What's your favourite and least favourite descent?

irishmotorist

Just wondering what's everybody's favourite and least favourite descent?

I was out early today and got in Slieve Maan and Shay Elliott for the first time. I found the two of these descents to be fairly annoying - bad surface and lots of tight turns. Then on the way back I did my favourite - the downhill towards Kilmacanogue beside the Sugar Loaf. It's fast, well surfaced with no house entrances and few side roads and I only find myself braking for about 2 or 3 turns that I don't want to go flying through too much.

For me, the descent down the dark side of Mahon Falls has to take the biscuit. Brakes the whole way down and last year, at the Sean Kelly, bales of hay at each bend with a Civil Defence team waiting to tend to the poor unfortunates with bad brakes. :eek:

TinyExplosions

My favourite descent is off Sally Gap towards the N81 (turn right at the crossroads if coming from the Kippure side)

That's in Ireland of course, my favourite descent ever is off the Galibier

Raam

Gosh, I love the Shay Elliot and Slieve Mann descents for those very reasons!
I don't like the Devil's Elbow, too fast and dangerously twisty for me. Need to figure out how to handle that one correctly.
Wicklow Gap is nice and fast, open, smooth road.
Djouce is good cos you can get some serious speed there.
The bit leading down to Glemacnass waterfall and after is nice too. Not long enough though.

irishmotorist

Actually, +1 on the Wicklow Gap. There's little chance of being interrupted at speed from the side down there.

I'm not too keen on the Sally Gap towards N81 road. I've often felt like I was about to get blown off the road because the wind tends to swirl a bit there.

Nietzschean

TinyExplosions wrote: »

My favourite descent is off Sally Gap towards the N81 (turn right at the crossroads if coming from the Kippure side)

Raam wrote:

Wicklow Gap is nice and fast, open, smooth road.

+1 on both, lots of fun

cunavalos

For me, the descent down the dark side of Mahon Falls has to take the biscuit. Brakes the whole way down and last year, at the Sean Kelly, bales of hay at each bend with a Civil Defence team waiting to tend to the poor unfortunates with bad brakes.

+1. i was up that way today and have to agree with you, it is a very dodgy descent and i have yet to see anyone take it at speed. Any of the guys i know from the local clubs say the same, i sometimes wonder would they not be better doing the climb in reverse on the sean kelly as the descent on the opposite site would pose far less risks.

keeping on the sean kelly route i quite like the descent of the maw-maw from the transmitter down to the cattle grid before the turn to kilbrien. nice fast descent with good surface,quiet road with no tight turns and clear sight of any traffic approaching

paddy's hill

Healy pass or sally Gap in Ireland. Luz Ardiden 27 hairpins, great surface, steep gradient, or Col de Puymorens or Galabier.

kenmc

All descents are good. love em all!

Raam

paddy's hill wrote: »

Healy pass or sally Gap in Ireland. Luz Ardiden 27 hairpins, great surface, steep gradient, or Col de Puymorens or Galabier.

Oh yeah the Healy Pass is great fun. Nice and twisty, but different from Devil's Glen because you can see the road for miles. Love that one.

niceonetom

=

Me likey go fasty no pedalling. Big fun.

All the descents are fun, but there are particular corners that I really love to get right - there's one bend to the right on the Bohernabreena Rd. where the road is wide and smooth and its just about possible to get through it at full whack without braking - I've only ever got it completely right once. There's another tighter right hand bend on the descent of Stocking lane that has all the warning stripes around the outside of it and if you get that one right it really spits you out very fast indeed - it's like a carousel. I like the little off-straight bridge with a drop on the far side that you hit on the descent of Sally Gap towards Lough Dan. Djouce Woods for speed. Sally Gap to N81 also. Ah so many...

Can't beat the alps though; a series of near identical hairpins gives you the chance to try different approaches and braking points etc to see what really works. In Ireland the descents are all over by the time I'm just loosening up.

Not mad about getting back down Kippure though.

DirkVoodoo

Wicklow gap was fantastic today, also +1 on that descent by the sugar loaf, I drafted behind Raam one day, hardly had to pedal and "we" cruised along in the high 60s without too much bother.

Also don't like Devil's elbow, it's not just the angle of the bends but the roads are slightly off camber so it's very easy to lose traction.

Descent from Mahon falls was a bit rough last year, a lot of cars passing by which I hate because you can't take the right line and the road surface was awful.

The turn right from the sally gap can be a bit tricky if the wind is blowing towards you at an angle, I remember being up there over the winter and feeling like my front wheel was taking off.

The tax man

TinyExplosions wrote: »

My favourite descent is off Sally Gap towards the N81 (turn right at the crossroads if coming from the Kippure side)

+1

Good enough road surface,complete view of the road ahead. Only thing I ever worry about on that descent is the sheep jumping out in front of you.
Got a little brave on it this morning,no cars or sheep around and hit 76kph. Downhill bravery is slowing coming back to me.

E@gle.

My favourite decent is probably sally gap

My worst is a climb in the slive blooms called Glendine 20% and full of potholes

Nietzschean

niceonetom wrote: »

Not mad about getting back down Kippure though.

true, the gravel/potholes do come alot faster at you on the way down...

TinyExplosions

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Wicklow gap was fantastic today, also +1 on that descent by the sugar loaf, I drafted behind Raam one day, hardly had to pedal and "we" cruised along in the high 60s without too much bother.

I like that one too actually, and I can cruise down it in the low 70's God bless the weight for the downhill sections!

xz

72.2 down the Long Hill yesterday, the new one from Calary into Kilmacanogue

ROK ON

Favourite: Shay Elliott from Drumgoff, Sally Gap to Kilbride. Caha pass tunnels to Kenmare.

And for the first time last week, Ballagh Oisin to Glencar in the ring of Kerry. Descend almost 300m, much of it at 7%, over a few KM into Glencar valley, then the road gently slopes to Glencar. From the top, you have visibility of the entire road on the descent, and so you can really go for it. A beauty.

Least favourite - Stocking Lane & Edmonstown Road. I find it very technical, and am always fearful of letting rip.

scottreynolds

1. Wicklow Gap -- nothing really compares for smoothness and openness.
2. Howth. I like it cause I ride it often, know the road, its wide open and fun.

eggie

Dont like descending any more:o

Ryaner

There is one in North County Dublin (haven't managed to find exact location on the map yet) which I've hit almost 70 on the way down without pedalling. Because it goes part the way back up on the far side, you can safely zoom down it and then let momentum take you most of the way back up on the far side.

There is another descent on the W100 route which I was at a constant 60 behind some cyclist who overtook me at the crest of the hill. Had to spend most of it on the brakes too as I didn't know the turns to do an overtake

rottenhat

ROK ON wrote: »

Least favourite - Stocking Lane & Edmonstown Road. I find it very technical, and am always fearful of letting rip.

Funny enough, I love Edmondstown Road. Maybe it's because I know it fairly well, or possibly because it implies being very close to home with little but fast downhills in between. I still remember the day I nearly beat two motorbikes down it. On the other hand, I also remember the day I got caught behind a white van with the words "Tired of being stuck in traffic?" written across the back. Worse yet, he was selling electric bicycles.

cyclopath2001

E@gle. wrote: »

My favourite decent is probably sally gap

The Glenmacnass side might not be the longest or the fastest but if you've battled your way across the gap into a headwind, it's very satisfying to get some pay-back.

Had a scare on the Sugar-loaf to Kilmacanogue one, when a car coming op the hill overtook a tour bus (across a single white line) and forced me into the gutter (there isn't one...)

Slieve Maan to Shay Elliott - trying ot see how much momentum I can keep before struggling up the Elliott.

Wicklow Gap to Laragh is only fun if the wind is the right way. Cars overtaking and slowing down are a nuisance. On the right day...my favourite...it's like a bobsleigh run & the view is magnificent.

blorg

Wicklow Gap towards Laragh I do very infrequently but it is a great, fast, steep descent with some decent length. The other direction is also good and with great views at the start just not quite so fast.

For speed record attempts down off Lugalla towards Roundwood. Very steep and very fast. Max 89km/h during the W200 last year.

Stocking Lane is near to Dublin and a goodie, losts of nice bends to weave around and a hairpin before the Hellfire Club.

+1 on the Galibier to Bourg D'Oisans, basically 50km of descent there with only a few bumps to interrupt, did that descent twice when we were over in October and looking forward to it in the Marmotte, I can only imagine after all that recovery I will be feeling nice and fresh for Alpe d'Huez