#36 Co. Tyrone

7-in-7 challenge – Day 4

New territory today, not just another County I had never set foot in before but also the first time I had ridden 100 miles four days in a row.

Over a spectacularly good Irish breakfast, with the fried soda farls the highlight, I launched the Komoot app on my phone and re-planned the Tyrone route to be a figure of eight centred on Omagh. This was to allow for a mid ride change of clothes based on the forecast inclement weather and if the predicted electrical storm materialised I would hopefully sit the worst of it out in Omagh rather than offering myself as a two-wheeled conduit for a rogue lightening bolt.

The drive to Omagh was uneventful and only intermittently wet. I planned to park at the evenings accommodation but the cul-de-sac it was located in was jam packed with double parked cars so I instead parked up at the nearby industrial estate, not the most scenic of starting points for a ride!

I gave the bike a clean and lubricated the drive train before setting off.

No sooner had I left the industrial estate then the rain started, a steady drizzle became heavy rain, then shortly after a face stinging downpour. With rain bouncing off the tarmac and rivers torrenting along the kerbs the first two hours surprisingly passed quickly. In a strange way I enjoyed testing myself against the weather gods and the fact that I was so wet within ten minutes of starting the ride and couldn’t possibly get any wetter meant the continuation of the rain was irrelevant.

By 11am the rain had stopped and I was able to appreciate the lush, peaceful countryside once again. In common with counties Antrim and Londonderry the road surfaces in Tyrone were markedly superior to those I encounter at home with barely a pothole encountered. I wondered are the roads better constructed in Northern Ireland, is there better investment or is it just the reduced traffic load?

I dried off a little as the rain held off but still returned to the car as planned, wet enough to pour water from my shoes before getting in the passenger side and performing the less than glamorous and decidedly uncomfortable task of changing out of wet bibshorts in the front seat of a car parked in a busy industrial thoroughfare. My entire soaking kit, shoes, helmet, gloves, the lot, were exchanged and I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for changing the route to enable the luxury of dry gear for the afternoon’s riding.

The only downside to the improving weather was the emergence of swarms of black flies that looked like mosquitoes on steroids. These critters were rock solid, if I was lucky they bounced off my helmet or sunglasses with a little clunk like they were a tiny bit of gravel, if I was unlucky they ricocheted off my chin, cheek, lips or nose leaving me cursing as I swept through each horde on my way to Castlederg and Strabane.

My route around Tyrone was notably flatter than the previous three days, the gentle undulations and deserted country lanes were incredibly tranquil and made for easy riding but towards the end of the day I was hankering after something just a little different to liven the route up. The memorial in Ballycolman to West Tyrone Republicans who had “suffered, fought or died in the cause of Irish freedom” snapped me out of my desire for something to liven the route up and instead helped me appreciate the simple pleasures of riding somewhere fresh, every turn, every crest of a hill reveals a new discovery, triggers an unexpected thought or pops up a surprise view.

As I crossed the Strule River I knew day four of my challenge was nearly completed and for the first time since this challenge was conceived I felt 100% confident of completing it barring a disaster, the very real doubts I had kept to myself were gone, I floated back to the car and once again my thoughts turned to food!

Strava

The ride in numbers

161.35 km Distance

Elevation Gain 1368m

7hrs 28 min moving time (21.6 km/h)

0 coffee stops

3 bottles of water

No punctures

3 categorised climbs