Coin Tosser

It always difficult to get long spins in during the week after work. After a "tough" day at the office, sometimes the last thing you want to do is head out for 4 or 5 hours on a bike. When the evenings are sunny it can be the perfect way to unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. For the past few weeks the evenings have been getting progressively longer and it's not quite as cold as it has been. Having said that, on thurs 13th of May it was 2 degrees on Powerscourt mountain, factoring in the wind chill!

I've been clocking up over 300kms per week on the odometer since April. A weekend in April on my mate Dave's stag in Bristol offered me a few days off the bike. It was a welcome relief to wake up on the sat morning with a hangover instead of having to face into a long spin. That probably sounds likes a sort of oxymoron?

Rest weeks are very important in preparing oneself for endurance events as they give the body an opportunity to repair itself, both physically and mentally. Long hours on the bike, especially solo efforts, can take a lot out of you. Thankfully I have a goal which is now in sight. This helps of course, but there is always the fear of burnout, extreme fatigue and exhaustion. On an average week I've been doing 3 spins - 2 long with lots of hills and one (sometimes two) shorter spins at pace, on flatter terraine. I find long spins on the flat mind numbingly boring so I prefer to cycle vertically when I'm going to be cycling for more than 3 hours.

My favourite route (approx 120km mapped out below) takes in the Sally Gap from Dublin City centre, to Laragh via Glenmacnass (or Roundwood via Luggala), over the Wicklow gap to Ballyknockan, Valleymount, around the lakes into Blessington and then a straight run into Tallaght before eventually reaching Chirstchurch where I live in the city centre.

I did such a spin on thurs 20th May. A lovely bright evening, with lots of bugs in the air. I must have swallowed at least 85 greenfly, which kept my protein levels up. No need for a recovery shake when I got home! Didnt meet too many cyclists out and about, apart from an American couple who seemed to be quite taken with the Wicklow Mountains National Park. I passed over the Wicklow gap with the sun on my face, around the big lakes and on through Blessington. About half between Blessington and Tallaght as the cars rushed by I felt a tingle in my side, followed by the sound of a coin bounching off the tarmac. Yes, you've guessed it. Someone arsehole has thrown a coin at me from the passenger side of his/her vehicle! As soon as the realisation of what had happened set in I was livid. How could someone carry out such a degenerate act? I powered home, propelled by the rage.

Unfortunately as cyclists we are always exposed to nature and it's hazards. But never does one expect to be hit by an object tossed from a car! It ruined a perfectly lovely spin. Could have been worse of course, the coin didn't hurt or anything. But it just goes to show that there are a few mindless pricks out there intent on causing harm for no other reason than having a laugh at someone elses expense.