Hill repeats - North Co Dublin

StaggerLee

Hi all,

With bright evenings here at last, need to do some hill repeats, looking for an alternative to Howth. Are there any hills, possibly longer than Howth (from Sutton side) out around Swords, Lusk, Skerries?

Staggerlee

t'bear

Strava is your friend here for sure. But from my recent lost adventure in the Ard Cath / Stamullen/ Snowtown there are no shortage of lumps and bumps. Garristown/Oldtown area also has some nice drags on them.

lennymc

just north of swords is Naul, Ballyboughal etc. Lots of hills that way. Look at the segments on strava aswell - you might be able to get some from there.

Beasty

Ardgillan on the coast road between Skerries and Balbriggan - short and sharp - 80m of climbing over 1.8km

The Nag's Head from the Old N1 (R132) at 5 Roads - slightly longer but not so steep with a nice kick-up at the end if you take the right turn to the quarry

detones

This climb up to Bellewstown from the Juilanstown to Duleek Road is around the toughest I have come across in the NCD area. It may be a little out of your way but its worth a go.

lennymc

detones wrote: »

This climb up to Bellewstown from the Juilanstown to Duleek Road is around the toughest I have come across in the NCD area. It may be a little out of your way but its worth a go.

evil climb.

Inquitus

I head straight up from Ballyboughal heading in the Naul direction until you cross the motorway and then turn round and head back the same way, plenty of climbs one after the other without the boredom of repeats, and you get them all from the other side on the way back!

detones

lennymc wrote: »

evil climb.

Sure is, last time I went up someone had painted a nice smiley face on the road near the end just at the steepest part, masochists!

Going to hit it this weekend and try make it without breaking out the granny gear.

lennymc

this one time at the end of 95k training spin i convinced a club mate (who is on here) that we should do it. Oh how he cursed me. Oh how I cursed me.

manwithaplan

detones wrote: »

Sure is, last time I went up someone had painted a nice smiley face on the road near the end just at the steepest part, masochists!

That was the nice man that runs Swords CC's annual sportive. If you want to know about hills in NCD/Meath, it's the event for you - think Tour of Flanders without the arse pinching. A plethora of hills are available - http://app.strava.com/activities/23595773 . Shameless (early) plug for this year's event which will be run the same day as the Worlds - plan is to select a venue for riders to watch the closing stages after their exertions.

I wouldn't be a fan of overly long hill repeats. The final steep section of Snowtown from the North works well - http://app.strava.com/activities/22900544#408886036 .

brasshead

Ardgillan x 5 times. There are some Swords CC riders on here who have been known to do it under cover of darkness (masochists ).

I also like the Nags head too as it's a longer descent allowing for more recovery time.

bren_mc

lennymc wrote: »

this one time at the end of 95k training spin i convinced a club mate (who is on here) that we should do it. Oh how he cursed me. Oh how I cursed me.

i'm still cursing you lenny

furiousox

manwithaplan wrote: »

That was the nice man that runs Swords CC's annual sportive. If you want to know about hills in NCD/Meath, it's the event for you - think Tour of Flanders without the arse pinching. A plethora of hills are available - http://app.strava.com/activities/23595773 . Shameless (early) plug for this year's event which will be run the same day as the Worlds..

Yes but will non-club members be able to take part this year?
Otherwise it's a club spin, not a sportive.

colm_gti

Only very recently discovered Nags Head, very comparable to the Sutton side of Howth hill.

I like Snowtown North (heading towards Naul), and used to do the odd repeat session on Greenanstown, which is the next road parallel to Snowtown North.

manwithaplan

Non-members welcome this year to the best of my knowledge. There are rumours of online entry and other new-fangled innovations. Offerings being made to the weather gods in order to achieve our target of getting the number of finishers into double figures.

padjo5

bren_mc wrote: »

i'm still cursing you lenny

I hear you Bren, i did the commute into work this morning with him, so i was naturally cursing him all day! To make matters worse we had a head-wind on the way home this evening, so there was no end of cursing him there too....im tired of cursing now!

bcmf

Yeah that headwind caught me out on the way home yest.
And padjo I believe some bollix on a Blue Audi 'beeped' at yis just after applegreen but yis never waved back.

bcmf

Anyway all this talk of North County Dublin reminds me of this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056759493

Anyone have an appetite for a version 2.0

padjo5

bcmf wrote: »

Yeah that headwind caught me out on the way home yest.
And padjo I believe some bollix on a Blue Audi 'beeped' at yis just after applegreen but yis never waved back.

I thought that was a gyppo!!! Ha ha.....sorry! Thanks for bipping though!

OP, there are a number of climbs up to Bellewstown which are ideal for repeats, that Strava link will show you which might fit your requirements best. Enjoy.

drogdub

lennymc wrote: »

evil climb.

Never done it, but have cycled the duleek road alot this winter and that climb has been taunting me all year, "come and have a go if you think your hard enough".

What's it like coming back down, looks a bit hairy.

Inquitus

bcmf wrote: »

Anyway all this talk of North County Dublin reminds me of this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056759493

Anyone have an appetite for a version 2.0

But that was just the for the weak version of the boards evil 200....

Raam

drogdub wrote: »

Never done it, but have cycled the duleek road alot this winter and that climb has been taunting me all year, "come and have a go if you think your hard enough".

What's it like coming back down, looks a bit hairy.

Never actually gone down it. Usually too zonked to even contemplate so I just roll on in whichever direction the wind is blowing.

lennymc

drogdub wrote: »

What's it like coming back down, looks a bit hairy.

I like it

http://app.strava.com/segments/1219314

lennymc

bcmf wrote: »

Yeah that headwind caught me out on the way home yest.
And padjo I believe some bollix on a Blue Audi 'beeped' at yis just after applegreen but yis never waved back.

i told ye, I recognised ye, saw it was you and kind of hid my face and looked the other way (ye know the way you do when you see someone you dont really want to talk to.... )

bcmf

lennymc wrote: »

i told ye, I recognised ye, saw it was you and kind of hid my face and looked the other way (ye know the way you do when you see someone you dont really want to talk to.... )

OK OK but I have my sons super soaker loaded for the next time.

pprendeville

colm_gti wrote: »

Only very recently discovered Nags Head, very comparable to the Sutton side of Howth hill.

I like Snowtown North (heading towards Naul), and used to do the odd repeat session on Greenanstown, which is the next road parallel to Snowtown North.

Got a Strava link Colm? Loads of hills up in NCD I'm completely unaware of.

RobertFoster

lennymc wrote: »

I like it

http://app.strava.com/segments/1219314

Just make sure your brakes are up to snuff. There's a few dips and potholes too, from what I remember.

colm_gti

pprendeville wrote: »

Got a Strava link Colm? Loads of hills up in NCD I'm completely unaware of.

I do of course....

Nags Head

Snowtown

Greenanstown

Rita1

Come up to Donegal

http://app.strava.com/segments/2608301

I dont know how to hyperlink the name of it but it called "The Brae Road".

You can stay in my house at the top of this if you like

I just learned how to do it: The Brae Road

Harrybelafonte

Managed to get lost out NCD way yesterday (on purpose of course) and came across quite a long, strenuous enough (im not exactly a climber, so YRMV) climb between Ashboure and Garristown. No idea of names, but maybe someone knows.

colm_gti

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Managed to get lost out NCD way yesterday (on purpose of course) and came across quite a long, strenuous enough (im not exactly a climber, so YRMV) climb between Ashboure and Garristown. No idea of names, but maybe someone knows.

Ashbourne to Garristown is uphill enough alright, don't think any of the climbs have actual names though.

Harrybelafonte

colm_gti wrote: »

Ashbourne to Garristown is uphill enough alright, don't think any of the climbs have actual names though.

Probably an idication that it's not as steep as I thought it was. All tough climbs have names

colm_gti

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Probably an idication that it's not as steep as I thought it was. All tough climbs have names

No, no, that spin is definitely pretty tough when you're going full gas!

Wishbone Ash

Rita1 wrote: »

Come up to Donegal

http://app.strava.com/segments/2608301

I dont know how to hyperlink the name of it but it called "The Brae Road".

You can stay in my house at the top of this if you like

I just learned how to do it: The Brae Road

You should try the Gap of Mamore- http://app.strava.com/segments/700540 - not too far from you.

I'm still traumatised after it. The most difficult physical thing I've ever done - my nose even began to bleed as I neared the top (and the bloody Garmin didn't register the segment properly after all the effort!). Most of the top of the leaderboard are 2012 Ras riders - 24th May.

The backbreaker comes soon afterwards when the contenders slug it out on the legendary Mamore Gap.

Rita1

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

You should try the Gap of Mamore- http://app.strava.com/segments/700540 - not too far from you.

I'm still traumatised after it. The most difficult physical thing I've ever done - my nose even began to bleed as I neared the top (and the bloody Garmin didn't register the segment properly after all the effort!). Most of the top of the leaderboard are 2012 Ras riders - 24th May.

This is so funny, I can't stop laughing.

I know all about Mamore and your dead right its a tough climb, what a deaster regarding your Garmin you should have started again when you got it sorted

chakattack

Grown men have wept with joy having reached the summit of Mamore

greenmat

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2312579


Some good NCD hills in this.

Wishbone Ash

chakattack wrote: »

Grown men have wept with joy having reached the summit of Mamore

I hadn't the energy to weep. I just let the bike fall and collapsed in a heap on the side of the road and lay there for about 10 minutes disregarding the blood running from my nose and the few motorists staring at me.

Raam

chakattack wrote: »

Grown men have wept with joy having reached the summit of Mamore

I fell into a ditch after the hill climb champs there one year. Didn't get out for a good ten minutes.

Rita1

I hadn't the energy to weep. I just let the bike fall and collapsed in a heap on the side of the road and lay there for about 10 minutes disregarding the blood running from my nose and the few motorists staring at me.

Raam wrote: »

I fell into a ditch after the hill climb champs there one year. Didn't get out for a good ten minutes.

The joys of Mamore Gap.....come up if you think your hard enough:P

P_1

Skerries to Lusk via Barnageerah, Balrothery and Manowar has a lovely collection of tough climbs

ian_rush

Not sure what makes a good repeat but these are decent digs that nobody seems to have mentioned. I can't imagine wanting to repeat bellewstown after getting over it once.


http://app.strava.com/segments/1353657

http://app.strava.com/segments/685988

http://app.strava.com/segments/811824

As a matter of interest, what is the approach to doing repeats. Does one just reach the top, turn around straight away and do it again? Or are you supposed to recover and then go again? Is that boring as ... or does spitting bronchiolar blood distract you enough?

ian_rush

bcmf wrote: »

Anyway all this talk of North County Dublin reminds me of this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056759493

Anyone have an appetite for a version 2.0

That deserves its own thread.

furiousox

detones wrote: »

This climb up to Bellewstown from the Juilanstown to Duleek Road is around the toughest I have come across in the NCD area. It may be a little out of your way but its worth a go.

Did it earlier today.
It's short and intense, a lot harder than the Naul climb.
Gotta be added to the regular training spin though!

detones

furiousox wrote: »

Did it earlier today.
It's short and intense, a lot harder than the Naul climb.
Gotta be added to the regular training spin though!

Going to hit it in the morning all going well. Will do a few of the others mentioned too. Its a big effort to get my fat arse up these hills. I do expect to see my weatabix launched at some stage.

furiousox

When I got to the top I hung a left, then took a right which gives you a bit more climbing up to the Naul.

detones

ian_rush wrote: »

That deserves its own thread.

+1

bcmf

ian_rush wrote: »

That deserves its own thread.

Was thinking about it today and ,like the last time, I have the bones of a (tough) route in my head and a coffee stop built in.
Problem is getting a day. Anyway will start a thread in a week or two see what the reaction is.

brasshead

Here's another good one.

bcmf

brasshead wrote: »

Here's another good one.

Also known as 'The Bog Berg' .
Also known by me as 'One of those hills to be avoided if at all possible'

bbolger

brasshead wrote: »

Here's another good one.

If you push on from there and up to Hollywood Quarry, you'll come out towards the top of the Nags Head climb.

Decent views on the way up.