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Ireland has just begun to ease some of the severe lock-down measures that began being implemented two months ago due to Covid19. Hopefully the transition back towards some form of normality can be as smooth as possible.
However, while we may have been able to train indoors in
the Republic, and outside in the North, during the crisis, the exercise zone in
the Republic is still only 5km from home, meaning it’s still tough.
Here’s the things we miss most about unrestricted cycling.
Being able to ride freely
It was unthinkable just a couple of months ago that we’d be confined to a radius of 2km or 5km from home will exercising, including cycling. Civilian life aside, the biggest burden on cyclists during the lockdown has been the inability to get out on our bikes and go where ever we like for as far as we like – at least as far as our fitness would carry you.
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Group spins
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Even for those of us in the cycling community who race, nothing beats the buzz of a group ride; especially early in the morning at weekends during this time of year. You feel great during and after it and the social aspect and craic of the group spin is hard to beat. It’s something we miss a lot more than we would have expected.
Coffee stops
OK, it may just be an extension of the group ride but it’s an experience in itself so it gets a mention all of its own. The café stop is a time for a proper catch-up with fellow riders that most of us don’t see mid-week. It’s also a chance for group banter and slagging (not to mention pigging out if you’re inclined).
Racing
Once the winter is over and spring arrives, racing becomes the rhythm of life until the end of September. The current suspension in action has been unprecedented and we’re all looking forward to getting into action again, and reporting on that action here on stickybottle.
Sportives
Many more of us ride sportives every year than race and the loss of the sportive season to date has cut deeply. These are the events that we aim for and that many of us put our effort into; the fruits of the winter training combined with the social aspect of cycling for an enjoyable and satisfying day out. But hang in there; hopefully we’ll be back riding our events very soon.
Pro racing on TV
For most cyclists, getting out on the bike and watching the pros race are the two main activities in our spare time. Not having pro racing action to watch has been painful, especially as Ireland has a great batch of pros. Some of the racing we’ve already missed out on includes the top classics and we should be getting stuck into the Giro at this time of year. It’s been painful, but hopefully a feast of racing is just ahead of us as long as the UCI’s revised calendar goes ahead as planned.
Commuting
Yep, it’s perhaps something we wouldn’t focus on too much
and like the rest of the cycling-related things in our life now missing, it’s
something we always took for granted. There’s nothing like a ride to work or
college to start and end the main part of our day. But unless you’re an essential
worker, the commute is out for a while yet.
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