Easter marks a turning point in many riders’ season. As the days lengthen and the weather improves, they start to increase their mileage again and get fitter. That also makes it a good time to set some goals for the months ahead. There’s some useful information on how to set goals, and then have a plan to achieve them, on the club coaching pages here (or find them under the “about us” heading on the menu bar above).
This year, we have a great new event as part of the club’s 75th anniversary celebrations that any rider can aim for – the Journey to the Source of the Lagan (or the JSL for short) on 23rd June.
The route is very flat until Dromore. We even avoid the hill over the A1..
The basic idea is to start at the Odyssey in Belfast and follow the River Lagan upstream until we find the source. The distance is about 75km from start to the source, or 75 miles round trip (hence the tie in with our anniversary!). Riders will be able to choose one of three options on the day –
- Odyssey to Dromara – about 43 miles, and relatively flat (except for a few drumlins in the last 5 miles from Dromore). The Belles are already talking about an extra teashop between Belfast and Dromara for this option 🙂
- As 1, but also add in the final 4 miles to the summit of Slieve Croob, and then back to Dromara. Although this only adds 8 miles, allow about an hour extra to give time for climbing and photos. For options 1 and 2, we’ll arrange transport to take riders back to Belfast (If you’d be willing to help, either on the day, or by leaving your car in Dromara the previous day, please let us know).
- Option 3 – as (2), but ride back to the start as well (via a shorter route).
The plans for this event are starting to firm up. There’s more details of the route and some photos on the JSL page. We’ve booked Dromara Football Club, and there’ll be a burger, tea and coffee available, along with showers. Expected cost is £8.
So ignore Storm Hannah, get planning, and watch this space for more details on how to enter.
