The perfect Ride! Did the Lessie loop for the first time in 14 months and knocked 14 minutes off my time. As usual I’m reaching my peak after all the big cycles.
I made a last minute decision to do the An Post tour of Meath and will be travelling up late on Saturday night to stay with my friend Tom. I am pumped for it!
The seventh of July 2013 will be remarked upon in Irish cycling circles, for many years to come. It was the day I completed L’etape du Tour in less than 6 hours. Dan Martin stage win in the real Tour might also get a mention. Today’s spin may turn out to be the peak of my cycling achievement but hopefully there is more to come for Dan Martin. Maybe a victory on Ventoux next weekend or indeed in the Etape stage itself on the penultimate day of the tour.
‘You should take a photo of my helmet and put it on your stupid blog thing’ said Hugh as he sipped on his coffee. ‘It has been all over the world. I’m buying a new one later and today is it’s last spin’
Hugh’s helmet had been all over Sligo/Leitrim, up most of the great climbs of France, many of them several times, it has done the Wicklow 200 five times and it had gone up the Alto de Letras in Colombia.
‘Get your own blog, my readers aren’t interested in such trivia, your very self absorbed, Hugh
Finished 48 minutes after the gold medal time, my slowest Dartmoor of the four only to have Computer add over ten minutes to my time when I did not register on finish line … Argggh
I did the last five hours with my gears screeching at me and every second cyclist I past telling me my bike was making noise. Some even suggested that I should oil her every now and then Argggh
And don’tget me started on all those guys hearing that my bike was clearly malfunctioning and yet saying nothing Argggh
I am sitting in a warm Bath and starting to calm down.
I would not have finished off it was not for the help of three riders. The only number I’m sure of its 2003, I think 1916 was one of the others. I will detail later
I have Marked next year’s event in my calendar and will book the time of work tomorrow. It’s gold in 2014 for me!
100% turn out with a margin of victory of 100%
The business end of the year is here. A beautiful sunny Sunday morning greeted us when we arrived in Greystones at 06:30. The shoreline Leisure centre is where Katie Taylor displayed her Olympic Gold medal to the people of Greystones. I’m hoping that is an omen for me.
Hugh, Brendan and I powered around the 200km for our annual sufferfest. Meanwhile Jaclyn completed her first Sportive without any fuss or bother. She was back in Greystones by noon waiting for us.
Hugh reckons that his annual trip to Wicklow is a great barometer of his good health. Today was his eight and I hope he has many more. I have my eye on Twenty.
The day went well. I managed to keep with the pace for most of the day and finished strongly. Only 12 more Wicklows to go …
Confessions of a Velophile 