rain miles count double

With the 2009 Lap The Lough 150Km cycle challenge only a week away, today’s ride was more about getting out and getting the tired, old legs moving instead of letting them seize up on the sofa. Although, peering out the window at the weather before I set off, the sofa started to look pretty good.

Given the timing and conditions, I’d settled on a relatively easy, flat road loop into east Belfast and back again for a round trip distance of about 25 miles. Wet and windy was the order of the day as I set off at a fairly leisurely pace along the Sustrans NCN93 coastal cycle path beside the M5. Even though it was Sunday mid-morning, the path was mostly free of pedestrians and other cyclists, with only a few die-hard (i.e.: as stupid as me) souls braving the blustery wind coming in off Belfast Lough.

Blustery Conditions on Belfast Lough

Of course this blustery wind was right in my face as I ground along the cycle path towards the city and it made tough going of the exposed sections. Right in my face, that is, except for the times when it suddenly switched to a crosswind and knocked me sideways. Then the rain started properly.

I have only myself to blame; it was, after all, only me who decided to take an exposed coastal route in bad conditions. Still, I hear that rain miles count double in some parts.

So, struggling on into the city I attempted to continue along the cycle path along Clarendon Road near the docks. This was another bad idea, as the cobblestones this road is laid with are treacherous when wet (they’re bad enough in dry conditions). I proceeded with caution to avoid another crash which would probably have put me out of Lap The Lough altogether.

Crossing into east Belfast and making my way along the Newtownards Road, I headed for Orangefield Park where I sheltered under some trees for a while from a particularly heavy downpour (the day just kept getting better and better). I took the opportunity for a spot of refueling too, before setting off again along Grand Parade and back into the city.

I decided against the Cave Hill route

Following a bit of a light hearted challenge, I’d originally planned on taking the Cave Hill / Upper Hightown Road route home again. But given the conditions (Cave Hill was entirely hidden by cloud) I decided against it and returned home along the coastal cycle path again. This time, however, I had the wind at my back and sustained an impressive looking 25mph (40Km/h) for much of the 3-4 mile distance!

Sunday Ride 2009/08/23 - Route Map

Sunday Ride 2009/08/23 - Elevation Map

There is an interactive map of this ride available on BikeHike. You can view the photos from this and other rides on my Bike Trips Flickr Set.

This ride was just a “leg stretcher” and the weather conditions were bad, so I’m not worried about the statistics. But if you’re interested, it clocked in 26.1 (rain) miles with 820ft of climbing and an average speed of 14.9 mph.

Nothing to do now but clean the BeOne, rest and prepare for Lap The Lough 2009!