Tell us about your cycle today part III

EAD · 15-10-2022 10:19pm

Lived to tell my buzzard tale...just. Summer spin near Athy just as the fields of grain were being harvested. Minding my own business when, WHACK, my helmet was shoved forward on my head. Executed a hasty stop and took off my helmet to see claw marks engraved into its rear. Calmed the heart enough to hear the buzzard's cries before heading off again only for the fekcer to dive in for a second go.

Niece reckons he wanted to eat my ponytail 😁 Have to admit, it took me a few weeks to head that way again!

16-10-2022 8:22am

Got out for my usual Saturday morning spin yesterday. Interrupted sleep and was tempted to give it a miss given forecast was very mixed but went for it.

Was in full winter kit but stuck the overshoes in a pocket. Within 20 minutes it was bucketing down and the feet were cold and soaked. Stopped and put them on and was fine after that. Rain also stopped but the roads were destroyed in muck and debris. Some of the descents were dodgy.

Got stuck behind a big group from a local club at one stage and can understand motorists' frustration when this happens. It took me a good 15 minutes to get around them as we were on a country road and they were taking over most of it. I was on the clock and had to cut my ride short as a result.

Good bike was utterly destroyed when I got home and I gave it a deep clean last night and won't take it out until next spring.

Overall, 75km @ 28.9kph with 750m climbing. Stuck strictly to zone 2.

smacl · 16-10-2022 7:30pm

First time using the Garmin 1030 for navigation today since moving on from the 810 and well impressed. Mostly the bigger screen for my crap eyesight but also love the feature when it automatically switches to profile view with current gradient for a climb. Lots of little l-roads around Kildare and Wicklow today, starting in Ballyboden and taking a loop out past Dunlavin and back for 101k at a leisurely 20k with 1150 of up. Haven't been on the bike that much over the Summer and really felt the lack of fitness but do love the leafy backroads at this time of year. The long stretch of l-road passing Eadestown GAA is a real gem as is the one running parallel to the N81 from Dunlavin back to Ballymore Eustace.

Plastik · 19-10-2022 12:07pm

I must've passed 2,000 cars today between Bray and D2.

wheelo01 · 19-10-2022 8:40pm

Luckily, I got my cycle in yesterday (I've been picking my days well recently, long may it last) Drimnagh to Tallaght, out the N81 to Blessington, over the first bridge, Manor Kilbride, back to the N81, and home.

It was a lot breezier than i expected, and as usual it was in my face all the way home.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7982342582

Daroxtar · 19-10-2022 11:30pm

I had a few days cycling in Asturias.

Tl;dr- 5 lads went cycling, had a blast

Flew from Dublin at 11.45, 90 minute flight. Landed in Santander and had the bikes and bags in the van and on the road before 3.30 local time. Arrived at the apartments in Cangas Di Onis for 5 and without a scrap of food we got the bikes together and went for a spin by 6.

Decided to do an hour uphill towards Lagos de Covadonga just to spin the legs and wherever we were by 7 we'd turn around and descend back before the dusk kicked in.

The first 10km was a false flat at about 2%, then things got tasty. Went up at a fair auld crack for another 3 or 4km averaging nearly 10, then turned and swung on down. Except for yours truly, who tried stopping to take a picture. Made a balls of unclipping and toppled head first over the crash barrier. I went down into some rough ground about 8 foot down and got a nice clatter on my lower ribs that really knocked the wind from me for my troubles. The lads honestly didn't know if I was killed as there was a bigger drop only a few feet farther away and I had just disappeared. Once I climbed out of the mini ravine, dusted myself off and got my breath back we were able to laugh it off.

20 minutes later back in the apartment and I started feeling weak and then came out in cold sweats and proceeded to pee a dark almost red colour.

Trouble

Panic set in, have I burst a kidney? Is the trip over? I'm basically the tour guide so what will the lads do? If I survive the fall, the wife will surely finish me off. I tried getting something to eat but my stomach was nauseous and I was as white as a ghost.

So the lads got me into the car and off to hospital. In just over an hour I had blood pressure checked, urine and blood tests, an ultrasound and an MRI.

No damage whatsoever other than a bruised back and road rash. The doctor said "so you've eaten and drank nothing since 10am, you did a hard hour cycling on Covadonga. You're dehydrated and blood sugar is low. Go home , eat , drink and rest"

And he may as well have said "you fcking eejit "

So day 0.5 over and done with 30 km, 430m climbed and allegedly the fastest descent on the segment at the viewing area!

Day 1 proper- Parque Ponga.

After my brush with death and subsequent miraculous recovery it was time to do some proper cycling. We headed out from Cangas up through the start of the spectacular Desfiladero de los Beyos (Beyos Gorge to you and me). It was cool enough starting off but once the sun rose a bit it got up into the low 20s. Perfect cycling weather.

About 20km up there we turned off the road and did the Cassielles climb. It's short, brutal and brilliant. Just under 3km at 14% and hitting 20% in places with 23 hairpin corners. The surface isn't great and it's just a dead end at the top but the views are fantastic. Once we caught our breath we came back down and had a very large ham bicadillo in a cafe a few km away. The owner was as cute as a fox, he spotted our Clonard club jerseys and straight away put on the replay of the Ras Naoimh Finian from YouTube on the TV along with a bit of trad music in the background.

After that we entered the Ponga National park and climbed the Collado Llomeno and the Collado Mohandi, following the route the Vuelta took last year where Roglic and Bernal attacked long range before they climbed Covadonga. Llomeno was definitely the tougher of the two, 7.5km at just over 9% whereas Mohandi was a little under 6km @7.5 %. Both were pretty much single lane roads and I don't think we passed a dozen cars for the whole day. The descents were fast but technical and tight, surfaces were good but no one pushed too hard as the didn't want to end up repeating my trek to the A&E despite the great service I received.

Finished with 107km and just over the 2000m climbed

https://strava.app.link/3DrmZNXOfub

Day 2- Loop of the Picos De Europa

This was a big one, 200km with over 2500m, a real bucket list ride. I'd toyed with the idea of doing this for a long time. It's a route that regularly features on lists of the best driving or motorcycling routes in Europe. We decided to go clockwise, putting the big climb in the middle of the day and a long descent to finish it off. I knew if we averaged 25km we'd have enough daylight. So we duly faffed around until 9.30 before leaving. The first 20km were a very gentle 1-2%, followed by about 3km @5% and then a cracking descent with amazing views of the Picos and another 20 odd km at -1 or -2% down to the town of Panes for a very quick coffee. Then we crossed from Asturias into Cantabria and cycled up through the Hermida Gorge for 20km to Potes for proper lunch. The Hermida Gorge is just breath taking. You're following the Deva river up through a canyon with sheer walls rising up to 500m in places. No photos can ever do it justice when you're in the middle of something on that scale. There are big steel nets hanging over the road to catch falling rocks and plenty of smashed barriers as reminders that the nets don't catch everything! By the time we stopped for grub everyone was in agreement that it was up there with the most jaw dropping section of road any of us had ever cycled.

After lunch came the big daddy, Puerto San Glorio. It featured in this year's Vuelta with a few posters on here commenting on the magic scenery down the long valley. I've done it a few times before and knew what to expect. There's nothing too steep, it barely hits 10% on the toughest corners but a 27km long climb at 5% with 80km already in the legs is a tough climb! I was allowing myself a little over 2 hours, I did it in 2.07 but one of the lads was really struggling and he was almost half an hour longer. He was completely broken at the top and had to be helped off the bike, given some jellies and put sitting down for a few minutes. Once he was okay we crossed the border into Leon and stopped in the tiny village of Portilla De La Reina for a good feed of ice cream and Coca cola. The barmaid asked where we had come from and when we told her what we had left, she raised her eyebrows and looked at her watch. We'd be cutting it close.

Asturias and Cantabria are wealthy provinces and their roads are pretty much top notch but Leon is a different kettle of fish. The landscape is harsher, the bleached white limestone and green pastures of the northern Picos gives way to a much more bleak red sandstone. Being about 1500m up on the plateau probably added to things. The couple of tiny villages are almost like something from a western and with the sun just beginning to dip, the long shadows left a real feeling of loneliness. Apart from the passing tourists and sheep farming, there was absolutely nothing I could see for anyone up there. I'm originally from a remote spot but this was on a different level.

From there we continued past the gorgeous but very depleted reservoir at Riano with its background of bare mountain peaks and then began the process of getting up the long drag to the top of Puerto Ponton to start our descent. For some reason I misjudged the distance by about 10 km so there was a lot of "Are we nearly there yet" going on. I got a real gut punch when I saw a sign pointing us toward the crest in the road only to be followed by another sign saying we still had 5km to go. It was only about 2% average but it took forever and now the accumulation of small delays meant the sun had gone behind the hills and we had nearly 50km left.

The descent of Puerto Ponton and Desfiladero de los Beyos will stay with me for a long time. It's every bit stunning as the Hermida Gorge we'd done earlier. The 5 of us tearing down the mountain chasing the last scraps of daylight, a deer and a goat bouncing across the road, one particular bend with a drop of hundreds of feet straight down. Then the tunnels. Only about 100m long but pitch black. I knew they were on the route so I had my trusty Aldi light and it did the trick but the others got a bit of a fright. The locals in the villages we shot through were giving us some fairly serious eyes. We covered the steepest 15km under 20minutes and then had nearly 30km to go on about -2%.

By now it was actually dark so I went to the front with my Aldi headlight. I got myself into TT mode and rode on the white line at the edge of the road for the last 20km. I figured I'd have a better chance seeing any fallen rocks, debris or potholes against the white than out in the darkness of the lane. We finally got into the apartments at 8.30, shattered, looked at each other and laughed. A bunch of men in their 40s and 50s acting worse than kids. It was fcking marvellous. A definite contender for the best day ever on the road.

207km, 2988m , exactly 25kmh

https://strava.app.link/RFuJHDnSfub

Day 3 - A trip to the beach

After the big day yesterday and a couple of cervezas, a few of the group were feeling somewhat tender so plans for the Angliru and Gamonitiero were benched and we had a lie in. We headed off instead up across Collado de Torno. This is a hidden gem. We'd done it when we were here in 2019 and all agreed it was worth doing again. Strava says it's 14km @4% but really it's 3 separate climbs of about 3 or 4km with descents of a km or so in between. The middle part is tough, regularly hitting double figures and rarely going below 8 or 9% but the views after that all the way to the top are fantastic. You can see all the way back through the valley one side, right across the Picos on the other and even out to the Bay of Biscay. The local council workers were doing some kind of boar cull with hounds and guns and they had one monster of a thing on the back of a pick up. You wouldn't want to hit that thing on a descent!

That was followed by lunch in Ribadasella and then back via the Mirador Del Fito. That's another good climb. 7.5km at an average of 8% with the last 4km about 10%. Another fast descent back to Cangas and we were home for 92km and 1734m climbed

https://strava.app.link/ZrCqQPZ2fub

Day 4- Lagos de Covadonga

You can't come to Cangas without going up to the Lake so, badly hungover, we headed up. There was a bit of a breeze at the bottom and it only got worse as we went up. On the steepest part, La Huesera (The Boneyard) cyclists whizzing down were alternating between encouraging shouts of "Animo Animo" and waving at us to turn back. That was a bit peculiar but as we hit the last kilometer and began to come through the more exposed areas, the gusts of wind hit like a hurricane. I've been up on Kippure in some silly weather but nothing remotely close to this. The front wheel was nearly blown clean out from underneath me and it took all my strength to stay upright. The lad who had gone ahead made it to the shore of the lake about 250m farther on and he turned back to meet us saying it was even worse around the shoulder of the hill. So with one hospital trip already in the bag we decided we didn't need any more and made our way very carefully back down the mountain, safely navigated my corner from the first day, back to the lodgings, packed our bags and hit the road.

42km, 1100m climbed https://strava.app.link/swCT79hpgub

The weather stayed perfect ,apart from the windy last day, with no rain for the whole trip and temps on the low 20s.

Ate like a horse, drank plenty and clocked 478km with 8311m climbed, not bad for a long weekend away. I'd go back in the morning if could

devonp · 22-10-2022 7:50pm

Usual enough Sat cycle over to Lacken for some climbing...as i rounded the corner to start the steep bit of Cromwellstown i saw a high viz on the ground in the distance, then it started to move ..as i got nearer i saw it was a cyclist picking themselves up from the ground...turned out to be an elderly gentleman with a fancy enough looking high nelly ebike. stopped asked him if he was ok..said he was , waited for a min then asked again ..said he was and asked if he crashed coming down or going up..said up and i commented that was better than down! then went on my way

on the way back went though Manor KB ..stopped in the shop ..Crauls..noted the new veranda outside for coffee etc and said it to the lady...she said she wasnt sure if it would be finished before they might have to close...her ESB has gone from 125 to 500 a week!! she's had to reduce the freezer and fridge usuage and stock looked bleak in the shop.. brought it home how the energy price increases will affect small businesses ...😕

22-10-2022 8:38pm

Did the Velo Kenmare cycle this morning. First event of any description this year due to family commitments.

Absolutely blessed with the weather. Rain stopped last night and started again within an hour of crossing the line. Very mild with a 20kph breeze. It was a timed spin with four chip timed climbs which was a nice addition. Unfortunately, numbers were poor and I doubt there were 200 on the start line. Pity as it's a superb route on great roads with some stunning climbs. Well run too.

I couldn't get anyone to come and do it with me so fell in with two lads I half know. Both strong and great to cycle with. One of them was was about 20kg lighter than me and a real mountain goat. Went with him on the climbs but he was too strong, though was in the top 10 on three (Mols Gap, Ballaghbeama, Coomakista) but got a stone stuck in my disc rotor on Ballaghisheen and lost about four minutes sorting it.

Paid for the big efforts at around 90km when both quads cramped badly. Told the two lads to drive on as it's usually a death march home after cramping. Could just about hold 200 watts before I started cramping again and had three stops in final 40k to work out brutal cramps. Frustrating losing so much time.

Fairly crawled over the line; 132km with 1,667m climbing at 28.5kph. Top 20 finish which I was happy with given I lost about 15 minutes to the mechanical and stops to work out cramps and slowed hugely in last 40km to avoid cramping further. If I had my time again, I'd have eased off on the hills.

magicbastarder · 23-10-2022 5:01pm

kinda funny one as i was nearing home this afternoon - got shoaled by a cyclist on griffith avenue, at the junction with the swords road, and the lad on the bike behind her started saying to her 'mum, don't go till i tell you to, okay? even when you get the green, don't go'; she seemed to be getting a little confused by this, but i glanced back at him and he gave me what i think was an apologetic shrug.

cletus · 28-10-2022 5:51pm

Kept putting off going for a spin today, mostly due to a hangover (not that I drank all that much last night, but I'm old now).

Anyway, finally convinced myself to go out for an hour, but I went out at exactly the wrong time. 5pm on a Friday evening, on winding regional roads, cue plenty of **** overtaking manoeuvres, including a particularly memorable one where one car overtook me coming up to a blind bend, and the car behind them decided to overtake both me and the car already overtaking.

On the plus side, I saw a buzzard.

beggars_bush · 29-10-2022 8:26am

Had to cycle through a river yesterday to get to work.

A river had burst its banks at a narrow bridge and was flowing out along the road

Feet were submerged each time i pedalled. Luckily I had dry socks and shoes waiting at work

JMcL · 30-10-2022 11:07pm

Dipping the toe back into the water today after a dose of COVID 3 weeks ago. I got a light dose, but energy levels have been quite low since, and for whatever it's worth, the Garmin body battery has been too and down like a rollercoaster for no good reason and not going back up with sleep.

I've been reluctant to head out on the road having had the bonk from hell a few weeks out of a probable (never tested positive, but waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck etc.) COVID dose last February. So got up on the turbo and did an easy hours endurance session on trainer road today. Happy with the result as was still fresh at the end. Average HR had climbed about 20bpm over the duration but I'd put that mostly down to not having set the fan up for this one, and I was noticing the lack of ventilation.

So on the back of that I'll ease myself back into it, probably mostly on the turbo, over the next couple of weeks. I might even get round to that ramp test I'd been promising myself on the weekend I actually came down with the plague 😅

0km with 0m in 60 minute

Wildly Boaring · 30-10-2022 11:07pm

First proper spin after broken toe, sinus infection and new baby 6 weeks ago. 60k and 600m. Far enough. Went across the boyne at old bridge and climbed Grange church. Then back through Drogheda and away home.

Glad I wimped on yesterday. Bit blustery but sunny and no cars about.

31-10-2022 12:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119813828#Comment_119813828

Grange church??? The one in Grangegeeth maybe? Right turn at the crossroads after that = amazballs view about 1km up that road, always one I sit up on for a few minutes. Actually that's Bawn Hill isn't it.

Congrats on the new arrival!!!!

Wildly Boaring · 31-10-2022 1:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119814041#Comment_119814041

Yep grangegeeth.

Yeah I came that way. So from old bridge up to tullyallen GAA and then head left. Lovely quiet roads all the way over.

Often I'd go straight through there and on to Rathbran, put in a sharp dart up the rock and then home via stackallen.

The rock....

https://maps.app.goo.gl/fmyHBgGQmdhWty3k9

But today grangegeeth was far enough, down past the church and back home by balrenny.

31-10-2022 8:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119813828#Comment_119813828

Congrats.

devonp · 31-10-2022 3:27pm

had to pop into work today ...so cycled rather than car or train. very mild on the way into town. returned using the summer route via PP and strawberry beds , about half way to Lucan the heavens open.. torrential downpour ..glad i brought the Idro rain jacket ! ended up cycling through mini rivers/floods.. last of the summer dry lubed well stripped off the chain for sure 😁

magicbastarder · 31-10-2022 3:31pm

i did a 45km spin, passed the airport heading north and the windsock was completely limp. at the point i turned around to head south, about 15km later, was precisely the moment the wind and rain arrived. so i had a headwind all the way home. couldn't have been more comically timed. though the rain eased off after about 10 or 15 mins.

magicbastarder · 05-11-2022 7:26pm

four buzzards spotted today - two in the space of a few hundred metres on the road up to oberstown.

Wildly Boaring · 05-11-2022 8:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119838107#Comment_119838107

Oberstown skyrne?

magicbastarder · 05-11-2022 8:51pm

oberstown detention centre.

Wildly Boaring · 05-11-2022 11:10pm

Makes more sense

Seth Brundle · 10-11-2022 6:55pm

Had my rear derailleur cable snap last night at the shifter. I have the cable and bits in the shed but with work, I figured that I'd either get time for a spin today or I'd get to replace the cable but not both. In the end, I decided to drop the bike to my LBS and I'd head out on a different bike in the afternoon.

I'm glad that I made that choice. I had initially thought I'd head out on my good bike but with the forecast for wind but no rain, Met Eireann lived up to my expectations when it started raining fairly heavy this afternoon. So I decided I'd take the hybrid out instead.

Managed to get in 57km with a little bit of climbing around Maynooth, Straffan & Ardlcough. The rain held off but the wind was unreal. My Garmin was telling me it was 37km/h whilst Strava is saying it was 43km/h and most of the spin was into the wind. Still, I wasn't racing but just out to enjoy myself!

Got a few gate pics and at one point just south of Straffan where the wind felt its strongest, I noticed a Kestrel fly past. I must have spent four or five minutes just watching it. It would catch a gust and travel maybe 50m and then stop and despite the strong wind it would start hovering as it hunted. It was magnificent aerobatics.

Decided to treat myself to a coffee as I approached home and popped into Cliff at Lyons where I got my coffee & a scone. Due to the windy weather, nobody was sitting outside so I had the whole courtyard to myself. At one point a staff member approached me and said that I could go inside and bring my bike and there was a tv, etc. but I was quite content where I was - it's rare when you can sit outside in peace like that.

I'm glad I took the hybrid - I keep saying that I should use it more often. I guess as winter kicks in, I'll take her out more. Still 23.5km/h on flat pedals mainly into a bugger of a headwind isn't too bad!

https://www.strava.com/activities/8097589202

devonp · 15-11-2022 5:10pm

Fantastic weather today for cycling, SG and Kippure, absolutely no wind at the Gap and only a slight breeze at the top of Kippure, only put on the rain cape for the descent. very few cars and cyclists about, stopped at Lyons for a toastie on the way home to round off a great day out 😁

wheelo01 · 17-11-2022 12:06am

It certainly was a beautiful day for it, and so glad I got out early and home beffore the rain.

I had to leave the car in for a service, so took the opportunity to get out for a couple of hours instead of waiting around.

Started in Kilbarrack, onto the coast road, Portmarnock, Malahide, Swords, St. Margarets, Finglas, Ballymun, Santry lane all the way back added on another 6 odd km at the end just to get over the 50 km.

52 km at 27 kph, a little slower than of late, but was lovely to get out even if I could see feck all due to the low sun on damp ground plus the sweat running into my eyes and blinding me.

Plenty of other cyclists out with the same idea, plenty of nods and waves.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8126244626

19-11-2022 3:24pm

My first spin in a while this morning. Made the stupid decision about six weeks ago to lower the front end of the bike by removing some spacers. Was fine initially but then did a big day of 130k with 1700m climbing and was very sore after. My lower back and neck were all sore, but my quads and hamstrings were also extremely tight.

Laid up for about a month and was starting to get cabin fever so put the spacers back in last night and did an easy spin this morning. Started out in heavy frost but could see a rain front approaching fast so kept it to 32k with 250m climbing at 26kph. Everything except my neck was fine and will ease my way back in over the next few weeks.

Felt good to get back on the bike after my longest break in two years.

magicbastarder · 22-11-2022 2:07pm

first spin in nine days. nine days ago; full summer gear, 16C, and sunny

today - winter gear, 5 or 6C, and rain.

so much for having time to acclimatise.

Seth Brundle · 22-11-2022 2:33pm

I've hit a slump.

Last week my daughter was doing TY work experience in my place so I was driving to and from work. By the time we got home, I either had more work or simply couldn't face getting changed and going out in the dark and wet evening.

This week, working from home and so far anyhow, work has dictated my schedule and whilst my plans are to head out, more and more work-related tasks crop up meaning that I don't get out.

I got the club spin on Saturday but mentally I don't know whether I can go out or whether I can be arsed going out.

smacl · 22-11-2022 4:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906804#Comment_119906804

Tis the time of year for it, I'm also finding staying motivated very tough. First lunch spin for me in three weeks with a chest infection that also seemed to involve eating and drinking way too much. Died dragging my sorry ass up Cruagh to Foxes for one of my worst ever times for the route. The trick to getting out I'm using is to neatly lay out all the cycling gear the night before so that it is waiting me you when I get to the house. Not really loving the cycling at the moment but know its good for the head and the heart. Turbo just isn't the same.

Paddigol · 22-11-2022 6:24pm

Today on my cycle... I marvelled at how I haven't had a puncture on my commute for about 6 years. And promptly got one about 10 minutes later.

Also today on my cycle, I lost the rag for the first time in months. At a fat f**k of a taxi driver who gave a blast of the horn as he passed me in the (nice and wide) bus lane just past the Stillorgan crossroads on the N11. I caught him about 15 seconds later at the lights and let him know what I thought of him. The coward pretended not to see me. He passed me again just past Teresians Donnybrook, and again I rolled past him a few seconds later as he was stuck at lights at Donnybrook Bus Depot. Again, the coward sat staring blankly out his door window pretending not to see me. Presume he was sat in traffic then all the way into town.

Not that I need to justify my actions, but it was rush hour and I'd no intention of negotiating that off-road bike lane that detours around the back of a bus shelter and has pedestrians crossing all the time. I just have no time for cowards who wait til they're almost past you to blast the horn.

Other than that, a very pleasant commute!

Tell us about your cycle today part III

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