Ardara Cyclists

Irish Cyclists in Co. Donegal

Cycling events are a great fun. Cycling competitions are fun too, with a lot more adrenaline. One Irish competition I happened to watch was Rás Dhun na nGall or Donegal Race in English, a three day cycling event in Donegal.

The photos above, and below were taken on the 3rd of June 2012, the last day of Rás Dhun na nGall, in the beautiful town of Ardara.

You can read more on the race here.

Cycling Solo

The Swiss Guard

Swiss Guard on bicycle

The uniforms used by the Pontifical Swiss Guard in the Vatican city look awesome. However, they are neither comfortable nor helpful for security tasks. Even more so for cycling.

Nevertheless, it didn't stop a group of Googlers, who created a similar costume, to wear them and join the Lunchtime Bike Ride during Dublin's Bike Week on 20 June 2012. Or perhaps they just wanted to look like clowns. It really was amusing.

Previously, we already introduced The Androids, a different kind of Googlers who also took part in the event.

Clownish guard

What's there?

And they can also cycle...

The Boot Cyclist

Bicycle heading to heaven

Christmas is here. This long weekend is the climax of two months of preparations and a mad shopping spree. Yesterday, for instance, was nuts. Within five minutes I experienced two near misses in Terenure area. First, I was nearly knocked off my bike by an SUV driver who decided to overtake a car from the left, which happened to be my cycle track, without checking his mirror. His wife seemed to scream at him immediately so he stopped a few inches before he gave me the kiss of death. Farther down the road, I was calmly passing a traffic congestion, but then I saw a cyclist pedalling towards me. She didn't cycle in the wrong direction though, but rather turned to her right, cutting my path off, without yielding. She said 'sorry' all right, but we were a foot away from a head-on collision!

Cycling in busy times isn't fun (remember The Rush Hourers?). It can also mean danger, for other road users, occupied by their Christmas preparation amok, don't pay attention to the rules of the road. In this respect, Xmas drivers are totally mad!

Having said that, there is still light in the gloom of Christmas road madness. On the way back home I noticed the bicycle above poking out of the boot of that Mercedes. The first thing that came to my mind was that someone is coming back from a cycling trip. I wanted to call it "the boot cyclist", ie a cyclist who sits behind the wheel and keeps his bike in car. But when I examined the picture I took, it stroke me. This pair of bikes was a Christmas present!

Indeed, Christmas is a wonderful time when kids get presents. The lucky ones get bicycle and join so many other cyclists. The gift giving is not limited to kids, also many adults may get a two-wheeled present. No wonder that the recent census reported (PDF) a huge increase in cycling around Dublin.

The photo was taken yesterday, 21 December 2012, on Harold's Cross Road.

Wishing a happy Christmas to you all!

The Androids

Hip hip hooray!

In past the word android was used to describe a human-like robot. Therefore, it is pretty ironic that Google chose a robot that doesn't look like a human at all to feature the logo of its mobile operating system. Nonetheless, the green robot has become an iconic symbol and it makes a little sense to rebrand it now. Even cyclists love it!

The photo above and the two photos below were taken on 20 June 2012, shortly before the Lunchtime Bike Ride, the highlight of Dublin's Bike Week.

The event was a great fun and it was wonderful to see Googlers that made an effort and dressed up in Green to match their robotic helmet cover.

 iRobot (or is it a trademark of their arch-rival?)

 Android Cycling Operating System

The Marathonists

Dublin Marathon observers

So Dublin Marathon is over by now (the photos are awesome). Congratulations to Geoffrey Ndungu and Magdalene Mukunza for their victory!

Marathons are for people who like to run, not for cyclists who use different muscles. For the cyclists who like to combine cycling with running (and swimming) they invented the triathlon. Nevertheless, when the marathon participants run, Dublin's Cyclists pay respect and cheer the runners on.

These cyclists were observing the marathon on Miltown road. This was the marathon of yesteryear, the 32nd Dublin Marathon, which took place on 31 October 2011.

The Photographer

Take a picture

I was once asked how do I take all these pictures for Dublin's Cyclists. By and large the answer is "it varies". But I think the photograph above illustrates how it is usually done (although when I took it, I was actually walking by foot and had my bike locked a few blocks away). This is why I like this picture in particular. The guy reminds me of myself in a way - cycling around Dublin and stopping safely to take pictures.

The main difference is that this guy took a picture of a wooden boat with an impressive mast during the Tall Ships Festival, on 23 August 2012, whereas I take pictures of fellow cyclists.

Which reminds me, now there's a wonderful Flickr group dedicated to Dublin's Cyclists with many more exclusive photos, taken by various photographers.

The Gay Cyclists

Cycling pride

Cycling is for everyone. I was happy to see so many cyclists amongst the participant of Dublin's last LGBT Parade. Well done brothers and sisters cyclists!

The parade took place on 30 June 2012 during the Dublin Pride LGBTQ Festival. The picture above was taken literally in the middle of O'Connell Street, under the shadow of The Spire. And so was the photograph below.

Yet more cycling pride

The Dancer

Put your hands up in the air!

Cycling isn't just for getting around. It's also for fun and pleasure. Most people enjoy the pedalling, but others take a break and simply dance while still on their bike!

I came across this jigging gentleman near Bord Gais Energy Theatre, during the Tall Ships Festival on 23 August 2012. It wasn't a moment of weakness, he was dancing with the rappers on stage for a long time...

The Low Riders

The low riders

I like to take part in cycling events, mainly because it's easy to spot pairs of bikes that are rarely seen on roads.
For instance, recumbents (or recumbent bicycles). I like to call these cyclists the low cyclists or to refer to the individual cyclist as a "Low Rider" as the song goes (thanks Turgidson for this)...

I took the picture above on 20 June 2012 during the Lunchtime Bike Ride, one of the events throughout Dublin's Bike Week.


There was another photo of these two guys:

I also took a frontal picture of one of them separately:

And another photo of the other amongst "High Riders":

The Family Riders

Family Ride

A bicycle is not a minivan or an SUV alright, but it doesn't mean one has to leave the family behind and cycle alone.
There are multiple options to take the young relatives for a tour on the bike if you wish to. For instance, one can attach the little one's bike and drag the offspring around town or install an extra seat in front of the saddle.

I took the picture above (and another one below) on 20 June 2012 in Grand Canal Dock, shortly before the Lunchtime Bike Ride, the highlight of Dublin's Bike Week.
It was wonderful to see so many family riders. It shows that there's a future for cycling in Dublin.

A front sitter

The Texter

What's on your mind? "I'm on bike"

Some people love to cycle. Others love to use their mobile phone for texting, tweeting or facebooking. Of course, there is also that breed of the texting cyclists, those who love to do both at the same time.

I captured this moment on 20 June 2012 in Grand Canal Dock, just before the Lunchtime Bike Ride, the highlight of Dublin's Bike Week. I'm pretty sure that by now this guy has no idea what was he checking or updating.

The Golden Cyclist

Silence cycling is golden

"Be safe, be seen"...
Some cyclists take this motto very seriously (see for instance "The Cycling Disco"), though not necessarily in the way the author originally intended to.
For example, wearing a glittering golden jacket whilst keeping your helmet on the handlebar might not be the safest cycling practice.

This picture was taken in Nassau Street, off Trinity College, on 20 June 2012 during the Lunchtime Bike Ride as part of Dublin's Bike Week.

The Blue Sandalist

I'm blue if I was green I would die

In the scarce warm days Dublin enjoys, nothing is more refreshing than wearing sandals. It doesn't mean one has to give up cycling...

I took this picture on 20 June 2012 in Grand Canal Dock, shortly before the Lunchtime Bike Ride, the highlight of Dublin's Bike Week.

The Onlooker

I see land!

Cyclists should always look forward, unless they plan to turn or overtake, when a short glimpse to the side is advisable. However, sometimes when the sunshine is directly in your face, looking straight may require an extra hand. It gets tricky when the other hand holds a long stick.
Needless to say that the cyclist in pink trousers at the background looks awesome too. :)

I captured this moment on 20 June 2012 in Grand Canal Dock, shortly before the Lunchtime Bike Ride, the highlight of Dublin's Bike Week (more photographs to come soon).

The Old-Fashioned Cyclists

Where are the good auld days?

The number of bicycles in Dublin has seen a sharp rise in the last few years. Thus one might confuse and think that it is a modern invention. However, a gaze at the mechanism, the chain, the cogs and so forth, leaves no doubt. The bike is a 19th century invention, another jewel of the industrial revolution that managed to make it to the 21st century.

The photo above was taken on 17 March 2010 during the St Patrick's Day parade. The cyclists try to promote cycling in Dublin to even a higher level than the current impressive figures. Well done guys!