Hills are personal, you take them at your own pace and what I’ve
learnt over the past year is to just take it handy and especially if
it’s a new road. Ease your way into it and before you know it you’ve got
yourself into a rhythm.
I’m blessed with where I live, less than 10km from home and I’m up
at the top of the Featherbeds, Co Dublin. From here you head down to Glencree,
Wicklow the entrance to a cyclist playground.
Enjoying hills is part of cycling
and I think the sooner you realise this the better, and the only way to get
better at something, is to practice, practice hill repeats.
The great thing about being in a cycling club, is the option to
head out on organised spins, and as much as I do love my own head space spins,
you’re always guaranteed a bit of banter in a group. Before joining Scott-Orwell Wheelers I had to seek
approval from the heir, who’s a youth cyclist in the club. Thankfully, he was encouraging
and not too embarrassed with his Mom rocking up for a spin. Today, we go out on
the odd spin together, he’ll kill me for saying it but sometimes he just won’t
take his turn at the front and he’s always pointing out the fact that ‘you’re only a leisure cyclist’, not a racer like him!
As soon as the clocks go forward (Summer time) Tuesday Night Hills
return with a bang! Last night was no different, there must have been about 20+
cyclists out. I went with the slower of the two groups, the route took us up to
Sally Gap from Manor Kilbride, a route I had only done once before so I was
keen to get some PR’s on Strava. Remember, if it’s not logged on Strava it
doesn’t count. Over obsessive perhaps, one should just go with the flow, maybe,
but where is the challenge in that? I did 61km, averaged 25km and had a max
elevation of 724m. I’m always buzzing after a mid-week spin, there’s something rewarding
about getting out in the evening when you’ve been desk bound all day.
My favourite sound in the whole world is the sound of a wood pigeon cooing, I realised last night my second is the sound of my Ridley HeliumRS rolling when I stop pedalling.
LoveVelo
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