Hi Lads & lassies,
Upon club membership renewal Noel suggested that I cobble together a few words that could offer a look into the murky worlds of off-road cycling – Unlike the organised roadies, and because mountain biking is so broad and broken into so many disciplines it means there are no fixed groups, no fixed spins, no fixed routine, very little coffee stops & guaranteed mud. As a training aid to the Pyrenees trip, a change of scenery or an excuse for N+1, mountain biking is a great option for improving your bike handling skills and your fitness.
If there were a few who wanted to head into the unknown we could arrange a Saturday morning spin – A few options could be
- For a gentle spin (gravel bike or mountain bike) sticking to the greenway & a few local dirt & forest roads. 40 km 500m up @ 15 kph
- For actual single track mountain biking a trip could be made over to the Coillte Trail Centre in Ballinastoe (near Roundwood) 1 lap is 15 km 400m up @ 12 kph
- For the maximum amount of pain I have a very special and very local Pyrenees (ish) hill climb that is 50:50 sealed road & forest road, it’s a full 250m elevation over 2.5km.
I have attached a few pictures from local areas and very accessible trails – All of these spins can be expanded depending on the legs lungs and skills, all you will need is a functioning bike with knobbly tyres. -If there is interest ill run a few groups and we can go from there.
Watch the Cogs Facebook page for details of an upcoming MTB/Gravel spin.
Yours in sport,
Liam O’Brien