Phoenix CC road Captains have an aversion to venturing in an Easterly direction, is it even a club spin if Annahilt, Glenavy or Crumlin do not feature?
Today the Club Rota had me down to lead the beginners group. I offered up an alternative route to the C group and all agreed it was a cracking route, great views and we even found a berg or two to warm the legs on. Kevin even mentioned how he’d cycled today on roads he never even knew existed despite him being a Carryduff resident!
Myself, C group stalwart Kevin, Jennifer, Roy and newcomer Beth (her first spin in 5 months no less! – if I’d known that sooner I’d have shortened the route a little) set off from the House of Sport in the direction of Stranmillis. Along the embankment to the Ormeau Bridge then along the Lagan to the SSE Arena and out the Airport road. All nice and flat so far and legs all loosened up we were about to go in search of up… but not before swinging in round by Kinnegar “oooh there’s a beach here” remarked Jennifer.
As easy on the eye the scene was, temperatures dictated that there would be no skinny dipping today… maybe next week?
Passing the Dirty Duck and on through Holywood past the Maypole and briefly up Church road before swinging left in to Brook Street and Victoria road, the gradient ramping up on Croft road and another left turn took us in to the Ballymenoch road.
I canvassed the group to see if they wanted left for Whinney Hill and traffic or straight on for the tougher climb but lesser traffic of Creightons Green road. To my surprise Creightons was voted in and a few layers and even gloves were discarded in anticipation of the climb. Roy climbed at pace showing he would not be out of place on a B2 run, indeed he was “strong” all day sitting on the front with myself for large portions of the route to afford shelter from storm Erik to whoever wished to sit behind and suck his wheel.
Emerging out on to Whinney Hill then crossing over the Dunlady road in to the Holywood road and a nice fast flowing descent of Bradshaws Brae brought us quickly in to Newtownards. Next up was “the Poggio” the long drag up the Scrabo road. The exposed roads at the top giving storm Erik an opportunity to really turn up the hairdryer on us all. But it was soon dispensed with and we descended in to Comber.
I offered up Comber or Lisbane as the Coffee stop options and Kevin assured us all that it just had to be a scone in the Poachers Pocket so off we went through Comber in to the Balldrain road, Ballyglighorn road, Quarry road and time to stop in the Sauna known as Poachers Pocket.
Suitably refuelled (White chocolate and Rasberry scone with proper butter and Rasberry jam) we were off again directly in to the wind to Drumreagh, Ballygowan, Ravara road, Lisdoonan road and down the Killynure road in to Carryduff.
And then there were two!
Kevin, Roy and Jennifer were close to home so now I had to get Beth back to the HoS but not before one last bit of up on the Hillsborough road.
My sense of direction is never one to be trusted, I had planned to descend Fort road and Ballylesson road to Shaws Bridge but made a slight misjudgment somewhere along the line and ended up descending the upper Mealough road and Mill Road then the Ballycoan road. But we ended up at Shaws Bridge anyway and then the final drag up to the HoS for approx 40 miles on a much nicer Morning than we could have hoped for given the overnight Weather!
derekclegg 