Spent but Elated

What a weekend.

I went to Dingle with my two cycling buddies, the two who normally drag me around these events and make sure I complete them. Both great lads, and I really love these trips away with them.

We have done a cycling adventure every year for the last few years, and they are great. Hire an Airbnb, go out for pizza the night before the event, cycle the event, go back out for a meal in the evening, and head home the following day.

Brilliant. Great rides, great company.

This year was a bit different. Our usual organised sportive didn’t take place, so the three of us decided to ride the Dingle Peninsula instead. One of our group had completed the Ride Dingle sportive a few years ago and was very impressed with the route, so we decided to do it ourselves this year.

We rented an Airbnb right on the route. Ordinarily, with a sportive, we have to drive to the event, find parking, do the ride, and then drive back to our accommodation. This year, the start and finish point was right on the driveway of the house, and that was fantastic.

The weather forecast was pretty hectic, with a yellow wind and rain warning in place for the day of the ride.

At about 9:00pm the night before, the wind started picking up and the rain started falling. By the time we all turned in for the night, the rain was hammering against the roof and windows. I don’t think any of us got much sleep, such was the noise of the tempest battering the house outside.

We had originally planned to set out at 9:00am, but given the weather, we pushed it to 10:00am. That was the right call. The wind started to die down and the rain was showery at most. By the time we rolled out, the rain had pretty much stopped.

We had also looked at the route and found alternatives and bail-out points where we could shorten the ride if the weather was too intense.

The first section was 20km from where we were staying into Dingle itself, over the Conor Pass. The main pull was just over 5km at an average of 9%, and by the time we reached the top we were in the clouds, unable to see much of the fantastic view that is normally available from there.

A quick leg stretch at the top, and then we dropped down into Dingle. Halfway down we were out of the clouds, and soon enough we were outside the first coffee stop of the day.

20km completed, and we were feeling good.

The decision was made to go for the next section of the ride, which looped out around the peninsula itself, past Slea Head, and back into Dingle.

It was still windy, but the sky brightened up and it remained dry for the rest of the day. It is such a spectacular part of the world, with rugged coastline, beautiful views, and interesting, technical roads. These are still public roads, open to two-way traffic, so care needs to be taken. But that being said, they are very rewarding roads to ride.

Back into Dingle for a late lunch, and that was 80km of the 120km completed.

The last section to get back to the house was mainly main road, so a lot busier traffic-wise, but there were great stretches of segregated cycle path, especially up the hills where bikes are so much slower than traffic. They were smooth and largely clear of the usual broken glass, sharp rocks, and overgrown foliage that normally seem to be strewn across cycle paths in this country.

There were 15 major climbs on the day, and when we got to the top of the 15th it was literally all downhill from there. The views from that last vantage point were magnificent, and we could practically see the house where we were staying from the top.

We clipped in and cycled back to the house. The last 7km or so were straight back into the headwind. The lads are always generous with their energy and I often find myself at the back of the line, tucked into the slipstream and well looked after. They both say they don’t mind, but it still plays on my mind. This year, with a few kilometres left and the wind still in our faces, I went to the front, dug in and emptied the tanks. Hopefully I gave them a bit of respite for the final drag home. We’d been pretty well matched all the way round this year, and by the time we got back we were all well spent.

But elated.

The lads hadn’t been doing their normal amount of training this year, for work and home reasons. I hadn’t cycled any more than 60km for a few months, but I had been rowing, and that fitness and mindset kept me in good stead all the way around.

We had a good meal that evening. The following day we had a good breakfast and spoiled ourselves with a sauna overlooking the rugged coastline, with a saltwater plunge to cool off afterwards.

What a great weekend.

Roll on the next one next year.

This is The Sub-7 Experiment, but this weekend it was mostly cycling.