In a new series on stickybottle we'll be bringing you some of the best-loved training routes of Irish riders. We'll be going right around the country in the coming months, starting up north in Tyrone this week where Angus Fyffe takes us on a tour of this monstrous loop in the east of the county. What you see is the Glenelly Valley. Fancy it?
My favourite training spin; Angus Fyffe Omagh Wheelers
“My favourite spin has to be from Omagh - Pomeroy - Cookstown - Lough Fea and back via the Glenelly Valley onto Plumbridge and Gortin; it’s an absolute brute of a spin, especially if you’re unlucky enough to be on your own.
“The Glenelly Valley is the longest valley in the Sperrin mountains and it’s a popular area for cyclists around here.
“Going well, it’ll typically take about 4½ hours and I think it’s just under 140 kilometres.
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“The roads are rolling from the word go, especially from Carrickmore to Pomeroy, a distance of around 10 kilometres.
“Cookstown, 16 kilometres east of Pomeroy, is the last chance for a coffee so if you’re feeling it here you definitely need to top up because the fun is only beginning.
Related: My Training Week: The regime of the hugely improved Angus Fyffe
Angus Fyffe of Omagh Wheelers takes us on a tour of his favourite training spin where you will be without phone signal for a good chunk of the ride (Photo: David McVeigh – The Belgian Project)
“Cookstown is less than 50 kilometres into the ride. From here the route swings north and it doesn't get much tougher than the Glenelly Valley.
“This place is pretty isolated so you’d better make sure you bring enough food and tubes with you.
“There are no shops and definitely no phone signal – and that’s the case for many, many kilometres.
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“I rode this with a friend a year or two ago and he got the knock when we were miles from anywhere.
“He was so badly blown that he knocked on a random door and only for some lovely old called Doris who provided us (him!) with sandwiches Lord only knows what would have happened us.
“What makes the ride so difficult is you’re constantly switching from the small to the big ring as there’s so much climbing.
“There are some steep descents but equally, the road regularly hits 15% or more.
“The Tour of Ulster went the opposite way up the valley a few years ago and the race was blown to bits on that stage, which is not surprising.
“As soon as you hit Plumbridge, 25 kilometres north of Omagh, you climb for seven more kilometres until you hit Gortin where again you have a decent climb right at the tail end of the spin.
“If you have anything left, here is a great place to attack!”
Click here to view the route in Google maps
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