For the professional peloton this is the traditional ‘Opening weekend’ of the European racing calendar… but don’t worry there won’t be much of that serious stuff in this opening ICycle diary.
This is about the average cyclist because that’s what most of us are. I’m an average cyclist, with average ability and below-average mechanical skills. Although, I am hoping 2023 can be an above average year of cycling for me.
With winter releasing us early from hibernation, there’s been few excuses for not getting the Strava counter rolling early this year. I briefly flirted with the idea of buying a smart trainer during the wet days of December, but it would have been left under the stairs.
I was able to lay some groundwork for this year’s cycling by finally getting a professional bike fit last autumn which has really helped make longer mornings in the saddle more comfortable. Aidan Hammond, one of Ireland’s leading bike fitters and a qualified physical therapist, also gave me a fairly basic daily stretching routine which has helped me too.
“Not the worst I’ve ever seen,” was his ringing endorsement when assessing my flexibility. Though without doing regular work on my lower back and hamstrings, I could feel the strain when I was off the bike too.
Before visiting Aidan, I had relied on online guides and YouTube videos to set up my bike, which, until last year, had done an OK job of getting me through – but I was always left wondering if I was missing something.
Apart from giving me some pointers for working on my own body’s limitations, Aidan also made one key adjustment to my bike set-up – moving my saddle forward 2cm. This has reduced the pressure on some, eh, sensitive areas.
So the Strava numbers are looking decent so far this year by my own standards – has a ride even taken place if it’s not on Strava? – and I’ve been looking into some sportives for the summer ahead and hopefully a bike-packing trip. There’s so many good options at home and abroad and not enough time, or money, to do them all.
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I’ve also starting doing some proper organised group rides in recent weeks, which is not something I usually do, but this has really helped me increase the weekly km count while also given me the chance to meet other people who love to cycle and all the social elements that come with it. I can feel the benefits of riding with a larger group in my legs after each cycle. Covering 80km with a group last weekend was less draining than the flat 50kms I did solo midweek down the Wicklow coast.
Sharing the time at the front of the group really reduces the effort required to cut through the wind, but the mental aspect is just as important. Being able to ride with a bunch, chatting away, saw the time and kms tick by quickly. It just left me wondering what had taken me so long to make the leap.
Km covered this week: 190km over three rides
Altitude gained: 1900metres
What I’ve learned this week
The roads are in bits at this time of the year. Covered in grime, mud, debris, making the post-ride bike clean more arduous than usual. Without a clean down after every ride you can hear the impact on the chain and cogs. My friend Dave has been known to take his bike into the shower to get the job done. I’m not sure how that would go down at home, but I do give the bike chain a wipe down after each ride and if it’s been anyway wet I’ll take the hose and the ‘Muc-off’ spray to it. But I’ve also recently started using some frame polish to bring a shine back to my five-year-old Canyon. I was sceptical before trying it, but the Juice Lubes Frame Juice has the bike frame almost looking like new.
OK, not quite a tweet, but found through twitter. A video of Tom Pidcock descending Tuna Canyon in LA with all the skill of a downhill skier was posted online this week, showing off the sort of talent he put to good use on his descent of the Col du Galibier during last year’s Tour de France. If descending is an art form the multi-talented Yorkshire man is cycling’s Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Picasso rolled into one. Not to be tried on your local roads.
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Treat of the week
It’s hard to pass a lemon drizzle cake anywhere and while the buns at Nicky’s in Kilcoole may look unassuming, they make for the perfect mid-ride pick-me-up.
Registration has opened for the Velo Kenmare sportive that will take place on October 21. It had its debut run last year and is a little different to regular Irish sportives, with chipped timing for the four main categorised climbs. The 135km route has no shortage of climbing with the route taking in Moll’s Gap, Ballaghbeama, Glencar, Ballaghasheen, Waterville, Coomakista, Sneem and Moll’s Gap (again). They got great weather for this event next year so hopefully it’ll be just as good this October.
Pro scene
OK, so just two short references this week: Megan Armitage has made dramatic progress up the ranks in the women’s peloton and the Offaly woman will hope to continued that rise at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after being named on the Arkea team that will take part in the ‘Opening Weekend’ classic.
Meanwhile at the Track Nations Cup in Jakarta, the Irish women’s pursuit team of Mia Griffin, Lara Gillespie, Alice Sharpe and Kelly Murphy broke the national record for the third time in two weeks. Their time of 4.16.877 cut almost a second off the standard they set on Thursday as they finished fifth fastest overall.
If you’d like to highlight an event, your favourite place for a mid-ride pitstop or tell us about your bike rides email icycle@independent.ie
