Pockets filled, 2 big bottles, and a morning that promises a fine day. There is a sense of excitement as you're riding out to meet the group. How many will be out? Who will be out? Where will we go? You arrive to see a gang of 10 ready to go. You roll out like a professional outfit (we can pretend for one day only anyway!) heading into the West Cork countryside. The speed is kept high but the effort remains steady. Hard when you're at the front, easing off as you move back through the group, then back around to the front again. A left turn just before Macroom brings you, and the group, quite literally into bandit country. The Kilmichael Monument is a reminder of the famous ambush led by Tom Barry against the British Army. There is no such danger today as the riders speed down the hill further into the wilderness. As the group turns right to Dunmanway, you realise this will really be a long one, almost an epic. Zipping through Bandon, Crossbarry, and Ballinhassig, you speed closer to home. You are running on fumes but the scent of the Sunday roast keeps you speeding along the river bank and back to where you started. You analyse your garmin. 4hrs 20, 140km, and 32kph average means that was serious training spin. But more than that, it was an adventure.
With the advancement of coaching science, and specific training plans, long group rides are becoming less of a necessity. However they are the basis for a strong, healthy cycling community. While more efficient and specific training plans are great (and we strongly advocate them!), don't forget the pure joy and adventure of a long ride! Don't forget we are now on instagram @st.finbarrscc!
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It's the New Year and the post Christmas blues have been and gone. It's no longer acceptable to have chocolate for breakfast or a late afternoon beer. However, it is the time of year where goals are set for the coming road season which is only 7 weeks away. It can be easy to panic at this time of year, dive in headfirst, and up both training volume and intensity. Doing this can only end badly. At best you crack, and bad eating and drinking habits come back with avengeance. At worst you put the bike back in the shed and dust it down in April when the sun makes an appearance.
If you're planning on racing early season, no doubt you've been training consistently for the last 2-3 months. The question now is how do you fine tune your training in order to reach the season in good condition? If we had a definitive answer to this we would be very rich indeed, however using our years of training and racing, we have come up with the following guidelines.
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St.Finbarrs Cycling ClubEst. 1938 Archives
October 2017
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