Dying Light 2013

For the last big cycle before winter truly sets in, the testing Dying Light Audax was taken on by seven hardy Orwell riders – including John Blennerhassett. Below, he recounts the tale of 200km in the Irish “autumnal” weather.

The Dying Light, my first Audax, my first 200km, sounded like a good idea when booking at the end of summer, nice flat route, dare I say a romantic name. So the day itself arrived, weather forecast was not great but not terrible either, dry for the morning, rain in the afternoon, yeah I could cope.

Nicole, Louise, Garret, Eoin, David, Barry and myself met beside Clontarf Dart station, the hardier Orwell contingent cycled to the start point (I drove). And off we went.

First thoughts, the real Audax guys have bikes with mud guards, panniers, dynamo hubs (linked to iPhones in some cases), huge “satchels” hanging from their saddles and handlebars, and an old fashioned ability to read maps and follow directions…

Second thoughts… 195km to go and I might not have the correct clothes…

We travelled as one to the first food stop in Ardee at 71km, admittedly some had darted off on the first hill and some had missed a right turn, (but this is Audax, part of the enjoyment). So we waited at the food stop for the lost souls to return, regrouped as the Orwell 7, and headed off again to the next unmanned stop in Kingscourt at 92km – the question to be answered? Name the butcher’s at the roundabout – no need for Google streetview, we were Orwell, no shortcuts!

Thankfully a regular cry from Garrett “up and over” kept us working together, which is just as well for this is when we met Mother Nature baring her teeth in the form of wind, rain and then some more wind. Pretty miserable 35 to 40km with a brief unscheduled stop so Barry could say hello to his brother in law, who was nice enough to invite us into his pub for soup and sandwiches. We declined; we couldn’t possibly warm up while all other Dying light protagonists suffered, and when we finally reached Athboy, we were welcomed with hot food (well, almost hot) at the side of the road, which was a very welcome surprise.

And on again, another 70km or so, but soon we could see the blue sky of Dublin ahead, which was almost as good as being under it, and probably why I got all excited and shot off the front on the last 15km. I had noticed a rider ahead who we had been with earlier in the segment before we took a slight detour (it’s part of the fun!) so cycled up to him and then realised I had lost everyone else, I went back to the last corner but no sign and close to the end of a long ride, I’m afraid to say I abandoned my cohorts without troubling myself any further and headed for home, via the car in Clontarf… missing the delight of “after Audax” food and Jagermeister in organisers house, although I figured once I got into his house I might have refused to go back out again so maybe best for all!

Lessons learnt: – Seal skinz socks hold puddles of cold water in – Next Audax: a) improve map reading skills or b) buy a better garmin

Great day, great company, great route, and sure the weather wasn’t so bad…