the long road

so as it was a holiday weekend and I had some time off.... a good bit of training was done.

Friday:
Managed about 35 hilly miles on Friday... although it was a bit irritating as it was a lot of stop/start at traffic light etc... route took in the antrim road, glengormley, then out the back roads to carrick and back into belfast. I will say that it was a bloody headwind the entire time. I swear it changed direction to match whatever way I was cycling. bah.

Saturday:
Saturday took in a much longer route with Dave and Rich. Kickoff from the house of sport at 9am... then we took back roads out towards saintfield/ballynahinch with only a minor detour due to navigational error.... then on towards clough and what was apparently a loop to dundrum... except the sea was on the wrong side of the road... doh.

anyhoo... mistakes rectified... a nice tea stop in dundrum, scones and coffee... then onto bryansford and up spelga where Rich proceeded to win the KOM. Then down from there... back into a fairly serious headwind which was freezing.... ontowards Rathriland and some more hills where Rich managed to suffer his way up them... up the boiling well and into Dromara. At this point I kinda stopped though.... was starting to feel the cold right through me and into my chest... so a halt was called and I rang for a lift from my lovely lovely girlfriend :-) The guys were good enough to wait with me too and then they soldiered on home!

Good run in general though.

Sunday:
Nice easy recovery ride with Cathy to spin out the legs and get her used to the road bike again. About 15 or so put in.

Tuesday:
About 33 miles mostly uphill! Nice ride aroud the castlereagh hills with some nice steep hills to get me ready for more lumpy roads this weekend.... yeeeha!