Last minute Croí Corrib Charity Cycle – 107km Sportive – Andy Ainley
The Croí Charity Cycle took place on Sunday morning, starting in Dangan and finishing in Croi head office. I got offered a ticket on Saturday night, not the wisest time to be making decisions. I checked the weather. Ever the optimist, thought, sure it’d be grand and agreed. The logic being it would serve as my final long training ride ahead of IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore later this month. The guy I took the ticket off had one condition – keep the average above 30km/h.
The start
The day began earlier than expected. In fact, I was awake at 5.30am listening to rain hammering against the window and wondering why I had voluntarily agreed to spend the next several hours cycling through it. Unfortunately, the weather showed little sign of improving, so after some coffee and carbs, I headed for Dangan and met up with the ‘Fast Lad’s – a group of riders I knew would be setting an almighty pace.
These are the kind of cyclists who are happy to ride at the front all day. I can usually survive with the ‘Fast Lads’ for about an hour before I’ve burnt most of my matches. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go and see what was in the legs.
We rolled out at the front with only the lead car ahead of us, taking short turns on the front through the rain and wind. The pace was steady but demanding as we headed towards Moycullen and up the Mountain Road. The group became slightly fragmented on the climb but regrouped over the top before descending carefully towards Spiddal on slippy, wet roads.
Out along the Costa del Connemara
Once we reached the coast road, the weather remained challenging, but the group continued to work well together. Riders rotated through every few hundred metres, sharing the pain as we made our way towards Rossaveal.
I was feeling reasonably strong until one turn on the front just before the food stop. As soon as I swung off, I felt the first signs that the effort might be catching up with me and drifted off the back of the group. Fortunately, the main food stop in Rossaveal was only a couple of kilometres away.
At 40km we stopped at the aid station – a pub but sadly no pints were on offer. After refuelling, we set off again, and in hindsight I probably should have hidden at the back of the bunch and saved the legs. Instead, I found myself doing a couple of turns on the front again and eventually paid the price.
At about 60km, the elastic finally snapped and the Fast Lads drifted off on up the road..
Riding my own pace
Ironically, this turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the day. I got the average speed up to just under 33km/h.
With a helpful tailwind and no pressure to hold someone else’s pace, I settled into my own rhythm. For a while I was able to enjoy the ride rather than simply hanging on.
By the time I reached around 85km, the tailwind had abandoned me too. Now I was a headwind magnet. What followed was largely a solo ride home, lots of swearing and occasionally passing riders who were in the same boat as me.
The lumpy stretch leaving Oughterard was particularly tough, with a strong headwind and tired legs making every kilometre feel longer than the last. Drags became mountains! Nearly all my matches burnt, just a couple of soggy ones left. The average speed started to drop…
The Moycullen bypass initially promised some relief with its smooth surface, but the second half seemed to funnel the wind directly into my face and was probably the slowest stretch of the entire day.
The finish
Thankfully, once past the final roundabout, home wasn’t far away. I caught one final rider approaching Bushypark and we more or less limped back to Croi together. We were allegedly in the top ten riders back! The ‘Fast Lads’ were a good 10-15 minutes ahead of us and all got on the Strava leaderboards for their efforts. No leaderboard for me but I hung on and kept the average up at 31.5km/h and had a burger.
Post-ride thoughts
Overall, it was a cracking day on the bike despite the weather.
Enjoyable while it lasted, but there is a difference between hanging on and riding within your limits. Still, it was great training and exactly the kind of session that helps identify weaknesses before a major race – pacing in this case.
Most importantly, it was an excellent opportunity to practise race nutrition ahead of IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore.
A huge thank you to Croí, the organisers, volunteers and marshals who made the event possible despite difficult conditions. The atmosphere throughout the day was superb, with great craic among riders and excellent support.
