Tell us about your cycle today part III

Seth Brundle

Went out this morning with a clubmate up around Dumree and Maynooth.

The weather was cold and foggy when I left home and I misjudged it lifting (thank you very much Met Eireann 🤬). Wearing bib shorts and base layer, jersey and filet, I felt very underdresssed for the weather. Over three hours (incl. coffee) I was cold and wet.

Not sure was it the cold or just physical tiredness from the last few days (or the few bottles of Erdinger last night) but I had nothing in my legs for the first half of the spin. Felt grand for the second half strangely.

Glad I went out despite my form not being right. However, this was the first week in a while where I haven't had a 100+km spin so I'm kinda disappointed there.

In the end i did 70km @28.1km/h with 350m bringing my weekly total up to 284kms - I'm happy with that!

https://strava.app.link/Wn65ftCrfkb

NamelessPhil

One traffic light in 100km for me around Wicklow this afternoon from my house in South Dublin. 2,100m of climbing in the 100 took its toll, I fecking crawled around. Great day out plenty of sunshine and light wind. Beautiful autumn light across the mountains on the way home.

https://strava.app.link/IcxDCIYufkb

magicbastarder

had been hoping today to do the bit along the coast from the estuary in swords towards donabate (though i was coming from the donabate end). seems i arrived probably 20 mins or half an hour too late, tide was in too far.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118002484#Comment_118002484

I always just walk it and carry the bike

magicbastarder

when i arrived yesterday at the end of this road ( https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4667587,-6.1851793,18.42z ) i'd have had to wade through a few inches of water - i could see there was a much higher elevated path about one hundred metres to the west.

Nigzcurran

Nice handy spin up to Ashbourne for a coffee, I am terrified to venture back near the mountains after last weeks exertions so I’m sticking to the flat stuff for a while!

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118003197#Comment_118003197

Yes, that Kilcrea Road entrance can only be done when the tide is out and involves walking across very loose gravel/pebbles/slime etc. The other entrance (by Jones Garden Centre) can be done at high tide.

magicbastarder

the one down from Jones's is the one i approached from - and was impassable at about halfway between low and high tides, if you're wheeling a bike. i'd have managed it without the bike, the low wall on the right was above water level, but at least 50 foot of the main path you can see here was submerged.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4668797,-6.1854513,3a,75y,279.73h,67.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJ5D1kjaS1EKbi_HM_bbJvQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Weepsie

I've had to walk along the wall all but twice I think. First time I went that way, I didn't notice the gravel and came to an abrupt stop.

Nigzcurran

Have decided to go completely bonkers and cycle to the bull wall on Saturday morning and have a dip. Think I need to buy a triathlon costume now!

Weepsie

Day off work and sun was shining this morning so got stuff around the house done and headed for hills.

Cruagh, Glencullen, Enniskerry, Glencree, Featherbeds and home. 66.6 km with 966 up. Plan was 100 km around north dublin, but Wicklow called, and it was looking great.

Home for a delivery so didn't stay out longer.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6116255196

hesker

Just a short spin on the beater in the hills above Caragh Lake west of Killorglin. Can’t wait to get back here on the road bike. The roads and the views are fantastic.

Nigzcurran

Nice early morning spin out to clontarf and a quick dip in the sea, first time doing it and it was as cold as expected but really enjoyed it

Wildly Boaring

Spun the emptiest roads in a while to Skerries.

Julianstown to stamullen then Happy Valley to Man O War and across the hill to Skerries via a little stop at Loughshinney.

smacl

101k with 1.5k of up to get my October gran fondo done. Haven't been doing many long cycles of late and struggled like feck most of the way around. Picked the route to give me Sally gap via Glenmacnass with a decent tailwind on the way home which was much needed (the tailwind that is!). Still loving the little back roads around Moneystown and the Vale of Clara, though there are a few shocking steep ramps hidden in there. Have done a few ad hoc gravel routes around there over the Summer but really need to organise a proper one for next year on maybe for a sunny Winter's day.

magicbastarder

still working on 'completing' north county dublin, so my cycles look very stop starty.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6121630735

gn3dr

My first 100km in probably >15 years today. Into Killarney, Kilgarvan, Kenmare, Molls Gap, Killarney, home. Also hadn't climbed Molls from the Kenmare side in as many years. Love that climb and enjoying my slowly improving fitness level.

beggars_bush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118026444#Comment_118026444

Some serious climbs around there. The climb through forest up to the national outdoor training centre is as steep a road as you will find

NamelessPhil

I rode from Dublin to Sligo on some really nice roads with no close passes. I left my house at 9am and arrived in Sligo at 8pm. I had a tailwind for the majority of the ride and the rain only kicked in from Longford. The usual route out to Maynooth and on to Mullingar on the Royal Canal Greenway. Then the lovely surfaced, quiet R393 to Longford, very little traffic apart from cars towing animal trailers presumably from a mart. Not a pothole in sight.

After Longford I used some tiny, grass down the middle back roads to Leitrim village to avoid the N4. I still hate drumlins but they can't be avoided. The last 40km was very straightforward on the R284 to Sligo again a really good surface even in the gathering night. All in all one of the nicest cross country routes I've ever done.

My best WTF moment, on top of a drumlin, somewhere even the Back of Beyond would consider remote, somebody has attached a picture of Tommy Tiernan to a tree. Noone has used it for target practice yet...

https://strava.app.link/o5frBrAtpkb

Weepsie

I did the reverse a few years ago. A really good cycle and there's a handful of decent routes that you see next to no traffic for close to 200 km until you get closer to Dublin.

That Tommy Tiernan thing must be like the Random Jose Mourinho eyes pasted around north dublin

magicbastarder

around north county dublin, someone has attached posters to trees of what i thought was ian bailey, but it turns out is jose mourinho, in the hope that the feeling of being watched will reduce fly tipping.

hesker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118030228#Comment_118030228

I think we turned left at that T junction where the right would take you up to the training centre. It did look steep alright.

The views were fab from where we were. Fog had settled on the lakes and we were up above it looking down on it all.

magicbastarder

..

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118029521#Comment_118029521

Were you not tempted to keep going straight on at Balleally, under the rail bridge and across the coastal road at the end of Rogerstown Lane and on to the south of Rush? (Assuming low tide of course!).

magicbastarder

i might have, had i known it was possible! it looked like a private road as i passed.

i was there very near low tide today.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118030748#Comment_118030748

If you zoom in on this ride you'll see what I mean. Not a private road. I've seen 4x4's and tractors doing it. It might involve a bit of walking.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4194748898

magicbastarder

i had been wondering why baleally lane had so many speed ramps on it. first assumption would have been a boy racer problem.

Had to shoo a chicken in off the road here this morning and had the rooster flap his wings at me, haven't been on this road for years even though it's within 5km of me never features on my spins even during lock down. Last time I was down it the magnificent house and out buildings at the T there was in ruin/fit to be bulldozed and the scene of regular fly tipping. Move the slider on the street view thingy on the top left if on PC to see the difference between 2009 and 2019. Think they air bnb'd the **** out of this place but great to see it in such condition compared to the husk it was last I passed it.

https://goo.gl/maps/4zkjmLuB4WFKFaj17

magicbastarder

i'd never realised that feature was available before.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118030994#Comment_118030994

Oh I love it, in some cases you can go back multiple years depending on how many times the google car has been down a road. Proper time machine stuff in some cases even over only the last 10 years.