CARLOW HUMPY 100

bonzie1

Carlows humpy 100 sportive or 5 hills challenge SUNDAY August 7th 2011 starts at 9.30 in eire og gaa club Carlow sign on open at 8.30 fee is 15 euro tea stop during cycle and refreshments and trophies for all finishers after cycle ,showers and changing rooms and secure parking available. All welcome. Bring your climbing legs.

Captain Havoc

I'm in, I might have to branch off at the Royal Oak if we're a bit behind.

bonzie1

No worries. Il drop your trophy over to you

Captain Havoc

It's not a race

About fifty or so turned up to this today, with Orwell, Thurles and the little matter of an All-Ireland semi final, it was going to be hard to see big numbers coming to this. How as ever, I did this two years ago, loved it and besides, I had to be in work after it. As far as 100km sportives go, this is the hardest I've done and Carlow always organise a good event.

We set out shortly after 9h30, the pace was phenomenally slow, can't have been more than 25kph. I'm hoping to get to the front of the group to drive it on a bit but the guys at the front seem happy to freewheel. I was talking to a guy beside me and I was saying that I have to be the worse climber in the group, your man assures me that he is. We get to the first hill and the guy in front of me slows right down, in the corner of my eye I see a Carlow jersey and I instantly think, we'll if he's going, I'm going but he wasn't going, it was only me going, up the road like a complete clown but I kept going. Eventually a couple of guys from MCC catch and over take me along with your man who can't climb, another few go through. I get over the very steep Corrabut and turn onto Mt. Leinster, I'm going rather slowly, overtake a couple of the guys that caught me on the Corrabut and go on. I'm a good bit of the way up going slowly when I heat a bike behind me, I change into big ring and peg it, I go over the Nine Stones with about three others, there's another group of four ahead of us. After the decent there's three of us, one runs out of steam and by the time I get to the food stop I'm on my own.

Quick turn around for food and I'm off, I know there isn't a snowballs chance in hell of me catching the other four as two of them are very strong riders from MCC. Next up is the Mile Bush which is probably the steepest of the lot, followed by the long and steep climb out of Old Leighlin. There's a couple of other smaller but still steep enough hills which I struggle over but then it's all downhill for the last 15km or so. With the thought of being 5th to finish I keep pushing, I know it's not a race but.........................

Fair play to Carlow RCC for organising another great event, also the garda escort was much appreciated. Later speaking to the garda, I had a funny moment, the garda says to me, "another one who doesn't recognise me", I apologise and he continues "from the night out", I assure him I've never gone out in Carlow in me life, "no, from the night in Louth". He done the Cú Chulainn mid summer century with me, he was a cyclist himself, I apologised and blamed it on the uniform. Oh, and I never did get caught

Here's the Garmin stats, please don't snigger.