GOB ELTSAC

As the name suggests this was a backwards loop of Castle bog :

    In Which

      Mr Hull remains indisposed
      Leona has a big birthday
      Liz has a swim
      We inherit a dog
      COC claims dismount of the day

      A bijou crowd gathered at the glen although in the future this might have to be a clandestine affair if KCA get their way . Pamela , Liz,Leona, New Paul , Cormac and COC.

      Giants pad , Green road , Trails to Ford where we picked up Eamons dog who decided Eamon was running too slow and wanted a bit of decent pace. Then a twist to the tale ..sheep pen and up along the river / fence to the boundary stone . On the way here Liz did a bit of a spectacular dive into a rather deep pool , broke new helmet and was soaked from head to toe. Girls left us here for home and birthday breakfast in the school house. We persevered to Pierces castle and down to leitrim lodge . Home by trails.
      Any easy day without Herr Obenfurher Hull the second .

      Route here ( anticlockwise )

    Broken Back Mountain

    A shorter spin was planned for today after the recent epic/mepic . There was a goodly turnout of the fair sex with Teresa , Leona , Pamela and Herself at the start ( if not the finish) , Dr Lewis , the not unusually late Mr Scullion, Mr Power , New Paul , PS and Kenny . John( SCO) had been out earlier and was a way to inflict pain on some poor unsuspecting patient. Robbie has sent in a sick note for his bike.

    Starting along Burma, to Top burma via fiddlers green , dropping to low burma at the end , wall Sallys to post , across to knockshee and then down to the gully and yes kenny you navigated well( he gets upset if I dont say that) . Up to fallow corner and turned for tunnel losing 3 of the girls here . Up to mast where there were too many clear rounds to mention , but i will mention that Mr Power didn’t get one even on his Evil Machine.
    At the mast we realised we had lost one …Kenny. It was clear Mr Hull had “wrecked” his back and failed to get away “Scott” free . He had turned and limped home downhill so we turned also to make sure he wasn’t lying in heap.When it was eventually clear he was ok we headed home by red and black trails to wall.

    Cormac’s achilles remains hovering at the door of intensive care but I’m sure his private physio remains on standby.

    Route here

    A Long Explore with Mr Hull

    Billed as a Mepic ( just less than an Epic and with more hiking than a normal “spin” ) with promise of new routes and lots of hike-a-bike . Mr Hull delivered in spades and I doff my helmet . Starting at the Glen where new Paul was lucky to make it having been attacked by one of angry dog woman’s hungry mutt’s .Sounds like he was very restrained in his response . Chris and Paddy made a rare appearance to bring down the average age by 50%. Mr Hull and herself with COC made up todays gang . Cormac was stuck in deutschland, Tim in Wicklow performing road trials on the pickenflick frankenbike, and John (sco) sentenced to a tow path sportive.
    The pace was high at the start and I would have had a hissy fit if I had been able to catch up . Batts , hentrack to wall , contoured round Moughanmore ( on foot) , down to sandy brae direction , back up the red moss river , over to glenloughan lane in a masterful navigational move by Mr hull. We then found a promising looking trail which took us to Rocky very nicely and dropped down to Formal . Onto the road and back into mountain at Ballyed. Youngsters here went up sallys ( respect) while the oldies headed home along the wall.
    Great spin with some lovely new lines to be revisited .

    Raspberry Blue

    The forecast promised great things but failed to deliver . It was dry and the sun did however arrive….. just as we finished . Still that didn’t spoil a great spin , couple of early casualties with Teresa saving her legs for football and Ross failing the bike maintenance course both before the first climb of the day . Mr Power had obviously recovered from his serious bout of single fibre achilles tendon tear as he led the way up Sallys yard at a fair old lick. I had a hallucination and thought I saw him on a pastel green hard tail with mudguards …horrible thought.
    Sallys yard , Knockshee, Formal , black trails to home .

    • Kenny complained no more than usual
    • Both Pauls were flying
    • Liz was a little bit blue
    • Tim was “Wrecked” ( Julie keep an eye on the visa bill)
    • John (SCO) was still in the Knee socks , saving the ankle ones for summer ,
    • Robbie was AWOL
    • and I was just perfect as usual.

    PS did show his true colours today ,looking longingly towards Carlingford where the 6.1ers has snuck off to without telling him.