14th June - Bike and Mikes evening out

Michael's Operation Transportation Day 4

Michael writes..

This evening I decided to venture down the Marina and towards Blackrock Castle. The castle has been around since the 16th century and the castle and its surrounding areas are a great place to escape from the city for a cycle. 


If this picturesque castle looks like somewhere you wouldn't mind visiting yourself have a search of the information HERE 


Here I met fellow Operation Transportation blogger, JP. We cycled together along the path by the castle taking in the beautiful scenery before we parted ways to continue our own cycling journeys.






It was after this that I decided to take in more sights of the city. Following my trip to Blackrock Castle, I cycled to Saint Fin Barres Cathedral which was built in the 19th century. It is seen to be one of the most popular tourist spots in the city and it is very easy to see why with its beautiful and eye catching design. A definite must see on any cycle journey! 


Finally following my trip to the Cathedral, I stopped by UCC to see the statue that was recently erected of George Boole who is known as the 'Father of the Information Age' due to his incredible work involving Boolean Algebra which has shaped modern computer science. UCC celebrated his 200th birthday in 2015 and a statue was unveiled in his honor in 2016. 

Following a visit to all these amazing sights my fitness levels couldn't take anymore so I decided to pack it in for the evening and start fresh again tomorrow. 

After Michael's whistle stop tour of the city he definitely slept well last night! 

Read this article that explains why recovery is just as important as a big cycle.. Ride Hard, Recover Harder

June 13th, 2015 Cycling: TheTug and Recoil for Chris and Marcia

Fear and Longing in Passage

Marcia Writes:

So, this is National Bike Week ( www.bikeweek.ie ). Thanks to the goodwill of my sporty friend, I have a bike. She gave it to me last year when she upgraded. 

The only Irish made bike: http://www.highnelly.ie/

Her old bike was a massive upgrade for me too. Before that, I used to puddle along the Passage West - Blackrock line occasionally during the summer on my aunt's 100-year old High Nelly, small dog in Wiser bottle box on the backer and bigger dog on a lead running alongside. Several of the kids usually in tow on various sizes of bikes, generally rescued from the civic amenity site in Raffeen. Travelling Wilburys!

But my bike has been growing rustier and rustier as I spend more and more time rushing between work, being mom's taxi, cooking dinners and preparing tomorrow's school lunches. To the extent that I am now positively scared to get up on it. Even worse is the ghastly hill up to our house that seems to go on forever. Embarrassingly, I always have to get off and walk.

Marcia is not alone
in her uphill struggles
as this blogger in Austin acknowledges:
 http://www.treegrowsinaustin.com/2010/04/

On the other hand, Chris is 13. He can cycle anything. Nothing can kill him, stop him or slow him. He wants to road cycle from Passage West to Crosshaven. Thinking of my lovely son negotiating the narrow roads around Raffeen and the fast cars clipping hedges, I baulk.

So Chris and I have both taken on a challenge. Cork City Council is running Operation Transportation for the week. We've signed up to cycle at least 10 minutes every day, keeping a diary of what we do, where we go and how we feel. He's champing at the bit. I'm dreading it. He will need to try road cycling. I will just need to try!

We started this morning with 3 hours of an "introduction" to our bikes outside the main gates of UCC:

• How they work, 
• How to recognise when they need attention and 
• The basics of road cycling safety.

I felt like a total cheat for driving with the bikes to the UCC car park! I had visions of my two-wheeled rust bucket being pitted against Lycra and carbon wheels. Thankfully, no. My chariot was perfectly adequate. And I even had company in walking rather than cycling up Donovan's Road. A thoroughly enjoyable session and a very gentle confidence builder for both Chris and for me, albeit in different ways.

So how I'm going to fit 10 minutes of cycling in to my already overstretched daily routine, I don't know. It'll take me 10 minutes alone to make it back up the estate home! But I've got to start somewhere, so here goes ... 

http://www.inspireux.com/2014/06/21/methods-to-achieve-user-delight/

21st June 2014: Andrea's Cycling Goals Set off Alarm Bells

Andrea Adjusts her saddle and sets her sights on some more cycling adventures

Andrea writes: 

After adjusting my seat just so, the two bike mechanics took it for a test drive. 

The Bike Mechanics test out the new saddle height. Will it get a thumbs up or thumbs down?

Upon their triumphant return there was an enthusiastic debate about whose car is going to get the new bike rack.... As my birthday is around the corner I suspect it will be me!

Having had this bike now for the last week has been fun for all the family. I have not taken any long trips on the roads but stuck mostly to cycle paths, which has been fine as there are a few nice places to cycle in Cork. I think when I get my own bike I will be joining Maria on a trip to UCC, or even the city!

It would be so great to hop into the city on a Saturday morning and not worry about parking..

Editor’s Comment: 

UCC has some beautiful grounds and plenty of bike stands with several on and off-road cycle-ways to get there. However I do know of a few cycle thefts in the area, so make sure you lock your bike well there! The following video gives some good general advice on how best to lock your bike:Avoid the Thief

However even the best locks can be broken- the better ones simply take longer to hack. For expensive bikes, I personally favour alarmed locks, such as those used by motor bikes.

Image above from: http://www.dhgate.com/product/12-120cm-bicycle-alarm-lock-excellent-the/161868868.html

Image to the left from: http://lockalarm.com/products/all/lock-alarm-xt/  When an attempt is made to cut through the ultra hard steel cable or attack the main lock unit the alarm starts screaming!

These typically retail at €30-€50. However there are much more sophisticated versions currently being developed, with electronic keys, GPS and smartphone apps so that not only does the lock screech loudly when being hammered or cut, it also alerts the owner’s phone. However, at present these locks are rather expensive and may not ship out until next year..…

Images above show the http://lock8.me/  and http://bitlock.co/  

Support them on www.kickstarter.com/bitlock or www.kickstarter.com/projects/lock8

There are still lots of other low or no cost measures you can take to minimise theft and maximise chances of lost bike retrieval- like taking a photo of your bike and noting the registration number.

Read all the tips here: http://www.transportforireland.ie/cycling/  or get the Garda Crime Prevention Information sheet here: http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/CP%20Info%20Sheet%20-%20VS4%20-%20Bicycles-2010-01-11.pdf

19th June 2014: Maria Escapes...

Trap a Mother into Babysitting, Grab a Bike and head for Freedom!

Maria writes: 

My Mother is just back from holidays and came to visit me so I trapped her into babysitting and ran out the door, bike in tow.

I cycled from Ballincollig to UCC again, this time by myself and it was a breeze...I'm delighted with the fact that now it only took me 35 minutes each way. I don't think I saw one bit of nice scenery, as I was so busy concentrating on traffic and safety.

The only bit of exciting news on this journey was that I swallowed a fly! Apparently I cycle with my mouth open- 
attractive.....