Wicklow 200 2009

Chips Lovell · 06-10-2008 10:14am #1

Just got an email from the Wicklow 200 folks to say that the 2009 route has been selected. Details here. Starts out the same as last year, but goes to Kilbride after the Sally Gap, then leaves out the Wicklow Gap in favour of the Slieve Maan and Glenmalure/Shay Elliot combo.

rflynnr · 06-10-2008 11:07am

Apologies if this is a stupid question but is the loop from Enniskerry generally run clockwise or anticlockwise? (I know which direction I'd sooner climb Sally Gap from.)

FrankGrimes · 06-10-2008 11:22am

It was anti-clockwise this year - via Glencree then on to Sally Gap.

I'm targetting making the step up to the 200 this year so it's good to see the route out early to see what I'm up against. I plan on doing it in segments a couple of times before the event to get familiar with it (e.g. drive to a certain point and do 70km from there).

scottreynolds · 06-10-2008 11:30am

Awesome.... I'm glad the routes out. I plan to do alot of training for the tour Of Ireland around wicklow at the start of the year and the wicklow 200 I'll do for fun a month later.

Anyone know of a website with a bunch of wicklow rides... I would love a list of rides... not that I can follow routes. I got lost in the weekend after trying to do a loop and ended up in Rathnew instead of Enniskerry... took a left turn a Laragh instead of right. Has to cycle down the Dual Carraigeway which wasn't fun but seemed safe enough.... I won't do that again.

ROK ON · 06-10-2008 12:14pm

At least I know that I can do half of it (to Kilbride) (very slowly I may add), and Roundwood back home.

Now all I have to do is to try out Kilbride To Moneystown bit, and then try to do it all in the one day.

I presume that some of the boards spins will now begin attacking Slieve Maan etc?

Chips Lovell · 06-10-2008 12:53pm

The problem with training on Slieve Mann is that it's miles away. Even going straight down there from Dublin and going straight home again is nearly 150km. I only went up it once last year prior to the W200. I think I did it twice the year before. It's worth going once for a recce alright.

irishmotorist · 06-10-2008 1:10pm

I got the mail too. I can't spot it on the site, but it looks like they've given up on publishing the split times from this years event.

The Wicklow 100 was a milestone for me last year, so I suppose I'll have to go for the 200 next year. I've never been up Slieve Maan - is there anything comparable to it around Wicklow or perhaps from other tours like the ROK or Sean Kelly?

Raam · 06-10-2008 1:16pm

el tonto wrote: »

The problem with training on Slieve Mann is that it's miles away. Even going straight down there from Dublin and going straight home again is nearly 150km. I only went up it once last year prior to the W200. I think I did it twice the year before. It's worth going once for a recce alright.

If you want to approach from the Aghavannagh side, it's far away. The best bet is to head up Shay Elliot, then go over Slieve Mann in reverse, then turn around and come back. Of course, by then you may be smashed.

trek climber · 06-10-2008 1:36pm

Raam wrote: »

If you want to approach from the Aghavannagh side, it's far away. The best bet is to head up Shay Elliot, then go over Slieve Mann in reverse, then turn around and come back. Of course, by then you may be smashed.

I have never been up the Shay Elliot, where is it in relation to Sally's Gap or Wicklow Gap. How long/steep is it in relation to the above two climbs.

Raam · 06-10-2008 1:38pm

trek climber wrote: »

I have never been up the Shay Elliot, where is it in relation to Sally's Gap or Wicklow Gap. How long/steep is it in relation to the above two climbs.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr=Laragh,+Wicklow,+Ireland&daddr=glenmalure,+Wicklow,+Ireland&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=52.96117,-6.366965&sspn=0.146622,0.30899&ie=UTF8&z=13

It's probably a bit harder than Sally Gap and Wicklow Gap.
It's about 3km or so in length.

Chips Lovell · 06-10-2008 1:49pm

Shay Elliot and Slieve Mann are very similar climbs I find. The former is possibly the tougher, but then again, any time I've gone up it, I've usually done Slieve Mann beforehand.

Raam · 06-10-2008 1:50pm

el tonto wrote: »

Shay Elliot and Slieve Mann are very similar climbs I find. The former is possibly the tougher, but then again, any time I've gone up it, I've usually done Slieve Mann beforehand.

Let's do them this weekend

Chips Lovell · 06-10-2008 1:58pm

Raam wrote: »

Let's do them this weekend

Let's not. I miss my fast spins.

Raam · 06-10-2008 2:00pm

el tonto wrote: »

Let's not. I miss my fast spins.

It's fast on the way down.

TinyExplosions · 07-10-2008 5:43pm

Raam wrote: »

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr=Laragh,+Wicklow,+Ireland&daddr=glenmalure,+Wicklow,+Ireland&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=52.96117,-6.366965&sspn=0.146622,0.30899&ie=UTF8&z=13

It's probably a bit harder than Sally Gap and Wicklow Gap.
It's about 3km or so in length.

Ba, 3km... the Croix Du Fer is about 30km, at an average of 6%!

These Wicklow hills are tiny!

Chips Lovell · 07-10-2008 7:11pm

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Ba, 3km... the Croix Du Fer is about 30km, at an average of 6%!

These Wicklow hills are tiny!

And so the bragging starts.

Raam · 07-10-2008 7:23pm

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Ba, 3km... the Croix Du Fer is about 30km, at an average of 6%!

These Wicklow hills are tiny!

Yissers will be flyin up de tings

TinyExplosions · 07-10-2008 7:43pm

el tonto wrote: »

And so the bragging starts.

Oh my god yes!

Limestone1 · 08-10-2008 1:03pm

Raam wrote: »

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&saddr=Laragh,+Wicklow,+Ireland&daddr=glenmalure,+Wicklow,+Ireland&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=52.96117,-6.366965&sspn=0.146622,0.30899&ie=UTF8&z=13

It's probably a bit harder than Sally Gap and Wicklow Gap.
It's about 3km or so in length.

I think I've been up that route - why is it called the Shay Elliot ? Is there a plaque/monument type thing there ? I didn't notice one

Raam · 08-10-2008 1:06pm

Limestone1 wrote: »

I think I've been up that route - why is it called the Shay Elliot ? Is there a plaque/monument type thing there ? I didn't notice one

There sure is

rflynnr · 08-10-2008 1:26pm

It's not actually huge though is it? I was expecting a 20 foot effigy of the man in bronze. Instead - unless I missed something last time our - there's a sort of display case outlining who he was and what he did near the entrance to a Forest Park (which, in fairness, is named for him) on top of the hill.

Raam · 08-10-2008 1:30pm

There's another one to Liam Horner as you head up Glencree from Enniskerry.

Search for "Liam" on these pages...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/?id=2003/apr03/apr17news
http://www.paulkavanagh.info/newsarchive.htm

ROK ON · 08-10-2008 2:04pm

Raam wrote: »

There's another one to Liam Horner as you head up Glencree from Enniskerry.

Search for "Liam" on these pages...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/?id=2003/apr03/apr17news
http://www.paulkavanagh.info/newsarchive.htm

I usually stop for a break at that monument. Has a beautiful view over the valley heading back to Powerscourt from there.
On the monument the dedication is "the last prime" - out of curiousity does anyone know what this means?

Chips Lovell · 08-10-2008 2:08pm

ROK ON wrote: »

On the monument the dedication is "the last prime" - out of curiousity does anyone know what this means?

A prime is essentially an intermediate sprint in a race.

Muller_1 · 13-10-2008 11:40am

Limestone1 wrote: »

I think I've been up that route - why is it called the Shay Elliot ? Is there a plaque/monument type thing there ? I didn't notice one

This is the best photo I have off the monument on my work machine. The monument is getting a bit weathered now as it has been there since the 1970's. The Bray Wheelers run the Shay Elliott memorial race over this climb every April.

13-10-2008 11:48am

Muller_1 wrote: »

The monument is getting a bit weathered now as it has been there since the 1970's.

Yeah, it does look more like 'Raging Cyclist' now.

Wicklow 200 2009

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