‘Trasna na nGleannta’ Tour

Roger Hassenforder

Many doing it?


October 7th 2012 from Kilnamartyra, Co. Cork
http://www.valleywheelerscc.com/

nice part of the world for the 100km
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1703461

dvntie

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Many doing it?


October 7th 2012 from Kilnamartyra, Co. Cork
http://www.valleywheelerscc.com/

nice part of the world for the 100km
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1703461

That looks like a savage ride think ill have to get my passport stamped for that

kerry4sam

I know a few who will be cycling this alright but I won't be due to work commitments. Hope all involved have a great day though & Well Done to ValleyWheelers CC for organising this event

thekerrycyclist

Hoping to head over alright, looks like a fantastic route.

BailMeOut

Weather fantastic today and looks like tomorrow will be lovely too so definitely driving up for this now. Low winds, dry, clear and sunny will make for perfect conditions.

Masala

Looking at the 65km spin ... but would the 100km be much toughter than say the 85km Rebel Tour??? I got through the latter ... and am in a dilema that 65 is too little and 100 might be too much??

I need convincing to push myself to do the 100km!! Is there much hill-climbing and what is the severity vs Rebel Tour???

please .....convince me!!

thebishop

She who must be obeyed did it last year and the rebel this year .Says its much easier than the rebel.

BailMeOut

Masala wrote: »

Looking at the 65km spin ... but would the 100km be much toughter than say the 85km Rebel Tour??? I got through the latter ... and am in a dilema that 65 is too little and 100 might be too much??

I need convincing to push myself to do the 100km!! Is there much hill-climbing and what is the severity vs Rebel Tour???

please .....convince me!!

could you have done another 15km at the end of the Rebel Tour? I bet you could have. Pretty sure the climbs on rebel were tougher than these ones too. I'd say go for the 100!

kerry4sam

Best of Luck to all cycling in this ‘Trasna na nGleannta’ Tour tomorrow. Stay Safe out there & have Fun!

thebouldwhacker

Tired
Cold

Masala

Wow.... was there any part of the 100km that DIDN'T involve a climb!!!

Tough ride....great scenary and all involved were very helpful. Ya... there was a bitter wind around. But glad I did it ..

BailMeOut

Someone said at the end that the Rebel 160 was way easier than this 100km. It was the wind on the way up the last climb that did me in.

Amazing route. Would like to do again on a sunny, calm day!

cantalach

Very enjoyable event, as usual. Great part of the country to ride a bike with beautiful scenery and some challenging terrain. Very quiet roads in the most part - I think we rode the 20+km from Coomhola Bridge to Kilgarvan without meeting a car. Congrats to the Valley Wheelers for organising.

Only criticism was that having a common food stop for both distances meant that it came way too late in the day for the 100km people. The garage in Kilgarvan did a roaring trade selling food and drinks to bonkish cyclists! Hey maybe you should tap them for a contribution to the charity!

Mar is gnáth leis na himeachtaí a chuireann na Valley Wheelers ar siúl, bhí níos mó ná cúpla focal le cloisteáil ar an PA agus is deas an rud é sin.

karlmyson

Well done to the Wheelers for organising a great event. I opted for the 65km route today ('cos I rode out from Cork and home afterwards, 207k overall was enough to do on such a cold day!). It's quite an interesting loop for such a short one, with a nice amount of elevation on it and a mixture of road surfaces. Kept me and the gang happy throughout.

youtheman

Did the 103.5 km route (according to my Garmin) in average speed of 24.4 km/hr. Not too bad for a 50 yr old fart.

Beautiful scenery. Thankfully there was no rain. And the wind only seemed to be a factor up high (coming up the Top of Coom with the wind in my face I though I was going to stop at one stage).

Marshalling was very good. I would echo the previous comment, the first stop was approminately 3/4 way (into the long route). That Healy Rae mafia were winning again.

thebouldwhacker

Great day out, the only time not on a hill was on the way to a hill so a big test for me as u was off the bike for most of the summer. I held my own though so was happy.
I thought there was a lot done right however the food stop was too late (although the quality softened the blow)
The signs were hard to see with small arrows, we missed the last turn and added a hill and a few unneeded km's to the end.

I came across a few cyclists who were a danger to themselves and others. People if your not used to cycling in a group stay at the back, and if your not skilled at going down hill at 60+kmp hdont be passing people out and sending them off the road.

Met load of the usuals, good to see TdM flying the flag at the front!

t'bear

All this talk of lovely views, fantastic scenery and not a single photo !

Masala

Can anyone give me the name of that LONG climb after Ballylickey???

Want to add that name to my conquests so far (Caha /Healy/ Molls and now ...)

youtheman

It's called the Borlin Valley. According to my Garmin it rose from 13 m elevation (at the 40 km mark) to 366 m elevation (at the 57.5 km mark). One of the nicest climbs I've ever done (for the view, and the lack of cars, would be even better if the road surface was smoother).

ROK ON

Gutted I missed this as I have done the past two years.
Great to see the positive feedback on the route.
If one was to draw a circle starting in Ballyvourney and heading south to Kenmare Allihies then across to Castletownbere and onto Glengariff Kealkill Ballingeary and back to Ballyvourney - within that circle you have the most stunning cycling anywhere in this country.
Lots of climbs from shallow to steep. Lots of descents.
Stunning views.
Great coffee stops
and very very little road traffic.
Pure class.

Masala

Thanks YouTheMan.....forgot that I can also add Coom to my list as well...as that was no picnic either!!

Was the Borlin Valley the decent as well.....that was spectacular as well??

youtheman

Yes, the descent includes the section to Kilgarvan. Cycling through that valley (and I've done it both ways) has an almost mystical feeling due to the unique solitude of the place.

ROK ON

Masala
The road from Ballylickey to Kilgarvan is the Borlin Valley Climb & Descent.
It's a great training climb as it is long and shallow but steepens only for the last 0.5k. If it is a good one to set a bard tempo and lush yourself before trying to kick very hard for the last two or tree minutes.
Helps that it is so spectacular.
Road is in pieces though - can be a very trickly descent particularly as it is often dry in Kilgarvan but wet and foggy at the top of the Borlin.

ROK ON

youtheman wrote: »

Yes, the descent includes the section to Kilgarvan. Cycling through that valley (and I've done it both ways) has an almost mystical feeling due to the unique solitude of the place.

If you listen attentively you can sometimes make out the sound of duelling banjoes in the distance :-)

cantalach

As far as I know, the Borlin Valley is strictly speaking the bit we climbed yesterday on the Cork side of the ridge. The valley we descended into on the Kerry side is called Shandrum. But whatever the case, it's an absolutely beautiful place. I mentioned in my previous post about the lack of cars. I've just measured it now and it is just over 27km from Coomhola Bridge to Kilgarvan. No traffic. Magic.

PaddyOReilly

Guys, I was one of the motorbike marshalls and organisers of the cycle. I did feel that the food stop was quite late - the reasoning being to have both the 65km and 100km food stops at the same place. In hindsight it would have been better to bring the 65km route to Kilgarvan and have the one stop at the bottom of the Borlin valley (maybe a first stop before the Borlin valley would be good - there was a water stop there but the break before the climb may be beneficial). Michael Healy Rae's shop is a popular stop for our club spins involving the Borlin valley and they have sponsored our club. I'll suggest this as the stop for next year. I was controlling traffic at the junction in Kilgarvan and did feel for a lot of the cyclists who were showing signs of fatigue as they passed me.

Thank you all so much for supporting our charity. I appreciate there are so many charities vying for your hard-earned money these days and your support means a great deal. I hope you enjoyed the day - yes, the roads can be rough in spots and the day was cold but I hope the organisation was adequate and that you'll consider including the cycle as one of your annual sportives.

Any suggestions for improving the day for you will be welcome.

Happy cycling

vistafinder

PaddyOReilly wrote: »

Guys, I was one of the motorbike marshalls and organisers of the cycle. I did feel that the food stop was quite late - the reasoning being to have both the 65km and 100km food stops at the same place. In hindsight it would have been better to bring the 65km route to Kilgarvan and have the one stop at the bottom of the Borlin valley (maybe a first stop before the Borlin valley would be good - there was a water stop there but the break before the climb may be beneficial). Michael Healy Rae's shop is a popular stop for our club spins involving the Borlin valley and they have sponsored our club. I'll suggest this as the stop for next year. I was controlling traffic at the junction in Kilgarvan and did feel for a lot of the cyclists who were showing signs of fatigue as they passed me.

Thank you all so much for supporting our charity. I appreciate there are so many charities vying for your hard-earned money these days and your support means a great deal. I hope you enjoyed the day - yes, the roads can be rough in spots and the day was cold but I hope the organisation was adequate and that you'll consider including the cycle as one of your annual sportives.

Any suggestions for improving the day for you will be welcome.

Happy cycling

How about a few more hills:) Great route and well run thanks to all helpers and the music before hand on the lorry was good aswell.

thebouldwhacker

Fair play. It's a long way to kilgarvan and I for one was expecting the stop to be there.
I would certainly be up for it again next year. Only thing was the bit after coom, I found that road scary. I felt that there were sections where if I met a car there would be nowhere to hide regardless of speed. I didn't enjoy that road. Also the signs were at times hard to read with dark colours and small arrows.

Great cycle, I hope ye are happy with what was raised

PaddyOReilly

vistafinder wrote: »

How about a few more hills:) Great route and well run thanks to all helpers and the music before hand on the lorry was good aswell.

Next year we could run you into Kenmare, up the Caha pass, into Glengarriffe and back up Borlin again - all before the food stop - if you like!!

I must check the distance on that one.

cantalach

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Only thing was the bit after coom, I found that road scary. I felt that there were sections where if I met a car there would be nowhere to hide regardless of speed.

Funny you should say that because the particular stretch of road to which you refer - from Top of Coom to the Mouth of the Glen - is one of my favourite cycling roads in the country. I do it several times of year in all weather and when I'm on navigation duty I often plan the route of a club ride so as to include it.

thebouldwhacker

Maybe I'm getting overly cautious, I just felt very exposed on the first few km of it as there are sharp blind corners and its is really narrow with a healthy grass centre. Saying that I was a little tired and it was my first time there.
It certainly has some amazing views though with nice ups and downs.

youtheman

The descent from The Borlin and the Top of Coom had one thing in common, you daren't cross the middle of the road due to either gravel or grass/moss, god only knows how that would end up. But having said that, those are how the roads are when there is zero traffic.

For those who thought the surface was rough, try descending from The Vee into Lismore (Tour de Cure I think). Your hands will be numb !!!.

Rothar2009

Fermoy CC are running a Sportif on the 14th of October, that climbs the Vee from the Lismore side, it's not as rough on the way up. You'll be rewarded by a great spread afterwards if the past few years are anything to go by.

BailMeOut

PaddyOReilly wrote: »

Guys, I was one of the motorbike marshalls and organisers of the cycle. I did feel that the food stop was quite late - the reasoning being to have both the 65km and 100km food stops at the same place. In hindsight it would have been better to bring the 65km route to Kilgarvan and have the one stop at the bottom of the Borlin valley (maybe a first stop before the Borlin valley would be good - there was a water stop there but the break before the climb may be beneficial). Michael Healy Rae's shop is a popular stop for our club spins involving the Borlin valley and they have sponsored our club. I'll suggest this as the stop for next year. I was controlling traffic at the junction in Kilgarvan and did feel for a lot of the cyclists who were showing signs of fatigue as they passed me.

Thank you all so much for supporting our charity. I appreciate there are so many charities vying for your hard-earned money these days and your support means a great deal. I hope you enjoyed the day - yes, the roads can be rough in spots and the day was cold but I hope the organisation was adequate and that you'll consider including the cycle as one of your annual sportives.

Any suggestions for improving the day for you will be welcome.

Happy cycling

Paddy,

I would not be changing much. It is too good to be messing with other than having the event on a warmer day?!

It would be good to notify everyone where the food stops before the start and some of the turn off's could have done with better signs, e.g. there was no sign on the Killarney Road showing the turn off towards Coom. We just followed two bikes ahead of us hoping they were part of the event. The turn off into Kilnamartyra at the end was also not very obvious and a lot of cyclists went right past it.

Already looking forward to doing next year!

Tiger72

Rothar2009 wrote: »

Fermoy CC are running a Sportif on the 14th of October, that climbs the Vee from the Lismore side, it's not as rough on the way up. You'll be rewarded by a great spread afterwards if the past few years are anything to go by.

Is there any information on this ? route , distance etc ?

Tiger72

I have it ..

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1779974

cantalach

Tiger72 wrote: »

I have it ..

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1779974

I see Shanrahan Hill is on the route...one of the best climbing tests in the country. I'd love to see what Mr Sherlock could do to it.

Rothar2009

Shanrahan Hill isn't on the route. That's mountain bike territory at this time of the year. Details of the event below.

Fermoy Cycling Club is hosting the Tour of the Knockmealdowns on 14th of October. Sign on Colaiste an Chraobhin.
Start time is 10am, entry fee €10. (€10 for a one day licence if you dont have one).
Below is a map of the route.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/23274684

The pace will be controlled until Lismore, then you can ride as fast as you want up the Vee.
Light refreshments in Clogheen, before starting on the trip back through Mitchelstown.

kerry4sam

PaddyOReilly wrote: »

Guys, I was one of the motorbike marshalls and organisers of the cycle. I did feel that the food stop was quite late - the reasoning being to have both the 65km and 100km food stops at the same place. In hindsight it would have been better to bring the 65km route to Kilgarvan and have the one stop at the bottom of the Borlin valley (maybe a first stop before the Borlin valley would be good - there was a water stop there but the break before the climb may be beneficial). Michael Healy Rae's shop is a popular stop for our club spins involving the Borlin valley and they have sponsored our club. I'll suggest this as the stop for next year. I was controlling traffic at the junction in Kilgarvan and did feel for a lot of the cyclists who were showing signs of fatigue as they passed me.

Thank you all so much for supporting our charity. I appreciate there are so many charities vying for your hard-earned money these days and your support means a great deal. I hope you enjoyed the day - yes, the roads can be rough in spots and the day was cold but I hope the organisation was adequate and that you'll consider including the cycle as one of your annual sportives.

Any suggestions for improving the day for you will be welcome.

Happy cycling

PaddyOReilly wrote: »

Next year we could run you into Kenmare, up the Caha pass, into Glengarriffe and back up Borlin again - all before the food stop - if you like!!

I must check the distance on that one.

Along with checking the distance, will you check about swapping your motorbike for the pedal-bike and arrange for someone else to take up your position for next year so you could cycle this potential-route?

thebouldwhacker

Time to wake this up...

Sun. Oct 6th, Valley Wheelers Trasna Na Gleannta Tour, Cill Na Martra, West Cork, 9am, 80/130km

I. Can't find much about it online, many partaking? Yesterday's Rebel Tour may get a few more interested in the area. It's a 'balls to bone' old school feast of hills, valleys, tay, home made cake and sweat. Not much pomp and ceremony but a great day out.

Masala

What's happening on Refreshments this year.... I felt the organisers got the numbers all wrong last year!! I met a rider sitting on side of road feeling weak and I had gave her my few fig-rolls to get her going.

The first place to get a coffee was on the home straight up Coom and found that the burker boiler had broken down !! And then get back to clubhouse and they had ran out of coffee...

That Coom stop is way too far into the ride....I agree that Healy Rae shop should be considered . BUT....make sure that as a sponsored stop and that the coffee is FREE!! Similarly- it would be nice if that other Petrol Station (when we stopped for water (can't remember the name )) threw in a free coffee.

So I guess the message is ... loads of free coffee!!

funnights74

This route is on the valley wheelers fb page. Scary profile, climbers only look about it.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/288494505

thebouldwhacker

Going by that map my ride route they have reversed it, is this the 2013 TnG route?