Donnacha- Lessons In and Out of Lycra!!

So Tuesday I had a few jobs to do so I thought why not do them via 2 wheels instead of 4!! So off I struck bringing a back pack thinking this would suffice to cart my wares around! I was only going a couple of miles down the road – not very taxing! How wrong was I. It’s been a few years since I have used cycling as a mode of getting from A to B to carry out habitual tasks and in recent times it has been more about leisure and exercise! Yes – a lot of the time there is lycra involved too!

A vision to behold... 

 So I had forgotten about the weight distribution ( in particular up that hill) of carrying something on my back!  It wasn’t my usual route- it was probably half in fact however, owing to not having the right ‘gear’ I felt it as much as the longer routes! Yes I could have borrowed my wife’s basket but ..I'm afraid I am just not your basket kind of guy! What  I need I discovered are panniers!- Yes she has those too- she just failed to inform me!!

 Moral of the story! The ‘ gear’ requirements vary vastly between what you use or need your bicycle for! I am a fitness gadget kind of guy and that’s all well and good if I want to keep track of my fitness goals but not much use if I need to pick up some groceries!!

Donnacha's 'Naked' Bike

If you are thinking of using cycling for commuting to work or popping to the shops- check out this common sense guide on what to wear and what you need!  

http://www.goskyride.com/tipsandideas/showarticle/cycling-to-work-what-to-wear

15th June, Shane Posts about Moll's Gap

Shane waxes Lyrical on the Beauty of Moll's Gap

According to Shane:
Extract from: http://mccarthyshane.com/operation-transportation-cork-bike-week/

I now find myself back in Killarney. I don’t think there could be anywhere more beautiful for cycling.

Three years ago I bought myself a racer and this morning I went for a spin with a friend of mine. An 82km spin at that. We travelled from Killarney to Kenmare, through the mountains, and back down through Moll’s Gap.

Sights to be seen when cycling through the majestic Moll's Gap mountainscape.

Unfortunately today was not one Kerry’s finest and most of the world-renowned scenery found itself hidden behind heavy mist and sheets of relentless rain.

After a while you forget about the rain, but what did strike me harder than any climatic elements was the amount of tourists we met cycling against us, back up through the hills and mountains.

We were kitted out in our lyrca on our light carbon bikes, whereas they wore jeans and pushed much heavier bicycles. They seemed to enjoy being out in the fresh air though, with each group we passed giving us a big wave or a thumbs up. The weather certainly did not wet their spirits, something which gave us a boost when we had 30km to go.



Even in the rain, Moll's Gap has a moody charm. Image from: http://climbingirelandsmountains.blogspot.ie/

This man below looks like the type Shane described:

From: http://ireland.guide4world.com/munster/kerry/dunloe.html