Well my faithful few readers you'll be keen to learn that I managed almost forty miles on Sunday 14th October 2007, and didn't get lost! 'Shame' I hear some of you cry.
Today's route took me up Tullymore Road out of Broughshane which is a great training road. Today was 23.08 minutes from my house to the top with the junction of the Knowehead Road.
Then it was on the "big dipper" that is the Glens Brae Road down to Martinstown chapel, and over to the Tuftarney Road which is another long pull. Then along through Newtowncrommelin (Joe - I was wearing the Mortgage Shop t-shirt and you missed it!!!) towards Clough.
Not wanting to continue the risk of getting mown down by folks clearly speeding heading to church (there's an irony) I opted for the Tullykittagh Road leading off to my right towards Cloughmills. Great road. No idea where it ended, and man did it go on, and on, and on. I've said this before, but you see so much more of your local area when you're on a bike than you'd ever be tempted to travel in a car. In the car you head on the familiar routes, driving to get somewhere, as opposed to enjoying the ride.
Eventually I came out (no jokes please) at Lislaban Road, and headed away from Cloughmills (always a good choice!) and crossed over (stop it) to the Dowgry Road, turning right at the end and over to Glarryford. The usual route to Cullybackey and Ahoghill followed. Naturally I called in with auntie Sylvia for a coffee and a bun before hitting Galgorm, Sand Road, Grove Road, and home along the Ballygarvey Road.
Stats: 59.1km, avg 20.6 kph, max 57.6, odo 1194.40 km, time 2h 51m 56sec
And that folks was my last day's bike riding afore the big event. It's been a long training session in all weathers and with all manner of encounters with various numpties in their cars, but it's been great.
I'm so overwhelmed by people's generosity - can you believe the total to date. And the even more impressive news is that there is around £350 to come! It's a long way from the first £100 put in by me to start the ball rolling. Cancer is such a prevalent disease that anything we can do to help research, treatment and care will be a good thing. Thanks again for your support.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Dunminning 2, Dunminning 3, Dunminning 5
No. It's not the scoreline from some outlandish game with three teams with the same name!! Instead my friends it's the repeating place name which I kept seeing no matter what road I took on my epic bike ride yesterday, Saturday 13th October.
Action Cancer recommended that participants do training on two consecutive days prior to departure. Well, last weekend I managed 35 miles on the Saturday and 40 on the Sunday. Not bad but my quads (yes, I have some muscles) were sore all week. Still the Hep B jabs last Monday and the whatever booster jab helped take my mind off the aches elsewhere. On a sideline, death is one of the outcomes if you get Hep B, and there's nothing you can take for it! Death being a bit final and all that.
Well, yesterday dawned and I didn't! Please! It's a Saturday morning and I'm not crawling out of bed at first light just to go for a bike ride. However I did set off just before ten. Cruising along the Ballygarvey Road I opted for a hill climb up Parade Road, which was surprisingly easy. My first attempt some months ago was quite an ordeal. Asthmatic slugs were passing me with their shopping on that occasion.
I headed past Kirinriola School, up the Bally Road and over to Loughmegarry Road. I headed on along to the Fenagh Road (or is it Fenaghy Road?) and for Cullybackey. It seemed old hat to head down Station Road so I turned right and then a first left...at this point I thought I knew where I was. Shellinghill Road appeared and I didn't want to head into Cullybackey so straight over it was. I remembered the road names yesterday but now...well, just bear with me. If you're not from the area you'll never know if I'm making it up! As if.
I trundled along Dromona Road which turned out to be a glorious u-turn...ending up as Broughdone Lane. And then it happened...I was back on the Shellinghill Road. Hmmm! So I opted to head towards Cullybackey. But the road ended! And Cullybackey wasn't there! Instead the Cladytown Road beckoned. Thankfully Slemish was far off to my right so I knew I wasn't far from the Shire.
Cladytown Road brought me to the Kildowney Road and the relative civility of Glarryford. I was almost back where I started. Up and over to Rasharkin past at least two Dunminning Road signs. Was it a sign? Yes of course it was. In fact it was two signs! I'm too funny.
Rasharkin became Portglenone and sanctuary was sought in the wonderfully quiet forest park where it was snowing leaves. All very pretty in the dappled sunlight. Then it was off along the Randalstown Road before heading down the Ballybollen Road to Ahoghill for coffee with my aunt Sylvia.
Finally Cullybackey, Carniny Road, Grove Road and home.
The problem was that I was just over 76 km at this point and I really wanted to hit 80 km - the daily distance in South Africa. So it was up to the Three Trees, back along Main Street and several laps of the Community Centre car park before I hit 80 km. Apologies to those folks who thought I'd lost it cycling round and round and round...
Cool down stretches followed and more Viper! All in all a very enjoyable ride. For you local cyclists the above route is very scenic - although the getting lost part outside of Cullybackey isn't recommended.
Thanks for reading and here's the stats: distance: 80.43 km, time: 3.55.46 riding, 20.4 avg, 48.8 max, odometer 1135.3 km
Action Cancer recommended that participants do training on two consecutive days prior to departure. Well, last weekend I managed 35 miles on the Saturday and 40 on the Sunday. Not bad but my quads (yes, I have some muscles) were sore all week. Still the Hep B jabs last Monday and the whatever booster jab helped take my mind off the aches elsewhere. On a sideline, death is one of the outcomes if you get Hep B, and there's nothing you can take for it! Death being a bit final and all that.
Well, yesterday dawned and I didn't! Please! It's a Saturday morning and I'm not crawling out of bed at first light just to go for a bike ride. However I did set off just before ten. Cruising along the Ballygarvey Road I opted for a hill climb up Parade Road, which was surprisingly easy. My first attempt some months ago was quite an ordeal. Asthmatic slugs were passing me with their shopping on that occasion.
I headed past Kirinriola School, up the Bally Road and over to Loughmegarry Road. I headed on along to the Fenagh Road (or is it Fenaghy Road?) and for Cullybackey. It seemed old hat to head down Station Road so I turned right and then a first left...at this point I thought I knew where I was. Shellinghill Road appeared and I didn't want to head into Cullybackey so straight over it was. I remembered the road names yesterday but now...well, just bear with me. If you're not from the area you'll never know if I'm making it up! As if.
I trundled along Dromona Road which turned out to be a glorious u-turn...ending up as Broughdone Lane. And then it happened...I was back on the Shellinghill Road. Hmmm! So I opted to head towards Cullybackey. But the road ended! And Cullybackey wasn't there! Instead the Cladytown Road beckoned. Thankfully Slemish was far off to my right so I knew I wasn't far from the Shire.
Cladytown Road brought me to the Kildowney Road and the relative civility of Glarryford. I was almost back where I started. Up and over to Rasharkin past at least two Dunminning Road signs. Was it a sign? Yes of course it was. In fact it was two signs! I'm too funny.
Rasharkin became Portglenone and sanctuary was sought in the wonderfully quiet forest park where it was snowing leaves. All very pretty in the dappled sunlight. Then it was off along the Randalstown Road before heading down the Ballybollen Road to Ahoghill for coffee with my aunt Sylvia.
Finally Cullybackey, Carniny Road, Grove Road and home.
The problem was that I was just over 76 km at this point and I really wanted to hit 80 km - the daily distance in South Africa. So it was up to the Three Trees, back along Main Street and several laps of the Community Centre car park before I hit 80 km. Apologies to those folks who thought I'd lost it cycling round and round and round...
Cool down stretches followed and more Viper! All in all a very enjoyable ride. For you local cyclists the above route is very scenic - although the getting lost part outside of Cullybackey isn't recommended.
Thanks for reading and here's the stats: distance: 80.43 km, time: 3.55.46 riding, 20.4 avg, 48.8 max, odometer 1135.3 km
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