Maum Climb, Westport

mistermatthew

Hey, I'm doing sea2summit in Noveber and looking for some info on Maum clumb. From srava it looks like a standard but not super tough climb. Is this the case? as the sea2summit site claims it is 25% in places, which i don't see in the strava segment. Is it really this steep or is it the website over exaggerating? I've climbed Mamore a few times which I'd Imagine is 25% in places at worst I'd imagine, Is maum really of a similar profile?

yop

mistermatthew wrote: »

Hey, I'm doing sea2summit in Noveber and looking for some info on Maum clumb. From srava it looks like a standard but not super tough climb. Is this the case? as the sea2summit site claims it is 25% in places, which i don't see in the strava segment. Is it really this steep or is it the website over exaggerating? I've climbed Mamore a few times which I'd Imagine is 25% in places at worst I'd imagine, Is maum really of a similar profile?

The only climb I have yet to succeed on , though I had a 23 on the back at the time. Never been on Mamore but If you have done Sheffrey then I categorize the Maaum as been a lot tougher myself.

mistermatthew

yop wrote: »

The only climb I have yet to succeed on , though I had a 23 on the back at the time. Never been on Mamore but If you have done Sheffrey then I categorize the Maaum as been a lot tougher myself.

http://www.strava.com/segments/3211841

Is this the climb?

mistermatthew

mistermatthew wrote: »

http://www.strava.com/segments/3211841

Is this the climb?

Think this is it actually:)

http://www.strava.com/segments/3185983

conseng

http://www.westportsea2summit.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Updated_map_s2s.pdf

No, this link shows the course, I'm not familiar with strava to plot it.

Edit: I think your second post is correct, I did it a couple of years ago and found it brutal but I have nothing to compare it to.

mistermatthew

conseng wrote: »

http://www.westportsea2summit.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Updated_map_s2s.pdf

No, this link shows the course, I'm not familiar with strava to plot it.

Edit: I think your second post is correct, I did it a couple of years ago and found it brutal but I have nothing to compare it to.

Ok cool, from strava it looks tough but not 25% in places, Any tips from someone who's done it before?

yop

mistermatthew wrote: »

Ok cool, from strava it looks tough but not 25% in places, Any tips from someone who's done it before?

Ya, bring the car or bigger legs

I will find it for you, I have it somewhere, but laugh at the avg and I kill yo wife and children

yop

mistermatthew wrote: »

Think this is it actually:)

http://www.strava.com/segments/3185983

Thats it ya. I see I am now off the first page! Feckers, I must get onto it again next year.

The start of the climbing actually starts on Harpers hill as you turn off the main road through Lecanvey.
http://www.strava.com/segments/1521609

Nice double hill there, which you will suffer a little as you will still be a bit tired from Croagh Patrick.

After that its a lovely downhill, dirty and narrow so beware of local sheep/dogs and people

Take a left then and you are on the road to the Maam. That road is single lane, hit a small incline then another slight incline and you come onto a flat (When I road it first time I Thought that was the climbing done!), you will then swing to your right and you have a nice steady climb veering left, a small flat to recovery and then a double hill, I found veering back and over from right to left helped me a bit but I have no climbing legs.
Have managed all but the last 50ft as I hit the loose gravel. Beware of cars though on non Sea2Summit day.
The decent is fast and covered in sheep.

Enjoy

macbane66

I'd bring a 28 on the back if I were u !
done the sea2summit last year , by the time you get to the maum your legs will be in a serious jock
its actually not that bad a climb on a average day but after running up and down c.patrick your quads will be screaming at you
when I was going up it last year out of about 20 others near me, maybe a hand full of us at most got over it without putting a foot down.
the hailstones and snow that day didn't help

yop

macbane66 wrote: »

I'd bring a 28 on the back if I were u !
done the sea2summit last year , by the time you get to the maum your legs will be in a serious jock
its actually not that bad a climb on a average day but after running up and down c.patrick your quads will be screaming at you
when I was going up it last year out of about 20 others near me, maybe a hand full of us at most got over it without putting a foot down.
the hailstones and snow that day didn't help

EXACTLY! If you clipped in though, as I was, its hard to get off the bike before falling side ways

slideshow bob

It just seems to go on and on then there's more. The surface is not good. There's loose gravel, lots of evidence of recent ovine and bovine presence, cracks and some potholes. The downhills are worse than going up to be honest with blind corners on that kind of surface - I'm not a bad descender, but I was not happy going down there. Wont be as bad on Sea2Summit day if they hold traffic off, but there'll be enough lunatics out that you might add evidence of recent human presence if they go screaming past and frighten the **** out of you.

mistermatthew

yop wrote: »

EXACTLY! If you clipped in though, as I was, its hard to get off the bike before falling side ways

Can Iask whats the craic with climbing shoes if you're bringing cycling shoes like I am?
I see the transition zones are different locations

mistermatthew

slideshow bob wrote: »

It just seems to go on and on then there's more. The surface is not good. There's loose gravel, lots of evidence of recent ovine and bovine presence, cracks and some potholes. The downhills are worse than going up to be honest with blind corners on that kind of surface - I'm not a bad descender, but I was not happy going down there. Wont be as bad on Sea2Summit day if they hold traffic off, but there'll be enough lunatics out that you might add evidence of recent human presence if they go screaming past and frighten the **** out of you.

Is there a lot of corners? I might drive the course the day before, just on google maps the descent looks straight enough, I was looking at that as a point to go flat out

yop

mistermatthew wrote: »

Can Iask whats the craic with climbing shoes if you're bringing cycling shoes like I am?
I see the transition zones are different locations

On the adventure races I did I just swapped over to the trail shoes and back again with quick release laces.

There are corners but the road is tight and it was the sheep that worried me mostly as they aren't too fast to move

slideshow bob

Well what do you know. The cycleireland website is posted on the forum today:

This loop descriptions have a map, photos and a piece of video of the main Maum descent. The loop is reverse of the S2S so (s)he's going up where you'll be going down. http://cycleireland.ie/westport-croagh-patrick-cycle-loop/

If the photos and video don't put you off going flat out inform you sufficiently then driving it the day before is a very good idea. And I suppose I should direct you to the helmet thread...

mistermatthew

slideshow bob wrote: »

Well what do you know. The cycleireland website is posted on the forum today:

This loop descriptions have a map, photos and a piece of video of the main Maum descent. The loop is reverse of the S2S so (s)he's going up where you'll be going down. http://cycleireland.ie/westport-croagh-patrick-cycle-loop/

If the photos and video don't put you off going flat out inform you sufficiently then driving it the day before is a very good idea. And I suppose I should direct you to the helmet thread...

I have a helmet lol, yeah road doesn't look great now, I really would of imagined it would have been organised for a proper descent where you can really let it go. This looks like its a descent where there is gravel on the road, not the best tbh. Hopefully they sweep the road.

Looking forard to it now:)

mistermatthew

macbane66 wrote: »

I'd bring a 28 on the back if I were u !
done the sea2summit last year , by the time you get to the maum your legs will be in a serious jock
its actually not that bad a climb on a average day but after running up and down c.patrick your quads will be screaming at you
when I was going up it last year out of about 20 others near me, maybe a hand full of us at most got over it without putting a foot down.
the hailstones and snow that day didn't help

That a 28 with a standard? Rocking a 39-26 low gear at the moment

slideshow bob

mistermatthew wrote: »

Hopefully they sweep the road.

You might be lucky, but they're sure to address the sheep during the race briefing and ask them to stay off the road or be part of the post-race buffet.

yop

From what I remember last year the road wasn't swept and the sheep were still there Makes it all the more interesting

mistermatthew

yop wrote: »

From what I remember last year the road wasn't swept and the sheep were still there Makes it all the more interesting

Ahh right. I've done a few sheep scattered descents lol. hopefully it'll be nice:) shall arrive at transition with dinner slung over the shoulder in sheep form.

macbane66

mistermatthew wrote: »

That a 28 with a standard? Rocking a 39-26 low gear at the moment

34 x 28 at moment, actually I had a 25 on the back at the time, the 28 will just give you that comfort in case you calve near the top

mistermatthew

macbane66 wrote: »

34 x 28 at moment, actually I had a 25 on the back at the time, the 28 will just give you that comfort in case you calve near the top

Ahh right, I've got a 39x26 low gear at the moment, hopefully will get up the climb ok

Budawanny

There is a short sharp section that is basically a wall if we are talking louisburgh to maum direction. other than that its a good climb but not too bad.

Budawanny

Also alot of the roads in the area have been surface dressed very recently so it maybe in good nick.
or as they say locally , "they fickshed the road"

mistermatthew

Budawanny wrote: »

There is a short sharp section that is basically a wall if we are talking louisburgh to maum direction. other than that its a good climb but not too bad.

Thanks, A bit of local knowledge is always great. Yeah from strava it looks like a decent climb with a few ramps but nothing I can't grind over the top off.

mistermatthew

Budawanny wrote: »

Also alot of the roads in the area have been surface dressed very recently so it maybe in good nick.
or as they say locally , "they fickshed the road"

That'd be brilliant if they were, hopefully I will get at least to drive the course the day efore, maybe spin around it if I have time