Tag Archives: road

Club Sportive 135km DNF!

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The original date for our Club Sportive was Sunday 31st of August, just 2 days after our return from holidays in Spain. Due to a terrible forecast the decision was made to postpone by 2 weeks. Correct decision but unfortunately the weather wasn’t much better Sunday last week 😔

For the last couple of months I’ve been determined to complete the 135km route and have been steadily increasing my mileage and distance with a 110km ride just before holidays.

After that ride I felt in great shape and despite concerns over a week of eating, drinking and lazing around I was confident that the big distance was achievable. Coming back off holidays I was feeling a bit sluggish and was kind of relieved that a two week postponement would give me a chance to shake it off and get in another long ride.

It didn’t work out like that though. Despite getting 5 spins completed I didn’t get another long one due to two crappy weekends. All 5 spins ended up in the 40km zone. I had planned for a 100km+ ride the weekend before but weather again put me off and I ended up with no ride at all!

I was watching the forecast all week in the run up to the Sportive and it wasn’t looking good at all. It varied slightly as the week wore on but from Wednesday on it was pretty clear that it was going to be a wet and windy one.

Saturday night I had quite a bit of nerves about the ride, had a bit of an unsettled night and woke up on Sunday still feeling pretty nervous as well as tired. At registration, with only 12 signed on for the 135km route, I was resigned to the fact I was going to be the lanterne rouge for the day.

Reasonably fresh at the top of the first climb © Gerard McHugh Photography

Both the 62km and 135km groups left together as we were going in the same direction for approx the first 15km. Once the groups split it was obvious that I was considerably slower than everyone else on the long route and that I was going to be solo for the rest of the day.

Full Route

Despite a very strong wind going through the wind tunnel section of Barnes Gap I had a decent ride all the way to Donegal Town (30km) and on to Laghey. Difficulty increased as I rode the rolling route into Ballyshannon (50km) but I somehow managed to sustain a 27kph average to that point.

On the approach to Ballyshannon I thought I glimpsed a cyclist a few minutes ahead of me on one of the climbs. Dropping off the main road and turning East to Belleek the guys in the first aid van had asked the two guys who were just ahead of me to wait so the three of us could ride together. I was concerned the other two guys were were considerably fitter and faster than me but they seemed happy to slow slightly to my pace and stay together.

It had already started raining quite heavily and now we were riding straight into the wind. Getting to Belleek wasn’t too bad but I had to leave all the work to the other two guys. They were setting a pace slightly faster than I was comfortable with and I was working hard to stay on the back wheel with no hope of getting in front to take a turn.

After Belleek the weather turned really shit! The rain was constant heavy now and the wind was a real problem. The road was pretty exposed and the crossing of Boa Island was one of the worst bits of cycling I’ve ever done. While the rain was hateful the wind was verging on dangerous. Gusts were hitting us off Lough Erne and there was quite a lot of traffic with a few dangerous passes especially considering the road conditions.

The other two guys had slowed down quite a bit too and despite the conditions I found I was able to get on the front a good few times and to complete decent pulls. By the time we crossed Boa Island and reached Kesh (84km) we were all suffering. I was really feeling the cold with numb hands and feet*, struggling to operate my gears and brakes and getting a pain in my left quad. One of the other guys was cramping badly, I could see him hitting his quads with a closed fist and he was no longer coming forward to take the front. The third guy still looked strong but a couple of km outside of Ederney he told me they were going to tap out at the food stop. Although I hadn’t voiced it I had been considering the same for a while and his announcement made up my mind.

Pulling into the food stop at Ederney our ride was done at 88km. It was pretty obvious that everyone was waiting for us to get in and although I might have been able to carry on I was very conscious that I was going to be very slow and that there were a number of people in the broom vans and at the finish that were going to have to wait for me to finish. Despite the disappointment and feeling like I’d failed I felt that it was the right thing to do.

Once we confirmed we were pulling out our bikes were loaded into the broom van while we grabbed something quick to eat and a hot cup of tea. The other two guys headed off with one of the ride organisers and I jumped into the broom van. About 20min up the road we came across the next two back markers and followed them back to the finish. One of these guys is a very strong cyclist from our Club and he was getting it tough. I ended up sitting beside him in the canteen at the end while we got some very welcome hot food. The condition he was in made me very glad I decided to tap out when I did!

Despite feeling like I made the right decision on the day I’m still convinced I could have completed the ride on the same day and in different circumstances. If I’d dressed more appropriately for the weather* and if I’d been riding my own ride instead of part of an organised event, I would have felt considerably less pressure, wouldn’t have been thinking about marshals and volunteers out in the shitty weather and waiting for me to finish. I would also have been able to ride at my own pace and stop for food when it felt right for me. It wouldn’t have been a pretty ride and I would have been very slow but I think I might have been able to make it. Also, it’s hard to DNF when you have to make your own way home! Saying all that, it’s easy to make that statement sitting at home!

*despite making the correct decision to wear my fully waterproof jacket and fit my rear mudguard I somehow decided to ride in shorts and short finger gloves and not use my front mudguard! In my defence the forecasted temperatures were borderline for tights but I totally forgot to allow for the significant windchill and the effect of the constant rain.

I have ridden this route as part of a Club Sportive before but it was longer ago than I thought and it was a very different story that day.

I really don’t know how I managed that average!

My condition in 2016 was very different compared to 2025. As well as having 9 years less on my clock and being at least 10kg lighter, I had a lot of training done. In the 12 months leading up to the Sportive I’d ridden just over 7,500km and completed a lot of rides of 100km+. One of those was the Wicklow 200 which I completed in just under 8hrs 15min. I’m nowhere near that at the minute so I guess that’s my target set for the next 12 months 🤣 I’m definitely riding that route myself in the Spring too!

What Happened to The Sun ☀️😭

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A shock to the system with a very wet 43km Club Spin at 9am with temperatures between 12 and 14°C – Spain 🇪🇸 is a distant memory already! 😭 At least it did give me a chance to road test my new Galibier Tourmalet 4 jacket – very impressed 👌

Unfortunately, tomorrow’s Club Sportive is a victim of the weather and has been postponed until September 14th. I should definitely be back to fitness after the holiday by that stage 🍻 💪🤣

📸 by Brian

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New Shoes Required

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In the parlance of any decent influencer I started my barefoot journey just over a year ago now. While my Plantar Fasciitis (PF) hasn’t gone away completely it definitely has improved. In the last couple of months I’ve gone full barefoot with all my shoes now in a zero drop, minimalist style with a proper vivobarefoot hiking boot being the latest addition.

vivobarefoot forest esc

While my feet haven’t yet developed the typical full-on toe spread associated with barefoot shoes they have definitely changed shape and are now considerably wider.

not my feet

Starting back to cycling at the beginning of September it soon became very clear that my snug, narrow cycling shoes were now in serious need of replacement. It also became clear that wide cycling shoes aren’t that common which surprised me. Sidi seem to be the main brand specialising in wide fitting cycling shoes but they’re a lot more expensive than I wanted to be spending!

nice shoes but averaging out at €200+

My first port of call was Amazon for a cheap option.

ARTVEP generic chinese brand of choice

I quite liked these. They were comfortable and looked nice. However, the soft sole meant there was too much flex and I could feel the cleats through the sole. Not a problem for a beginner but anything over 40km and I could see these causing foot ache. The soles are set up for MTB or road cleats with permanently attached receivers for the MTB cleat screws. However, these are mobile when wearing road cleats meaning I could hear them rattling when peddling fast. Finally, I felt the quality of the upper was too cheap with a soft leather look PU material that would damage quite easily. I tried them for one ride but then sent them back. Amazon’s return policy being the main reason I was happy to give these a trial.

Option 2 was from Decathlon.

van rysel road ncr

I liked these. The fit was pretty good and I liked the feel of the materials and the stiffness of the sole. The single boa fastener was easy to use and held the tension nicely but it was still a bit narrow in the toebox. For the cost I wanted something more comfortable.

The third and final pair I tried came to me even before I picked up the Decathlon shoes. I’d been trying to think of options and remembered that Paul had recently bought a pair of gravel/MTB shoes from Planet X. A quick browse of the site had two options. I was really drawn to the Carnac Prove but the tab at the front really put me off

the black option had a white closure tab at the front 🤢

Despite the price difference I decided the Carnac Baroudeur Carbon were a good punt.

I’ve been wearing these for a good few weeks now and have completed a number of 50K+ rides and I’m finding them very good. They’re not perfect and I don’t know how I’d get on with them on a long day but I’m happy with them. The Boa laces work well although they do seem to lose a tiny bit of tension after 40K. Not enough to cause issues but I haven’t been able to check if they do actually loosen as I’ve been wearing overshoes on each ride. I’m getting a couple of hot spots on both feet but I think that may be how I have the cleats set up rather than the shoes themselves combined with the long time I was off cycling. The sole is nice and stiff and they feel good so I think I’ve found the winners. If I ever get back to long distance Audax cycling then I might consider looking at Sidi again but for now these will do the job.

2 Weeks In…

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Two weeks ago yesterday I started a new job! It’s my third new job in 5 years and a bit of a career change for me. Having spent approximately 22 years in a customer facing retail role I’ve switched to an on-the-road Sales Representative role*.

At the end of July things fell apart in my old job and I got laid off. It wasn’t totally unexpected but I was caught out by how quickly it happened and I ended up totally unprepared in terms of finding a new job. Thankfully the Irish job market is pretty good right now and I applied for a number of jobs within the first week. One of these was particularly interesting and I’d had a first stage interview when I got a call from a Rep that I’ve been friendly with for a good few years now. “S” was leaving his role to go into a family business and wanted to know if I’d be OK for him to recommend me as his replacement!

For the next week things happened very quickly, I had 3 interviews for his job and the other I’d already started the process for. I also had two other applications that contacted me expressing an interest in speaking to me. In the end I was offered both jobs but this one is the one I really wanted.

Repping is a job I’ve had an interest in for a good few years but it’s one of those roles where you need to be in the right place at the right time or have an inside track when a vacancy come up. This time everything aligned just right for me and I fit the company perfectly in terms of who they wanted. I still had to match them and prove myself in the interview process but having a personal recommendation from S, who is well respected and left on very good terms, was a huge help.

Everything moved so quickly partly as I’d made them aware of the other job application process and partly because S was leaving on the 4th of September. I started on 26th August which gave me a week and a half to shadow S, meeting some of the key accounts and getting an introduction to his region and processes and getting a good background to the full account list. Probably the best introduction I could have had!

Since Thursday I’ve had the training wheels off and I’ve been out visiting accounts on my own that I wasn’t able to get to with S. I’ve also been to Head Office for some training and induction and this will continue once a week for the next 3 or 4. It’s not the normal induction process but this way I get bitesize chunks that I’m able to deal with before I get more. All at once in one week would have been pretty overwhelming. The downside to starting so quickly is that things are a bit disorganised but the benefits definitely outweigh that and in the end it suits me. I’m also the kind of person that isn’t afraid to put my hand up and ask for help when I need it. So far I seem to have made a good impression with my customer accounts, my line manager and the sales office support staff. I just need to keep that going and improving. S was in the role for almost 9 years so I have big shoes to fill.

Some of the benefits of a Sales Rep job are the essential tools that come with the role. I have a good spec laptop and mobile phone, a good spec tablet is on the way and best of all, I have a company car. The photo above isn’t my car but it’s the same model. It’s a 2021 Volkswagen Passat R-Line and it’s way better than anything I could afford myself. I’m doing big miles each day (200-250miles/300-400km per day on average) and comfort is a big priority. This car is a very high spec and an absolute joy to drive. Fully automatic with adaptive cruise control, Android Auto and climate control makes those long drives so much easier. Switching to a mobile office has its challenges but I think I’m adapting well so far.

*I’m not going to name the company here but it’s an Irish brand that manufacture mattresses and beds and one that I know really well from furniture retail over the last 11 years or so. It’s a brand I really like and one I’m proud to now be a part of.

Although my previous job paid the bills quite comfortably I wasn’t really happy there. I was tempted away from the job before that for money and access to a company van which was great but the job satisfaction was definitely missing. The working environment wasn’t as stimulating or as challenging as the one I left and I really missed that. It was definitely grinding me down and negatively affecting me both mentally and physically. I’d lost a lot of interest in activities I’d previously enjoyed and my motivation for pretty much everything had been depleted.

My first week in this new job made a huge difference though. I won’t say I became a different person but my drive definitely came back considerably. The first weekend off I managed to get a number of jobs done around the house that I’d been putting off for far, far too long and this weekend past I actually went out for a bike ride for the first time since April and for the longest ride since April last year!

It was only 34km but mentally it was much bigger than that. I’m starting to shake off the mental negativity that was allowing me to put off activities and tasks, making it acceptable to find excuses to stay at home and stagnate. I have a good way to go yet but I’m pretty sure that this new work/life balance, belonging to a team once again and a sense of achievement will be the driving force to help me get there.

the sunny and warm weather was a definite incentive to get out on the bike
riding the new lifford/castlefinn greenway for the first time

Perspective

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I’m having some real doubts about the Audax Challenge I’ve set myself this year. The turn of the month, my reasonable success restarting training in January and starting to increase my training for February has made it all more real than it was in the early days of January.

My first big marker is April 23rd with the Dark Hedges 200. I’m mostly confident that I will be able to manage that ride. I’ve done both the course and the distance a number of times and know what to expect. It’s the next BIG marker that has me really worried – Coast to Coast 600 on June 10th just 7 weeks after the Dark Hedges! I’ve no experience of distances over 200km and none of multi day rides either. That scares the 💩 out of me right now!

part i

part ii

Where the brain starts to screw me now is with those doubts. I’m finding it much harder this month to keep the same motivation for my training. Some of this is that the initial excitement is wearing off and that shit’s getting real. Mentally it would be much easier to find an excuse to give up than deal with the possibility of failure. However, I keep setting targets, making plans and focusing on the next ride.

On Sunday I rode almost 60km, slightly longer than I expected and my longest ride since August 2021! Milestones like that keep me motivated.

Perspective? My blogger friend Jim at Fit Recovery is dealing with the shock of being made redundant after 25 years with the same company and the prospect of starting all over again with a new company. Good luck with the new job Jim 👍

Light Up My Life

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As requested by Paul over on 36×25.blog here is a rundown of the lights I use to keep me safe and allow me to ride at night.

Daytime Riding

I know a lot of people who dismiss the usefulness of lights during the day but I’m very much a “be safe, be seen” type of person and ride virtually every time with a rear and front flashing light.

Up front I have a Lezyne Micro Drive 500 XL. This has nine different modes including flash, pulse and various levels of steady light. It has an integrated adjustable silicone strap that fits pretty much any handlebar size and a weatherproof full size USB plug (no lead required) for charging. The USB plug is protected by a removable, chunky rubber cover which is its only niggle. This cover is not attached to the light body and can fall off or get mislaid. Thankfully these are available to buy separately despite the light now being discontinued (other current models use the same charging system). Despite having mine about 5 years I still haven’t gotten around to creating a fixing system and yes, I have managed to lose a couple of them!

The photo above shows the light on the top of the bar but I prefer it under the bar and the adjustable strap allows for this very easily especially as the light can swivel on the strap. Keeping the light under the bar gives a cleaner looking cockpit and more space on the bars.

My rear light (Cateye Viz 300) resides on my seatpost as I use a bottle style tool kit in my second bottle holder and no rear saddle bag.

This light is pretty new and really good. I was lucky to avail of a deal with my club where they bought a batch of these and subsidised the cost to members. It only cost me €15 which is an absolute bargain.

I run it on flash mode (but not the most annoying pattern) and having seen it on other club members’ bikes it’s really noticeable.

spot the guy with the same light

Removing the light from the holder is a bit of a faff and rather than potentially breaking it I tend to remove the whole thing, strap and all for charging. This means I could potentially lose the strap but on the flipside I’m unlikely to lose the light while out.

Night Riding

First of all I use both the above lights, still in flashing mode. I don’t use the Lezyne light on full beam mode. I found it weak for night time MTBing and upgraded to a better light (below) but I haven’t tried it on the road. I think I’ll see what it’s like this week in case I ever need it as a backup. As a flashing light it’s an effective additional eye catcher for approaching traffic.

My main headlight is the Moon Meteor Storm Pro which was originally purchased for MTB riding off road on forest tracks and trails. The level 5 full beam is really good for this kind of use.

Using it on the road though, it’s not as good. L5  is way too bright for cars while L4 or 3 are less dazzling but don’t provide as much visibility. Changing through the levels requires cycling down and through the flashing modes which isn’t practical when riding fast. The light did come with a remote that I’ve never used (and had forgotten about until now!) that might make this a bit easier and I will investigate that this week also. The model I have (max 1700 lumen) is now discontinued but there’s a very similar new version available with a 2000 lumen boost.

The major downside of this light is its weight. Including the mount it weighs 260g. It comes with a helmet mount but I wouldn’t fancy that weight on my head!

This light though is rock solid. When properly tightened the mount will not move no matter how rough the road surface. This was especially good on fast forest tracks on the MTB. However, I managed to break the clip on the base of the light on an Audax ride when trying to adjust the angle while riding. I was concerned about blinding oncoming traffic so tried to twist it down by manipulating the light itself. Of course it moved, the mount didn’t and the plastic clip broke. As it is part of the light body it can’t be replaced. A bodge repair using electrical tape saved me that night and a slightly tidier wrap of tape now secures the light to the mount.

This year the club is repeating the light subsidy but this time it’s front lights – Cateye AMPP 500. At €15 again it’s too good to miss and even if it isn’t as good as the Moon light it will be a good replacement for the Lezyne. I’m hoping to get mine this week and I’m looking forward to testing it.

On my helmet I use two additional lights. My old rear light (Cateye Rapid Mini) is now on the back as a blinking high level visibility light.

On top I have a second Lezyne Micro Drive 500 XL. This is set on the lowest full beam level and I find it incredibly useful for reading my Garmin screen and checking gears, seeing my pedals for clipping in etc. On this mode it gives me just enough light and lasts forever. Also it’s not very heavy meaning it doesn’t annoy me at all. A heavy light could cause a sore neck or cause the helmet to tilt annoyingly to one side or down over my eyes.

Future Upgrades

This setup works well for me and I’ve used it successfully on Winter 200km Audax rides when shorter days mean that I have to start and finish in the dark. However, if I’m going to ride 400km and 600km this year I’ll need to upgrade my headlights for longer lasting performance.

The ultimate Audax setup would be a hub based dynamo but I don’t fancy spending that amount of money. This light could be a very good alternative – IXON IQ Premium from Busch + Müller. It runs on AA size batteries and two sets will provide 10 hrs lighting and if I run out of rechargeables then regular Duracell will work in a pinch. At €80 on most sites it’s a lot cheaper than a dynamo wheel!

not the sexiest of lights!

Be Seen!

It’s important not to forget the second part of that saying and make sure that as well as being able to see I can also be seen. On local roads round home I’m riding shorter loops and I’m happy wearing a reflective harness. This doesn’t interfere with my pockets and is enough that I can be seen by following or oncoming cars.

On Audax rides when I spend a lot longer riding in the dark and being a lot more tired I prefer something a lot more visible and have used a light reflective workman’s shirt over my gear. This is heavier, less fitted and restricts access to my rear pockets but is incredibly visible at night.

Header image by Reactual.com