60 yesterday. I have been considering joining Inishowen i100 sportive next Sunday, but knowing that it takes on the likes of Mamore Gap and Kinnego Bay, I was not sure if I would be up for it. I got in touch with Folye CC who organises Inishowen 100, and they too warned me that average speed is going to be around 25kmph (15-16 mph), which is like my avg speed in regular not-so-hilly roads.

So yeah I wanted to test myself to see if I can do it on the day, but like always life got in the way and when I was ready to leave at 9am, I was on strict orders to be back by 2pm. So I decided to try the Inishowen i60 route instead - it avoid the two main climbs mentioned above. I didn't know the exact route entirely, and I don't have a Garmin GPS cycle computer. So I tried a free app called "dwMap" on my Garmin Forerunner 230 running watch. Install the app, copied Folye CC's strava route, and synced the app, strap the watch to handlebar, and job done. It's a really cool app - shows the entire route, and 7 zoom levels etc. Works brilliantly.

Leaving Buncrana, the misty rain turned heavy and I was soaked right up to Cardonnagh. However it got better and manageable. Beyond Malin, I got the taste of things to come when I took a left on a very regular looking country road. Black mountain I think the climb is called. Phew. It goes on and on on. Nearly collapsed 50 meters from the finish, walk of shame followed. Then it's all downhill to the sea level, and up hill again 150 meters. Road surface deteriorates from here on as well for rest of Malin head. It turned my CX bike into a rattly mess - spokes? headset? everything possibly. Had to stop couple of minutes to let a family walk their two cows into a field bit further up the road, and little bit ahead got stuck behind a herd of sheep - I really enjoyed these mini breaks more than riding those darn hills It's a spectacularly beautiful part of the world - really desolate when you pause for a moment and listen to the nothingness.. except the wind.. something magical about it.

Back to Malin, Cardonnagh and then the steady looong ascend and fast descend to Quigley's Point. Drag to Moville, back to Derry & then back to Buncrana against the wind. Just in time to shower and dash to the Buncrana movie hall for 'matinee' show. Yeah, wife remembers seeing E.T. there 30+ years ago. And yesterday our daughters watched Hotel Transylvania 3!

Findings from this ride is - yeah, NOT up for Inishowen 100 yet. May in a year or two.. hopefully.
Another curiosity is that I saw at least a dozen cyclists at various stages of the route, but no Strava flybys! Hmm..!!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1767506674
106.31km, 4:51:55, 1,088m

magicbastarder

i see you took in the knockamany bens too (which i thought was the knockamany bends when i was a kid) - some fantastic views from up there.

Justwinginit

Ballydangan, Athlone, Dysart, Ballinasloe and back to ballydangan. Lovely warm breeze. Just shy of 60k.avg 26.8kph.could have pushed a lot harder, but I was enjoying the cycle too much...
Also made a new friend on the way

coddlesangers

Did my first annual flagellation up a local HC climb in the Jura mountains.  Proved that it is possible to cycle slower than I'd walk, a good shout out to the 50-34 compact :D..  Strava of shame is I'm sooo slow

Type 17

Longest spin on my new bike today - 87.5km @ 27.3av: South Dublin City > coastal path > Malahide > Roganstown > Howth Hill > coastal path > home.

Daytime running lights seemed to make people more patient on the narrow bits, but I still got one close pass (on the Portmarnock>Baldoyle section, of course).

Mercian Pro

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Down to Laragh via Sally Gap to meet up with some friends for coffee, a spin and lunch before heading back to town. Not bad as far as the Gap but then the cloud turned into mist, into drizzle and finally into rain on the decent to Laragh. The stiff SE wind didn't help and the Garmin was showing 9 degrees up top.

Never quite managed to get to the spin stage but the coffee, lunch and company in Ann's Coffee Shop helped me dry out and warm up. Wimped out and accepted the offer of a lift back home.

Lots of notices up advising of road closures on Sunday 19th for the Dun Laoghaire Ironman cycle. Looks like it will affect Stepaside to Enniskerry to Roundwood (via the Old Long Hill) to Sally Gap to the Viewing Point and back to DL via Stepaside. More details at http://m.eu.ironman.com/~/media/f0f3aa8192e040618222bee4b01588dc/ironman%20703%20dun%20laoghaire%20bike%20updated.pdf

its not quite Stepaside, it is going up and down Ballychorus lane. Out via Shankill and back past the Silver Tassie (or whatever it is called now)

secman

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Free of the kids for the weekend , we did what most couples do I'm sure and

Lovely day back in the saddle for us.

Fixed that for you , cycle sounded nice too

devonp

went up Kilmashogue today, second time ever, as i started i was remembering the 2 hard sections near the top...i had forgotten the short nasty ramps before the hard bits..:eek:


first time was a nasty cold winter spin (i think) on the lighter bike but with harder gearing 36/27


today i took the heavier bike with easier gearing 34/28 ...didn't make too much difference ...didn't have to zigzag ...took a few seconds off the prev time

magicbastarder

50km around north county dublin today. 29.5km/h average.

funny thing is that i've the new bike now, and because i want it to be faster, i go out too quick at the start and don't pace myself properly. either that or it was the blustery wind this evening.

dahat

Club Midweek spin which always turn into a mad gallop and tonight was no different, all good fun though and starting to find legs again.

58km at 33 avg.

LollipopJimmy

On the Naas Road this evening at Bluebell and Mr.McGregor went tearing by at warp speed in his i8, frightened the pants off me

c.p.w.g.w

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

On the Naas Road this evening at Bluebell and Mr.McGregor went tearing by at warp speed in his i8, frightened the pants off me

Young or old

magicbastarder

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

frightened the pants off me

you need skintight pants so. hugo boss ones.

LollipopJimmy

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Young or old

Young, he's in fight camp now so he'll be around there a lot until he heads off to Vegas.

Alanstrainor

Brutal wind coming down the Clontarf->Sutton cycle track this morning. Head down and pushing as hard as I could. I could barely keep 25km/h. It's been a while since I've had that kind of a head wind. The cycle home will be fun though!

mr spuckler

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Brutal wind coming down the Clontarf->Sutton cycle track this morning. Head down and pushing as hard as I could. I could barely keep 25km/h. It's been a while since I've had that kind of a head wind. The cycle home will be fun though!

yep, as long as it holds! yesterday was the same, such a pleasure cycling home!

Ray Bloody Purchase

mr spuckler wrote: »

yep, as long as it holds! yesterday was the same, such a pleasure cycling home!

I have the wind at my back in the morning and it's all downhill too. It's just like rolling out of bed and into work.

Smashed a load of pr's on the way into work too with the wind this moaning.