June 17th - It's Leg Day for Michael!

Michael Writes....

Reminiscent of morning traffic jams in Cork City?

Following my successful 2 wheel commute to work on day 6, I decided to do it again. What I have realised is that it takes nearly the same amount of time as driving, as I don't have to spend time sitting in traffic (is there anything worse?)



After work I made arrangements with my fellow blogger Shauna to cycle from Blackrock Castle to Passage West, as unfortunately I am unable to attend the Bikeweek event for that cycle, which is taking place on Sunday the 19th of June.

 



A Bikeweek Poster in Passage West!

Find more info about this family friendly Bikeweek event - HERE  



It was a nice cycle on the old railway track where we met various other people cycling and walking. 

Along that route I also took a break to do some exercise on the outdoor equipment that is available to the public, which is helpful to build up strength in the legs. 


 It's Leg Day for Michael!

Recuperation is Key After Leg Day! 

Upon arrival to Passage West we read up on the local history and saw where people departed to from Passage West over the years and where they went. 

After taking in the beautiful scenery of the area we headed back towards the city to home. I would recommend the cycle on Sunday to anyone who is looking to get out and about for the day. 

I slept well that night after a fantastic day of cycling!

15th June - Long May the Cycle Love Continue for Michael!!

Michael Operation Transportation Day 5

Michael writes...

 

After my adventures on day 4, I started day 5 early by cycling to work from Dennehys Cross to City Hall. This was a new experience for me as I had yet to cycle in rush hour traffic. Thankfully I had cycle lanes the majority of my journey and the benefit of that was I able to pass out cars that where in a long line of traffic which I would have been stuck in if I was in my car. The benefit of cycling to work was that I was fully awake and alert by the time I made it to my desk.

Motivational road markings along the way!

Following my day of work, I decided to venture out to the loop by Blackrock Castle via the Marquee as I was nosy as to what the crowd would look like before the concert they had on. On Monaghan road I bumped into fellow blogger Shauna and we decided to do the loop together.
We had a nice leisurely cycle and managed to get it done before the heavy rainfall hit us which would have been a disaster for me as I wasn't wearing rain gear. 

 

One thing I noticed on the loop was when we went over the foot bridge on the South Ring Road and saw the amount of traffic below us. It was a relief to not be stuck in that. I really learned the benefit of cycling in that instance as I was able to continue at my own pace and not worry about potentially being in the same spot for 5/10 minutes. 

 

 

Wednesday's Rush hour traffic building on the South Ring Road

 

We are now at the halfway point of the Cork Bike Week and I must say it is really bringing back my love for cycling that I had when I was a teenager. Long may it continue!

Follow the next half:

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15th June - Áine's Best Day yet!

Day 5: Lunchtime Cycle to Fitzgeralds Park! 

I had an early cycle today – I headed along to the lunchtime cycle in Fitzgerald’s Park.




 If you look close enough at Darrens 'Selfie' on the left you can see me in the back wearing my high vis vest!









I was a bit apprehensive as I’ve never cycled in the city. Today was going to decide whether I’m going to be able to keep this going after Operation Transportation. I admit I was a bit nervous, but set out with my colleague Anita. Anita has been cycling for years, so I was very glad to have her today. She gave me a few tips on junctions and the dreaded right turn.

Tips for the dreaded right turn! TIPS

 

The route out was fine. It was 11.45 so traffic was quiet, the sun was shining and drivers gave us plenty of room. We took the quieter route – Anglesea, Copley, by St. Finbarres and onto Washington St. This gave me a chance to get comfortable with the passing cars. I didn’t think drivers would be so polite and cautious.

Áine's route out to Fitzgeralds Park.

 

We had a great time at Fitzgerald’s Park – would definitely recommend it for next year. I got a little lesson in how to properly work the gears to ensure that my bike stays in the best condition  - it pays to mingle with other cyclists!

 

Left see Cork Academy of Music set up in the bandstand in the park!

Right see my bike parked up for lunch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the trip back I was thrown in the deep end. Anita decided to let me go in front, not listening to any of my excuses (I tried a good few). The cycle lane on Washington street was great, more of these throughout the city would definitely encourage me to cycle more. South Mall was another story! Definitely the scariest part of the week. There were cars stopped everywhere. Without a cycle lane it meant weaving out into another lane to get around those double parked – really needs to be adjusted to facilitate cyclists!

Áine's route back home from Fitzgeralds Park

 

Final Word: 'All in all, best day yet! Think it has me hooked!!'

Keep up to date with Áine's progress and journeys on:

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14th June - John Paul Shooting the Tuesday Breeze

John Paul Operation Transportation Day 4

John Paul writes:

Today I decided to go for a cycle around Blackrock Castle and the Marina area. I encountered a lot of evening traffic which I had to be very careful of, due to a lot of turns on my route before getting to the Old Railway Line down by Rochestown. 
It looked like it may rain but it managed to hold off with a nice refreshing but not cold breeze. 
The first stage of the cycle getting to the Old Railway Line was far more intense and cautious due to the large volume of traffic. However when I got onto the Railway Line and away from the traffic, the cycle became far more leisurely (except for the tough hill on the pedestrian bridge crossing over the Link Road by Mahon Point). 
I ventured on to Blackrock Castle, where on my way I passed some old class mates. At Blackrock Castle, I met fellow blogger and cyclist Michael Lyons. We cycled down by the river for about half an hour and chatted, passing quite a large amount of other cyclists, who looked to be coming home from work. 

The large amount of cyclists JP saw may have the right idea cycling to work! Check out these reasons to cycle to work. 






Michael and I parted ways for home, where the leisurely aspect of the cycle came to an end and I had to be aware of the traffic and be cautious with the all the turns before arriving home. 
It was a good mix of cycling styles for an hour after work. Tonight I will be thinking of what to do for tomorrow's cycle. 

Introducing Thomas - Read his 4 day cycling adventure!

Thomas joins the OT team!

Hi all! I will start by describing my bicycle history from the last few years. So where do I start, I have had a mountain bike (belonging to my son) in my shed for the last 10 years and in April 2015 I decided it was time to dump or use the bike.
I brought the same bike to "Garden shed " bicycle shop situated off Barrack Street in Cork for an assessment and I was informed that an expenditure of 80/100 euro would get me back on the road,new tyres/brakes/service etc On collection of my bike I was also shown how to use the gears etc this was June 2015 and I cycled home to Ballintemple. I went for 1 small cycle ( 1 hour) in July 2015 and nothing since until last Saturday 11th June 2016 as part of Operation Transportation!

Thomas writes:

My diary is as follows:

Sat June 11

Thomas and Dale

Took my bike out of the garage and saw that the tyres needed some air so I went to my bag of cycling goodies(anytime Lidl or Aldi had bicycle stuff the following were purchased, pumps of different styles/repair kit/saddle cover/lights/gloves/tops etc) It was about 4 pm when i pumped up the tyres.

Note: ALDI often have bicycle gear on special offer and most of the time is equipment is just as good as big name brands!! Keep an eye using these links: ALDI & LIDL

At around 6 pm I went for a ride and did about 10 minutes, I was very wobbly at start but got there. Confidence grew as time went on!

Thomas on South Mall

Sunday 12th June
Today I cycled bike to and from church, it was a round trip of about 12 mins, nothing major to report

Monday 13th
After the Ireland vs Sweden match I cycled to my friends house, it was about a 15 minute ride, it was very windy so found journey difficult enough. I took a different route home and avoided the hills!
I am getting used to the cars and the road surface which is bad in places! 

Pumping the tyres on 11th June for the week of cycling

Tuesday 14th
Left home at 7pm and returned home just after 7.55pm. I went into city centre, cycled in Blackrock road/Oliver plunkett street/south mall/ southern road/Douglas road etc
I am getting more used to using the bike and my "bum" is getting used to saddle! I also cycled up all the hills I came across this evening (yesterday I walked up one hill but this evening I cycled up this hill)

Read this great article to avoid getting a sore bum: SADDLE SORE?

I was stopped behind 2 cars at traffic lights on south mall and took a selfie, after the lights went green and we all moved off the car in front of me stopped and driver got out and asked me " did I do something wrong??" he noticed me taking the selfie and thought I was taking a photo of his car,I explained I took a selfie and we all went on our merry way!

Thomas finishes by saying: "Cycle paths in the city centre are a little confusing, they are there one minute and then gone the other, a little Good/ bad/ugly!!!!"

Overall I am delighted with my progress, from being very wobbly/sore on Saturday to enjoying the ride today!

14th June 2013, Shane McCarthy introduced

 Cycle if You're LAZY? :

An Idea That'sNot So Crazy...?

Extract from Shane's Blog: http://mccarthyshane.com/operation-transportation-cork-bike-week/:

I was delighted to be asked to write about my experiences relating to cycling both in Cork and my hometown of Killarney for Cork’s Operation Transportation.

When I was in Cork during the college year my main motivation for cycling was far from any green ideologies which are very valid, but more due to necessity and laziness.


Laziness? That may seem counter-intuitive, but cycling halves the time it would take me to walk to and from UCC. It also allows me to sit down and gently glide in and out of the campus.

Is it a Bird? Is it a plane?

 No it's Shane McCarthy gliding along on his cycle-machine!

Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7967024@N02/favorites/?view=lg

Even if I did have a car I wouldn’t consider for a second using it to navigate through the city. The thoughts of traffic, fuel-costs and parking, immediately dismiss any notion of driving to college. It really would be my definition of a “nightmare”, but each to their own..

Traffic on Barrack Street, Cork from:
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/proposal-to-bar-cars-from-citys-main-street-214933.html