Hardcore Sunday Morning Spin

I can truly say that I have never been so cold on a bicycle.
Going over the featherbeds with the 'fast' group from Dundrum we got caught in a sleet shower. From then on it was pure hell. The decent must have lasted an hour with a puncture thrown in.
Some call it character building !

Same here Lloyd. We had to have a coffee/defrosting stop at Glencree with the beginners group before making the descent into Enniskerry and finally home to a very welcome shower.

Lloyd Berry wrote:

'fast' group from Dundrum !

Eh, the 'real' fast group left from the park this morning. Four hardy souls plus a guest rider from Mayo.

Lads sounds like a hardy day all round. Was in Derry for the weekend and hooked up with Foyle CC for their spin this morning. Great bunch of lads and very welcoming. If you are ever up there bring a bike. And note to all - if after a 40km/hr sprint back to Derry from Limavaddy they let you go up over Foyle bridge in the front of the group, fake a puncture - I thought bridges were meant to be flat!!

Alledgedly it was 3 degress when we left but I think they forgot to mention the minus sign. Numb fingers before we even got out of the city.

I need some new winter gloves asap. Can anyone recommend anything thats not too bulky

John

Good to hear that you got a spin in over the weekend JL.
We looked like a bunch of smurfs coming down from Glencree with Denis 'Papa Smurf' Gleeson, leading us home. Think it was the hailstones that got us that nice shade of blue...

Started with the pseudo-fast group from Dundrum, but very quickly something (I think it was my legs) told me this was not going to be a fun ride so I dropped back to the next Orwell group. As we approached Killakee the warning signs were all too obvious - cold rain, entering clouds, and the last straw - a descending rider calling out weather warnings. When a couple of riders remarked longingly on how close they were to home the decision was made. We bailed out. From the descriptions above I think we made the right decision!

Lloyd Berry wrote:

I can truly say that I have never been so cold on a bicycle.
Going over the featherbeds with the 'fast' group from Dundrum we got caught in a sleet shower. From then on it was pure hell. The decent must have lasted an hour with a puncture thrown in.
Some call it character building !

Sounds like a vast contrast to the spin from the Phoenix Park. We had glorious weather, touring the quiet back roads of Meath. It looks like the desolate days in the Wicklow hills are underway.

BarryR wrote:

We bailed out. From the descriptions above I think we made the right decision!

Did anybody pick up Luke?? The young lad who sat up and was waiting for the 2nd group after kilakee?

If not, sorry Luke! I hope you had the sense to go straight home....

Horrible day....haven't felt that cold in a long time.

Brian Ahern wrote:

Did anybody pick up Luke?? The young lad who sat up and was waiting for the 2nd group after kilakee?

If not, sorry Luke! I hope you had the sense to go straight home....

Horrible day....haven't felt that cold in a long time.

Luke rode the rest of the spin on his own, came through Sandyford only a couple of minutes after yourself.

He wasn't complaining about the weather though, said he thought it wasn't too bad.

Lloyd Berry wrote:

I can truly say that I have never been so cold on a bicycle.
Going over the featherbeds with the 'fast' group from Dundrum we got caught in a sleet shower. From then on it was pure hell. The decent must have lasted an hour with a puncture thrown in.
Some call it character building !

I heard that while all of the boys were complaining about their frozen fingers and toes Michelle's only complaint was that it was the shortest Orwell spin she's ever done!

Great to see so many people still coming out even such a miserable day, but there were two issues that came up after yesterday's spins;
First off, howcome so few people are doing the Park spins nowadays? There are some lovely routes out there, and if everyone stays Southside every week they'll end up bored witless with Wicklow by the time spring rolls around.
Maybe this is an issue for a thread of it's own, but I'd say at least 50% of the people who went from Dundrum yesterday should be doing the Park spins every second Sunday.

The other thing I noticed was the number of punctures. None in my group, but we passed three other groups stopped before Sandyford, including one irrepareably ripped tyre.
You're always going to have some punctures, but there have been a few puncturefests already this Winter. As the weather gets colder people are going to get steadily less and less happy about standing on the roadside waiting for tubes to be changed.

I know I'm preaching to the choir on this one, but if everybody would check their tyres and tyre pressures before coming out on Sunday morning an awful lot of those punctures would be avoided.
Don't be the one who gets left behind after the group you were with decides they've had enough of waiting and all ride on pretending they can't hear you!

Last Sunday was a cold one alright. Hope y'all got home safely.
Featherbeds is always a fast descent, and just my luck I got a speed bump on it!
Could not control the back wheel at all, but unclipped just in case I hit the deck!
It passed over when I sat up a bit.
Thanks to Arthur for some moral support on the day. And what a freezing day it was too!

No punctures thankfully - I always check my tyres before heading out.

Dave - The Park is a long way from Dundrum for me personally - I love the Wicklow Hills too much to venture to the Northside.
Nothing like seeing the road to the mountains on front of you, leaving your worries behind on the lower slopes!
Hate riding through the city centre anyway - prefer desolate remote places!

Last Sunday was a cold one alright. Hope y'all got home safely.
Featherbeds is always a fast descent, and just my luck I got a speed bump on it!
Could not control the back wheel at all, but unclipped just in case I hit the deck!
It passed over when I sat up a bit.
Thanks to Arthur for some moral support on the day. And what a freezing day it was too!

No punctures thankfully - I always check my tyres before heading out.

Dave - The Park is a long way from Dundrum for me personally - I love the Wicklow Hills too much to venture to the Northside.
Nothing like seeing the road to the mountains on front of you, leaving your worries behind on the lower slopes!
Hate riding through the city centre anyway - prefer desolate remote places!

Last Sunday was a cold one alright. Hope y'all got home safely.
Featherbeds is always a fast descent, and just my luck I got a speed bump on it!
Could not control the back wheel at all, but unclipped just in case I hit the deck!
It passed over when I sat up a bit.
Thanks to Arthur for some moral support on the day. And what a freezing day it was too!

No punctures thankfully - I always check my tyres before heading out.

Dave - The Park is a long way from Dundrum for me personally - I love the Wicklow Hills too much to venture to the Northside.
Nothing like seeing the road to the mountains on front of you, leaving your worries behind on the lower slopes!
Hate riding through the city centre anyway - prefer desolate remote places!

Ruth, what is it with all these multiple replies?

Ruth, what is it with all these multiple replies?

Ruth, what is it with all these multiple replies?

Just a quick question
Just a quick question
Just a quick question

How doable is it to start MTB spins for icey days?

Caroline Martinez wrote:

How doable is it to start MTB spins for icey days?

It could well be happening this Sunday, judging by the weather outlook.

If road conditions are looking bad on any given weekend we'll make a decision on the Saturday evening on whether to cancel road spins, and then we can have the choice of MTBing for people who have off road bikes, hillwalking, or just taking the day off.

Dick O Brien wrote:

I'm down to lead the beginners spin on Sunday and was getting a bit trepedatious. One broken bone this year is enough.

If you're ever down to lead a group and you don't think the conditions are safe you're always free to call it off on the spot. Then anyone who wants to push on can do it at their own risk and everyone else can go home without the shame of giving up.