Wicklow 200

Chips Lovell

They've announced the 2008 route. It's much the same as last year, but this time you go left at the top of the Sally gap and go over Djouce before heading on to Laragh.

trinewbie

Nice variation on last years route - That descent off the shoulder of djouce is seriously fast, then onto "the wall" - goodbye legs.

Raam

trinewbie wrote: »

Nice variation on last years route - That descent off the shoulder of djouce is seriously fast, then onto "the wall" - goodbye legs.

The proposed descent from the Sally Gap is a bit of a belter too. I'm always afraid that I'll take flight from some of the bumps.

trinewbie

Yeah - the little humpback bridge can be scary flat out!:eek:

Hungrycol

Can't wait.... Look out for me. I'll be the one wheezing all the way!

cunnins4

200k is such a long distance, I'm gonna try to do it, but with exams and projects and stuff I'll find it hard to get up to that distance.

Hungrycol: we shall wheeze together, i'll draft off you though!:p

Raam

cunnins4 wrote: »

200k is such a long distance, I'm gonna try to do it, but with exams and projects and stuff I'll find it hard to get up to that distance.

Hungrycol: we shall wheeze together, i'll draft off you though!:p

I did it last year for the first time. Put in the training and you will be fine

ba

does anyobdy feel that a boards.ie gathering should take place at this yrs wicklow 200? while there may be a broad range of fitness levels, itll still be a nice thing to do, if some are going alone. ??

id personally like to meet some of the usual heads from this site.

Raam

We could organise a training ride prior to it maybe?

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

We could organise a training ride prior to it maybe?

And do Membrane's "Is low gearing better" challenge in the process.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

And do Membrane's "Is low gearing better" challenge in the process.

Yes, and do it after we have been cycling for 100km and the group has thinned out

trinewbie

Sounds like a plan.

cunnins4

Sounds good.:D








must get out on the bike again soon....

Planet X

Why don't you all do a few other Sportifs before the 200, like the Mount Leinster Challenge etc to get yourself well prepared.
Bray wheelers, Sorrento, Orwell do a few sportifs in the months before the 200.
Well worth doing a few testing rides before the big one. It will stand to you.

ba

count me in

King Kelly

Mount Leinster Challenge is a great training ride for the W200. Quiet roads with plenty of climbing and great food in Kiltealy village! Its on Sunday 18th May this year.

http://www.slaneycyclingclub.com/club-tours.html

TinyExplosions

June 8th should be after my exams, so I may be up for it... only problem is that I'm pretty unfit and ride a fixed gear, so I'll be the guy at the back!

Definitely up for a boards meet up though

Chips Lovell

Planet X wrote: »

Why don't you all do a few other Sportifs before the 200, like the Mount Leinster Challenge etc to get yourself well prepared.
Bray wheelers, Sorrento, Orwell do a few sportifs in the months before the 200.
Well worth doing a few testing rides before the big one. It will stand to you.

Yep, did one of the Bray ones last year which was kind of handy.

TinyExplosions wrote: »

June 8th should be after my exams, so I may be up for it... only problem is that I'm pretty unfit and ride a fixed gear, so I'll be the guy at the back!

W200 on a fixie? That should be interesting.

TinyExplosions

el tonto wrote: »

W200 on a fixie? That should be interesting.

I think death defying rather than interesting, considering I'm a total noob to long distance... may flip to single-speed though, I'll see how some training rides go leading up to it!

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I think death defying rather than interesting, considering I'm a total noob to long distance... may flip to single-speed though, I'll see how some training rides go leading up to it!

If you can get up Slieve Mann after 130km on a fixie, I'll buy you a new bike! *


* Offer will not be honoured

cunnins4

Eh, is this even possible on a double?

Raam

cunnins4 wrote: »

Eh, is this even possible on a double?

It sure is.

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

If you can get up Slieve Mann after 130km on a fixie, I'll buy you a new bike! *


* Offer will not be honoured

I'll take you up on that *

*challenge may not be accepted

What I'll probably do is train on my fixie, and then a couple weeks before get one with gears

Chips Lovell

Have you ever ridden your fixie on any of these roads?

TinyExplosions

Not yet, hence my stupid level of bravado

Will take some of them on this weekend and see how I fair

Capt'n Midnight

TinyExplosions wrote: »

June 8th should be after my exams, so I may be up for it... only problem is that I'm pretty unfit and ride a fixed gear, so I'll be the guy at the back!

Definitely up for a boards meet up though

the 'clash was done on a fixed wheel but was a lot flatter

Hungrycol

If someone hears of an upcoming sportive e.g. Mount Leinster Challange mentioned earlier, can you post up it as a new topic/thread. Would hate to miss an opportunity to get in some organised mileage bwfore the W200.

Ta muchly....

Raam

We should get a sticky going.

Here's the ones I am doing...
Tour Of Ireland (May 9th - May 12th)
Wicklow 200 (June 8th)
Sean Kelly Tour (August 24th)

Here are the ones I know about...
Ring Of Kerry
Mount Leinster Challenge
Lap The Lough

Capt'n Midnight

I haven't copied the contact details - email / phone numbers on original page
http://sorrentocyclingclub.com/site/?page_id=25

AUDAX Ireland Events 2008


13/4/08 Clash 200 Start @ 08.00hrs Bray
11/5/08 Midleton 200 Start @ 08.00hrs Midleton
25/5/08 Mick Byrne 200 Start 08.00hrs Dalkey
21/6/08 Surf and Turf 300 Start 08.00hrs Clonmel
5/7/08 REK400 Start @ 02.00hrs Dundrum
24/8/08 Dying Cow 200 Start @08.00 hrs Bray

ventoux

The Carlow club have a tough century usually on first Sun of month.
It takes in the Cut and Wolftrap and a few other smaller ones and its a
good test to see what the iegs are like.Also there is a heated poolat the end we can use and loads of grub.

doozerie

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Not yet, hence my stupid level of bravado

Will take some of them on this weekend and see how I fair

Good luck to you! Whatever about the climbs causing you problems, beware of some of the faster descents 'cos on a fixie some of them are likely to be very dodgy.

ventoux

ventoux wrote: »

The Carlow club have a tough century usually on first Sun of month.
It takes in the Cut and Wolftrap and a few other smaller ones and its a
good test to see what the iegs are like.Also there is a heated poolat the end we can use and loads of grub.

Sorry but I forgot to mention the month which is May.

blorg

cunnins4 wrote: »

Eh, is this even possible on a double?

Most people do it on a double, because they are REAL cyclists.

Mind you last year I was passing plenty of these cyclists on the climbs with my triple, many of which were walking by the time we got to Slieve Mann

But yes, it is perfectly doable with a double. Certainly easier with a compact or triple though.

There is plenty of time for training from now; I had never done close to that distance in one go before and was planning on doing the 100k but ended up doing the 200 on the day and was fine.

Chips Lovell

I remember reading on the W200 forum that some guy from one of the clubs went up Slieve Mann in his big ring. Think it was the year before last.

blorg

BTW that reminds me my last minute entry last year was thanks to el tonto's broken finger. Hope that all healed up OK; thanks again for the entry! You are in Madrid now? (I am presuming you didn't make it up to that mountain pass starting from Dublin on Stephen's Day, if however you did, extra extra well done.)

paddylast

hi all

never heard of this wiklow 200 until just stumbled across this post.sounds very interesting have to say.many amateurs with the run of the mill mountain bike do this?

what kind of times are people doing this in?

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

You are in Madrid now? (I am presuming you didn't make it up to that mountain pass starting from Dublin on Stephen's Day, if however you did, extra extra well done.)

No I was just there for a few week's at Christmas. My wife is from that part of the world, which means I get the pleasure of cycling on proper roads and up proper mountains a few times a year. Finger healed up nicely in the end, although it did keep me off the bike for a good while.

blorg

Hi Paddy, it's almost 100% "amateurs" but many would be very varying levels of "enthusiast" ;-) Almost all would be on road bikes; it is a long and hilly course and would be a long way to go on a mountain bike. There is however a 100km course that would have more mountain bikes etc. on it. It's not a race and you have up to 14 hours to complete. I did it last year in 8 hours cycling + 2 hours lounging around the checkpoints; I would imagine this was around the middle.

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

No I was just there for a few week's at Christmas. My wife is from that part of the world, which means I get the pleasure of cycling on proper roads and up proper mountains a few times a year. Finger healed up nicely in the end, although it did keep me off the bike for a good while.

It is a nice country for cycling all right although I have rarely had the opportunity without ~30kg of bike+panniers+tent to lug up those proper mountains. I found those "snowflake" warning signs you get up the mountains amusing in 40 degree heat (well as amusing as you can find anything at that temperature) but I guess your photo proves they don't lie after all.

Raam

paddylast wrote: »

hi all

never heard of this wiklow 200 until just stumbled across this post.sounds very interesting have to say.many amateurs with the run of the mill mountain bike do this?

what kind of times are people doing this in?

I clocked up 7.5hrs. I didn't stop at the breaks apart from getting my card scanned. I ended up doing pretty much the whole thing on my own because I started just after 6 and there was hardly anyone else going at that stage. I think have the proud honour of being the first 200 entrant through the Donnard and the Rathdrum checkpoints Everyone caught up with me after that and the route also joins back with the 100 at that point.

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

I found those "snowflake" warning signs you get up the mountains amusing in 40 degree heat (well as amusing as you can find anything at that temperature) but I guess your photo proves they don't lie after all.

There's even a ski station at the top of that pass.

Raam wrote: »

I clocked up 7.5hrs. I didn't stop at the breaks apart from getting my card scanned....

That's good going. Rushing home for Sunday dinner?

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

There's even a ski station at the top of that pass.



That's good going. Rushing home for Sunday dinner?

I got into a good groove that day. Paid for it going over Djouce though.

Planet X

Well done Raam. I got around in 8hr 10 mins but stopped at all the re fuelling stops and had a good sit down. The previous year I did 8hr 30mins.
Did you do the Mount Leinster? Corabutt Gap was fun (not!)

Raam

thanks mate. Never done Mount Leinster Challenge. I heard that one of the hills is a killer, must be the one you are talking about.

King Kelly

Links below to profile of Mount Leinster climbs from Corrabutt and Bunclody directions. The Mount Leinster challenge goes up from both directions (!) but avoids the final climb to the RTE mast all of which is in excess of 10% and must be 15%+ in parts.

The climb to the mast is from the Nine Stones car park/viewing area and is a private road owned by RTE with a locked gate. Its mainly used by walkers but theres a stile you can carry the bike over if you wish. WARNING this is a serious climb with a even more serious really straight high speed descent.


http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Leinster-Mount&qryMountainID=7208

http://www.climbbybike.com/climb.asp?Col=Leinster-Mount&qryMountainID=7207

Raam

Online entry has been open for at least ten minutes. I trust you have all secured your place?

Planet X

Just payed for 200.

blorg

Just entered. Anyone have a weather forecast for 8th June?

Planet X

Should be like tonight, about minus 5.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Just entered. Anyone have a weather forecast for 8th June?

I hope it's the same as the day we had last year, a total beauty.

blorg

Raam wrote: »

I hope it's the same as the day we had last year, a total beauty.

I agree, beautiful day. Our "summer" started shortly after... Didn't stop people complaining about "the heeeat." I blame them for what transpired from June to August.