Healy Pass and Caha pass - How hard

Funkyzeit

I have a triathlon err....cycle next month which goes over the two of these climbs. Just wondering for boardies who know them - how difficult are they ?

Do they compare to any other climbs - for eg I assume they are harder than Molls Gap but not as hard as Slieve mann/Mahon falls....at least I hope not...:eek:

tunney

Funkyzeit wrote: »

I have a triathlon err....cycle next month which goes over the two of these climbs. Just wondering for boardies who know them - how difficult are they ?

Do they compare to any other climbs - for eg I assume they are harder than Molls Gap but not as hard as Slieve mann/Mahon falls....at least I hope not...:eek:

They're very slight, i was almost up the top of the Healy pass before I noticed it had started the first year I did kenmare. Only the last 100m have any sting in them. Caha pass its fairly tame as well.

Its the descents from both that are dodgy, healy pass is all switchbacks and the caha pass is very exposed to the wind and the surface is terrible.

sally gap or wicklow gap maybe would be valid comparisions.

ROK ON

You are correct, in that they are harder than Molls Gap.

Given that its a tri (Lost Sheep I presume), then they can be as hard as you like - depends on your pace.

Caha Pass, very gentle from Kenmare side, really only last 2km classify as a climb. From Glengariff a bit tougher, but not much.
Statistics:
From Kenmare (climb starts in Bonane)
Dist 6.2km
Ascent 188m
Avg Gradient 3%
Max Gradient 6% (hairpin to forst set of tunnels).
From Glengariff
Dist 9.0km
Ascent 302m
Avg Gradient 3.3%
Max Gradient 6%

Healy Pass
From Adrigole
Dist 6.2km
Ascent 250m
Avg Gradient 4%
Max Gradient 8%

From Laragh
Dist 5.5km
Ascent 264m
Avg Gradient 4.8%
Max Gradient 8% (ramp to the top, the last 0.5km).

So very doable.

Molls gap is less than 3% gradient.
While Mahons falls is almost 7% over 4.5km.

ROK ON

tunney wrote: »

Its the descents from both that are dodgy, healy pass is all switchbacks and the caha pass is very exposed to the wind and the surface is terrible.

sally gap or wicklow gap maybe would be valid comparisions.

They are both significantly easier that Sally Gap.
As for descent, the road surface from Caha to Glengariff is excellent.
Road surface from Caha to Kenmare is newly surfaced and excellent until Bonane, then absolute sh1te.

Healy Pass to Adrigole descent would be fun, if not for all the sheep and their mess. But yep a lot f switcbacks. Healy Pass descent to Kerry side is great fun, and reasonable straightforward apart from one 90degree left had turn, followed by a right soon after.

thebouldwhacker

+1 on all that

youll be fine, I reckon the reason everyone knows of these climbs is cos theyre so damn beautiful rather than their severity

Tony Angelino

As a novice cyclist, on a brand new bike, on the 1st cycle of the year I did this last weekend, and managed it so it cant be all that bad. But not saying its a piece of cake now either!