My day started at 4am, porridge and toast for breakfast before being driven from Norn Iron to Dublin. My mate Charlie insisted on driving as apparently I had done the last time he had enterd the W200. We arrived at the start just after 7am but unlike Sarge P. we had to queue to get recorded and so didn't start to ride until after 7:30. By this time Charlie had met up with an Australian friend who had come to Ireland specially to do this ride.
It became apparent early on that I wasn't going to be able to keep up with these two guys as they had a lot more miles in their legs and much less excess weight to carry around so once we got past Enniskerry on the outbound run I settled back to my own pace and let them go.
The first really big climb of the day was the Sally Gap and I managed this one quite well, although I took advantage of a cyclist looking for the loan of a pump just past the top to stop for a couple of minutes rest. Descending from that first big climb was lots of fun but about this time I noticed that my computer (HAC4) was occasionally dropping the speed and heart rate numbers. Heart rate I wasn't too bothered about but I had been hoping to get a decent record of the profile. As it turned out I think I only lost 6 or 7km over the whole route, my recorded profile is a reasonable match for the Sergeant's Bikely record.
Before the next big climb there was an opportunity to take the shorter distance route from Laragh but by the time I'd got there I received a text from S. Pluck to say he was at the top of the Wicklow Gap. He was still under the illusion that I would catch him up later but by the time I got to the sign at the top of the Wicklow Gap I was getting leg cramps. Fortunately a short rest, a long drink, some jelly babies and best of all a really fast descent let me spin the cramp away (for the time being). When I got to the first checkpoint at Donard I was about an hour behind the Sergeant but as I got more tired this increased.
From Donard the route went on to Aghavannagh and just when you're thinking you must have done the hardest part you get to Slieve Maan. This one averages something like 8% gradient for just over 3km. Charlie told me later that he walked a lot of this as he simply didn't have a low enough gear to pedal it. While I didn't walk I did stop for about 3 minutes just over a third of the way up. By now all the really hard stuff is done but there is still about 70km of not very flat road to be ridden back into Dublin. As it was getting late when I arrived at the outskirts early evening traffic was building up and yes, I did miss a turn and then compounded that error by accepting directions to the UCD campus from some Dubliners. When I eventually fond the site (after about a half hour delay) I had entered it from the wrong direction and so spent another 10 minutes or so trying to relocate the start/finish area. I got there before the control was closed so I did receive my medal and certificate and was on my way to join Charlie and his Aussie friend Rob for some hot tea and ravioli when I heard S.P. call my name. Say what you like about the design but ACF kit is recognisable!
Two days later my lungs and muscles have calmed down and the only annoying after effects are some itching midge bites. Total distance cycled (or at least recorded) was just under 200km so my diversions at the end made up for missed data by the computer.
Here is the profile as dispayed by the Ciclotour program.
I'm really glad that my Calendar entry turned out to be a successful ride for Sergeant Pluck, it's good to be able to put faces to usernames! Now we can both look forward to seeing SiD again for
this one. 
