by Aidan Creaner. 

Sunday 13/03/2011 

This ended well but had a dodgy start for me.  I arrived barely on time but got registered and the bike set up and even took a couple of photos before the route instructions were finished, so I thought all was fine.  Decent weather and good crowd - what could go wrong....?  Once we started off though I realised I was reaching for the pedals because my saddle was at the wrong height.  I had it off while doing some maintenance and must have put it on in a hurry. I knew I had to pull over and sort it.  This meant digging to my tools, making the change and putting stuff back again.  It must have cost me the guts of ten minutes but either way the group was well gone.  I gave chase and passed through a couple of others but I wanted to cycle with some of the lads I knew and or the main group if I could so was keen to get on up the road.  Mind you, as with all these kind of things, I did get to meet and chat for a while with others such as Eddie, David and a fellow Swords CC man which was grand.  I love some of the coast road views especially around Brittas Bay and at one point I caught sight of the group ahead but stopped to take a pic thinking I’d catch them…big mistake!  I continued on my own for the next ages. 

My back had begun to trouble me (sometimes it does) so I was struggling a bit. I tagged on to two lads for a while but they were very fast and obviously keen to rejoin the group after something had happened to them - a puncture I think.  I couldn’t live with them for long.  When we turned inland at Arklow and up past Avoca,I stopped to take a painkiller and as it happened, I met Frank.  This was grand as we were able to chat and not be stressing about the group.  The first stop Woodenbridge (control, 69k) was just in time as we were both in need of a break, in fact, I was struggling to be honest.  As luck would have it, we saw Andreas, Eoghan and a few of the others at this stage so we had some grub and then the four of us headed off together which was exactly what I needed.  This went along grand, though the temperature had dropped a good bit, next stop Ardattin (control, 113k) and the welcome tea/ soup and sambos.  I was pretty sore still so another painkiller was needed.  The break was perfect and our group grew to six as we now had Niall and Alan with us.   Just as I was leaving, I noticed my rear tyre was a bit soft so pumped it up. With the help of the wind and each taking our turn the kilometres flew by. 

One of the nicest things about the Ardattin 200 is that the views are stunning, particularly as you get to look up at the hills rather than climb every one (as with the Slieve Maan 200 etc.)! After about 20k, the tyre was getting soft again so we decided to swop the tube rather than risk it.  A fairly quick change and a super fast inflation (thanks to Niall’s gas pump) had us on the road again.  The last control (167k) at Woodenbridge again was great with tea and food available though to be honest, I think the painkillers were causing me other problems and I couldn’t really eat with the cramps.  With the sniff of home now about 35k away, we were keen to get going.  The ride for the last section was grand and we got up a decent speed though we were all a bit tired.  The N11 sections were as usual not the nicest but didn’t cause any problems.  We caught up with Eddie as we approached the clubhouse.  Just as we were going up the drive, Eoghan was talking about a sprint finish which I stupidly went for.  Of course, when I arrived I nearly threw up – served me right.  I threw the  bike in the car and headed in for another cuppa and a chat.  After a bit of post event analysis (!) I headed back dropping off Frank and Eoghan (who’d cycled out in the morning) on my way home.  I was shattered but happy enough with how the day went, looking forward to lying down now… 

Aidan Creaner

Stats from the day: - no heart rate - I think my heart just stopped....

Distance: 206.40 km

Elapsed Time: 09:56:24  

Moving Time: 08:08:54

Climb: 1,864 m

Calories: 6,524 C
Avg Speed: 24.9 km/h

Avg Moving Speed: 25.3 km/h

Max Speed: 61.4 km/h  

Route:

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=215164