Cycling during Lockdown.

[niallk]

Hi all

Hope you and yours are all keeping safe and well in these scary times.

Now that we are back in lockdown with a 5k limit for exercise imposed it may be difficult to motivate oneself to get out on the bike. That said, it was great to meet in passing several members out last weekend cycling solo (or with household members). I think we are lucky to have a passion for cycling because it will do wonders for our mental health (not to mention physical) during these times.

In an attempt to encourage people to keep cycling and to make cycling within a 5k limit as interesting as possible I am setting up this thread for anyone that may have ideas/ suggestions about how to spice up our cycling over the coming weeks. What works for you? Let us know, it may work for others. Things like looped routes around Carrigaline, finding those hills that few know about, there are loads on our doorstep. What can be done with Zwift/ Strava and other online platforms?

I must stress that any suggestions must be within the government and CI guidelines for exercising and are not official club events.

This initiative is the brainchild of Conor Lynch who has some great suggestions. Conor is a new member who literally joined the club on the eve of the last lockdown so many of you will not have met him yet. Welcome to the club Conor! Looking forward to your suggestions going up here..... no pressure like :-)

So if anyone has anything at all to contribute, not just about cycling but even any advise/ info on stuff that works for you and helps you deal with lockdown, don't be shy. Everyone needs a little help/support some time. (I can see the funnies being posted already!).

Thanks all.

Stay safe, Happy cycling and wash your hands.

[niallk]

Hi All

Please see "Members only section" for update on AGM 2020.

[conorlynch]

Thanks Niall,
As the long winter nights draw in, here are some ideas that might go some way to keeping the motivation up and everyone together, while apart.
• How many meters can you climb in one hour? I saw this on GCN where you see how many meters of accent you can climb but you must finish where you started. The beauty is you can do it on any hill within your 5km radius. Just remember, if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKBP4rg9DEg&ab_channel=GlobalCyclingNetwork
• Organised by Walter Walsh, we had a very successful and enjoyable meet up on Zwift. Group rides keep everyone together so nobody gets dropped. As long as you are pedalling you’ll stay in the pack. This is also a great way for different riders from the various levels to see what sort of power others can put out, so for example, for any oranges wondering how you would fare in the greens, this could be a great way to prepare for when we’re all back on the road again. You need a smart trainer to get the most out of Zwift, but even outside of global pandemics, they are perfect for keeping the training up over the cold dark winter months.
• Share your routes! Though the 5KM limit may not sound like much, there are some great local roads near all of us. I use Komoot to plan routes and I’ll make anything I plan there available to anyone. Just search [e-mail] in Komoot, add me, and you may get some ideas about where to ride. The last ride was 80 km with 800m of accent all within a 7KM radius. Even got clapped on by the Guards at 5mile bridge, though I think they hadn’t the heart to stop me when they saw my pain face.
• Have you a target for 2021? Share it here and inspire others! Whether that’s steps, kilometres, litres of water, or just one monumental task you want to achieve when this Great Unpleasantness is over, let us know and there may be someone do achieve it with. I plan on doing over 8,000 km on the bike in 2021, between Zwift and out on the road. Does anyone know any pan flat 8,000 km roads, perhaps with a bit of a tailwind? 
• And anything else you can think of, share it here……..

Conor

[niallk]

If you have a spare hour this is well worth a watch. Tour de France 2020 from Deceuninck Quickstep Team and Sam Bennett's perspective.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOEoqwi9Mls&feature=youtu.be

[conorlynch]

Hi All, with the 5km restrictions lifted would anyone be interested in getting some training going during the week now that we have a bit more light in the evenings? Time Trial Thursdays? This is an example route that would take under 1:30. Depending on the numbers we could set off 2-3 minutes apart until we have group riding back.
www.komoot.com/tour/346647284?share_token=aRvP4eHAwWABgwa5MHlpb2P1Idlxxo21kjKWibS5Xb9nYUV6Py&ref=wtd
Pharmacy -> Ballygarvan ->Five Mile -> Ballinhassig -> Halfway -> Take main road back to Ballinhassig -> Five Mile -> Ballygarvan -> Climb at Killingley Graveyard -> Left at the top, another left -> Back down to R613 -> Pharmacy
Of course, please post alternative routes, variety is the spice of life and all that.

It would be based on a time trial format, each rider setting off at regular intervals on the same route, but this is not meant to be a competition. Open to all from all levels. Users can post their times on Strava if recorded on a GPS unit for a bit of friendly competition and progression.

I'm happy to organise if we have enough numbers, perhaps through a WhatsApp group.

[fionaod]

Hi All,
Hope everyone is well. Just wondering is there any date for when group rides will be recommencing from the pharmacy? My dad needs a break from cycling with me LOL :-)
Thanks,
Fiona

[niallk]

Hi all
As well as Fiona’s enquiry above I’ve had a couple more members asking about club rides resuming. Here’s the situ:
CI guidelines are that club group rides can recommence at 15 persons maximum. Contact tracing must be adhered to. This means that each club group-ride must be posted on CI registration portal and each member wishing to participate MUST register the night before the ride. A covid officer for the club must be appointed and trained and brief participants before each ride and ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
If these conditions are not met and an accident occurs on the ride CI insurance will not be valid. Ironically, if you are cycling privately on your own or with friends and you have an accident your CI insurance is valid.
This is the same position we were in between lockdowns last Summer and there was no interest from members to resume club group rides under these conditions so we remained shut down.
If there is interest out there now to get club group rides going again while adhering to the guidelines please post your interest here and we’ll see if it’s feasible.
In the meantime keep on cycling and we will look at this again when CI guidelines change.
When this strange period of our lives has passed and we can safely get together again our club can say, without fear of contradiction, that we did everything in our power to prevent the spread of Covid 19.

See you on the road.
Safe Cycling
Niall.