Club Spin March 31st

Back when St Tiernans C.C. was one of the biggest clubs in the country it was not uncommon for me to be riding in a group that had more female riders than males. You may think that we had hundreds of female members at that time but in reality I was young, single and would often spend my time showing my limited skills to the female section of our club.

So it was with great enjoyment that I once again ended up in a group where the female of the species that outnumbered the male. Two weeks break had me hankering for the hills last Saturday with a mention of the Sally Gap having passed my lips more then once during the week. Upon my arrival I was greeted by the usual mixture of racers, Etape riders and the ever growing touring group. The touring group consisted of myself, Robbie C, Dave K, Paula, Adrienne (making her return after a few weeks off the bike) and on her debut bike ride, Catherine who I have been informed is a friend of Richards. And later that morning we would meet up with Aisling.

Due to the mix of riders there was some discussion about the route that would be taken. Sally Gap was off the agenda due to our new guest. When I informed the group that we would be heading to Eniskerry, and going towards Glencree it was mentioned that it maybe cold on high ground due to the change in weather from our summer week so I had to make reference to rule number 5 a couple of times. Velomanti – The Rules

When we eventually hit Enniskerry it was agreed that we would head up Glencree. After meeting up with Aisling our group now contained 3 males and 4 females (I have always liked these odds). Dave K had a quick stop for some power foods (Blueberrys) in preparation of the race that afternoon in Ballbrigan.
The short sharp first section of the climb out of Enniskerry got the heart pumping and the lungs wheezing, those who needed to stop did so but we all progressed to the first intermediate of the climb. At this point a quick discussion with Catherine she informed the group that her legs were feeling tired and she was going to turn back. With a small bit of encouragement she joined us as we progressed up the gentle sloping road towards Glencree.

Once we got Glencree I was informed that those that went ahead decided to take advantage of the coffee shop (something that I was not keen on doing – but due to the state of the economy I thought it best to spend a couple of Euro with the local business). Coffee, tea, cakes or scones whatever took your fancy was ordered up and consumed among great company and conversation, namely the property tax and who had paid it and an excellent description from Adrienne of our new team van which she is in the process of purchasing. I’m looking forward to checking out the camper van when it finally arrives. During our coffee shop stop we gleaned some important nuggets of information firstly Dave K has a weak spot for Carrot Cake and Robbie found out that the main difference between a deep apple pie and a standard apple & strawberry pie is approx ½”.

Tea and scones polished off we headed down to Powerscourt Waterfall and back around to Enniskerry over Il Poggio. Dave K headed home over the Featherbeds to ensure he got home intime for the afternoon race. A steady pace home and we had completed approx 55km on a fine spring morning. I might add that Catherine had come out on the same bike that she rides to work (a standard commuter bike no hybrid, super light weight frames or fancy tyres ordered in from somewhere across Europe). Catherine is totally new to cycling and did an excellent job of staying with everyone and getting home. I hope you enjoyed the spin Catherine and it would be great to have you back out with us, we may need to have a look at your bike to ensure you get the best out of the spins.

Looking forward to next weekend when I think another leisurely spin will be on the cards due to it being a holiday weekend. I’m not sure what the route will be but it looks like Sally Gap will have to wait a few more weeks before it is introduced to some of our newer members. See you all soon.

by Brian Hayden