More Dog Stories

While I'm on the subject of dogs and bikes I have two more incidents to tell about.

One was yesterday while I was passing through a semi pedestrianised road in the Phoenix Park, heading out on a 45 mile spin around North Kildare/South Meath. A man came from the left hand side ahead with a small Terrier type dog on a lead, crossing well in front of me. However, I could see another similar dog moving slowly behind him, and not paying much attention to me. He seemed to be an old dog from a distance, struggling along gamely. It looked like we were heading for an unplanned meeting if I didn't move out of his way. As I got closer the reason for his struggle became clear. The dog was in a wheelchair! No kidding, instead of a back leg he had a wheel contraption strapped on his rear end. I'm not sure if he had a leg or two missing, or if he had all his legs, but there was no doubt he was only using the front ones and pulling the rear ones on wheels. Fair play to the owners/vet. How many dogs would have been put down in similar circumstances?

Coming back home later via Kilshane Cross, I avoided a shortcut because of a canine/bike encounter there a few months ago. I came around a corner, on whats essentially a narrow lane, to be greeted by a very large Alsatian relaxing right in the middle of the road. He was a guard dog that had obviously gotten out of a yard on the right hand side over night. Needless to say he wasn't very pleased to see me, nor me him for that matter. Given the narrowness of the lane I had no chance of turning around without him getting to me. I got the impression his bark might not be worse than his bite. There was only one thing for it. Break out the only weapons with any range aboard a bike, the full bottles. I let him have it right between the eyes from as near as I dare. The element of surprise worked. He stumbled back with a very confused look opening a way through on the road in front of him. As I made a sprint for it, in his haste he helped me out even more by falling backwards over a traffic cone he didn't spot behind him. Hilarious! Only after my Olympic standard sprint did I spot the truck pulled over to let me past, with the driver p***ing himself! I thought my heart was coming through my chest with the adreniline rush. Needless to say I'll be taking the long way around from now on.

The hills are steeper now

When I was a teenager all I wanted to do was ride a bike. I was an enthusiastic but distinctly average under 16 and Junior rider in Dublin, but that didn't matter. So long as I had a clean bike, some cool gear (remember gold Sedis chains!!) and could get out with the lads as often as possible that was me happy. Being the resident authority on the career of Sean Kelly at school was at least some kudos for someone who couldn't kick a ball.

Then college came along, then girls, then travel and then a wife and kids and several stone around the waist. So the bikes got consigned to the Da's attic, except for the bits that mysteriously ended up on his bike! I still rode to work, kept an eye on the results and saw as much of the Tour each year as I could, but that was about it.

Then last year, in my 40th year, I had a minor heart issue out of the blue. Nothing too serious but enough to bring on the start of a mid life crisis! It was time to sort out the kitchen pass, dust off the lycra shorts and join the fat, middle aged men on the roads around the north Co. Dublin coast. Then the Bike to Work scheme brought a nice mid range road bike from Cyclelogical and a Road Warrior was reborn.

Now, it's late summer and I've done one sportive, ridden to the brothers in Kildare (and back) and can cruise 40 miles and still be able to talk to the kids when I get home. Having said that I've also cancelled another sportive when the back went into spasm and had endless tinkering with my new SPD shoes to kill the knee pains but that's just the body reminding me I'm not a junior any more.

Is it just me or is the Nags Head longer and steeper than it used to be?