My mission for today is to stay ahead of this Van.

Beautiful calm morning in Tralee. Signed on and sipping coffee looking out on the Wetlands. The calm before the storm.

Ahhh! That’s Bas.

It is quiet sad that I have rushed back to save my Strava data before all those other, faster guys with something better to do, get home and upload their times.

Still I did well to stay with such strong cyclist for as long as I did.

Stage 1- Flat me @rse

173km with 1218m ascent at average of 31.6 km/h. Ouch

I headed out the road to Castleisland at 42km/h knowing I was going too fast. Four and a half hours later I was still with the lead group of twelve. I knew I was going well when I looked around and saw I was the only one around me who didn’t have shaved legs!  Kinda like that time in MCR ,when I went for a drink in Canal Street. The result was the same- 5 minutes later I was all alone, sweating and confused.  The last 40km/h I did by myself.

Signed on and waiting to go …