Cows of the
Francis Yates ( Ireland )
I
moved to Galway in sunny Ireland in October 2018 - ok maybe not so sunny ! It has been a pretty big adaptation to riding here as not only does it rain very often , it ’ s also windy most of the time ! However summers can be glorious and with the sun setting after 11pm in June / July , it ’ s great to be able to get out for a quick ride after work .
I am fortunate enough to live on the west coast , which has a route called ‘ The Wild Atlantic Way ’. This has coastal roads stretching the entire west coast of Ireland . The scenery can be breath-taking and it ’ s been surprisingly hilly .
The winter days are shockingly short ( 9am to 4pm ) and indoor training is a must so I have set myself up with an awesome pain cave to get through the winter months .
Living in Europe has made travel for races much easier , before the pandemic that is ! And I was fortunate enough to race at the 70.3 World Championships in Nice in 2019 .
If anyone is keen to join me for an 880km ride from Ireland ’ s end-to-end called The Malin Head to Mizen Head Cycle in 2022 give me a shout !
Grant Kaplan ( Scotland )
It ’ s hard to believe that it ’ s almost three month ( 24 June 2021 ) since I left South Africa for the Mud Island ( Scotland ) where men wear dresses and the National animal is a Unicorn ( no jokes ). After 11 days quarantine in London and a few days of sightseeing it was off to the place we now call home , South Queensferry .
It ’ s a small town about 7 miles ( yes I said miles ) from Central Edinburgh - you know , the place with the famous castle .
My boys , Aidan and Dale , have settled in at school which was a huge relief . As an added bonus this has been the best summer the Scots have had in ten years . So it ’ s been late night tennis
58 Cow and Belle | October 2021