Tell us about your cycle today part III

this.lad · 31-01-2022 10:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118561394#Comment_118561394

You could spend a day in the Glen of Imaal and not get bored.

While up there, a loop around Keadeen mountain, in either direction, won't leave you short on vertical metres.

NamelessPhil · 01-02-2022 12:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118560976#Comment_118560976

By the time I reached the turn for Valleymount, I already had close to 2,000m on the clock and I was about 90 minutes late for getting home. Lake Drive is unpleasantly lumpy with tired legs, I know it well. Also I don't like doing the loop from that side. I could have turned onto it at the Tulfarris turn just before Poolaphuca.

Keedan Mountain would have finished me off completely, it's only January!

The Glen of Imaal is great cycling territory but it's just outside of my usual limits for shorter trips. The only ways down to it from my location are either via the N81 or up and over Sally Gap and then either Wicklow Gap or Shay Elliott-Slieve Maan.

homer911 · 01-02-2022 9:34am

Cycling into Dublin this morning, I was heading up O'Connell Street and some B* in a old Nissan Micra came up behind me with negative space and sent me flying outside Supermacs. My thanks to the cyclists who stopped to offer assistance - a few cuts and grazes but was able to continue

magicbastarder · 01-02-2022 9:58am

did the driver stop?

homer911 · 01-02-2022 11:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118563710#Comment_118563710

Not at all, probably afraid of a conviction. If he had been 6 inches closer to the kerb he/she would have gone into the back of me. It would have been impossible for them not to see me, or know they had collided with me

magicbastarder · 01-02-2022 11:30am

i'd report that to the gardai immediately, they probably can get footage for o'connell street.

Weepsie · 01-02-2022 5:07pm

There will have been buses too on the street with cams that are worth asking Dublin bus about

Weepsie · 01-02-2022 5:12pm

Also Carrols have a webcam pointed at the GPO which gets supermacs too, so might be worth asking them.

billyhead · 01-02-2022 6:10pm

Looks like the driver was uninsured, had no licence or the car wasn't taxed. That's usually the case with drive offs.

Gerry · 05-02-2022 7:48pm

I had to drop my car to a mechanic in Bray so the logical thing was to cycle home to maynooth. Hadnt been on road bike in wicklow for most of the pandemic, and with my hatred of the n11 decided to go across country.

Enniskerry, Glencullen via devil's elbow, pine forest, ballycullen, tallaght, saggart.

I will probably go via sally gap for the return journey as ill have a more favourable wind.. luggala roundwood and then up to bray

McGrath5 · 06-02-2022 3:19pm

Cycled from Rathfarnham to Howth yesterday, an incredible tailwind going out but coming back was just brutal, a very tough 48k.

ednwireland · 06-02-2022 5:22pm

did 60km this morning.easier than I expected with a yellow wind warning. kept low and in hedgerow lanes though.

Daroxtar · 06-02-2022 7:49pm

First 100 of the year. Had a small operation on the auld ticker a few weeks ago so had a few weeks off the bike. I was only after getting back on it over the Christmas after hurting my back in November. I did a couple of smaller spins last week to ease myself back into things before doing a big club spin. Should have kept doing the smaller spins!!

Today was an absolute pig. Solid headwind for nearly the first 50km and horrible crosswinds for most of the second half. It was bloody freezing and wet and we were on scuttery rolling roads with heavy surfaces. I was still chewing bits of grit with my dinner.

Really struggled to get the legs going properly after the tea stop and ended up just dropping off the back of the bunch and riding solo home for the last 10 km. One of those days where I really got SFA out of it only hardship.

I'm sure it will stand to me 🙄🙄

103km @ 31kmh average with a bit over 500m climbing.

Longwood- Kinnegad- Killucan- Drumcree- Castlepollard- Crookedwood- Mullingar- Kinnegad- Longwood

https://strava.app.link/70s5WcVVqnb

smacl · 06-02-2022 8:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591593#Comment_118591593

Fair play that man, I'd a 100k planned, took one look at the weather and decided to catch up on some DIY stuff instead :)

magicbastarder · 06-02-2022 8:22pm

not bad, 100km at 31km/h for someone who recently had a heart op! was it yourself who found a problem with your heart because you had what you originally thought was a glitchy HRM?

today my exercise was chopping up wood with a chainsaw, sweatier than you'd think.

Wildly Boaring · 06-02-2022 8:41pm

Put in 50k yesterday with 600m climbing. Windy but dry and uneventful

Today was a day for the high stool. Or actually washing the bike, painting the sitting room and weeding the hedge.

Seth Brundle · 06-02-2022 8:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591593#Comment_118591593

Fair play! As someone with my own heart issues, I'm well aware that there are no small heart ops! Good to know that you're on the mend.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591758#Comment_118591758

today my exercise was chopping up wood with a chainsaw, sweatier than you'd think.

Surely it would have been easier to cut the wood with the chain saw. Chopping it up presumably takes much more effort!

beggars_bush · 06-02-2022 10:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118591593#Comment_118591593

Fair play.

Some open roads along there towards /from Pollard and back from Mullingar. Whoever is doing the course needs to choose back roads with a bit more hedge cover.

Daroxtar · 07-02-2022 8:24am

@magicbastarder Indeed it was, good memory!! Had an ablation procedure done to remedy things. Hopefully everything is sorted now.

@beggars_bush the chap doing the courses needs a kick in the hole after that sufferfest 😁

Daroxtar · 07-02-2022 8:25am

Seth Brundle · 18-02-2022 10:43am

I decided to return to the office yesterday (work was starting to take over so now I can leave the laptop there and not be bothered). Although commuting traffic is lighter that pre-covid, the commute seems to be more impatient. Today, I was beeped at whilst travelling on the N4 buslane at lucan by cars in lane 1 - no reason, just because.

I stopped counting the number of cars breaking red lights (although there were very few cyclists out, I didn't see any of them breaking a red light!) - it is rampant.

On the Ballyowen road, there are sections where I tend to take the 24/7 bus lane rather than staying on the cycle path as drivers pulling left in front of you near junctions. Still, one car squeezed past me while I was in the middle of the bus lane so she could turn left further up. Further on, a driver pulls into the bus lane behind me and beeps at me to get out of his way, which I took as a signal to slow right down. The traffic he had undertook to get ahead of all passed us. Again, another (expected) blast of the horn when he turned left further on because somehow I was in the wrong.

Several unnecessary close passes for no obvious benefit other than crap driving along the way.

Yesterday on my way home, I was close passed outside the old HP plant in Leixlip by an ISM driving instructor. Solid white line and no oncoming traffic and yet the instructor allowed the student to overtake in that manner. I managed to catch up with them in a queue of traffic at the lights outside Leixlip Grda station where I pulled up to the passenger side and asked if that is how the ISM teach people to overtake vulnerable road users. Apparently he gave me the required amount of 1.5m (he didn't) and anyhow I should have been an the immediate left side of the road (pointing at the gutter). He disagreed with the idea that primary position was a thing and that their overtake was close so I offered the opportunity to pop into the garda station where we could review my camera footage. Strangely he declined. I apologised to the driver but advised her to get a new instructor as that one was broken.

All of the incidents are on camera but there's no point in thinking of wasting my time reporting any of them as honestly I'd just be wasting my tme.

ednwireland · 20-02-2022 1:24pm

didn't bother . might have had 90 mins of a gap in the wind (down to 70kmh gusts) but honestly not worth the risk. wind picking up again now.

magicbastarder · 20-02-2022 1:44pm

yep, not a thread i expected to see activity in today!

i've only done 30km or so in the last two or three weeks. a combination of weather and other commitments getting in the way.

Seth Brundle · 20-02-2022 2:35pm

I went out with the club yesterday morning and it was awful. 77kms from Leixlip, Lucan, Ratoath, towards Skryne, Dunshaughlin, Kilcock and back to Leixlip. We made a group decision in Ratoath to continue but by Skryne we decided to cut the spin short.

The rain was heavy and the wind (which felt like a headwind for most of it) was relentless. Water got past my new overshoes so my feet were soaked. My winter gloves were drenched as well. However the strong cold wind blowing on them made my hands and feet uncomfortably numb for most of the spin to the point that I had difficulty shifting gear.

Some stopped for coffee in Maynooth but most of us just aimed for home. I felt cold all day but a few beers in front of a fire last night helped stop the shivering feeling.

rolling boh · 20-02-2022 2:38pm

certainly not the weather for any roadside repairs .

Gerry · 20-02-2022 4:13pm

got out for a spin to leixlip and back yesterday afternoon. wind had dried the road and a tailwind to leixlip was nice. the wind had died down for my return journey. Turbo today if I'm lucky.

Gerry · 20-02-2022 4:21pm

@Seth Brundle that's a bit depressing to hear of the n4.. as I plan to get back to the office after the mid term.

wonder if the impatience is due to the lack of cyclists on n4 during covid. Possibly means I should consider other routes.

Seth Brundle · 20-02-2022 4:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118663659#Comment_118663659

The N4 is fine. It's just annoying to have people pass you (you in the bus lane and them in lane 1) blaring their horn at some perceived injustice to them.

The majority of stuff I referred to in my post was away from the N4.

ED E · 20-02-2022 4:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118651698#Comment_118651698

I've challenged an ADI on some really crappy left hooking before. Got the finger off him. If the RSA gave a rats they could easily deal with the crap ones. No hope of that though.

Gerry · 20-02-2022 10:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118663887#Comment_118663887

I dont find the close passes towards woodies and the heritage fine.. if only it was just beeping.

Tell us about your cycle today part III

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