After an ill-advised goal in 2020 (which I did reach but did not enjoy), I’ve decided for a more simple goal of 2,021 miles in this calendar year. Join me on the journey as I try to spend far less money on replacement tubes this year (Ride 2 suggests that won’t happen) and expound upon the absolute nonsense that goes through my head when cycling.
Ride 24 | Leave Sinead Alone | 18m
While you were all learning how to make sourdough bread (probably once and never again) and watching Tiger King during lockdown, I was discovering the wonders of ‘the Youtube’ with…
Ride 23 | Something Beautiful | 14m
I am a creature of habit. Always have been and I don’t see it changing. Of my 23 rides this year, 16 of them have involved Lake Quannapowitt or Horn…
Ride 22 | CPM | 16m
Working in marketing without any official marketing education has led me to a healthy dose of imposter syndrome. They say millennials suffer from this more than previous generations and it’s…
Ride 21 | Hot | 14m
I’m back in the saddle after licking my wounds for the last few days over the explosion incident. For the first time this year, the freewheel down the hill to…
Ride 20 | Explosion | 3m
Three miles. Three miserable piddling fucking miles I got today until I heard an explosion that I had only heard once before. We were sitting outside having a few beers…
Ride 19 | Back on Trek | 17m
My bike is back. I forked over as much for a tune up and two new tires as I did for my second hand bike a couple of weeks ago…
Ride 18 | Graffiti | 20m
Any time I take the Tri-Community Greenway, I pass under I-93 which is the highway that runs close to my apartment. There is a cool underpass that is absolutely riddled…
Ride 17 | Lost in the Fells | 10m
For whatever reason, I didn’t have the appetite to do a full road cycle today. Going through possible routes that I could do in an hour, I just couldn’t shuffle…
Ride 16 | Shortages | 16m
Covid has obviously caused everyone to take a huge look at their lives and how the world works. “We live in interesting times” is a phrase I could probably survive…
Ride 15 | Everything Old Is New Again | 20m
Were I following my plan, I would be cycling my 625th mile at some point today. Instead I am languishing back in the mid 200s with a proverbial mountain ahead…
Ride 14 | Same Again? | 20m
When I would be out fencing… Let me rephrase that for the Americans. When I would be out fixing a fence in one of our fields close to the more…
Ride 13 | Big Nip Problem | 20m
Most people will probably say that big nips are not a problem in their eyes but that’s not what I want to talk about today. Nips, for anybody (likely Irish)…
Ride 12 | Four Dogs Max | 17m
Wind and hills are my two main nemeses when it comes to cycling. Punctures too, obviously, but I’m hoping with my new tires coming on stream soon that they will…
Ride 11 | Second Hand Bike, Who Dis? | 11m
This was my second ride on my new (second hand) bike. Why did I get another bike, you ask? Many reasons. I am not one to rush out and buy…
Ride 10 | Flat Out of Luck | 13m
That flat tire I had before my Breakheart cycle? I can confirm it was definitely a puncture.
Ride 9 | Breakheart | 12m
I made three mistakes on this cycle that I have made before and should have learned from – but I didn’t. As I write now, I know that I still…
Ride 8 | The 4 Minuteman (almost) | 39m
People in Ireland love nothing more than to pat themselves on the back for their ethical and humane treatment of bus driver. They see themselves as the number one nation…
Ride 7 | Frozen Fingers Friday | 13m
I wear cycling gloves so that my hands don’t feel like I’ve just sat all of my Leaving Cert exams in one day. It’s the same reason I wear a…
Ride 6 | I Love a Good Graveyard | 12m
I don’t know what it is about cemeteries. It’s not an attraction I’ve always had but one that developed weirdly in adulthood. I think it started when we visited Glasgow…
Ride 5 | Another Lake | 15m
I had a disgustingly huge lunch today. I’m talking buffalo chicken calzone with the grease dripping out of the box before I even started eating. I actually brought the box…
Ride 4 | Wandering Woburn | 15m
I don’t remember the last cycle I did without planning out the route first. Last year, as I tried to hit my 100 towns, each route was planned out meticulously…
Ride 3 | Tri-Community Greenway | 14m
I don’t know why I put this one off for so long. It has been over 2 months since I made my plan for the year and got on my…
Ride 2 | Lake Quannapowitt | 12m
I grew up on a farm. Things broke and animals died. Often these things all seemed to happen in fairly short order. Often I wondered if I was cursed or…
Ride 1 | Horn Pond | 14m
The first ride of the season is always a tough one, especially if you want to get it out of the way far too early. I normally make a rash…