Day 17

Monday, August 21st

Flew from Belfast back to Toronto today.  We all made it back safely with our bikes and luggage.

Some final thoughts on this trip:

- Ireland was perhaps the most scenic of my three trips this summer.  I loved the rugged, rocky mountains and tranquil lochs and estuaries.  The weather was great but the roads were pretty bumpy and potholed.  It didn't have the wonderful decents of France or the epic climbing days of LEJOG, but this was a great trip.

- Self-supported B&B touring was fun.  Route planing wasn't difficult, the B&B's were very nice and the two small panniers did not have as much of an impact on the cycling experience as I thought they would.  I would definitely do more of this in the future.  However, I still see the benifits of "professional" route planning to show you some great little roads and beautiful off-the-beaten-track scenery.  Kevin did his typical masterful job in this respect.

- Ryan and Jenn did very well.  Ryan really hadn't had the time for many training rides, and Jenn was always concerned with her ability to keep up with us speedy boys.  However, both of them made it all the way from end-to-end without any trips in the van.  Full credit to their determination (and Ryan's doping routine).  It was great to share this experience with them.

- Its amazing how bikes can be so symultaniously fragile and reliable.  They seem to have a lot of little break-downs on these trips, but they usually still get you to the end of the day.

- The people we met in Ireland really were wonderfully friendly.  The B&B that stored our bike boxes and gave us free breakfast and the two strangers that helped me repair my brakes on day one are just two examples that come to mind.

I have really enjoyed each of my trips this summer and look forward to more cycling adventures in the future.

Day 16

Sunday, August 20th
Malin to Dunadry
7km

Took the bus from Malin back to Belfast International Airport.  From there, Ryan and I cycled the 7km back to our B&B while Jenn, her bike, and all of our luggage took a taxi.

It took us about an hour and a half to clean our bikes and put them back into their hard cases.

We then walked to a local pub for lunch and then walked on to an outlet mall.  It was an afternoon of killing time.  At 6pm we went to a movie and then had dinner at the KFC next door.  Not exactly an appropriate last dinner in Ireland, but we didn't feel like searching around for another pub.  The KFC was a real gong-show, as they had run out of: coke, water, corn, baked-beans, soap, toilet paper and napkins.  They may have run out of other things as well, but these were the ones that we had actually asked them for.

After a taxi ride back to the B&B, we packed up our bags one last time and watched TV.  The packing is somewhat complicated by the lack of carry-on luggage on flights from the UK right now.  Looks like helmet, camera, blackberry, etc. will need to be packed in the checked luggage.

Day 15

Saturday, August 19th
Donegal to Malin Head
133km

We made it!!!  We've cycled across Ireland!

Another fantastic ride today.  Great weather and spectacular scenery.  Wonderful.

The weather today was much like yesterday: ovrecast and cool in the morning with a threat of rain with bright, warm sun by the afternoon.

In the morning, we set off along the main N15 road through Barnesmore Gap.  At 5km, I followed the route off the N15 onto some sharply undulating side-roads.  Ryan and Jenn decided to stay on the flatter but less scenic main road.

Barnesmore Gap itsself was a true gap in the mountains, i.e. no steep climbs required.  There was, however, a long steady climb as we passed through it.

The climbing continued throughout the morning, as we rode through wide valleys of farmers fields with nice views of the surrounding mountains.  A highlight was the long, straight (read fast) decent into Letterkenny and subsequent steep climb back out.

After 60km we stopped for lunch at a gas station in Rathmelton.  I noticed that one of my tires was losing air, however we didn't have time to fix it because we were trying to catch a ferry.  Instead, I pumped in some more air and we sprinted 10km to Rathmullan.  In the end,  we arrived 8 mintues early for the 1:40pm ferry across Lough Swilly to Buncrana.  Phew!  The next ferry didn't leave until 3pm!

After repairing my flat on the ferry, we were ready to ride when we landed at 2pm. 

The R238 road out of Buncrana had some great views of large mountains.  At 80km the road climbed sharply up onto the moors.  It was lovely up there.  Vast open rolling fields of long grasses.  The pavement was new and smooth, and I flew along the rolling hills at 40km/h...stopping only for a few photos.

Decending into Cardonagh the end was near.  We rode through Malin and then along the coast before turning inland and climbing up some jagged, rocky cliffs that were covered in fuzzy green moss.

One last steep climb around the headland and we reached the end of Malin Head.  It was stunning scenery.  Waves crashed into the rocky coast while lumpy green rocks rose up from the water to form a series of differenthily layers.

We stopped for several photos before making the final decent and steep final climb up to the tall cement tower that marked the northern-most point of Ireland...Banba's Crown.  It was the end of the road, and a fitting end to a great ride across the country.  Similar to the signal hill climb at the end of my cross Canada trip...only with much nicer weather...and a slightly easier climb.

It felt good to have reached the end of the journey, although we still had to cycle the 15km back to Malin, where we are staying.  At 133km, it was the longest ride that Jenn had ever done.

Great day and a great way to end the trip.

Day 14

Friday, August 18th
Carrick-on-Shannon to Donegal
98km

Happy Birthday to me!

Great ride today.  A little bit of everything.  Much more undulating then the past few days.  That made it more challenging, more scenic, and generally more interesting.

The day started with a ride along the Shannon river before we climbed gradually to Drumshanbo.  A quick internet check at the local library, and we were off...climbing into the hills overlooking Lough Allen.  Back to the views of lakes and mountains that I really enjoy.

Around this time it started to rain, so we got all of our gortex outfits on.  As is usually the case, the rain stopped two minutes later.  Ian caught up with us briefly (yet another ride where we were caught by the sweeper) but he stopped with Cliff and Sue for tea in Dowra.

At the 35km mark, we climbed steeply into the forrested hills and then enjoyed a long, rollercoaster of a decent down a single-lane road with rough gravel and grass in the center.  Such fun!

At 45km we stopped for a snack in Glenfarne and at 65km we had lunch at a Spar convenience store in Garrison.  Unfortunately, they didn't serve the hot chicken baguettes that we all like, so we made do with pre-packaged sandwiches.  Poor Jenn is not really a big fan of the pre-packaged sandwich...but she took one for the team.

After lunch, we rode through Belleek before climbing up onto open moorland.  We were really out in the wilderness for 10km, with more sharp climbs, long, rolling decents, and lovely river, lake and mountain views.  By this time the sun was out - bright and warm.  It was great cycling.  Some of the grasses and mosses we rode past were unbelievably bright green.  Must be the wet weather.

Coming out of the rural areas, we passed through Ballintra and Laghy before arriving in Donegal just after 4pm.

The group gave me a birthday card, cake and a little Ireland key chain at dinner tonight.  Very thoughtful of them and much appreciated.  Ryan and Jenn even picked up my dinner and drinks!  Thanks guys!

Day 13

Thursday, August 17th
Athenry to Carrick-on-Shannon
115km

Relaxing ride on quiet country roads today.  It was cool this morning, but didn't rain all day and the sun even came out in the afternoon.  Overall, we have been really lucky with the weather so far.  They keep calling for rain but somehow it keeps missing us.

Jenn found me some ear plugs yesterday, and I slept undisturbed all night.

The morning was dead flat, which I found a bit dull.  It was relaxing though, and I enjoyed the smooth ride of my new (round) rear tire.

We left late and Ian swept us up as the last riders.  We rode together almost all day.  The four of us stopped for tea in Ballygar after 45km and then lunch at the Cozy Cafe in Roscommon after 65km.

The afternoon was a bit more undulating and scenic.  I put my new wheel through its paces, sprinting up a few hills and zipped down the other side.

Today's B&B is on the River Shannon.  (Yes, the same one that we crossed two days ago...its a long river.). Dinner was at an Indian resteraunt.  Nice change of pace.

Day 12

Wednesday, August 16th
Lahinch to Athenry
96km

Beter day today.

To start with, it didn't rain.  It was pretty cool and windy, but we stayed dry.

Ian took another look at my wheel this morning, and discovered a crack in the rim.  He straightened the wheel as well as he could, and I asked Sara to try and find me a new wheel in Gallway.  Although it was a bit wobbly, my old wheel got me through the day fine.  The rear brakes were rubbing on each wheel rotation, making. "ticking" noise as I rode.  Fitting for my timebomb of a wheel.  I didn't use the rear brake all day and didn't stand on climbs to avoid putting extra stress on the wheel.

Today's ride started with a steep climb up to the Cliffs of Moher.  This is a major tourist attraction, and the thing that I was most looking forward to on the ride.  It was nice, but a bit underwhelming.  There was a lot of construction around the cliffs, which detracted from their natural beauty.  There were also bus loads of tourists.  I greatly preferred the smaller cliffs that I rode past alone earlier in the trip.

From the cliffs, we had a gradual decent back to the coast.  Lots of lovely scenery and little sea side villages.

Passing through Lisdoonvarna, we climbed into open moors and enjoyed steeply undulating sections for 10km.

There was a long decent into Ballyvaughn before lunch.  The hills around the city were peppered with sandstone, and there were dozens of long, loose-stone "fences" snaking into the distance.  With this as the a backdrop, the ocean on the horizon, the wind in my face and half an eye on my wheel, I coasted down the hill.

After lunch, where Jenn raved about her toasted ham and cheese sandwich, Jenn noted that the route sheet for the rest of the day didn't mention any more climbs.  2km later the road rose steeply before us.  I had tried to warn her that no news was not neccisarily good news.

The rest of the afternoon was relatively flat.  We rode mostly on small lanes through farmers fields.  Not exactly "stunning" scenery, but it was pleasant and we made good time.

Sara did manage to find me a new wheel...after searching around all day.  It only cost 60 euros and looks good.  Ian put my cog set on it, so I should be good to go tomorrow.  It will be nice to feel confident in my bike again.

Day 11

Tuesday, August 15th
Tralee to Lahinch
100km

What a difference a day can make.  Today was crap all around.

Frank has been snoring loudly the past two nights, and its kept me awake.  I need to buy earplugs somewhere, but have been using balled-up kleenex as a temporary solution.

There was a light "irish mist" this morning.  After days of bright sun, I suppose we were due.  Part of the Ireland experience.

At the B&B, Ryan's room key broke off in the door, so by the time we hit the road it was past 9:30am and we were already being "swept" by Ian as the last riders.

The first climb of the day was another long, steep one up to the top of a hill with a wind farm and radio towers at the top.  The decent was a rough one, with lots of potholes.

Next was a series of long rolling hills.  On one of the decents, as I sped down the damp road at 55km/h, I touched the brakes as I prepared for a sharp 'S' curve ahead.  Without warning, my back wheel completely locked up, leaving me fish-tailing wildly down the hill.  Somehow I managed to stay upright on the bike until it drifted to a halt.  What a nerve-wracking experience.  I had no control as the bike slid almost sideways down the hill!

Luckily, I wasn't hurt at all and Ian was right there to look at my bike.  Somehow, my rear wheel had gone completely out of true, and had two big warps in it.  None of the spokes were broken, but several were very loose.  As a result, the wheel wobbled so much that it couldn't spin past the brake blocks and locked itsself up.

As Ian played with the spokes to true my wheel, it started to rain heavily.  It was a cold, windy rain that lasted several hours.  I told Ryan and Jenn to go on without me, since we would be a while fixing the wheel, and there was no reason for them to get cold standing around in the rain.

Ian got the wheel in workable order, and we continued on our way.  He cautioned that the brake might not work perfectly, so I shouldn't go too fast on the downhills.  Easier said than done when the road is dropping away in front of you.

After 54km, we took a ferry across the Shannon River and into blue skies.  I rode with Cliff, Sue and Frank, who kept a steady pace all afternoon.  I'd fall behind on each downhill, and then catch up on each uphill.

Got to the B&B to find only cold water in the shower.  I decided to go for supper, and found hot water when I returned.  Ian had another go at truing my wheel tonight.  It looks good.  Definitely workable, but stil not perfect.  We'll pass a bike shop on Thursday that can hopefully get it perfectly true or sell me a new wheel.

Ryan and Jenn made out well without me.  Ryan was pleased to have found a short cut on a main road that cut off some distance when it was raining. His ankles are still doing well.  He ices them every night, takes ibuprofin throughout the day, and walks up the steepest hills avoid further injuries.

With all this said, I still finished the day with a smile on my face.