RAS Stage 2 Sat 26/5/07

[garyg]

The RAS peleton will be arriving at the Devils Elbow at 2.20pm approx and finishing at Newcastle Main St at 2.30pm on Saturday. These are the earliest estimated times with a tail wind and can be as late as 4pm and 4.13pm respectively with a tailwind.

Does anyone intend watching the race as a bolt-on to our normal Sat training run?

Bon Voyage to the 'Alps contingent'.

[nwilson]

Forecast for Saturday is a westerly wind so this stage will most likely be ahead of schedule - do you still intend on going out from the square at 10:00 at usual?

There will also be a chance to catch the peleton on Sunday's final stage to Skerries - starting from Newcastle, then Castlewellan, Kilcoo, Hilltown, Lynch’s Hill Category 3 KOM, Mayobridge, Newry, etc

Although if your'e watching the race - don't bother shouting for the Iran team - story here:

www.irishcycling.com/publish/news/art_2382.shtml

[Bob P]

Meet at the square Ballynahinch at the usual 10:00?

Head up through Dromara for anyone that wants to meet there and on for a lap of the mournes before a stop at Meelmore Lodge for a fry.
15 min will take us from there to the horseshoe

[Johan bruyneill]

sounds good, see yaz at the square for 10.

[Bob P]

Out today were Neill C, Gary G, Deek, Harry (Carrick) and numpty and myself on the tandem.

Good run and lucky with the weather, only a short hale shower

From Ballynahinch through Dromara and over the first lump of the day in the form of the Windy Gap. I hadn't intended to go over the gap but the lane leading to Ring's end had just had the hedges cut.

Hills are hard to avoid in this neck of the wood and hills are no friend of tandems, unless you are pointing down them ;D

We passed through Ballyward taking in some of the best views of the Mournes before a little detour via Ballyroney to check out the TT course (looks good). Then followed the Bann staying away from Rathfriland and climbing up Tanmary hill near Mayobridge before turning back through Hilltown and up Spelga on the way to a fry (my 2nd of the day) in Meelmore lodge. 54 mph on the drop towards fofanny, could have went faster on the Windy gap but with 32 spoke wheels carrying over 23 stone over a very bumps road i thought it wasn't worth chancing. Still managed over 50 where it starts to level out.

As we entered Meelmore I worried about the new stones that had been laid as their edges were still sharp and the tandem had a lot of pressure on the tyres. As it turned out we got away with it but Neill was unlucky cutting the side out of his rear tyre. Neill patched the tyre while waiting on the fry so we hoped it would last till we got home.
we spend an hour there chatting and empting pots of tea before hammering down to the horseshoe bend to watch the Rás

We waited to see Roger Aiken lead the riders up the prime as news was we was on a break from Banbridge. As it turned out all were back together when they reached us and maybe some us are starting to show our age as we not only missed seeing Roger but also Beggsie in the car doing service.

Headed towards home from there, via Letrim and Drumaroad. Neill's bubble burst along the way, the bubble protruding from the side of his tyre that is. He got going again but not before changing a second tube. The first came from Gary and was so old the patches had deteriated, think it said 27 x 1 1/4 on the side what ever that means.

We had a pit stop in Ballynahinch to change a tyre for Neill so hopefully he made it home ok.

Enjoyed today and gives us a Sunday free of cycling for a change, will seem like a Monday!

[garyg]

Good report Bob, good day out all round!

Neill got it about right when he said to me at one point 'must get behind the juggernaut' referring to the tandem! 36mph on the flat!!

Also hats off to you both for hammering down the windy gap descent and over spelga at over 50mph on that thing!!!

[Bob P]

now that we have worked out how to go down hills fast we just have to train the tandem to go up them faster than 5mph