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
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