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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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. 

Meet Donnacha!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing another Operation Transportation Blogger who has put themselves back in the saddle for Bike Week 2016.... Meet Donnacha:

 

 

 

Donnacha lives just a few miles outside of Innishannon with his wife and little girl.

He has always had a keen interest in cycling and enjoys it when on his holidays too!

 

Donnacha cycling on a recent trip to Krakow

 

 

In the past Donnacha cycled a lot when he lived in Douglas and even used to cycle to work!

   



 

Unfortunately since moving his commute is a little too long to saddle up for on a daily basis. As he doesnt get out as much as he would like to anymore - Operation Transportation has given him the spur he needed to get back in gear!

 

 

Check out these tips if your thinking of getting back into the saddle yourself: www.training4cyclists.com/getting-back-in-the-saddle/

 

Follow Donnachas journey to see how he gets on back in the saddle here and on:

Facebook 

 

 

 

 

13th June: John Mullins is ready for Action

John's got a Brand New Bike.

Here is a photo of “Operation Transportation 2014 Leader ”John Mullins on the new bike he collected this week.




John takes time to smell the roses on his brand new bike!

 
He and his wife Margaret celebrated the new arrival by going on a long cycle Wednesday Night: “as it was so sunny – covering the Lee Fields, River Lee Walk, and up around the Shandon area.  Delightful in this weather.” 

John adds that “I also cycled to work this morning.  Also very refreshing and enjoyable.”

 

So John has already started his "Operation Transportation". Check back here over the next twelve days for more updates on his progress or to follow his example and try out a similar cycle.

 

 

Editor's Footnote:

 

If you fancy purchasing a bike under the tax saving incentivised " bike to Work" Scheme, why not ask your employer about it? The Revenue Commissioners have produced a handy FAQ guide which you can download here:

www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/benefit-in-kind/cycle-work-faqs.pdf

 

Next you can see which bike shops allow you to purchase bikes under the general scheme here: http://taxfreebicycles.com/

 

Some employers have partnered with companies like  https://www.cyclescheme.ie/   or http://www.biketowork.ie/ as these "middle men" companies simplify the administration of the scheme.

 

See the video here: