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Toughest Climb in Ireland?

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    #512
    Quickpip
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭Quickpip


    In the table how is the climb rating worked out. What is the formula used?


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    #513
    irishrover99
    Registered Users Posts: 2,023 ✭✭✭irishrover99


    Has anyone got a link for the segments from Enniskerry-kippure and the one that goes from enniskerry- Liam Horner- kippure.

    I can't find them using my phone and want to give them a try this week


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    #514
    TheBlaaMan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,442 ✭✭✭TheBlaaMan


    Quickpip wrote: »
    In the table how is the climb rating worked out. What is the formula used?

    I remember working this out as something along the lines of :


    Difficulty Rating = (Distance) x (Weighting) x (Gradient to the power of 2.5)

    I was never sure where the weighting number came from....

    It was Seve65 who put up the list, but I don't think he has been on here for a year or so.


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    #515
    thekooman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭thekooman


    this has to be added to the list:
    https://www.strava.com/segments/2242055

    its a tarred road (access road isn't, need MTB/CX) to the Booster outside Castlebar.
    13% for 2km
    Engine management light was on... never thought about getting off a bike until i did that.


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    #516
    thekooman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭thekooman


    thekooman wrote: »
    this has to be added to the list:
    https://www.strava.com/segments/2242055

    its a tarred road (access road isn't, need MTB/CX) to the Booster outside Castlebar.
    13% for 2km
    Engine management light was on... never thought about getting off a bike until i did that.

    did up the Difficulty calculation
    ele k grad Grad ^2.5 Weight Diff Rating
    278 2 13 609.3381656 1.1 1340.543964

    so thats 4th on the list behind Minaun. must do Minaun sometime.


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    #517
    Galego
    Registered Users Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭Galego


    That private road off Burnfoot is certainly the toughest i've come across in this island. What the formula, or stats, doesnt tell you is that it is super exposed to wind or that the road is not smooth, it is more like slats of tarmac.

    Unreal climb!


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    #518
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users Posts: 24,954 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    irishrover99 wrote: »
    Has anyone got a link for the segments from Enniskerry-kippure and the one that goes from enniskerry- Liam Horner- kippure.

    I can't find them using my phone and want to give them a try this week
    I realise I'm over a year late with the answer but here you are:


    Enniskerry to Kippure:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/4841082

    If you start at Bray Harbour, you can make it a 25km climb:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/9412109

    Via Liam Horner:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/10264021


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    #519
    Plastik
    Registered Users Posts: 2,965 ✭✭✭Plastik


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »
    I realise I'm over a year late with the answer but here you are:


    Enniskerry to Kippure:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/4841082

    If you start at Bray Harbour, you can make it a 25km climb:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/9412109

    Via Liam Horner:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/10264021

    *segment - that's not all 25km of climbing. The nearest you'll get to all climbing is starting at the N11.

    https://www.strava.com/segments/9609032


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    #520
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users Posts: 24,954 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    Plastik wrote: »
    *segment - that's not all 25km of climbing. The nearest you'll get to all climbing is starting at the N11.

    https://www.strava.com/segments/9609032
    Yes, there's a bit of a dip of about 1km on the N11 but many climbs have descents within them Priest's Leap, Gap of Mamore etc.


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    #521
    Plastik
    Registered Users Posts: 2,965 ✭✭✭Plastik


    You don't include the climb out of Hollywood when you talk about climbing the Wicklow Gap. There's a difference between a dip during what is otherwise considered a climb, and including the an extra couple of rolling hills in advance of a climb.

    The extra 5km of urban setting, traffic lights, crap bike lanes, roundabouts and traffic only detract from the whole thing IMO. Two good segments, but the N11 start is undoubtedly the better. Must give it a go again and see if I can get closer to the top of the leaderboard. I'm surprised there are only 52 entries, looks like the segment finishes in a strange place.


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    #522
    Galego
    Registered Users Posts: 1,231 ✭✭✭Galego


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »
    Yes, there's a bit of a dip of about 1km on the N11 but many climbs have descents within them Priest's Leap, Gap of Mamore etc.

    Gap of Mamore's dip must be like what 10meters!? :-)


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    #523
    g0g
    Registered Users Posts: 2,777 ✭✭✭g0g


    A post on the Evil thread gave me the idea of trying out Green Lane yesterday, which reminded me of this old thread. Not the longest climb ever (1.2km) but my god it felt like one of the toughest I've done! Add to that the fact that you have to get half way up Red Lane to start! There's a brief downhill between the turnoff from Red Lane and the start of this (which probably ruins the average) but otherwise if you added both uphills together (0.8km @ 10% + 1.2km @ 11.7%) it would surely be up there!


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    #524
    smacl
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,708 Mod ✭✭✭✭smacl


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »
    I realise I'm over a year late with the answer but here you are:


    Enniskerry to Kippure:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/4841082

    If you start at Bray Harbour, you can make it a 25km climb:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/9412109

    Via Liam Horner:

    https://www.strava.com/segments/10264021

    Tougher route for me would be via Cunard, albeit less total climbing but a much shorter overall route. Worst bit for me about Kippure is cross-winds on the descent if it is in anyway breezy.


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    #525
    Tony04
    Registered Users Posts: 646 ✭✭✭Tony04


    12 years late and wrong answer to the OP but shanrahan (tipperary side) is an absolute hidden gem of a climb 4.2k +323m at 7% making it probably the toughest paved climb in the comeraghs/knockmealdowns/galtees. Did it the other week, brutal but beautiful, a must if you're in the area.

    https://veloviewer.com/segments/4163725?filter=overall

    Shame they never built a pass over the galtees.


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    #526
    Doctors room ghost
    Registered Users Posts: 4,800 ✭✭✭Doctors room ghost


    The corkscrew in ballyvaughan is a tough one especially of a muggy day and no breeze


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    #527
    Daroxtar
    Registered Users Posts: 4,319 ✭✭✭Daroxtar


    Doctors room ghost wrote: »
    The corkscrew in ballyvaughan is a tough one especially of a muggy day and no breeze

    I drove over that last week and thought "Oh yeah, that's a sneaky one". The segment on Strava is a bit long and doesn't convey the steepness around the hairpins.


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    #528
    ednwireland
    Registered Users Posts: 14,291 ✭✭✭✭ednwireland


    Doctors room ghost wrote: »
    The corkscrew in ballyvaughan is a tough one especially of a muggy day and no breeze

    nah cut across from kilfernorra to poulnabroune found a very short brute of a climb on a back road. managed to jam the chain between the front rings after getting caught out trying to shift down. corkscrew was easy in comparison.

    My weather

    https://www.ecowitt.net/home/share?authorize=96CT1F



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    #529
    Daroxtar
    Registered Users Posts: 4,319 ✭✭✭Daroxtar


    ednwireland wrote: »
    nah cut across from kilfernorra to poulnabroune found a very short brute of a climb on a back road. managed to jam the chain between the front rings after getting caught out trying to shift down. corkscrew was easy in comparison.

    Drove that as well. Only a couple of hundred metres but properly steep!
    Edit,found it, The Burren Wall, 600m @12.9%


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    #530
    at1withmyself
    Registered Users Posts: 2,477 ✭✭✭at1withmyself


    Daroxtar wrote: »
    Drove that as well. Only a couple of hundred metres but properly steep!

    That would probably be megahill, tis a beast alright but thankfully short


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    #531
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,637 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Tony04 wrote: »
    12 years late and wrong answer to the OP but shanrahan (tipperary side) is an absolute hidden gem of a climb 4.2k +323m at 7% making it probably the toughest paved climb in the comeraghs/knockmealdowns/galtees. Did it the other week, brutal but beautiful, a must if you're in the area.

    https://veloviewer.com/segments/4163725?filter=overall

    Shame they never built a pass over the galtees.

    Agreed, did it once and suffered like a dog albeit a few years ago. I've never been tempted to go back until recently when we drove up it looking for a waterfall.

    The drop down the other side is deadly though but gives a nice loop back into Ballypooreen.


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    #532
    Tony04
    Registered Users Posts: 646 ✭✭✭Tony04


    Ah man you have to get back up it. The climb is alot harder than some of the most famous Wicklow climbs, wicklow gap, sally gap etc, so definitely one of my favourites, cant wait to get back up it, but it probably will be next summer.
    I think I averaged less than 30kph on the descent, definitely treacherous, at one point there was a bridge with stream over it rather than under it. But a climb isnt about the descent!
    Very scenic aswell


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    #533
    Don't Chute!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,842 ✭✭✭Don't Chute!


    g0g wrote: »
    A post on the Evil thread gave me the idea of trying out Green Lane yesterday, which reminded me of this old thread. Not the longest climb ever (1.2km) but my god it felt like one of the toughest I've done! Add to that the fact that you have to get half way up Red Lane to start! There's a brief downhill between the turnoff from Red Lane and the start of this (which probably ruins the average) but otherwise if you added both uphills together (0.8km @ 10% + 1.2km @ 11.7%) it would surely be up there!

    Yeah that one is brutal. I live only about 5k from it and I did it a few days ago for only the second time!


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    #534
    Plastik
    Registered Users Posts: 2,965 ✭✭✭Plastik


    Green Lane isn't one you'd go out of your way to ride on a regular basis. It's a pig. There's na'er a harder ramp in Wicklow or Dublin.


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    #535
    jimm
    Registered Users Posts: 650 ✭✭✭jimm


    https://www.strava.com/segments/20657869

    Witchity hill, the road up to Loughcrew Cairns, Co Meath.

    Distance 0.55km, Avg Grade 11%

    I was up there in March and reaching the mid section I was about to fall over, but unclipped just in time as the gradient increased to 23.3% :eek:


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    #536
    thesimpsons
    Registered Users Posts: 1,694 ✭✭✭thesimpsons


    ednwireland wrote: »
    nah cut across from kilfernorra to poulnabroune found a very short brute of a climb on a back road. managed to jam the chain between the front rings after getting caught out trying to shift down. corkscrew was easy in comparison.

    It was on the Tour de Burren 90km(ish) route 2/3 years ago. It was probably the toughest sneaky hill I'd come across on a sportive at the time. It was carnage as people were litterly at a standstill half way up the hill and tried to get off and walk while those cycling up were shouting out to make sure we had a way through. It wasnt on the route the next year 😅


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    #537
    xxyyzz
    Registered Users Posts: 2,171 ✭✭✭xxyyzz


    Are off-road climbs allowed? Because this one in Killarney would make the baby Jesus cry hitting over 30% in places.
    https://www.strava.com/segments/3252734


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    #538
    mad turnip
    Registered Users Posts: 710 ✭✭✭mad turnip


    Looks like no on in this thread has cycled up some of the roads in rostrevor.
    https://www.strava.com/segments/6227788?filter=overall

    Longer version:
    https://www.strava.com/segments/1710289?filter=overall

    More rostrevor:
    https://www.strava.com/segments/1165931?filter=overall

    Spotted this monster as I was looking for the above: (this is completly off road)
    https://www.strava.com/segments/1307019


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    #539
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,743 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    can't really compare off-road with on-road, the likes of Danny McCaskill could probably cycle up Carrauntoohil.


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    #540
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,349 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    mad turnip wrote: »
    Looks like no on in this thread has cycled up some of the roads in rostrevor.
    i don't think any of those actually correspond to 'roads' though?


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    #541
    mad turnip
    Registered Users Posts: 710 ✭✭✭mad turnip


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    i don't think any of those actually correspond to 'roads' though?

    The first three of that post can be done on a road bike albeit its not a great 'road'. It resembles more of a fire road. Would be far better on a gravel bike.

    https://www.google.com/maps/@54.0970592,-6.1859922,3a,75y,161.3h,86.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWtEAV4JXxR-b0n5yV8307g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656


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