Audax Part I

October 2014

It was all my brother-in-law's fault. In fact, I'd say this whole cycling debacle could be blamed on him really. Anyway, he casually suggested that with all the cycling I was doing, I should join him on the Golden Road & Standing Stones Audax the following summer. Sounds nice doesn't it? The Golden Road. Conjures up images of sunsets and seascapes and gentle, undulating roads, and, er, standing stones. Strangely he didn't mention the wind, hail, large hills, and very little in the way of gentle. I said I'd think about it...

A month or so later, I told him I was in. By this stage I'd found out that more about audax. It isn't a race but if you're too fast or if you're too slow you are disqualified. So, its more about setting an even pace and trying to stick to it for the duration. Audaxs come in a variety of lengths - this particular one concerned the small matter of 300 km. In one day. Actually in 20 hours if we're being picky. Oh.

The Golden Road & Standing Stones Audax was organised in 2014 and 2015 by Ian Gilbert. The setting was Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, off the Scottish west coast. My brother-in-law, David, who lives on Lewis, did the 200 km version in summer 2014 and proclaimed it a "skoosh", at least while he was trying to persuade me to join him for the 300 km. It was only after I'd signed up that he eventually divulged that the weather had varied wildly on the day from pleasant right through to atrocious, and that he'd even had to get off the bike and walk a bit during the worst of it. Great! Still though - late June on Lewis - bound to be scorching!

But what bike to use? I looked into logistics of getting there, and it was going to prove a long shot and likely very pricey to bring my bike from Cork to Lewis by plane. On the other hand, it would take too long to drive and ferry all the way there. David suggest I use his spare bike, as we take the same size frame. He'd got a new bike the previous summer specially for the 200 km audax, as he wasn't sure his old bike would be comfy enough for a 200 km spin. "Grand idea", I thought, before I twigged - I'd be riding the old bike he wasn't sure was suitable for a 200 km spin on a 300 km spin! Help!

But the deal was sealed - flights were booked, and training began in earnest. Well, I started doing the monthly Strava Gran Fondooos and trying to get the mileage up. Slowly the length of my day fondoos increased - 161 km spin to Mizen Head in November, 166 km round Sheep's Head in January (chilly!), 180 km to Robert's Cove in February and then in March I managed 206 km round Sheep's Head, Bantry and Kealkill. I'd return from each of those long rides totally wrecked, and tried to imagine what it would feel like to still have another 95 km to do - on a borrowed bike....

A visit to the family in Lewis in April gave me a chance to try out David's BT Win 500 - luckily for me it was a perfect fit and very comfy. It was virtually identical to my trusty Scott Speedster 50, so I breathed a sigh of relief on that front. We breezed round a rolling 100 km loop in hot sunshine, gentle breezes and stunning scenery - if only we could be sure it would be like this in June!

May was spent "tapering", as they say in the training manuals. Hopefully I'd done enough over the previous few months to make it through the long day! Only one way to find out!

I arrived back on Lewis the day before the Audax, and popped out on David's bike for a short test ride. We drove into Stornoway and stocked up on energy bars for the following day, and a few ales to aid the subsequent recovery process. And then it was back to the house for a large bowl of pasta and an early night. We'd need to be up just after five to get into Stornoway for the start at 6 am!

The alarm wasn't long coming round - I felt like I'd only just got to sleep as I'd found it hard to switch off the pre-ride nerves! Still though, it was good to shovel in some cereal, load the bikes onto the car rack and head in - we were only 20 minutes early! A few other folk were pimping up their bikes before the off. There weren't too many registered for the 300 event, but more had entered the 100 km spin. A few hardy souls had been forced to brave the overnight cargo boat as the passenger ferry was on strike the previous day which had messed up their travel plans. That seems to be part of the audax spirit though - you just get on with it, as best you can.

David & me on the left, wondering if we'd had enough breakfast before the off (IGilbert)

And so we did! It was six am as 14 of us rolled out of the car park and off down the road. A lead group quickly formed and sped off, taking David with them. I managed to stick with them for a km or so, but could feel the pace was too high for me, so I dropped back. I couldn't afford to go too fast early on or I'd never make it home! We headed south first, into a fairly stiff southerly wind. This first part was fairly flat and rolling, and at least it was dry. The first couple of hours past fairly quickly, with no real issues. A couple of folk passed me and again I had to let them go. Slow and steady was the key to the day!

David sets off, while I faff about in the background (IGilbert)

The first big test of the day was the Clisham - the steep road up and over the North Harris hills. At 2.6 km and an average of 6%, its a bit of a kicker, and the hail on the way up didn't help much! As I neared the top, the wind picked up and I remembered David saying something about having every kind of weather on the 200 km ride the previous year. Luckily the hail didn't last long and I coasted down into Tarbert for the first checkpoint. I had to find the wee shop and go in and get them to stamp my brevit card as evidence for me having made it this far!Then it was back out, a quick top-up of water from the tap marked on the route and on south out of Tarbert.

This then was the Golden Road, and it was a right bollix! I don't think there's any flat on it at all! I found this section pretty tough, as it was constantly up and down but also constantly going into the stiff southerly headwind. Any speed you picked up on the downhill was all too quickly lost on the uphill, and it just didn't stop! Eventually I reached the next checkpoint, and was pleased to hear that I wasn't that far behind other riders! It was a relief to finally reach the southern end of Harris and begin the long trek north - at least the wind would be mostly behind me for the next few hours!

Grimacing along the Golden Road!  (RBarrett)

n + 1

Rule 12 of The Rules states that: "The correct number of bikes to own is n+1", where n is the number of bikes currently owned. Its another good rule, which should of course be adhered to.

For quite a while after getting my road bike I was content, but by autumn 2015 I started to ruminate on the need for another road bike - a spare one perhaps, if something went wrong with my main bike.

But I couldn't afford a new, pricey bike. So I started thinking secondhand. But obviously nothing too beaten up as that would require fixery skills that I don't have. Eventually I started to think that maybe something old school would be appropriate - something made of steel perhaps. But still no rash decisions were made.

I knew that a blogging friend (who sadly I've not met yet - Hi Gav) had a retro steel bike called an Orbit America. I loved the name - it sounded great! I googled the model and looked at some pics. After which it was a small step to add two words "for sale" after "Orbit America" and press return. And there one was - in England, on a blog, with lots of pics and a nice price! "Wow", I thought, then "it's probably sold already though", as the date on the blog post was quite old. A quick e-mail exchange later and the news was good - it was still available, and even better it was a 56cm frame - a perfect fit! 12 speed, 1989 or thereabouts and only three careful previous owners!

Things proceeded quickly, and before I could change my mind or chicken out, I'd made an offer. Which was acccepted! Brilliant! Now just the logistics to sort out, and bike number two (if you ignore the by now abandoned old hybrid in the back of the shed) was on its way!

A couple of weeks later, after some tricky courier japes, I came home to find a large cardboard box hiding behind the shed. That night I extracted the parts and tried to work out how they all fitted together!

Bike bits!

Hastily assembled  & not yet rideable!

The next day dawned sunny & bright and I just had to get out for a spin - what a great bike! Its a 12 speed, although 5th gear doesn't really work, but the shift from small front chainring to large in 4th at the back is just perfect - a gradual increase in power - the bike just flies along - very comfy! I couldn't wait to get out there for some adventures on my bike number two!

Orbit America - perfect for a sunny day!

Tour of West Cork 2017

After the culinary excesses and limited kms of last weekends Clon Bike Fest, this weekend saw the return of the rather more rigorous Tour of West Cork. There are two routes, 100 km and 150 km, but as I did the 150 km route last year, there really was no alternative than to enter again this year, particularly as it looked like the weather was going to be good.

The start was to be at 8.00 am from the Quality Hotel in Clonakilty. Of course, as I only live 10 or so km from the start point, I decided that I may as well cycle in and out, just to add a few more kms to the day. The wheels of choice for today were the Genesis CdA "adventure bike", as I'll be using it for the upcoming Kerry debacle (more of which later...)

I arrived in time for my complimentary cup of porridge (2 breakfasts before 8.00 am is pretty good going), and then it was time for the off. We cycled along the main road through Clon and round the estuary, before heading out for the first hills of the day on the way to Red Strand. The groups began to stretch out as the fog rolled in and the rolling hills began.

Don't forget your wrist band on the day or you'll miss out on the delicious & much needed food stops!

By the time we reached the first food stop in Unionhall, I was already feeling the pace a bit! Riding with lots of people always makes you up your effort a bit, so I was slightly apprehensive as I set off again. The sun had burnt off the fog by now though, and it was looking like sunshine all the way from now on.

The horrible climb up from Lough Hyne towards Baltimore was every bit as evil as I remembered from last year's event. I've done it five times, (including twice in one day, which was totally stupid), and this was my 3rd best time, so some improvement, but I won't be hurrying back!

The sun was out in Baltimore for a grand feed and a cup of tea at the sailing club. Just under halfway (if you forget about the getting back home!), so I pressed on. Just one more slog into the (mercifully gentle) breeze, and the wind would be pretty much behind us all the way home. I was on my own, with no other riders in sight from Baltimore round to the west and then almost all the way back into Skibbereen, so it was a relief to be caught by a rider from Skibb and we chatted about bikes and local rides as we coasted downhill to the lunch stop, and some more welcome refreshments.

With only (!) about 45 kms remaining, it was soon time to saddle up and head up the road to Drinagh, before going cross-country back to Clon. The slight uphill drag out of skib soon put paid to my attempt to blag a tow from a couple of other riders - dropped after only one turn on the front! Ah well, I prefer cycling on my own anyway, and certainly couldn't cope with joining up with the next 10 bike group which went past me. With all the shouting that cars were in sight, and warning of potholes and folk braking, and others flinging discarded gel wrappers into the ditch, I didn't try too hard to keep up, and was glad when peace descended again! Not sure I'm cut out for all the protocols of riding with a club! Wasn't impressed with the blatant littering though - ok gel wrappers are sticky but that's no reason to be jettisoning them into hedges on a ride - take it home, mate!

The last 8 km or so were thankfully mostly a gentle downhill run into Clon, so the climbing was over for the day! I finally reached the finish about 3pm, and was into the bar for a delicious recovery beer shortly afterwards - marvellous altogether!

A welcome sight after 150 km! Top day out though!

All in all, this was a very well organised and well attended event - A big thanks to all the organisers and volunteers on the day, & I hope the event raised lots of money for West Cork Rapid Response.

Here's the 150 km route from the day:

Recovery starts here!

On buying a bike in a bike shop

So, back to June 2014! You may remember I'd been slowly accruing the kms on my (t)rusty old flat bar hybrid, but was finding it difficult to go much beyond 30km rides.

So, after a little internet browsing I decided to visit The Edge Sports in Cork City. They have a great range of bikes and also offered a free bike fit, plus a free service after a month or so of use. The place was crammed with pricey bikes and I wandered about for a while getting scared by the large price tags and ambience of expertise amongst both the staff and other punters.

Eventually a young (well, younger than me!) sales assistant asked if he could help, pointing me in the direction of a cube road bike going for about a grand. It looked fine enough (not that I knew what to look for), but only had two front chainrings, and I'd convinced myself that I'd really need a triple in order to get over all the lumpy hills of West Cork.

Hidden away in amongst the pricier models was a nice-looking black and white Scott road bike, a Speedster 50 no less, which on closer inspection had three front chain rings. A good start, I thought, as I knew that Scott bikes had a good reputation for building mountain bikes back in my student days.

I was informed that as well as being "entry-level", this bike was the previous years model, and therefore probably nearly obsolete or something. However this had the added advantage of being that bit cheaper - always a good selling point to a fellow of Scottish extraction.

I decided to take it. Other than quickly jumping up on the saddle for a quick sit-down to check the frame size, I was too self-conscious to ask for a full bike fit, and the sales assistant didn't offer it. I handed over my credit card and hurried out of the shop, before anyone could notice that I'd bought last year's model! Looking back, this was a bit daft. I should have asked for the full fit, as it is important to make sure everything is set up right. I was still spending several hundred euros so should have got my moneys worth of added extras!

It took a few ham-fisted minutes to dismantle it enough to get it into the car, but just over an hour later I was back home, with the bike reassembled and ready for an initial test ride...

I went round the usual roads but hit a problem changing down from the big front chainring - pressing the thumb button wouldn't do anything! I limped back home and gave the shifter a squirt of WD40 and then discovered that if I kind of jiggled the brake lever as I pressed the thumb button, the shifter would work and I could change gear. Not ideal, and although they tried to fix the problem on the first month free service, this little glitch would remain for the next 12,000 km! Luckily I just got used to it! The second test run that afternoon was a great success - the road bike was sooooo much comfier and faster to ride than the old hybrid - now the fun could really start!

Edit - I've just noticed that this post was written exactly three years to the day that I bought the bike! Spooky!

Clon Bike Fest 2017

This weekend was the 6th Clonakilty Bike Festival and the whole town was hooching with bikes from Friday to Sunday. We only managed to attend the Meals on Wheels event on Sunday pm, but it was great fun! There were upwards of 40 cyclists/diners with a variety of bikes for the ride. I chose to ride the single speed for the occasion, and it proved a worthy steed.

Out the road to Ring was the first direction, the hefty following wind blowing us along nicely, for a starter stop at Darrara Hall for some delicious breaded risotto dumpling things. Then it was back into Ring to Deasy's Bar for the main course and a welcome glass of wine.

On the road to Ring

With the worst of the wind and rain over, we scooted back along the Ring road to Clon, for a couple of laps of the town centre before heading up the Community Gardens for open air coffee and sweets & treats.

The peloton arrives back in Clon

The final spin back into town was followed by olives, cheeses and another glass of vino in Molly's Wind Bar. Then the festival party kicked off with the Clonakilty Jazz Collective providing the backing music for the night. I also discovered they had Belgian beer in stock, which was nice!

More highlights here

Reflecting on Rule 5

You may not be aware of The Rules. But you should be. Especially Rule 5.

Rule 5 is quite simple - HTFU. If you have to ask, then read (and obey) The Rules. We'll discuss some of the other key rules another time.

This evening was an evening for contemplation of Rule 5. I'd failed to get out earlier, due to lamey excuses such as work, so when the wind picked up and the rain began to hammer down, I knew I'd be in for a bit of a pasting, Still, going out is better than not going out. So out I went. HTFU.

It was only when I turned the first corner I realised the wind was from the east - a hard start and end then. And so it proved - on the last hill, the wind picked up steadily as I neared the top, the rain was pinging off my eyeballs, the top seemed to be getting further away with each pedal stroke! HTFU and get over the top!

Holiday interlude

It wasn't meant to be a cycling holiday but somehow I returned from Brittany with some 350 km under the belt - bonus! The cycling was largely on the flat, mostly road-based but with some good tracks and boardwalks thrown in, for good measure.

Benodet waterfront

Pootling about the campsite accounted for some mileage everyday, but I was able to escape most evenings for a longer ride. The bike of choice was the old hybrid, recently converted into a single-speed (more of that in future posts), which proved a very suitable option given the terrain and the cycling companions.

Beached

Abandoned!

France does do cycling and bike-trails well. There was very little issues with traffic, and the scenery was very pleasant. Would definitely like to explore a bit more. And maybe do an Alp or two!

Boardwalk and trails

Deux bagettes s'il vous plait

Here is the strava track showing a ride I did from the campsite in Benodet out west via the road bridge and then back by the beach track as far as possible. Note, the morning pootle is also included!

And here's the track for a ride to the east, again using road and trails where available. This one included some dodgy stretches of sandy track that I just about got through ok!