Fastest roads in Leinster?

Zyzz

Countless times I see incredibly fast roads the world over (should probably spend less time on YouTube) but are there any good roads in Leinster to clock up a pretty high speed?

smacl

Wicklow gap towards Hollywood is steep, decent surface, shallow curves, and good visibility. Probably one of my favourite descents in Wicklow, where most others fail on one or more of the above criteria.

Chips Lovell

What would you class as fast?

Beasty

Fast flat or fast downhill?

Cookie_Monster

Roundwood road on the decent to Kilmacanogue, good surface the whole way, easy to clock 75+ on it

Wishbone Ash

smacl wrote: »

Wicklow gap towards Hollywood is steep, decent surface, shallow curves, and good visibility. Probably one of my favourite descents in Wicklow, where most others fail on one or more of the above criteria.

Tends to regularly have buffeting winds which spoil it somewhat. I prefer the other side (towards Glendalough/Laragh). One can be doing 80kph without any effort (although the last time I was descending I encountered an Italian registered car on the wrong side of the road!).

The R108 eastbound along the Dublin airport perimeter is a good fast flat road especially with a westerly wind and it has no junctions/residences etc.

Beasty

Depends on wind as well though - I managed to hit 60kph going over the line at the end of a TT a couple of years ago just outside Batterstown - it was downhill but only very slightly

Wishbone Ash

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Roundwood road on the decent to Kilmacanogue, good surface the whole way, easy to clock 75+ on it

Pretty good alright especially the Long Hill descent. I'm always a bit wimpy going down it though as I'm expecting dogs to exit the farmyard entrances.

North bound into the dip at Collon village in Co Louth is another place where you can easily get up to 75kph. Very short but good surface and visibility and gives you a shove back up the village climb.

nilhg

There's a long straight descent off The Butts towards Old Leighlin that features in the Leinster Loop course, that's as fast as I know of, real squeaky bum territory.

Harrybelafonte

Back of the airport with the wind at your back. Could do 60-65km/h at points.

ashleey

nilhg wrote: »

There's a long straight descent off The Butts towards Old Leighlin that features in the Leinster Loop course, that's as fast as I know of, real squeaky bum territory.

Definitely requires an eye on the mixed surface!

markens2

Hill of Allen heading towards Newbridge. Not very long though.

detones

nilhg wrote: »

There's a long straight descent off The Butts towards Old Leighlin that features in the Leinster Loop course, that's as fast as I know of, real squeaky bum territory.

Had a speed wobble on this at 60kph + doing the Loop last year. Frightened the living sh!te out of me. Was looking forward to it as I enjoy quick descents, was not expecting the ropey surface. The other thing that stood out was the smell of burning rubber from all of the hard braking going down the descent.

This is a local descent in Bellewestown which will catch your attention. Its fast short and scary, speeds of 80kph + are possible. Currently sitting in 4'th but I don't know if I'd have the balls to push it any faster.

Zyzz

Sorry for my incredibly vague post, it was late

I mean downhill and 80km/h+ fast

Edit: if you have the strava link to hand it would be greatly appreciated!

Chips Lovell

OK. There's a fair few hills in Dublin and Wicklow where you should be able to top 80 safely. You're really looking for somewhere with a reasonably straight descent on decent road, e.g. Sally Gap towards Kilbride, Luggala towards Roundwood, Djouce towards Enniskerry, either side of the Wicklow Gap, Sutton side of Howth.

Koobcam

nilhg wrote: »

There's a long straight descent off The Butts towards Old Leighlin that features in the Leinster Loop course, that's as fast as I know of, real squeaky bum territory.

Yeah, I think I hit about 82kph on that during the Leinster Loop.

on_the_nickel

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Djouce towards Enniskerry

There's a little piece of straight road a few km past Ballinastoe with a nice downhill where you can see the road go uphill a few 100 metres ahead. Quite easy to get above 80kph along there - only slight concern is a house right at the dip, but you've got good visibility.

+1 on the Wicklow Gap into Laragh, that's a lovely descent if the weather is good.

thinks too much

nilhg wrote: »

There's a long straight descent off The Butts towards Old Leighlin that features in the Leinster Loop course, that's as fast as I know of, real squeaky bum territory.

But it is pretty slow and torturous when you try to cycle up it Nilhg...lol

thinks too much

Koobcam wrote: »

Yeah, I think I hit about 82kph on that during the Leinster Loop.

On Strava it is marked as Hazardous on the decent and so no leader board. Pity because I hit 82 going down there also. But as Nilhg said it is real squeaky bum time.

Chips Lovell

on_the_nickel wrote: »

There's a little piece of straight road a few km past Ballinastoe with a nice downhill where you can see the road go uphill a few 100 metres ahead. Quite easy to get above 80kph along there - only slight concern is a house right at the dip, but you've got good visibility.

+1 on the Wicklow Gap into Laragh, that's a lovely descent if the weather is good.

Aye, you need to keep your eyes peeled alright. Probably a bit less safe for opening the taps than some of the others mentioned.

On the Wicklow Gap, I usually find the other side to be faster. But the road into Laragh is lovely alright

Chips Lovell

thinks too much wrote: »

On Strava it is marked as Hazardous on the decent and so no leader board. Pity because I hit 82 going down there also. But as Nilhg said it is real squeaky bum time.

I think Strava flags most descents as hazardous

daragh_

on_the_nickel wrote: »

+1 on the Wicklow Gap into Laragh, that's a lovely descent if the weather is good.

Once you go past the car park halfway down it can get a bit dodgy. The surface is great but the road narrows and you can come up on traffic that has slowed or stopped very quickly.

Was on a club run last summer where a car that was a good minute ahead of us slowed and then stopped for an oncoming tour bus. We got very close very fast. Road was bone dry so everyone managed to brake and stop, just.

Chips Lovell

daragh_ wrote: »

...you can come up on traffic that has slowed or stopped very quickly.

That's a really good bit of advice. I got caught out by that myself years ago. Coming down the Sally Gap, car ahead suddenly stops. I scrubbed out a fair bit of speed but still hit the back. Lesson learned. Wicklow is full of tourists who sometimes suddenly stop to admire the view.

Harrybelafonte

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

That's a really good bit of advice. I got caught out by that myself years ago. Coming down the Sally Gap, car ahead suddenly stops. I scrubbed out a fair bit of speed but still hit the back. Lesson learned. Wicklow is full of tourists who sometimes suddenly stop to admire the view.

Had similar experience a few years ago to, just missed them.

ht9zni1gs28crp

detones wrote: »

This is a local descent in Bellewestown which will catch your attention. Its fast short and scary, speeds of 80kph + are possible. Currently sitting in 4'th but I don't know if I'd have the balls to push it any faster.

This is a fast one, watch out for the conc lumps halfway down, residual concrete lines spilled from a truck heading up the hill...

im 21st on that segment, a good 12secs behind ya

Wishbone Ash

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

OK. There's a fair few hills in Dublin and Wicklow where you should be able to top 80 safely. You're really looking for somewhere with a reasonably straight descent on decent road, e.g. Sally Gap towards Kilbride, Luggala towards Roundwood, Djouce towards Enniskerry, either side of the Wicklow Gap, Sutton side of Howth.

....except for that horribly deceptive dip/bend before the little bridge. Scared the crap out of me the first time I came down there.

(IIRC a few came off there in the WW200 a few years ago).

Koobcam

thinks too much wrote: »

On Strava it is marked as Hazardous on the decent and so no leader board. Pity because I hit 82 going down there also. But as Nilhg said it is real squeaky bum time.

Hazardous all right. As I recall, during my 82kph descent someone dropped a bottle and I just missed it…very squeaky bum

stecleary

Howth hill, strangely enough I have never gone down the steep side just up it but I have hit 70 on my ay down into Sutton with out even trying to push it

alentejo

N81 downhill from Brittas to jobstown when traffic quiet

Inquitus

detones wrote: »

This is a local descent in Bellewestown which will catch your attention. Its fast short and scary, speeds of 80kph + are possible. Currently sitting in 4'th but I don't know if I'd have the balls to push it any faster.

If there's ever a good reason for flagging a segment as dangerous that's it. Should be renamed "good chance of hugging a landcruiser at 80 kph"

Wishbone Ash

stecleary wrote: »

Howth hill, strangely enough I have never gone down the steep...

Too many things to go wrong - residences all the way down, several junctions, bus stops, major junction at the church, leading into a village etc., errant drivers, pedestrians etc.......

detones

Inquitus wrote: »

If there's ever a good reason for flagging a segment as dangerous that's it. Should be renamed "good chance of hugging a landcruiser at 80 kph"

You could argue any descent mentioned on here could be flagged to be fair. They all have there own risks to one extent or another. I don't really get the flagging thing. I know it's been debated on here before but in my mind if you think a segment is dangerous, just don't have a go at it.

Wishbone Ash

detones wrote: »

..... but in my mind if you think a segment is dangerous, just don't have a go at it.

+1

Feckin do-gooders (and KOM losers!)