Bray --> Sally Gap

Thargor

Probably a stupid question but is this route basically all climbing or does it have flat sections to get your breath back before the next hill mixed in?

Not sure I could sustain 20 km of uphill pedalling, actually 2 km might be stretching it

Which is the easiest route from Bray to the viewpoint over Lough Tay please?

Alek

Go to Eniskerry > Glencree > Sally Gap - plenty of flat sections.

http://app.strava.com/routes/253261

Thargor

Good to know thanks, that was the route I was hoping for. Is it very hard for a novice though?

Alek

Well, depends on your fitness and gears :-) There are some >10% hills on the way but if you do it easily, its certainly doable.

quozl

It depends on how much of a novice you are and how much extra weight you're carrying. Extra weight is so much worse going uphill than on the flat.

There's no really nasty climbs on it but there's a couple of places with a km or two of what you might find pretty tough depending on how new you are to things and the weight situation.

Why not give it a go and see? Worst case scenario you get a good climbing session and turn around before reaching the Gap. You can then try it once a week until you do reach the Gap. Best case scenario you sail up to it first time Either results in you being fitter and stronger for having done it!

Thargor

Thats the plan, going to scout out the mysterious lands beyond Enniskerry this evening then set a few targets along the way as the evenings get longer.

By the way do you mean extra weight on the bike or on my body? All I ever take is a bottle of water and a sandwich. Im pretty fit just did no long distance cycling this Winter at all but I do use the bike to get around instead of running a car, its a Boardman roadbike, previous record was Bray to Wicklow town and back but that was nice and flat, hills kill me. Im just wondering if Sally Gap is an elite destination or do novices go up there aswell...

quozl

I mean extra weight on you Boardmans are decent bikes but even if you had an absolute junker its weight would be a small component of the rider+bike total!

Novices can definitely go up to the Sally Gap. Once they get up there they immediately graduate from being novices though

smacl

Thargor wrote: »

Im just wondering if Sally Gap is an elite destination or do novices go up there aswell...

Not at all, but it is a good bit of work. An extra banana and/or energy bar might come in handy, and watch the descent first time down. The corner by Lough Bray can be a bit tight and something of a wind trap, and the road surface is a bit lumpy in spots.

Pinch Flat

smacl wrote: »

Not at all, but it is a good bit of work. An extra banana and/or energy bar might come in handy, and watch the descent first time down. The corner by Lough Bray can be a bit tight and something of a wind trap, and the road surface is a bit lumpy in spots.

And watch out for the tourists wandering across the road from parked buses....

brayblue24

OP the route appears on a map to be tougher than it actually is. For example, the stretch from Powerscourt Waterfall has a slight gradient for the best part but it's slight enough that you'd hardly notice it. Also don't forget what goes up must come down. That's how I got myself to try it in the first place. I figured I'd put the effort in as much as I could so that in the event I had to turn back I could pretty much freewheel all the way to Bray.

As it turns out it's a lot less daunting than you think (and I ain't no climber). Maybe just don't go up wearing a polka dot jersey, you'd just be setting yourself up for a fall.

As others say watch out for tour buses but I've had to shout at a lot more drivers than tourists. Also, coming from Bray myself, I found that conquering the Gap opened up the western half of the county to me. There's some very nice coffee shops on Blessington and the shops of Laragh are no strangers to most people here

smacl

brayblue24 wrote: »

For example, the stretch from Powerscourt Waterfall has a slight gradient for the best part but it's slight enough that you'd hardly notice it.

Apart from the first fifty meters just after the bridge at the waterfall. That you may notice, but don't panic when you hit it as it is steep but short. Rest of the ascent is really lovely, with the main hazard being midges in biting season.

omri

smacl wrote: »

with the main hazard being midges in biting season.

For which there is an easy sollution



And they come in few sizes too

smacl

omri wrote: »

For which there is an easy sollution

Just saying that the first food stop on the WW200 year before last looked like a measles clinic, and the road past Crone wood was where the damage was done

Pinch Flat

smacl wrote: »

Just saying that the first food stop on the WW200 year before last looked like a measles clinic, and the road past Crone wood was where the damage was done

Ugh, it was like cycling in the wilds if Borneo. I was bitten alive!

Thargor

Alek wrote: »

Go to Eniskerry > Glencree > Sally Gap - plenty of flat sections.

http://app.strava.com/routes/253261

This route doesn't exist anymore, does anyone have a link to a similar one? Eniskerry > Glencree > Sally Gap, dont care where you originated from.

lissard

Here's a similar one : Bray -> Powerscout -> Glencree -> Sally Gap -> Lugala -> Bray

app.strava.com/routes/170409 (boards won't allow me put in a full URL)

Sponge25

Bray to Sallies Gap? You must be one fit man. Gis a cross bar will ya? :P

Thargor

Sponge25 wrote: »

Bray to Sallies Gap? You must be one fit man. Gis a cross bar will ya? :P

Eh? One of the most common routes in the country I would have thought.

lissard wrote: »

Here's a similar one : Bray -> Powerscout -> Glencree -> Sally Gap -> Lugala -> Bray

app.strava.com/routes/170409 (boards won't allow me put in a full URL)

Thats perfect thanks.

Thargor

Ah crap thats way south of Enniskerry on the extra hard road, I need one that goes through Enniskerry sorry...

letape

Thargor wrote: »

This route doesn't exist anymore, does anyone have a link to a similar one? Eniskerry > Glencree > Sally Gap, dont care where you originated from.

Did you get to try it back in April as planned?

Plastik

Are you trying to get to the viewing point over Lough Bray, or Lough Tay? Because if it's Lough Tay then you have no option other than to go that far south.

Sponge25

Thargor wrote: »

Eh? One of the most common routes in the country I would have thought.
Thats perfect thanks.

How many miles or KM would ya say it is? I can only do 20km. 10 each way due to a lung contusion in a car accident when I was younger.

Thargor

letape wrote: »

Did you get to try it back in April as planned?

Nowhere near, I cant even get up this big hill out of Enniskerry and its too steep to start again once you stop, havent tried it in a good while though:

https://maps.google.ie/maps?q=enniskerry&ll=53.190325,-6.166635&spn=0.020982,0.038581&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&hnear=Enniskerry,+County+Wicklow&gl=ie&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=53.192595,-6.171269&panoid=jDOQYohap20MAU-WcmPbeg&cbp=12,275.61,,0,11.01

Which is annoying because I can do 40-50km on flat routes no problem.

Plastik wrote: »

Are you trying to get to the viewing point over Lough Bray, or Lough Tay? Because if it's Lough Tay then you have no option other than to go that far south.

Enniskerry village to Lough Bray then on to Lough tay, easiest route I can see unless you know another?

Sponge25 wrote: »

How many miles or KM would ya say it is? I can only do 20km. 10 each way due to a lung contusion in a car accident when I was younger.

About 30 km out but it should be an easy enough freewheel back.

Sponge25

30km each way?!?! damn it'd wanna be very easy going back and the lads would get p'd off with my pace after I slowed down a little.

I'd go if yas didn't mind takin a slightly slower pace!?

quozl

Here's a long possibility Thargor but it doesn't have any bits quite as steep as that (bastard of a) road west from Enniskerry.

http://www.strava.com/routes/558884

Sally Gap is easiest from the west and the south IMO.

So if you can head out south through roundwood and then larragh and then ascend Sally from the south and come down the east, that might be an idea.

It's a bit longer though.

Two things to watch out for:
- don't go up from the east. The section around Lough Tay is the toughest of the four sides, I think.

- if you're heading south from enniskerry make sure to head south on the R755 NOT on Old Long Hill road to the west of it. That has a tough climb on it. If climbs may be tough for you then you're better off coming back that way. The R755 is a long draggy climb that you may find tough but it's a good bit easier than the old long hill, and if you find it excessive you can always stop at the top and roll back home. Then do more of the route next time and so on.

I've the feeling that this might be a bit much for you but on the plus side you don't really go down any major drops until you're heading home so if you want to turn around and go back you won't find yourself with a massive climb between you and home. Check out the elevation profile on strava to see what I mean.

quozl

Sponge25, is that something that you can improve with training? Do you think you're limited to 20km permenantly or are you fairly new to the cycling and you might be able to increase that substantially with time?

Sponge25

quozl wrote: »

Sponge25, is that something that you can improve with training? Do you think you're limited to 20km permenantly or are you fairly new to the cycling and you might be able to increase that substantially with time?

I've been cycling all my life but fairly new to long distance road cycling. I will defintely improve with time but the sweat pumps out of me if I do much more than 20/25k, especially in the summer. I actually prefer a good cold breeze than a very sunny day.

PS. I find it a little easier every time, if I eat well in the days coming up to the cycle and have a good sleep and meal before I set off.

Thargor

quozl wrote: »

Here's a long possibility Thargor but it doesn't have any bits quite as steep as that (bastard of a) road west from Enniskerry.

http://www.strava.com/routes/558884

Sally Gap is easiest from the west and the south IMO.

So if you can head out south through roundwood and then larragh and then ascend Sally from the south and come down the east, that might be an idea.

It's a bit longer though.

Two things to watch out for:
- don't go up from the east. The section around Lough Tay is the toughest of the four sides, I think.

- if you're heading south from enniskerry make sure to head south on the R755 NOT on Old Long Hill road to the west of it. That has a tough climb on it. If climbs may be tough for you then you're better off coming back that way. The R755 is a long draggy climb that you may find tough but it's a good bit easier than the old long hill, and if you find it excessive you can always stop at the top and roll back home. Then do more of the route next time and so on.

I've the feeling that this might be a bit much for you but on the plus side you don't really go down any major drops until you're heading home so if you want to turn around and go back you won't find yourself with a massive climb between you and home. Check out the elevation profile on strava to see what I mean.

Nah thats a crazy route sorry, flat or downhill all the way out, extra long and then nearly 20km of mad climbing to get home, I'm looking for this route:

https://maps.google.ie/maps?saddr=Bray,+Wicklow&daddr=53.1933583,-6.2697907+to:R759&hl=en&ll=53.161594,-6.203842&spn=0.167968,0.308647&sll=53.163858,-6.161957&sspn=0.167959,0.308647&geocode=FQfIKwMdnsCi_ymvfcxbZqhnSDFnd9NMzjyPpw%3BFY6qKwMdolSg_ykJKcz35aBnSDHeYPIo825HGA%3BFYJiKgMdNIOg_w&oq=lough&gl=ie&dirflg=b&mra=dme&mrsp=2&sz=12&via=1&t=m&z=12&lci=bike

But in Strava so it shows the gradient of each piece of road.

quozl

Thargor wrote: »

I'm looking for this route:

https://maps.google.ie/maps?saddr=Bray,+Wicklow&daddr=53.1933583,-6.2697907+to:R759&hl=en&ll=53.161594,-6.203842&spn=0.167968,0.308647&sll=53.163858,-6.161957&sspn=0.167959,0.308647&geocode=FQfIKwMdnsCi_ymvfcxbZqhnSDFnd9NMzjyPpw%3BFY6qKwMdolSg_ykJKcz35aBnSDHeYPIo825HGA%3BFYJiKgMdNIOg_w&oq=lough&gl=ie&dirflg=b&mra=dme&mrsp=2&sz=12&via=1&t=m&z=12&lci=bike

But in Strava so it shows the gradient of each piece of road.

Can you not make that exact route in Strava? I didn't think creating routes was a premium feature anymore.

Try http://www.strava.com/routes/new

Give it a try and if Strava won't let non-premium accounts make routes then I'll make it for you.

Thargor

Ah I thought you had to pay to do that, thanks.