Tour de Foothills 2017

Naas Cycling Club

The 2017 Tour de Foothills will take place on Sunday 9th April and there here will be two routes, 65km around the Blessington Lakes and 110km around the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, so there is a route to suit all cycling levels and abilities. Pre-register and pre-pay online at www.ncctourdefoothills.com or sign up on the morning of the cycle at Finlay Ford, M7 Business Park, Newhall, Naas from 8am. Both 65km and 110km routes leave at 9:30am. Safety, medical, mechanical and broom wagon support vehicles, road markings and refreshments are all included.

Saplings Special School, Kill, is a co-educational, autism specific special school, providing high quality education for pupils with autism and complex needs. The school offers a range of child-centred, autism specific education which draws on a range of evidence based interventions. There are currently 24 students attending the school between the ages of 5 and 18. All students have a primary diagnosis of autism and a secondary diagnosis of a mild, moderate or severe/profound learning disability. Some of the students also have another diagnosis such as epilepsy, ADHD, ADD etc.

NCC’s previous collaborations with Saplings has resulted in a new sensory room, adaptive climbing wall and specialist equipment being provided for the children’s use. This year all proceeds from the TdF will be used to go towards funding an onsite Speech and Language Therapist in the school for three days a week. It is through SLT that the children are given as many opportunities as possible throughout the school day to practice their communication skills and become the best communicator they can be!

So please take the opportunity on Sunday 9th April to get out on your bike, enjoy the cycle and help provide the children of Saplings with essential speech and language sessions which will ensure that their communication skills are developed in the most functional way possible.

Charlie69

Naas Cycling Club wrote: »

The 2017 Tour de Foothills will take place on Sunday 9th April and there here will be two routes, 65km around the Blessington Lakes and 110km around the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, so there is a route to suit all cycling levels and abilities. Pre-register and pre-pay online at www.ncctourdefoothills.com or sign up on the morning of the cycle at Finlay Ford, M7 Business Park, Newhall, Naas from 8am. Both 65km and 110km routes leave at 9:30am. Safety, medical, mechanical and broom wagon support vehicles, road markings and refreshments are all included.

Saplings Special School, Kill, is a co-educational, autism specific special school, providing high quality education for pupils with autism and complex needs. The school offers a range of child-centred, autism specific education which draws on a range of evidence based interventions. There are currently 24 students attending the school between the ages of 5 and 18. All students have a primary diagnosis of autism and a secondary diagnosis of a mild, moderate or severe/profound learning disability. Some of the students also have another diagnosis such as epilepsy, ADHD, ADD etc.

NCC’s previous collaborations with Saplings has resulted in a new sensory room, adaptive climbing wall and specialist equipment being provided for the children’s use. This year all proceeds from the TdF will be used to go towards funding an onsite Speech and Language Therapist in the school for three days a week. It is through SLT that the children are given as many opportunities as possible throughout the school day to practice their communication skills and become the best communicator they can be!

So please take the opportunity on Sunday 9th April to get out on your bike, enjoy the cycle and help provide the children of Saplings with essential speech and language sessions which will ensure that their communication skills are developed in the most functional way possible.

Will definitely be supporting this... well done on the great work with Saplings, great cause.

py

Have signed up for this, really looking forward to it. A great cause.

Unknown Soldier

A great day out on the bike, well worth doing, if only for the spread before and after!

Cheap too, compared to a lot now.

This will be my third and looking forward to it. Great cause as well.

lethal dose

Looking forward to this again.

A great event for a great cause.

Whatwicklow

The cold after the stop in donard last year near killed me!

Borderfox

Did it last year but a lot of junctions had nobody at them and very little signage

Naas Cycling Club

Whatwicklow wrote: »

The cold after the stop in donard last year near killed me!

Hopefully we get a break on the weather this year

Naas Cycling Club

.

Naas Cycling Club

110km Route

Naas Cycling Club

65km Route

Naas Cycling Club

Naas Cycling Club wrote: »

The 2017 Tour de Foothills will take place on Sunday 9th April and there here will be two routes, 65km around the Blessington Lakes and 110km around the foothills of the Wicklow mountains, so there is a route to suit all cycling levels and abilities. Pre-register and pre-pay online at www.ncctourdefoothills.com or sign up on the morning of the cycle at Finlay Ford, M7 Business Park, Newhall, Naas from 8am. Both 65km and 110km routes leave at 9:30am. Safety, medical, mechanical and broom wagon support vehicles, road markings and refreshments are all included.

Saplings Special School, Kill, is a co-educational, autism specific special school, providing high quality education for pupils with autism and complex needs. The school offers a range of child-centred, autism specific education which draws on a range of evidence based interventions. There are currently 24 students attending the school between the ages of 5 and 18. All students have a primary diagnosis of autism and a secondary diagnosis of a mild, moderate or severe/profound learning disability. Some of the students also have another diagnosis such as epilepsy, ADHD, ADD etc.

NCC’s previous collaborations with Saplings has resulted in a new sensory room, adaptive climbing wall and specialist equipment being provided for the children’s use. This year all proceeds from the TdF will be used to go towards funding an onsite Speech and Language Therapist in the school for three days a week. It is through SLT that the children are given as many opportunities as possible throughout the school day to practice their communication skills and become the best communicator they can be!

So please take the opportunity on Sunday 9th April to get out on your bike, enjoy the cycle and help provide the children of Saplings with essential speech and language sessions which will ensure that their communication skills are developed in the most functional way possible.

Launch day in Finlay Ford

Naas Cycling Club

This year all proceeds from the Tour de Foothills  will be used to go towards funding an onsite Speech and Language Therapist in the school for three days a week. 
[font=Open Sans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Meet Jack and Emma [/font]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yWlb7g1Okg

lethal dose

All signed up for this.
Anyone else going?

Eamonnator

lethal dose wrote: »

All signed up for this.
Anyone else going?

I'm just getting over a cold.
Going to do 70-80kms in the morning, if that works out, I'll be there.

Don't Chute!

All going well I'll be there. Wimped out last year and did the short route so want another crack at it!

grouchyman

lethal dose wrote: »

All signed up for this.
Anyone else going?

Doing the 65k route. At the start of the year I had entertained hopes of doing the 110kms but I haven't enough preparation done. Still with a bit of luck I'llget to see all the Kildare v Galway match afterwards on the telly.

fat bloke

Link to the 65k route appears to be broken, anytime tell me what it is, roughly? See if my two girls would be able for it

detones

Plan to be there for 110k, looking forward to it. Did 65k last year very well run.

Crocked

fat bloke wrote: »

Link to the 65k route appears to be broken, anytime tell me what it is, roughly? See if my two girls would be able for it

Someones spin from last years event here:

https://www.strava.com/activities/541066727

Out around the lakes from Nass and back via Ballymore Eustace

lethal dose

fat bloke wrote: »

Link to the 65k route appears to be broken, anytime tell me what it is, roughly? See if my two girls would be able for it

Last year it went Naas-Blessington-BallyKnockan-Valleymount-Kilcullen-Naas roughly. As long as they have climbing gears and have done 40/50k comfortably they would be grand.

lethal dose

detones wrote: »

Plan to be there for 110k, looking forward to it. Did 65k last year very well run.

Likewise, weather is supposedly better this year so 110 it is!

Eamonnator

fat bloke wrote: »

Link to the 65k route appears to be broken, anytime tell me what it is, roughly? See if my two girls would be able for it

Link for 110k seems to be broken as well.
I think, its different than the last time I did it.
Could someone, please post a Strava thingie for the route.
Thanks.

nilhg

Eamonnator wrote: »

Link for 110k seems to be broken as well.
I think, its different than the last time I did it.
Could someone, please post a Strava thingie for the route.
Thanks.

https://www.strava.com/activities/541290639

Minus the in and out bits obviously.

Eamonnator

^^^^^^^^^
Top Man, thanks

Unknown Soldier

Eamonnator wrote: »

Link for 110k seems to be broken as well.
I think, its different than the last time I did it.
Could someone, please post a Strava thingie for the route.
Thanks.

Last years from the starting point. This is why I name my rides the way I do, Strava Calendar FTW.

https://www.strava.com/activities/541276334

Techo

Just got the bike back from Bikeology this evening, fully serviced and cleaned. All ready for Sunday. She's so clean that I'll hate to get her mucky.Hope the rider is as ready for the 100k!

Eamonnator

Forecast good for Sunday - Dry and tail wind for last 20 kms

grouchyman

Genuine question - if you sign on at 8am what do you do between 8am and 9.30?

Eamonnator

Gloat at all the people looking for a parking space?

grouchyman

Eamonnator wrote: »

Gloat at all the people looking for a parking space?

Hadn't thought of that!!!

grouchyman

Hoping to add the spin in and out to Kill onto it. Should bring me up to around 80k

Tabnabs

Looking forward to the 65km spin, not looking forward to the hanging around beforehand.

secman

Wont be in Dublin on Sunday, going to head out around lakes tomorrow morning, saw a lot of TDF markings on the roads behind Blessington last night. . Haven't done lake drive spin since last Autumn, looking good weekend weather-wise. Best of luck to all riders on Sunday.

Unknown Soldier

Eamonnator wrote: »

Gloat at all the people looking for a parking space?

One thing there is plenty of!

It's extremely well organised.

The spread at the start is savage, and there is a serious amount of parking to be availed of.

Fighting Tao

I'm looking forward to the Parking options. I'll be hitting the 65k which I think I'll be fine for but I'll be dragging a mate alone. I'll keep pushing him because I k ow he's fit for it but his mind rules his body too offen. I reckon a slower time then I want for myself but once he completes it I'll be happy.

grouchyman

Nice and easy 40ks this evening so I'm all set now for Sunday. Really looking forward to it. What's the climb out from Naas to Glending like? Looking at the map the highest point seems to be around there

JK.BMC

grouchyman wrote: »

Nice and easy 40ks this evening so I'm all set now for Sunday. Really looking forward to it. What's the climb out from Naas to Glending like? Looking at the map the highest point seems to be around there

The road from Naas to Glending is an almost continuous false flat of about 2% for 10km, as Glending is about 200m higher than Naas town. There is the odd slight downhil; but you really don't notice the climb much until the final 1.5km where it does hit 5-6%, but this is on a perfectly good smooth surface so you will be up and over without much trouble really. Like riding a main road through the country for a while and then looking back and realising how much you have climbed without noticing it.
To be honest, some sharp steep and quite short rises around the lakes are far more challenging as they slow you down considerably more than riding to Blessington.
Enjoy the day!

Gerry

Going for the 110 so will drive over. Seems like a good setup as I know there's plenty of parking over there. Looking forward to it.

tonytiger81

Doing the shorter route, it's been a few years since i've ventured down that way. Wonder how much has changed! Should be fun.

Dcully

Had to cut the 110k short, had a bit of a tummy bug and headache yesterday evening and had more or less ruled out today but thought I felt ok-ish this morning.
Trust cycling to let you know how you feel, only 5-10k at a really slow pace as there was so many participants heading to Blessington I was sweaty and feverish and knew I was in trouble.
Soldiered on trying to stick with my club, got dropped from them half way round the lakes and felt crap so took the 65k turn off, was a lonely last 35k or so.

Amazingly well run event from start to finish, well done Naas CC.

https://www.strava.com/activities/934596007

grouchyman

Well done to everybody involved in organising today. I did the 65k route so with the 10km each way in and out from Kill total of 86.1 kms. Thanks especially those doinf the food stop in Valleymount. I really needed refuelling aftet Ballyknockyn. A Great day.

lethal dose

Done the 110 or 115 as I ended up with?
Met Need More Gears, Deco?, Don't Chute and Mercian Pro in that order. Was hoping to meet the legendary Wishbone Ash but was reliably informed he was predisposed today. A few mechanical issues with front much caused me a bit of bother but thankfully no puncture as so many seemed to suffer.

Glad to have gone the distance and that amount of climbing too. Well organised as usual thanks to all who checked if I was alright as I carried out rough repairs and to the organisers who done a great job again. I hope you raise a fortune.

tonytiger81

Very well run. A good few punctures but the vans seemed to be well on top of things. The spread was excellent as was the marshalling. I hope it raises a good bit for the cause.

Fighting Tao

Really enjoyed the 65k. Beautiful route. First time cycling around the area. Cakes were great and everyone involved were so friendly. I really hope it raised loads of money for the school. It was very well sponsored and attended. Only bad thing was taking the wrong exit of the last roundabout. I didn't see any sign or markings. Either did a few others who were not familiar with the area.

py

Good 110Km, food stop was well stocked as was the start/finish. Stationery and bike marshalls were very helpful and signs were well placed. Thanks again Naas Cycling Club, will be back out for the peaks and tour of kildare later in the year. Hopefully you guys exceeded your fundraising target today.


My one gripe (which is nothing to do with the club or organisation) is the surface around the lakes, it's really really really... REALLY shit.

Mercian Pro

Full marks to Naas CC and friends of Saplings school for a really well organised event. As always, the homemade fruit cakes were great. For once the weather cooperated and we even had hazy sunshine for a few moments. Unlike other years, I didn't see any groups barging through on the wrong side of the white line between Naas and Blessington but one young guy very nearly got taken out by a speeding Mercedes on the Lake Drive.
Worked with two club mates after the food stop in Donard and it really helped shorten the way back. In previous years I have often ended up solo around Dunlavin and it is quite a slog back to Naas.
Good to meet a number of Boardsies too and apologies for being incognito in club gear.

Eamonnator

Great day. Top marks to Naas C.C. for putting on a great event.
Food stop at Donard was lovely, the scones with jam were just the ticket.
I really enjoyed the spin, average 29kph moving, delighted with myself.

detones

Great event today. Not done a longish spin in a while so was very happy with it. Lovely fast finish for last 30k. No real steep climbs though a challenging enough route. Thanks to all in Naas cc and funds raised to a cause close to my heart.

NeedMoreGears

Great day out. Well done NCC. Met lethal dose and thought I saw Mercian pro in club gear. 4:05 rolling with a twenty minute stop on top. Happy with that.

Tabnabs

My first time on this run, did the 65km route. Tagged on to a group of Filipinos who kept up a good pace around the lakes but turned off up the road instead of into Valleymount.

Absolute full marks to the people who organised the food stop in Valleymount, so friendly and helpful too. After the camaraderie of the two groups together, it was a lonely spin back to Naas. Took a bit of time to get the legs working again and saw nobody between Ballymore Eustace and Naas. A tough enough slog back solo and I also fell into the trap of taking the wrong turn on he last roundabout. Nobody about at the finish line so a wee bit of an anticlimactic finish, but was happy with pace overall and great to see so many about. Hope the charity end makes a nice few quid.