Boards 200

Raam

A short while ago, AndyP had a good idea and designed a 200km route.

Here is the original post.
Here is his proposed route.

It takes in all the climbs that we know and "love" so well: Wicklow Gap, Sally Gap, Slieve Mann, Shay Elliot, and the often overlooked, Devil's Glen.

Well, as you may have guessed, I'm not posting this for the good of my health, so here is the proposition... we go for it on Saturday the 19th July.

All you ROK guys will have had two weeks to recover, and it will be good training, if not a little overkill, for the SK Tour.

It won't be easy by any means, but it has long been an ambition of mine to do all those climbs in one day

There are also a number of shorter options proposed
65km
90km
125km

Who is up for it?

Takers so far:-
200
El Tonto
Blorg
RogerB
Raam
NiceOneTom
PeadarofAodh
RTD

125
Caroline_ie
TinyExplosions
LDB
c0rk3r
Mugatu

Start Time: 6am
Rest points: Laragh, Rathdrum

Caroline_ie

Mmmm ... is there a 100 route alternative ...?

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Mmmm ... is there a 100 route alternative ...?

I guess if enough people want one, then it could be done.

Bambaata

i'd be well up for this only for i got other plans :-(

Chips Lovell

Oh boy. That's going to be a tough one. If I'm free, I'll do it. I'm already feeling very masochistic.

blorg

I'm in!

Caroline_ie

Are all your wives and GF volunteering for catering along the way?:pac:

blorg

Nice idea; wouldn't be a 200 if we can't complain about the catering. Hope the route is going to be well marked on the road (who is going out with the yellow paint the day before?) And the times! We will need split times!

On a slightly more serious note I imagine that we should be OK with the shops/cafes in the towns on route, there are a fair few of them. Should probably plan where we will sit down for a sandwich (Laragh and Rathdrum?)

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Are all your wives and GF volunteering for catering along the way?:pac:

Depends how much they love us.

I think half the challenge for me will be finding my way. I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the latter part of the route. It would probably be best to try and stick together as much as possible. If people want to go mental on the climbs, then by all means go for it, but we should re-group at the top. I wouldn't want anyone to be lost out there.

I would expect that food stops would just involve dropping into whatever shops we find along the way. We can agree some towns to stop in for breaks.

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

If people want to go mental on the climbs, then by all means go for it

Are you referring to yourself?

Seriously though, we'd need a very early start. Stopping off for food and water along the way sounds like a plan.

Chips Lovell

For people interested in doing a shorter route on the day, there's potential to turn off at the top of the Sally Gap and head back into town via Glencree, or off at Laragh to go home via Roundwood and Enniskerry.

Explosive_Cornflake

I'd love to do it also, but I won't be about.

Caroline_ie

el tonto wrote: »

For people interested in doing a shorter route on the day, there's potential to turn off at the top of the Sally Gap and head back into town via Glencree, or off at Laragh to go home via Roundwood and Enniskerry.

Maybe that's a better option for me. i was thinking about doing something similar this upcoming weekend actually.

kenmc

I'm at a wedding in Cork that weekend. This way I don't have to cowardly back out of it

Raam

I've added some more details to the first post. They are just as starting points and can be changed to suit consensus.

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

Takers so far:-
El Tonto
Blorg
RogerB
Raam

Jayz, I hope there's more takers than that. I don't fancy chasing you three up those hills all day. We need a few others for the grupetto.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Jayz, I hope there's more takers than that. I don't fancy chasing you three up those hills all day. We need a few others for the grupetto.

Come on everyone, don't be shy...

niceonetom

i can't get that map to work at the moment (some sort of script error?) so i don't really know what i'd be signing up for. that list of climbs gives me the fear. so does the list of climbers.

still stuck on maybe.

Caroline_ie

I'll do the shorter route and wait for you all at the end with fresh beers and a team of nice ladies masseuses.

Raam

niceonetom wrote: »

i can't get that map to work at the moment (some sort of script error?) so i don't really know what i'd be signing up for. that list of climbs gives me the fear. so does the list of climbers.

still stuck on maybe.

Tried to include in original post, but no joy.

Chips Lovell

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I'll do the shorter route and wait for you all at the end with fresh beers and a team of nice ladies masseuses.

Now that's something I'll sign up to.

TinyExplosions

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I'll do the shorter route and wait for you all at the end with fresh beers and a team of nice ladies masseuses.

I'll do the shorter route too and warm the masseuses hands up for ye

Think I might well die on the longer one

LDB

ohhh very professional altogether!
I'll do the 100 but the time ye back back from all those climb's on the 200 we will probably have drunk all the beers

FrankGrimes

I'm recovering from leg surgery and was planning on using cycling as my main form of rehab...doing even the shorter route on this might be a stretch given it's not far away, but stick me down as a maybe to give me something to aim for!

I did an extra 20km on the Wicklow 100 to take in Glencree and Sally Gap and really enjoyed that challenge and it made it just about right for me. A 100km route taking in both Sally Gap and Slieve Mann would be a great test.

Raam

If someone wants to draw up a 100 route, go for it.

Caroline_ie

I say blorg (please??) can prob draw a nice route for us ... if you let me do it will include all the ice cream stops possible ... and we'd end up getting lost in the middle of a hord of sheep ... and you guys would have No masseuse for the end of the day ...

DirkVoodoo

5,000 feet of climbing!!! Whatever happened to the idea of boardsies being lazy computer nerds???

LDB

I say blorg (please??) can prob draw a nice route for us ... if you let me do it will include all the ice cream stops possible ... and we'd end up getting lost in the middle of a hord of sheep ... and you guys would have No masseuse for the end of the day ...

ice cream stops sound perfectly fine to me
I wouldn't have a clue so I vote for blorg too ...

Raam

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

5,000 feet of climbing!!! Whatever happened to the idea of boardsies being lazy computer nerds???

Shall I take that to mean that you are in?

DirkVoodoo

Oh, I sprained my ankle in a non-cycling related incident (obviously) but I too would nominate blorg.

Chips Lovell

Short Route: Boards 65km. Turn off at top of Sally Gap and home via Djouce and Enniskerry.

AndyP

Would you like me to do a nice 100k?

Chips Lovell

Medium Route: Boards 125km. Turn off in Laragh.

Raam

AndyP wrote: »

Would you like me to do a nice 100k?

Go for it. Are you in for the 200 route? After all, you designed it

Caroline_ie

65 is too short, we need a challenge ... not too challenging though (125 is still a bit long )... sorry ... being fussy

AndyP

Raam wrote: »

Go for it. Are you in for the 200 route? After all, you designed it

Unfortunatley not. Due to the nature of my work (working every Saturday and Summer being the busiest time) I would need a lot more notice than 3 weeks, closer to 3 months! Not to mention the training I would need, a tooth infection has kept me off the bike for a while now:(

For anyone designing a shorter route, try to follow the 200 as far as Laragh, at least it keeps the Boards group together for the longest possible distance.

Caroline_ie

That'd be nice if we all had our Boards gear by then

AndyP

el tonto wrote: »

Short Route: Boards 65km. Turn off at top of Sally Gap and home via Djouce and Enniskerry.

Maybe just edit this one to on through Glenmacnass to Laragh and back through Roundwood, Ballinastoe, Enniskerry etc..

PS The start point on the original is roughly the water tower in UCD but you can change that to wherever you want without affecting the distance much (maybe the usual Dd start point).

AndyP

90k route

FrankGrimes

Is there anyway to see a breakdown of the route on those MapMyRide routes? I'm not familiar enough with the area to recognise the routes, main interest is to see the main climbs and the overall climb amount.

Chips Lovell

AndyP wrote: »

...I would need a lot more notice than 3 weeks, closer to 3 months! Not to mention the training I would need, a tooth infection has kept me off the bike for a while now...

All talk and no trousers eh?

FrankGrimes

AndyP wrote: »

90k route

That seems like a good route - if I'm reading it right it involves climbing from Firhouse up to the Hell Fire Club then onto Glencree and over the Sally Gap, with those being the main climbs?

Again, not 100% that I'll be fit to do it, but that would be a lovely route I reckon.

Caroline_ie

AndyP wrote: »

90k route

I like that one - Thanks

PeadarofAodh

If I can sort myself a bike in time (See my bike getting swiped thread...) I'd be up for seeing if I can transfer rowing fitness to cycling! Never done 200 before, should be interesting.

AndyP

FrankGrimes wrote: »

That seems like a good route - if I'm reading it right it involves climbing from Firhouse up to the Hell Fire Club then onto Glencree and over the Sally Gap, with those being the main climbs?

Again, not 100% that I'll be fit to do it, but that would be a lovely route I reckon.

Yeah thats pretty much it. I put the back road from Laragh to Rounwood on it, nice around there.

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I like that one - Thanks

No problemo.

el tonto wrote: »

All talk and no trousers eh?

Yep, you nust know me!:p


If I get a minute later, I will do a more detailed breakdown of the two routes (junctions etc).

c0rk3r

REgistering interest for the 90km or whatever people settle on. Still have to attempt sally gap. Will do so this sunday also need to get myself some shoes and clipless pedals. Any recommendations ?

Chips Lovell

c0rk3r wrote: »

...also need to get myself some shoes and clipless pedals. Any recommendations ?

Look Keos. Light, secure and pretty easy to get used to.

As for shoes, it's probably a bit more personal since everyone's different.

dub_skav

Sounds like a great plan. I'll be on a stag unfortunately, would have been on for the 200 (may as well claim that seeing as I won't be doing it). Looks like one hell of a group for the 200, I'll be interested to here how you all get on.

This whole boarss cycling community thing is very refreshing, keep all the enthusiasm and ideas going

LDB

sounds like the 200 will have to be run again for all those people who want to do it but (conveniently) can't make it!

RtD

Hmm, interesting. Don't know if I'll be fit for the 200 though, spending the next two weekends at music festivals and the weeks inbetween recovering I'll decide closer to the day if I'll be able for the 200 or 100.

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Are you referring to yourself?

I don't know how I missed this earlier. But, erm... OK, ya got me, I've no response :pac: