I’ve posted before about the Marie Curie Craigavon Cycle Trail, an organised 10Km or 50Km cycle around the Craigavon area in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity. On Saturday 9th May 2009, just two days after my birthday as it happens, four of Team Lard took part in this ride, taking on the longer 50Km route option. This is how we got on!
Craigavon Cycle Trail - Route
The day didn’t start well. Heading out of Belfast at around 8am on Saturday morning, there was some light rain which turned to a torrential downpour from dark, heavy skies as I approached Craigavon. Imagine that someone had lifted Lough Neagh into the air and was dropping it on Craigavon, that’s the sort of driving, sideways rain I’m describing. Registration was at the Oxford Island Discovery Centre on the shores of Lough Neagh; this is a place that I’d driven past many times but never visited, and so of course I got lost on the way and drove around deserted rural roads for 20 minutes before I found a helpful dog walker who pointed me in the right direction again.
Sheltering in the car. This does not bode well.
As I sheltered in my car waiting for the other ‘Lards to arrive, I was encouraged to see the Oxford Island car park filling up with cars fitted with bike racks and a fair number of other cyclists milling around, in spite of the weather. It seems a little bit of water wasn’t going to put anyone off this morning’s cycling.
The car park was filling up despite the weather.
The team – me, Phil, Stu and Norwin today – duly arrived and we assembled our bikes and donned our best lycra and waterproofs in preparation. Before heading to registration I had to deal with an early mechanical problem as my chain had become unhooked from the chainset during transit and wedged itself between crank and bottom bracket, but following this and a further short delay as the marshals got into position around the 50Km course, we were soon all ready to go. Perhaps not exactly raring to go, given the conditions, but ready all the same.
Phil is eager to head out, into the rain.
At around 9:45 we headed out from Oxford Island into the surrounding countryside. The rain kept coming but, as any cyclist will tell you, after the first ten minutes you can’t get any wetter and, if you have the proper clothing, the physical activity keeps you warm. Thankfully, winds were light and it was actually reasonably warm so once the legs were warmed up we settled into a steady rhythm and made decent time. Spirits were good in the team and there was a bit of joking with other cyclists that we passed. Norwin’s iPod seemed to be aware of what was happening, selecting tracks at “random” that suited the day perfectly; ABBA’s “S.O.S.”, Nina Simone’s “Save Me” and the Stones’ “This may be the last time” were on it’s entirely random (honest) yet spookily appropriate playlist.
The course – a roughly 33 mile loop around Lurgan, Dollingstown, Waringstown, Bleary and Portadown – was flat for the most part with only a few small inclines to deal with, but also with a couple of tougher ones thrown in to keep things interesting. We proceeded along quiet country roads with marshals assisting where they crossed busier thoroughfares. Some of these back roads were semi-flooded with the rain and I found myself wondering if my BeOne had a hidden 4×4 or submarine mode at times, activated by some complex Konami-code like sequence of gear lever flicking.
The Lards enjoy some tea and sandwiches at the Knocknamuckly rest stop.
Marie Curie had laid on a rest and refuel stop around the 20 mile mark at Knocknamuckly, where the ladies of the church provided some welcome hot tea, biscuits and sandwiches. I pity the church cleaners though; imagine the mess left behind by a couple of hundred dripping wet and muddy cyclists traipsing through the halls all day.
Leaving Knocknamuckly. At least the rain had stopped ... more or less.
Energised by the hot drinks and with a break from the rain at last, we left the church halls at speed and made for the cycle path along the Newry-Portadown canal and from there into the heavy traffic of mid Saturday morning Portadown town centre. Fortunately though this heavily trafficked section was short and we were soon on to the cycle paths leading through Craigavon and back to Oxford Island and the finishing line.
It was along these paths that Team Lard became separated into two groups though, with myself and Norwin pedalling away quite happily at the front only to look back later and realise we had lost Stu and Phil. Waiting or going back would have been pointless, so we made for the finish line a few miles down the track and waited there. Arriving a full half hour later, we found Stu had been visited not once, but twice by the puncture fairy and limped home nursing a slow puncture in his spare tube. Rotten luck!
Craigavon Cycle Trail - Speed and Elevation
33.4 miles, 2h28m, 13.7mph average, 33.5mph max
We completed the 33 mile route in around 2.5 hours, topping out at 33.5mph and with an average speed of 13.4 mph. You can also view the Nokia Sports Tracker GPS track or interactive Google Map of my ride, and there are a few more photos in my Craigavon Cycle Trail Picasa web album.
It wasn’t a race and no-one was keeping score, but Norwin and I (ahem) accidentally happened to notice that we passed 21 other cyclists who set off before us and were only passed by two, including a chap on a rather nice 2009 Specialized Tarmac. We passed him back, but I suspect that was only because he was traveling with a slower group and dropped back to rejoin them.
That’s not a quick time, but given the conditions and the facts that we weren’t racing and Norwin was hauling a steel mountain bike on full 2.1″ knobbly tires that was probably heavy enough to cause tides in the lough, I’m reasonably happy with it. My BeOne Storm worked well in the conditions and was a comfortable mount, though again the grip from the stock CST rubber was questionable at speed and on rougher terrain.
After signing out and draining the water from our frames and clothes, Stu and I made for Norwin’s parents’ house for a well earned shower and some lunch before heading home, knackered. The BeOne was filthy with road muck and needed a thorough clean and lube before I put it away, much like myself!
A damp Team Lard at the end of the Craigavon Cycle Trail.
The ride had been enjoyable and I think we all had a good morning out, once we were done complaining about the weather. Actually, now that I mention it, I don’t think we were ever done complaining about the weather, but I still think we enjoyed the day all the same.
This event was the first organised road cycle ride I’d been involved in and was also the first of the events I’m doing this year as part of my cycling goals for 2009 and to raise money for RNIB NI to help blind and partially sighted people in Northern Ireland (if you’d like to support this great cause, please consider sponsoring me a few pounds over at my Sponsor John! website). It was great to be part of a large group of cyclists and to see how an organised event was handled on the day. I have a couple of minor bones to pick with the route, but on the whole I thought it was well planned and signposted, and the marshals did a good job of keeping everyone on track.
My race number for the Craigavon Cycle Trail
The rain didn’t seem to have put many people off as I overheard two of the marshals chatting later on, saying that they’d only had “3 or 4″ people drop out. The event continued througout the morning and early afternoon, with people still setting out as we were leaving the car park around 1pm. Blue skies were threatening to break through by then, so I think these late starters were probably the sensible ones!
The next major event on my calendar is the 60 mile Bangor Coastal Challenge at the end of June, organised by the North Down Cycling Club (NDCC). It’s twice the distance of the Craigavon Cycle Trail (if you ignore the rain miles doubling factor) and will be, as the name implies, quite a challenge. There’s only around 40 days to go now and I need to knuckle down and get serious about training for it! Hopefully the weather will be better!
Did you take part in the Marie Curie Craigavon Cycle Trail? Leave a comment and let us know how you got on!
