Kings Mountain 200 (2016)

Koobcam

Anyone doing this Saturday? Looking at the forecast, seems like it might be cold at the start, with a tailwind for the first half, and finishing off with lots of rain and a headwind, so I'm really hoping that there will be some sort of peloton to moderate the suffering somewhat...

Matt Bianco

60+ signed up as far as I know so shows the appetite for longer events throughout the year. Really good route although there's a sting in the tail as in the great Brown Stuff tradition, I see there's 15kms thrown in at the end at no extra cost

Rain at the end beats rain at the start in my book so once I've hit Kells by the time the clouds open, it'll be fine by me

Leroy42

I'm doing it.

Didn't notice the extra 15km on the map before. In previous versions it started and ended in Whitehall so I am assuming that is the case and the extra 15km on the map is simply a mistake.

OleRodrigo

Yep, I'm in. It's a great route. The relatively low elevation profile is usually offset by a headwind for the return leg.

Might bring the fixie for extra suffering.

cdaly_

I'll be there. Wind looks southerly throughout and sure what's a bit of rain on an audax. There'll be something of a peleton to start with but it tends to string out over the day. I usually end up in a solo peloton for the second half. If you're happy to work hard over 10 hours you could keep up with the fast folks but there's the danger of burning all of your matches too soon and being shagged in the middle of nowhere with 50k to go...

Matt Bianco

I remember it as 208km last year and same start/ finish so some minor change somewhere along the route

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/12006807

Leroy42

The route on the link has the finish some extra 8km from Whitehall, back out the road you started on in Ballycoolin

As Matt Bianco says, it has started and finished in Whitehall each year so no reason to think the extra km is anything other than a mistake on the map

Limestone1

I make it 203km- had to map it again on garmin connect to download it. I have just gotten over the soaking in the Faceless Monk so hopefully it's nothing like that......

Koobcam

The old map has it finishing in Whitehall, the new one in Finglas, so I'm thinking that whoever did the map lives in Finglas and was seeing how far it was home? The route sheet has it at about 203km as far as I remember.
Nice to see some responses here, and to hear that so many have signed up. I'm hoping to arrive at the start at around 7 and head off asap after that, so hopefully there will be a decent group to start off with.

Planet X

Entered.
The updated 2016 route says 214.9k

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12006807

paul a newman

As one of the organisers, | can tell you that it starts and finishes in Whitehall, we checked the routesheet and all is correct. All riders starting on Sat will be given the correct routesheet. it is 205k in distance.

Leroy42

They have put up the revised route, 205k, starts and ends in Whitehall.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12055687

Leroy42

They have put up the revised route, 205k, starts and ends in Whitehall.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12055687

Mr T.

so, how painful was it?

OleRodrigo

It was great. Thanks to cdaly_ for putting up with my howls of pain.

paul a newman

We had over 50 participants finish the course on a testing day, a few people had mechanicals. One gent had 5 punctures ( a record ). Congrats to the first timers, those that travelled from Sligo, Londonderry, Belfast and the pair of late entry but early finishers from Awfully. Thanks to Mick F for his time at the finish, and hope to see you all on other Audax events, Paul & Aidan

Leroy42

Really tough day in the saddle. Started out late so ended up solo for the whole thing. Luckily I had no punctures or mechanicals and the weather wasn't too bad. Rain held off until about half way and wind was with us on the way to Oldcastle.

Problem was that of course that same wind was against us on the way back, and at least to me, it seemed to get stronger as the day went on.

Great event and great to get something like this in so early in the year.

Well done Paul & Aidan. And thanks to the guy who lent me his phone in Kells as I had screwed up mine. (R Flynn I think it was a based on Strava)

Koobcam

I'm not going to say I enjoyed this, but I was certainly glad to reach that nice gentle downhill bit with a tail(ish) wind back to the car park. Congrats to everyone on getting through a day that started off fine, but got brutal after Oldcastle, especially all those little hills in Meath and the headwind and occasionally torrential rain. I shall try to get more than 3 hours sleep next time I do an audax and maybe try to stick with a group instead of doing most of the thing on my own.

Planet X

OleRodrigo wrote: »

Yep, I'm in. It's a great route. The relatively low elevation profile is usually offset by a headwind for the return leg.

Might bring the fixie for extra suffering.

Was that you then on the fixie pulling in to Ballivor with cdaly?

OleRodrigo

Planet X wrote: »

Was that you then on the fixie pulling in to Ballivor with cdaly?

Yep, that was I. There was quite a few there at that point.

Planet X

OleRodrigo wrote: »

Yep, that was I. There was quite a few there at that point.

Chapeau.
That the takes a bit of balls.
Well done.

OleRodrigo

Planet X wrote: »

Chapeau.
That the takes a bit of balls.
Well done.

Thanks. Would have traded for some mudguards, though

Was keeping an eye out for your new bike but everyone was whizzing past, it was a bit of a blur..was it the maiden voyage?

NamelessPhil

I too did it solo having arrived late. Thanks to Paul and Aidan for waiting for me. I left at 08:15. I could probably have ridden it without a route sheet, well most of it anyway given that it's my fourth time riding the route. Great tailwind to Ballivor where I met the John and then I got a great tow for 7km from Moynalty CC from Athboy to the junction with the N52. The rain kicked in after Clonmellon and the headwind kicked in from Oldcastle. I met some more of the stragglers in the hills around King's Mountain but rode on my own into Kells to be greeted by more familiar faces.

A brief card signing stop and on into the afternoon. A drenching with horizontal rain at Kilbery and then wind dropped completely for a few minutes after the squall passed. The sun came out but my toes remained frozen for the remainder of the ride. Back into Dublin for 17:45 and I crawled home through the rush hour traffic, stopping for a spice bag in a takeaway!

The weather is the main obstacle on this route. I've ridden it with frozen roads, in strong winds, in hailstones and in sunshine. The hills are handy enough and there are a couple of interesting drags in the last 50km.

cdaly_

NamelessPhil wrote: »

I too did it solo having arrived late. Thanks to Paul and Aidan for waiting for me. I left at 08:15.

Funny, we were thinking that might happen.

Saw you whizz by at Ashbourne as OleRodrigo and I sat sipping tea in comfy armchairs looking out the window of the petrol station...

Planet X

OleRodrigo wrote: »

Thanks. Would have traded for some mudguards, though

Was keeping an eye out for your new bike but everyone was whizzing past, it was a bit of a blur..was it the maiden voyage?

No, it's secondhand from UK a few years ago. Just don't get out but trying to put that right now. Rejoined my old club for a bit of incentive.

Mr T.

OleRodrigo wrote: »

Yep, that was I. There was quite a few there at that point.

200k on a fixie? one word for you sir... Respect!

NamelessPhil

Mr T. wrote: »

200k on a fixie? one word for you sir... Respect!

He did the Celtic Knot 1000 last year fixed...:eek:

Alek

He did the Celtic Knot 1000 last year fixed...

SpeechlessPhil :eek::eek:



I think I need to try this whole fixie malarkey one day.

What gear ratio would be recommended for a long and not too hilly ride?

Also - fixed or singlespeed?

cdaly_

Alek wrote: »

Also - fixed or singlespeed?

You need ask... We'd have laughed at him if he'd done it singlespeed...

OleRodrigo

cdaly_ wrote: »

You need ask... We'd have laughed at him if he'd done it singlespeed...

Indeed..and uploaded to youtube for more laughing at..:)

ford2600

Alek wrote: »

SpeechlessPhil :eek::eek:



I think I need to try this whole fixie malarkey one day.

What gear ratio would be recommended for a long and not too hilly ride?

Also - fixed or singlespeed?

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/127153/

Pretty popular in UK as far as I know.

When I rode Geimhridh 200 in December, the man I rode first 120km with was on a fixed bike, wasn't holding him up.

I'd imagine spd's would be a good idea on a really horrible route, but a derailleur or two would probably be a better one.

OleRodrigo

What gear ratio would be recommended for a long and not too hilly ride?

Gearing is something you get used to I think. There was a Russian guy on PBP who rode it fixed on something like a 51 X 16, in 60 hours. He said he started off quite small and built up over time as his legs got used to it. There wasn't anything over 10/12 % on that route though. He also had a climbers body composition.

I started off on 48 X 16 and couldn't get over the easy side of Howth, initially. Over time it got easier, then I changed to 46 X 16 and that suits for the majority of scenarios now, except for ramps in the mid teens and upwards ( of which there was one on the Kings Mountain ) but I can cruise along on the flat nicely with that and descents are manageable.

Ideally, you hit the sweet spot between not spinning too fast on descents and being able to push the gear on a steep hill.

Only one way to find out!