Sunday 22nd March was a target date for all of us in the “beginners” group!! We were taking part in the Earthquake cycle, raising funds for the Junior Cycle. It looks like €1000 were raised on the day. So, well done everyone for putting the hand in your pocket, and enjoy such a glorious day!!
I didn’t write anything about last weeks spins…I won’t bore you with the details (i’ve been told I write too much….really?), but we did the same route as part of the green group (ie, the group at the tail of the beginners). It was a small group, quite enjoyable, chats were mighty (it included toilet breaks for girls, with me having to take a detour in Olive’s parent’s house in the youghal road) and parenting tips to Ollie (who thinks he’s going to see the Frames 6 weeks after his lovely girlfriend is due to have their first baby….keep an eye on the tickets guys, they should be in done deal early june..but Deirdre and myself have dips…maybe we should take bids on the issue..will they or will they not make it!) The amber group, ie, the faster guys in the beginners group, were meant to do the same route as the Red group, Midleton to Dungarvan and back..but after a couple of punctures, they decided to go on the same route as us….that group is getting really strong, they were doing might average speeds going up those hills!!
Being Patrick’s day on Tuesday, and lots of us being off, it was decided that a few of us would go for a short spin, around 50km. There was another 2 groups out that day going for longer spins…Great to see the club catering for every single group and ability!!
We were amazed at the speed we managed, there was 7 of us that morning, Andrew, James, John, Mick, Fergus, Mags and myself.…having two strong lads at the front most of the way help! Andrew and James were at the front for most of it…and we went to Kent station and back, averaging 27km/h…our fastest average yet. Some of the lads did a bit more after that, but I had to be back home early to attend the parades with the family!! Legs were tired after sunday, but the feeling of achievement was awesome!
That brings me to Sunday 22nd!! I am told to be brief, will do my best!!!
There was a huge group at the Courthouse from early on! We signed on, took some pics of us beginners “girls”, and at 9:30 we set off..Firstly I must apologies to my friends from the beginners, as I was caught in a bit of a speed train, and went to fast to Youghal…there was 7 of us in the group, amongst them my dear husband, out with me for the first time, and let”s say I was trying to impress him!!! Richie, Pat, Teresa were with us too..and it was quite enjoyable….up to the bypass….I knew they would catch up with us by the time we reached the bypass…and they did…Well, I got the cold shoulder!!! I even was left speechless………but not for long!! From them on, I let the husband go at this faster pace and I stayed behind where I belong, with the people that have been with me for the last 10 weeks, the people that have suffered me slogging up the hills, never leaving me behind! You guys rock, you know who you are!!!! While the hills were tough, Deirdre and myself agreed they are definitely getting better…or we are getting better at climbing them!!! Obviously our speed dropped between Youghal and Tallow, but we were still going very strong, with Deirdre leading for a good while at the front doing speeds over 30km/h!
When we arrived in Tallow for coffee, surprise surprise, the coffee machine wasn’t working!!!! and Mags hadn’t got anywhere near it!!! Girls at the shop were kind to provided us with instant or tea…most of us needed a toilet break, and thankfully there is public toilets in Tallow…mmm, not sure if they are better than being outside….this is were Mags discovered something she didn’t know!! You are not supposed to wear underwear with you cycling gear…she still hasn’t recovered from the shock….and neither has the group riding in front of us when we enlighten her!!!
The bit from Talllow to Dungorney was tough..the legs were not responding after a break that was probably too long! But we were going to finish as a group…small group, but a fantastic group nevertheless! Richie was suffering the most, so we had to stop a few times to make sure he was well fed and hydrated….a stretch of the legs and a bit of a pet talk to convince him we were over the worse, and that we would carry him home!! As so we did!!! We dropped Ger and Adrian safely in Ger’s house (can’t wait to hear who got to the shower first!) and we got more washing tips from Ger’s lovely wife! It was only 7 of us left on the road at that stage…and once the last hill was finished, we sped up, and made it home with style…riding in the main street of Midleton, and around the roundabout to the courthouse!!! We took a couple of pics and congratulated each other for such a lovely spin, and for such a fantastic achievement! Comparing the stats from last weeks spin, they show we are definitely getting stronger..we were home a think 15 mins earlier, and averaging 2km/h more than last week!
I would like to suggest (again!) a graduation ceremony of some short for us beginners, meeting in normal clothes so we can recognise people if we passed them in the street!!! I am open to suggestions and I am volunteering to organise something if the appetite is there. So find me in Facebook and send me a message and will take it from there! See you all in the road soon!
