Cycling long 3:31:23 [3] 110.1 km (1:55 / km) +1256m 1:49 / km
ahr:147 max:175 slept:7.0 shoes: Spiuk ZS11
Tour of Sliabh Luachra 2015
Robrunner this is the abbreviated version, I started cycling, cycled for a while until I got to the end, then put the bike back on the car and went home.
Definitely some wind this morning coming from the west which wasn't fun for parts of the cycle. Some drizzle fell up around Musheramore but other than that it was sunny. Good day to be on the bike.
Big group started out, helped by being the week before the Ring. So was a good bit back as far as Millstreet. Pace was handy enough but easy enough to maintain. Leaving Millstreet we hit a narrow country road. Felt I needed to get closer to the front so moved to the right hand side and snuck up the road to around 8 back from the front. More space up here too. Pace was fast on the climb but it wasn't steep. Happy enough with how I was feeling. Nice climb.
Then on the descent I lost a lot of time to the front group. Just didn't have the pace going down. HR was very high. Ended up on my own for a while. Could feel a couple of bumps too so wasn't that happy with my rear tyre, but kept going. After a cross roads there was a bend to the left with a Newcastle West CC lad on the other side of the road, appeared to have come off, this was confirmed when I was cycling alongside later as his left leg was scratched badly, only damage to bike appeared to be bar tape ripped off.
Got back with a group, Mike was in it, plus another Killarney lad along with Revolution Cycling Club lads, had to google them, they're from Mallow. We got back to the lead group before Dromtarriffe. Group didn't stop for water, powered on. I was at the back of the group, not the best place to be, but legs weren't feeling fantastic, a bit dead. Stuck with it though. A few more joined the group a while later. Pace definitely went up on the road up to Boherbue. Uphill too.
Just after Boherbue, before the graveyard I went across some rough road and felt the rear tyre go. Shit. Was probably soft and then hit a stone. Managed to get the tyre off easily enough for a change. Then Brendan from the club stopped to help me. So change was fast enough and Brendan used his CO2 cannister, saved pumping. Had the wheel back on and it exploded again! Found 2 slits on the tyre then, evidence of what happened. Brendan applied a path inside the tube to see if that would get me to Ballydesmond. Used Brendan's spare tube and then i'd to get pumping.
Just the 2 of us then up the hill to Kiskeam, and also up the hill before Ballydesmond. Got to the foodstop. Didn't stop for a massive amount of time. There was a lad with tyres there so got a new tyre put on before setting off again. Made sense. Not sure what was more upsetting with the spin, the fact that the tyre got cut resulting in a puncture or that the replacement tyre had a yellow stripe on the side wall. No way did it match the bike or my gear. Definitely breaking some Velominati rules with that tyre. But the tyre got me home.
The hill up from Ballydesmond wasn't too bad, wasn't killing it. Then from there it was myself and Brendan taking turns into the wind which was a killer. Passing bikes all the time too. We did work well.
Up to Scartaglin and then down the hill from there before heading over to Kilsarkan. Brendan told me to go on my own if he was dropped. I did drop him straight away on the climb but not by much. Had around 30km to get home so pushed hard for that 30. Was going past bikes the whole time, reflective of the crowd out on this spin.
Thankfully the wind was mostly to my back heading back from Kilcummin to Quarry Cross. Had a quick stop at Quarry Cross to say hi to Joan who was out giving a bit of support to the cyclists. I was also impressed that there were kids out with a Lemonade stand on the road up over the mountain. That was nice.
Had to deal with the wind again from Gneeveguilla to Rathmore as direction changed, heading south now. Not many cyclists from Gneeveguilla to Rathmore either to pass out. Bit of a climb to get back onto the N72 and from there the last few hundred metres were straight into the wind so that hurt.
Pleased with my effort today despite the mechanical. Body is good at the moment for this kind of distance on the bike. Route wasn't the easiest today. Having a look at Strava the front group probably averaged just over 33 and maybe did the spin in 3.18. I'm sure I would've been able for that.