Toughest Climb in Ireland?

ryan_sherlock · 16-12-2010 5:12pm

I mentioned it in another thread - but posting on this one as it is a little relevant. The Strava website has a built in mechanism for giving ratings to particular climbs. I think they use something similar to what Dan writes about here: http://djconnel.blogspot.com/2010/07/rating-climbs-summary.html

Basically, since I have started using it, the only HC climb I have done is in the US - a 30km monster.

The Climb from Cruagh to the Top which I often use for testing is only a Cat 2: http://app.strava.com/segments/631100

Seems inline with what it would be in the Tour...

Other climbs I have added in the Dublin area: http://app.strava.com/segments/search?keywords=&cat=%3E%3D4&location=Dublin%2C+Ireland

I'll keep adding in more as I get around to it. (My times added are not that quick, so go out and grab some KOMs [or QOMs])

lukester · 16-12-2010 7:51pm

Stats heaven, I like it.

smacl · 17-12-2010 10:04am

ryan_sherlock wrote: »

The Climb from Cruagh to the Top which I often use for testing is only a Cat 2: http://app.strava.com/segments/631100

Seems inline with what it would be in the Tour...

Other climbs I have added in the Dublin area: http://app.strava.com/segments/search?keywords=&cat=%3E%3D4&location=Dublin%2C+Ireland

I'll keep adding in more as I get around to it. (My times added are not that quick, so go out and grab some KOMs [or QOMs])

Great post. Here's a few more ramps in the general vicinity that have left me needing an oxygen tent by the time I made the top. Military road from Cunard, and Old long hill from Powerscourt waterfall. Short sharp shocks, both of them. A great spin is Cruagh / Sallygap / right down towards blessington / Seefin / Seahan / briefly onto boharnabreena, then back into the dodder / Cunard / Grassamucky and military road / Kilakee home.
Note the Seefin / Seehan road has some potholes you could lose a lorry in, and IMO benefits from wider tyres. If you can get across fire roads, the link from Kilmashogue to ticknock includes a pretty severe climb.

ryan_sherlock · 17-12-2010 12:37pm

smacl wrote: »

Here's a few more ramps in the general vicinity that have left me needing an oxygen tent by the time I made the top.

Nice looking climbs - do you have a GPS? get them entered in. It would be cool to have a big repository of climbs... A feature I want from Strava is then that they can push a tcx/gpx etc... to my device so I can try the ride... Maybe have the "ghost rider" as the KOM? or your PB?

smacl · 17-12-2010 3:10pm

The GPS I have is a quite old Garmin GPSmap 76CS, designed more for hikers than cyclists with pretty poor background maps. I use it in conjunction with (again old) OSI trailmaster software, from which I can upload routes and download tracks. I just checked and I can also import and export GPX from this software, which means I could either ride a route and save it as a GPX or sketch a route and save it as a GPX (see sample attached). The areas that I have 3d OSi data for are also limited, so sketched data outside those areas will be 2d. The OSi height data tends to be quite a bit better than most free web data as it is based on OS aerial survey data as opposed to the freely available SRTM model used for base data in most free systems. My GPS has a barometric altimeter, so relative heights tend to be quite good.

I've no problem posting GPX files of any routes that I've got or am planning. If you're planning on building up a collection of routes, it might be worth putting together a decent naming convention at the outset. Something simple like <Starting county>-<Starting description>-[Mid point description]-[Ending description], e.g Wicklow-Enniskerry-Glencree-Laragh-Enniskerry.GPX

on_the_nickel · 31-05-2011 8:42pm

Can anyone explain what the story is with the Challenge BIG website? Just a means of logging which of the 1000 climbs you've done, or is there something more to it than that?

seve65 · 19-06-2011 9:34pm

Just in answer to other thread about cat 1 climbs in Ireland, there arent any. Here are the cat 2 climbs, as detected so far by Strava:

Bohernabreena
Conor Pass N-S
Conor Pass S-N
Cruagh Bridge
Knockshannahullion
Mt Leinster
Mullaghanish Service Road
Priests Leap
SlieveMane West
Tickincor to Powers
Wicklow Gap west

ROK ON · 19-06-2011 9:45pm

Did Priest Leap yday in a head on gale.
Think I may have torn a hamstring. Still in agony today. Including stops took 57 mins. About 41 mins cycling the 5.5km says the Garmin.
Hits 27% once. Too many 15% + parts.
Half way up stopped at a flattish part dying for air. An eldest farmer asked was I lost. When I replied no and I was going to cycle up he said in finest west Cork that I was an awful fuc*in eegit. I cannot disagree with him.

I am more sore today than I have ever been on a bike ride.
Made it to top of Tourmalet, Hautacam, Aspin without stopping
Up Slieve Maan, Shay Eliot, Corabutt Gap, Conor Pass without putting a foot down.

I put the foot on the floor three times on the Leap.

Never ever ever never again for as long as I live.

HobbyMan · 19-06-2011 9:58pm

I did a hilly cycle today and thought that I would test myself towards the end of my cycle and rode the hill on the right between EMC and the Farran Golf Club turn off ( opposite Casey's Road ) on the main road West ( N22 ).

Not that I am a good cyclist, far from it, but I stopped, panting in the heat, three times before I turned back.

I have a 53/39 - 26/12 set up but I just couldn't cycle up it without stopping. Maybe when the legs are fresher.

Does anyone have any info on the hill ( ie gradient etc ) ?

Edit: When I turned around to go back down I was a bit scared that I'd end up going over the handlebars. Pretty steep indeed.

vistafinder · 19-06-2011 10:11pm

ROK ON Its tough enough on a calm day not to mind the wind that was there yesterday it is unreal tough climb. Every time i go up there i think why the feck did i take up cycling but i think it more of a constant grade from the Kerry side and there is less dips so no time to recover but the next time i go up from the cork side i will probably think that side is worse. I know the feeling:pac:

cantalach · 20-06-2011 12:20am

ROK ON wrote: »

Did Priest Leap yday in a head on gale.
Think I may have torn a hamstring. Still in agony today. Including stops took 57 mins. About 41 mins cycling the 5.5km says the Garmin.

Ah but deep down you love the pain and misery.

Despite my best ever performances on the Priest's Leap yesterday, I was still denied the Strava KOM by one of the young lads who outclimbed me by 15 seconds. Next time...

2 Wheels Good · 20-06-2011 1:19am

seve65 wrote: »

Just in answer to other thread about cat 1 climbs in Ireland, there arent any. Here are the cat 2 climbs, as detected so far by Strava:

Bohernabreena
Conor Pass N-S
Conor Pass S-N
Cruagh Bridge
Knockshannahullion
Mt Leinster
Mullaghanish Service Road
Priests Leap
SlieveMane West
Tickincor to Powers
Wicklow Gap west

Talking of hills, how's the training for the Etape going?

sy · 20-06-2011 1:24am

ROK ON wrote: »

Did Priest Leap yday in a head on gale................
Half way up stopped at a flattish part dying for air. An eldest farmer asked was I lost. When I replied no and I was going to cycle up he said in finest west Cork that I was an awful fuc*in eegit. I cannot disagree with him.
..............

Never ever ever never again for as long as I live.

Pure poetry

love it.
As for the last statement, I don't believe you.... you will want to ride it without a 'foot down'

What gear were you using. Climbed Mamore Gap 2 weeks ago (after an epic 226kms into a headwind the previous day) Steepest climb I've ever ridden here. Loved to have tried it 20 years ago :pac:
That Priest's Leap sounds savage, will have to try it sometime

Hope the hamstring ok

FISMA · 20-06-2011 3:52am

+1 for Keeper's Hill by the Silvermines in Tip.

At the beginning it is pretty nicely overgrown with trees covering the road. There's a nice switch back that when wet, which is almost always the case, is really tough to cycle out of the saddle and keep traction.

This hill is particularly nasty because it just doesn't seem to want to lock into a grade. The changes in slope just keep coming - breaking up your rhythm.

Then the descent back towards the town is fun.

michaelm · 20-06-2011 7:04am

ROK ON wrote: »

Hits 27% once.

Is there any hill in the country greater than 27% max?

michaelm · 20-06-2011 7:08am

FISMA wrote: »

+1 for Keeper's Hill by the Silvermines in Tip.

At the beginning it is pretty nicely overgrown with trees covering the road. There's a nice switch back that when wet, which is almost always the case, is really tough to cycle out of the saddle and keep traction.

This hill is particularly nasty because it just doesn't seem to want to lock into a grade. The changes in slope just keep coming - breaking up your rhythm.

Then the descent back towards the town is fun.

Think you may mean what is locally know as "Step", mentioned a number of times in the early part of this thread, the ascent begins just a few hundred metres from the village of Silvermines. Tough one alright, especially when the dreaded wheelspin starts.

iregk · 20-06-2011 8:23am

Bohernabreena. Where exactly are we talking here? If its where I think it is its never a cat 2 climb!

ROK ON · 20-06-2011 8:38am

iregk wrote: »

Bohernabreena. Where exactly are we talking here? If its where I think it is its never a cat 2 climb!

The side coming out of Tallaght is in fairness a tough climb and a great descent.
If you're thinking of the road from Brittas up then yep it's more of an undulating drag.

iregk · 20-06-2011 8:52am

No thats where I was thinking. It's a very tough climb especially the final section up Ballnascorney around the golf club to the right. I wouldn't have thought it was long enough to be a cat 2. I'd have said 3 at an absolute max.

Another decent climb for anyone is go up the N81 and turn off at Hazel Grove golf club just before the Topaz garage at Citywest. Gets you off the N81 and is a nice long climb.

cantalach · 20-06-2011 8:56am

michaelm wrote: »

Think you may mean what is locally know as "Step", mentioned a number of times in the early part of this thread, the ascent begins just a few hundred metres from the village of Silvermines. Tough one alright, especially when the dreaded wheelspin starts.

Yes, the Step is completely different to Keeper Hill. Here's the Google streetview having just gone over the top of the Step heading away from Silvermines village. The big hill straight ahead is Keeper Hill.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=52.775485,-8.230648&spn=0,0.066047&t=p&z=15&layer=c&cbll=52.774717,-8.231015&panoid=_PSVKxkilqpmr7HSXA-lXg&cbp=12,220.12,,0,3.27

mcgratheoin · 20-06-2011 9:02am

iregk wrote: »

No thats where I was thinking. It's a very tough climb especially the final section up Ballnascorney around the golf club to the right. I wouldn't have thought it was long enough to be a cat 2. I'd have said 3 at an absolute max.

Does the Bohernabreena climb include the section up left towards the Army range? If so it makes it a good bit harder than just straight up the road - can't see it being a 2 without this bit.
map here

Morrisseeee · 20-06-2011 9:07am

michaelm wrote: »

Is there any hill in the country greater than 27% max?

Yep, loads, it really just depends on the length of that section of road at 27-30%. So the Q is: where in Ireland is that longest section of road that is at ~30% ??!! In fact there are people's driveways that are probably at more than 30% around the country, but again would be just short sections.
Some climbs are tougher than others, because of headwind, switchbacks, changing gradients, etc, but most people think that a certain climb is tough because it has a section at 30% (for 50m) but what about that climb at 14% for 2.6km !!

iregk · 20-06-2011 9:13am

I think the main point is that we are in Ireland so lets rephrase the question. Are there are any sections of 30% of any decent length that are actually ridable. There are plenty of very difficult climbs where it turns into gravel like roads that you just can't do.

Morrisseeee · 20-06-2011 9:20am

No, the Q is valid, ie. what is considered to be the 'toughest' climb in Ireland, but it needn't be that short steep climb where 30% is mentioned, but it could be a not so steep climb with loads of gradients, or a long climb into the wind etc. As part of the answer we might find out what section of road has the longest section at 30% or greater!!
For me the toughest climb in Ireland is definitely that climb to the mast on Mt Leinster.

ednwireland · 20-06-2011 9:26am

michaelm wrote: »

Is there any hill in the country greater than 27% max?

clifs of moher/ sleive league

from the sea

ThisRegard · 20-06-2011 10:07am

iregk wrote: »

Another decent climb for anyone is go up the N81 and turn off at Hazel Grove golf club just before the Topaz garage at Citywest. Gets you off the N81 and is a nice long climb.

Used to do that regularly as kids on our mountain bikes, wouldn't think twice about it. I doubt I'd be so enthusiastic these days.

Special Red · 20-06-2011 10:43am

ROK ON wrote: »

Did Priest Leap yday in a head on gale.
Think I may have torn a hamstring. Still in agony today. Including stops took 57 mins. About 41 mins cycling the 5.5km says the Garmin.
Hits 27% once. Too many 15% + parts.
Half way up stopped at a flattish part dying for air. An eldest farmer asked was I lost. When I replied no and I was going to cycle up he said in finest west Cork that I was an awful fuc*in eegit. I cannot disagree with him.

I am more sore today than I have ever been on a bike ride.
Made it to top of Tourmalet, Hautacam, Aspin without stopping
Up Slieve Maan, Shay Eliot, Corabutt Gap, Conor Pass without putting a foot down.

I put the foot on the floor three times on the Leap.

Never ever ever never again for as long as I live.

Did it as well on Saturday ROK and I agree with your last statement. Never again! Got off 3 times also when I felt the hamstrings tightening. You try and draw positives from everything you do so I'll positively will not go up the Priest's Leap again

seve65 · 20-06-2011 7:16pm

iregk wrote: »

Bohernabreena. Where exactly are we talking here? If its where I think it is its never a cat 2 climb!

See Ryan Sherlocks KOM on Bohernabreena. 5.5Km average 6.6%, ascent 360m
http://app.strava.com/segments/652111

redmenace1 · 20-06-2011 9:24pm

Morrisseeee wrote: »

For me the toughest climb in Ireland is definitely that climb to the mast on Mt Leinster.

Yes I agree - its savage

FISMA · 21-06-2011 2:00am

michaelm wrote: »

Think you may mean what is locally know as "Step", mentioned a number of times in the early part of this thread, the ascent begins just a few hundred metres from the village of Silvermines. Tough one alright, especially when the dreaded wheelspin starts.

Perhaps, I am doing it backwards. When I descend the hill, at the end, at the stop, make a left for the center of town. If you make a right it takes you away from town and eventually by a nice farm house - the owner of Ryan Aer I believe? The left takes you towards the miner's statue.

I actually come in the Boher side, make a right, continue on a bit of a bóithrín, and eventually, make the left.

I never enter the town of Silvermines. Again, coming from the Boher side.

There's an auld fella I always say hi to but can never stop for a chat. He's got a mad dog chompin at the bit. I've been tempted to ask him to let him off - for a bit of a sprint!

Toughest Climb in Ireland?

Comments