All the cycling in Ireland itself was a mixture of heavy rain with the odd dry bit and strong winds. The roads were appalling. I have never been on roads so bad. I don't think they have been resurfaced in decades.
We had to recalculate our routes to take us onto dual carriageways as they were so bad. This was a shame as you don't get to see so much of the countryside then.
What I did like was that there was no litter or broken glass and that the drivers were very courteous to cyclists, a welcome change from here in the UK.
The Giro itself was good. The lead up to it while not that interesting was made better by a running commentary on big speakers. We found a good spot in Dublin about 400 metres from the end outside a pub which had it on a big screen inside that we could see through the window. We did partake in a few pints seeing as it was so close
One of our group did almost get his bike stolen while we were watching it. This guy must have been eyeing it up for ages. He waited until the peloton came past to make his move to nick it but luckily he was spotted wheeling it down the street. I think he may have got a sore jaw.
All that aside we still hade a good time, or should I say Craic. We stayed in some cracking B&Bs where the Irish hospitality was just grand. Total mileage for the trip was 300 miles.
Typically the weather has been a heatwave since the day we got back.