34 | BY LT COL MICK DOLAN Travels with Surly (apologies to John Steinbeck) part 2
Unlike the road-racer, who will take the handle off a toothbrush to save weight, the touring cyclist begins with a heavy bike – and then adds to it. Everything is about convenience and having the necessities to hand. This is what I call the cockpit. From the left – glasses, phone, bell, light, clock, Garmin and mirror. I find all are indispensible.
The new Garmin is very light, Route
gives feedback on everything from splits to cadence but is normally charged from the computer. Not much good for touring! I use the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx. This is very reliable and robust. Best of all, it's powered by AA batteries with each pair giving about fifteen hours of operation. Unfortunately the rail mount has to be bought separately online. It comes with the basic maps but requires the purchase of mapping software for greater detail. All the routes I cover here will be done on this. The phone is to hand – only to know its ringing and you know where it is! The rest of the kit aids survival on the road. Sometimes even the touring
cyclist likes a bit of company. That this company is available for a spin is very welcome indeed when the wind is significant, as there is a level of sympathy from the 'greyhounds' for the weight of the machine being pedalled by the tourist. I was fortunate to have this level of acceptance for this route on 5th October. Baldonnel hosted the An Cosantóir 10 km race/fun-run
An Cosantóir December 2011
