19th June - John Paul favours less traffic on his cycles

John Paul writes..

 

Image illustrating an evening sky at the Marina in Cork

Yesterday I decided to go for a leisurely Sunday cycle down around the Marina/Atlantic Pond area. I wanted to do something similar to Tuesday’s cycle by Blackrock Castle, which is very close to the Marina.

 

To mix it up a bit, I decided to leave from Rochestown heading towards the Douglas and up the Well Road. There was little traffic but the weather was dry (when leaving) and warm. Most of my cycling lacked any real hills throughout the week so I had two hills to go up on my cycle to the Marina, up the Well Road and the road next to Cork Constitution Rugby Club. After a tiring cycle up the two hills, there were two hills to cycle down in close succession, Copper Hill and the other next to CAB motors approaching Pairc Uí Chaoimh, which required much less exertion as I approached the Marina.

The Atlantic Pond is
always a hive of activity in nice weather

Just as I approached the Marina, the rain arrived. Thankfully, I was prepared and took my rain jacket out of my bag and managed to avoid getting a soaking. I cycled along by the stadium redevelopment and down around the Atlantic Pond, before joining back onto the Marina towards Blackrock where the Sunday Market is.

I cycled towards Blackrock Castle and on to the walk way connecting to the Old Railway Line, where I cycled on Tuesday. I continued home on the same route as Tuesday’s cycle.

Thankfully I enjoyed this cycle more compared to my cycle around Rochestown and Blackrock on Tuesday due to less traffic and time constraints, which allowed me to cycle at a more relaxed pace and to take in experience!

Forget 'Dads Silly Triangle' to try and calculate Speed Distance and Time - Give this Calculator  a go to suss out your Average  Cycle Speed!

Atlantic Pond MAP

Marina Walk MAP

19th June - Final Blog from a Smiley Shauna

Operation Transportation Final Day and Overall Experience 

Shauna writes..
Today I didn't get to go on out the bike for as long as I had hoped because the weather was really against me. It was very wet and windy. If I had owned wet gear I wouldn't have had any problems! So I only got to go out for a short time, just a quick cycle.


If I was to commit to taking up cycling in my everyday life I would have to purchase some wet gear and other essentials to make my life much easier and I noticed the Aldi were stocking some bike accessories this week to coincide with national bike week which is ideal for people on a budget!

Keep an eye on specials: www.aldi.ie

 

 

Final word from Shauna: At the start of bike week I was very apprehensive about the whole idea but as the week progressed I began to really enjoy it and started taking longer cycles everyday. Looking back I'm delighted I took part in bike week as it reminded me how much fun cycling can be, also it made me appreciate how much faster cycling can be as opposed to driving especially in the City. Overall I think this week has been a success for me personally as I got to see new places and navigate my way on some busy roads without having a major panic.

A very happy Shauna having taken part in Bike Week 2016!
 

June 19th - Michael Braves the Elements on his Last Day of Bikeweek 2016!

Michael Writes....

Sadly the tradition of good weather came to an abrupt end this morning when I woke up to be greeted by rain at my window. 



Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Due to my lack of rain gear I was unable to get out on the bike in the morning and instead had to wait around until it cleared up. Typically (because we live in Ireland) this took a lot longer than expected and I was unable to get out until the evening time, and even at that I was unable to stay out for long due to the conditions.

The surface water and the wind resulted in not so ideal cycling conditions that I had benefitted from the rest of the week. However, it was still nice to see that I was not the only cyclist out and about, and that others were braving the unfortuante conditions too!

Check out some nifty tips for biking in bad weather - HERE

After a venture out the Carrigrohane road towards Ballincollig the conditions did not improve as much as I would have hoped and due to my lack of rain gear, I decided to cut my losses and head back home.
 

 Michael may have benefitted from one of these contraptions on his cycle yesterday!

Unfortunately Bike & Mike (quite the duo) will split up tomorrow as he goes back to his owners, but who knows our paths may cross again sooner rather than later as I look to continue the good progress I have made with cycling during Cork Bikeweek 2016.
 

Michael is feeling optomistic about his future cycling adventures thanks to Cork Bikeweek 2016!




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18th/19th June - Thomas enjoyed Sundays event, despite the rain!

Thomas writes..

Saturday 18th

I went out in mid-morning and rode from my house in Ballintemple into the City Centre. I was cycling for about an hour and really enjoyed it! The weather was ideal for cycling - not too hot and not too cold!

Weather Myths in Ireland - Myths. Turns out some of the most popular cycling cities have more rainfall than Ireland!!

Sunday 19th

The Passage West to Blackrock Castle Family Fun Cycle was on today which I took part in. I rode to Passage initially and then returned to Cork with a large group of cyclists.


It was raining but that didn't take away from the enjoyment of the event! It was great to see some of the enthusiasm of some of the younger cyclists despite the weather. A great day was had by all!




The Passage West to Blackrock Castle or Cork Bay Railway walk has proven very popular among our Operation Transportation cyclists - if you would be interested in giving it a go yourself, check it out HERE!

19th June - Patrick Grateful for a Well Organised Event!

Patrick writes...

Long day in the saddle today. Nearly three hours in total! Day didn't start out too well today - Raining.  Still when you make a commitment to participate with your mate Thomas in the Family Fun Cycle from Passage West to Blackrock Castle there's no backing out. Headed out from Carrigaline in drizzle and it was as a good as it gets. 

Met a friend in Passage West and headed off at half eleven for Blackrock. There was a very good turnout of cyclists especially kids who outnumbered adults two to one, shows us hope for the future! 

Some cyclists at the Family Fun Cycle
taken from Cork Environmental Forum's Twitter!

There were some participants from last year which is always good to see! Dedicated cycle route was flat all the way to Blackrock which is just perfect for beginners. The event was very well organised with stewarding and free cycle t-shirts, bells, saddle covers, lights and high viz vests for all participants. A big thank you to the team that organised the event! 
We arrived into Blackrock to be greeted by a BLT and coffee free gratis by the organizers. If all my cycling outings could only be like that!!! Very busy spot with face painting for the kids and free entry to the Observatory for all.

I Cycled back to Carrigaline via Passage West in the afternoon.  A little wet but generally saved by the rain gear.  
Penciling in the event again for next year although also looking forward to the Red Rebel Bike Parade later in the year. 

Check out all the information you need to know for the next event HERE

Again thanks to the brilliant organizers for a great day out....Anita, Bernie and Darren take a bow - Thank You!