Sports Tag ID

I recently received my Sports tag bracelet. For me, the experience is similar to that of helmet. Initially I didn't train wearing a helmet but common sense eventually prevailed. Sports tag is the same; it makes good sense to have your emergency contact information easily accessible in case of a crash.

It has become part of my routine - I feel strange if I have left for a ride without wearing the bracelet.

Can you plan for the unexpected?

I have just returned home from Canada. Many months ago when I was booking my flights I was not relishing the thought of my last few weeks in Canada. I had a picture painted in my head of ice covered roads with snow piled high on the footpaths and sub zero temperatures.

The last couple of weeks in November were cold in Canada. I learnt some important lessons and adapted some strategies to deal with the cold. The wind chill can be especially bad in the sub zero temperatures; any exposed areas of flesh get a real battering. After a few rides in these conditions I was told to put vasoline all over the exposed areas before venturing out into the cold. Another trick I was shown was to fill your water bottles with hot water and place them in your jersey pockets to stop them freezing.

I returned to Ireland, bidding the cold weather goodbye, or so I hoped. I was not expecting what greeted me in Dublin - snow covered roads. When the temperature drops in Canada they are so accustomed to the adverse conditions that a protection mechanism is triggered. The system they have in place leaves the roads almost perfect and certainly in good enough condition to train on.



The lack of any coherent strategy to deal with the bad weather here has meant that since returning home last week I haven't managed to get out for a single spin on the road. At a time when many Irish riders, based abroad, are starting to crank up the duration of their sessions, I am facing the unenviable chore of logging base miles on the turbo trainer.