Toughest Climb in Ireland?

cantalach · 01-09-2008 1:36am #1

So all this talk on another thread about the Connor Pass vs Sally Gap got my wondering...what's the toughest climb in Ireland?

For me, it's the Priest's Leap which is located right here, roughly 8 km NE of Glengarriff as-the-crow-flies. Depending on where you regard as the start, it goes from roughly 50 m to 465 m over about 5 km. This works out at just over 8% which doesn't seem too bad. But what these comforting numbers disguise is that most of the elevation gain is in a series of savage steps. You even go downhill for a while halfway which is psychologically horrible. The steepness is all the more challenging because it's just a narrow boreen, with plenty of gravel, potholes and rivulets of water, all of which add up to minimal traction - particularly problematic as you're out of the saddle a lot of the time.

But don't take my word for it. In the wonderfully flowery prose of the time, The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1844-45 had this to say about the Priest's Leap:

A wild and alpine mountain-pass, [...]. The alpine acclivities which lead to it are bold, romantic, and often frightfully naked and rugged; and both the pass itself and a track through these acclivities are traversed by one of the wildest roads in Europe, [...]; nothing can be more direct than its uphill flights, or more decided and unswerving than its downward progressions; no mountain-elevation, however bristling with crags or formidable the aspect of its precipitous sides, deterred the stern and uncompromising engineer who laid it down. He carried it over the loftiest summits, the wildest moors, at the bottoms of the most desolate glens, and along the most dizzy steeps overlooking the deepest glens. A savage-looking defile is sometimes made available as a conduit for every ferocious breeze that loves to bowl and sweep along such localities [...].

Murph100 · 01-09-2008 9:20am

Jaysus Cantalach,

Thats a blast from the past, I'm from those parts, so I know that place pretty well, thats one right crappy road, even for a car, would be in prefect condition right now after our lovely summer !

Murph

tunney · 01-09-2008 9:24am

As Mr Kelly said when asked this question - "the one right before my house".

hunnymonster · 01-09-2008 10:33am

Didn't know he lived in the same street as me. :)The gradient up to our house is 12%* Piece of cake when you're turning left up the hill but not so much fun making a right turn and having to wait on traffic for a standing start.

*it is only about 500m though so not even as the races as they say. :-)

Muller_1 · 01-09-2008 12:18pm

Though I haven't been there, I believe the Gap of Mamore in Donegal has a lot of votes

Quigs Snr · 01-09-2008 12:24pm

Its nasty. I put a video up on youtube at one stage of some of my teamates doing it in the 2007 RAS. Looks brutal. Interestingly the National Hill Climb championships were run there this year, only a couple of weeks ago.

Chips Lovell · 01-09-2008 12:45pm

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Looks brutal. Interestingly the National Hill Climb championships were run there this year, only a couple of weeks ago.

Ryan Sherlock (who came second) wrote about it on his blog.

jamesonandcoke · 01-09-2008 2:01pm

Coomakista Pass on near Waterville in Co Kerry is probably the toughest climb I've ever ridden.

DirkVoodoo · 01-09-2008 2:08pm

Whatever that one in Wicklow that we tackled one saturday was called, not really a climb, more of a farmer's detour. I think Blorg said his Garmin was reading 22%.

Anyway, I got stuck in my big ring for some of it and made hard work of it, so for me that would rank with the toughest I have done. Thought my heart was going to pop!

I think any climb is going to be tough if you go about it the wrong way, I've tried using Raam's technique (dividing it up into 3 parts) and its worked so far, even on some tough ones.

lukester · 01-09-2008 3:12pm

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Whatever that one in Wicklow that we tackled one saturday was called, not really a climb, more of a farmer's detour. I think Blorg said his Garmin was reading 22%.

Where is this? I've been looking for nasty climbs in Wicklow

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I've tried using Raam's technique (dividing it up into 3 parts) and its worked so far, even on some tough ones.

Care to share this technique? Was in looking at cycling training books today for tips

blorg · 01-09-2008 3:23pm

The idea is that you take the first third easy, the middle third at "normal" climbing pace and then you should have something left to blast it for the final third.

blorg · 01-09-2008 3:32pm

lukester wrote: »

Where is this? I've been looking for nasty climbs in Wicklow

That was this one although this Saturday we did this one which is short but pretty steep, definate 25% section.

lukester · 01-09-2008 3:36pm

blorg wrote: »

The idea is that you take the first third easy, the middle third at "normal" climbing pace and then you should have something left to blast it for the final third.

Hmm..that makes sense, although I'm thinking of climbs like parts of the Sally Gap where the final third is the hardest, how does it work there?

lukester · 01-09-2008 3:38pm

blorg wrote: »

That was this one although this Saturday we did this one which is short but pretty steep, definate 25% section.

That's funny, I've driven both of those roads recently on the motorbike. How tough are they? They looked fairly hard from the saddle of a motorised two wheeler

Raam · 01-09-2008 3:40pm

lukester wrote: »

Hmm..that makes sense, although I'm thinking of climbs like parts of the Sally Gap where the final third is the hardest, how does it work there?

You just take the pain and grind it out.

lukester · 01-09-2008 3:41pm

Raam wrote: »

You just take the pain and grind it out.

So no change there then

Raam · 01-09-2008 3:43pm

lukester wrote: »

So no change there then

Pretty much

If you are finding the climbs easy, then you aren't going fast enough.

ROK ON · 01-09-2008 3:46pm

blorg wrote: »

The idea is that you take the first third easy, the middle third at "normal" climbing pace and then you should have something left to blast it for the final third.

I have been climbing with the complete opposite strategy.
Blasting it out of the saddle initially, droping to the granny ring for the middle section and trying to spin, then dying and having to stop and catch my breath for the final third.

The only time it really works is if the climb has a short sharp steep bit at first and has a flatter gradient for the rest of the climb.

The suggested method seems so obvious, but I have never tried it before. Will try it in future to see is there a difference.

lukester · 01-09-2008 3:47pm

Raam wrote: »

If you are finding the climbs easy, then you aren't going fast enough.

Must stick that on a post-it somewhere, along with 'pain is just the weakness leaving your body'

Chips Lovell · 01-09-2008 3:49pm

If I am finding the climbs easy, then Raam isn't going fast enough.

amjon · 01-09-2008 4:13pm

cantalach wrote: »

So all this talk on another thread about the Connor Pass vs Sally Gap got my wondering...what's the toughest climb in Ireland?

For me, it's the Priest's Leap which is located right here, roughly 8 km NE of Glengarriff as-the-crow-flies. Depending on where you regard as the start, it goes from roughly 50 m to 465 m over about 5 km. This works out at just over 8% which doesn't seem too bad. But what these comforting numbers disguise is that most of the elevation gain is in a series of savage steps. You even go downhill for a while halfway which is psychologically horrible. The steepness is all the more challenging because it's just a narrow boreen, with plenty of gravel, potholes and rivulets of water, all of which add up to minimal traction - particularly problematic as you're out of the saddle a lot of the time.

But don't take my word for it. In the wonderfully flowery prose of the time, The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1844-45 had this to say about the Priest's Leap:

A wild and alpine mountain-pass, [...]. The alpine acclivities which lead to it are bold, romantic, and often frightfully naked and rugged; and both the pass itself and a track through these acclivities are traversed by one of the wildest roads in Europe, [...]; nothing can be more direct than its uphill flights, or more decided and unswerving than its downward progressions; no mountain-elevation, however bristling with crags or formidable the aspect of its precipitous sides, deterred the stern and uncompromising engineer who laid it down. He carried it over the loftiest summits, the wildest moors, at the bottoms of the most desolate glens, and along the most dizzy steeps overlooking the deepest glens. A savage-looking defile is sometimes made available as a conduit for every ferocious breeze that loves to bowl and sweep along such localities [...].

+1 mate,did this with a few friends over 2 years ago without spds had to walk a fair bit of it and still focked up my gears

unionman · 01-09-2008 4:35pm

blorg wrote: »

The idea is that you take the first third easy, the middle third at "normal" climbing pace and then you should have something left to blast it for the final third.

I have a slightly different method. It's not fast, it's not pretty, but I get there eventually:

1. Realise that suddenly the flat road has turned into a hill because the other riders in the group are suddenly getting smaller and smaller.

2. Don't allow pride and the fear of humiliation force me to power ahead because let's face it, I have no idea how long this hill goes on for. Obi-Wan Kenobi like, el tonto's voice pops into my head, "Don't make the mistake of trying to make the pain end quickly." Wicklow hills and destroying the Death Star, pretty similar when you think about it.

3. Start gearing down...click, lower...click, ooh, still have another lower one to go, click, ooh, and another, click, doing! Oh right, granny gear, ok, keep pedalling.

4. Keep pedalling

5. Keep pedalling (do I really need to tell you that I mean 'slowly' at this point. Perhaps not, let's assume that's a given).

6. Keep pedalling

7. Oh look, the guys seem to have taken a break up there, must be near the top. Keep pedalling.

8. When the other cyclists in your group are close enough to hear you speak, big smile.

9. Stop pedalling and say something like 'actually, that was pretty OK I thought'.

10. Repeat steps 1 to 9 at next hill.

LDB · 01-09-2008 4:50pm

what about St. Patrick's hill that they did yesterday in the final TOI stage? anyone done that? its 25% isn't it.

cantalach · 01-09-2008 8:55pm

LDB wrote: »

what about St. Patrick's hill that they did yesterday in the final TOI stage? anyone done that? its 25% isn't it.

I did it just over an hour ago as it turns out. Yes it's 25% but very short. It's newly resurfaced too with lovely smooth tar - much of it was concrete before. Overall, it's very doable compared to some of the other bergs around the city.

michaelm · 01-09-2008 10:30pm

In my own area (North Tipp) the hardest climb is believed to be what is locally known as "Step" - this is located just outside the village of Silvermines about 6 miles from Nenagh. This is where Paul Kimmage, when making a lone break in one of the Nissan Classics , famously got off his bike and was about to abandon but for the encouragement of a few locals who helped him on his way. This year it was looked at as part of the TOI route but they regarded the descent on the other side as too dangerous.

Raam · 01-09-2008 10:34pm

michaelm wrote: »

In my own area (North Tipp) the hardest climb is believed to be what is locally known as "Step" - this is located just outside the village of Silvermines about 6 miles from Nenagh. This is where Paul Kimmage, when making a lone break in one of the Nissan Classics , famously got off his bike and was about to abandon but for the encouragement of a few locals who helped him on his way. This year it was looked at as part of the TOI route but they regarded the descent on the other side as too dangerous.

RogerB and myself (and a few others from here) did it this year on the TOI sportive. It was nasty as hell. They neutralised the descent and made us all stay behind the lead car, which was fine by me. The ascent was no fun either. It felt like one of those dreams where you are trying to run, but can't.

LDB · 01-09-2008 10:38pm

cantalach wrote: »

I did it just over an hour ago as it turns out. Yes it's 25% but very short. It's newly resurfaced too with lovely smooth tar - much of it was concrete before. Overall, it's very doable compared to some of the other bergs around the city.

Ah right, I was thinking that it might be too short alright to be considered the toughest. I wouldn't relish having to do it 4 times at a fast pace though!

cantalach · 01-09-2008 11:14pm

michaelm wrote: »

In my own area (North Tipp) the hardest climb is believed to be what is locally known as "Step" - this is located just outside the village of Silvermines about 6 miles from Nenagh. This is where Paul Kimmage, when making a lone break in one of the Nissan Classics , famously got off his bike and was about to abandon but for the encouragement of a few locals who helped him on his way. This year it was looked at as part of the TOI route but they regarded the descent on the other side as too dangerous.

Yes, I know the Step, though I haven't actually cycled it because of a catastrophic mechanical the morning I was supposed to go up it a few months back. Of people I know who have done the Step and the Priest's Leap, opinions are divided as to which one takes the honours. They're both killer climbs one way or the other.

TinyExplosions · 02-09-2008 12:29am

Anyone else find it worrying that they are looking at this list thinking "I've got to try that"??

Raam · 02-09-2008 9:18am

Raam wrote: »

RogerB and myself (and a few others from here) did it this year on the TOI sportive. It was nasty as hell. They neutralised the descent and made us all stay behind the lead car, which was fine by me. The ascent was no fun either. It felt like one of those dreams where you are trying to run, but can't.

Sorry, the one we did was Keeper Hill.

michaelm · 02-09-2008 6:04pm

Raam wrote: »

Sorry, the one we did was Keeper Hill.

Are you sure? - there are markings on the road for the Tour of Ireland (only appeared in early May) and they have nothing to do with last week's race as it was going in the other direction.

Toughest Climb in Ireland?

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