Cycling the Irish Coast

sweetparalyzed

Hi guys,

I'm a cyclophobe hoping to overcome my fear of cycling in the city and I've decided to set myself the mission of cycling the coast of Ireland next June/July in an attempt to get my ass in gear!

Firstly I'm going to participate in the Great Dublin Bike Ride in September, and hopefully in other cycles around the country throughout the year.

Basically, I'm a total novice and I need help! I've googled quite a bit but am finding it hard to come across any proper guidance or tips etc for cycling around the coast. I found an old thread here from 2011 but I imagine it's no longer active. Anybody out there to help?!

Cheers in advance!

Aka Ishur

That's a looong cycle. 5k km I'd guess. Wild Atlantic way is 2700 alone

magicbastarder

even going from zero to doing the GDBR is ambitious. how much cycling have you been doing?

ford2600

sweetparalyzed wrote: »

Hi guys,

I'm a cyclophobe hoping to overcome my fear of cycling in the city and I've decided to set myself the mission of cycling the coast of Ireland next June/July in an attempt to get my ass in gear!

Firstly I'm going to participate in the Great Dublin Bike Ride in September, and hopefully in other cycles around the country throughout the year.

Basically, I'm a total novice and I need help! I've googled quite a bit but am finding it hard to come across any proper guidance or tips etc for cycling around the coast. I found an old thread here from 2011 but I imagine it's no longer active. Anybody out there to help?!

Cheers in advance!

That's quite an ambitious goal, given you seem to be starting out. Good start.

To do any long cycle, the primary necessity above fitness, route planning, nutrition strategy, accommodation, etc etc is making the decision that you are going to do it.

Don't let someone else's lack of ambition put you off.

On route, you'll need to pick it carefully to
* get most from trip
* be a safe as possible
* to use urban areas for resupply etc while getting safely through all (32 county all) our cities except Limerick (Kilkenny doesn't count!)

Google/learn a bit about cycle craft and how to ride defensively, it'll stand to you on all roads.

On route this is the bit from Kinsale to Derry minus the bits out to cul de sacs. The Old Head of Kinsale and Beara from Castletown bere out is missing from it, which would benefit from their addition.

http://www.wawaudax.com/route.html

Someone else might be able to assist with Derry to Wicklow, I could probably have a go at Wexford for you and certainly could do Waterford/east Cork coast for you.

One word of warning, in hot weather coastal roads, especially the normally lovely quite ones, can be horrid to ride as people head to beach and drive like cnuts

From memory the Antrim coastal road north of Belfast, is a little busy for my liking for solo cycling. Inland is the Glens which is pretty and difficult in equal measure.

You'll need to decide between light credit card touring or full on touring. Easy enough adapt a road bike for credit card touring.

You'll need a reliable bike; drive train, brakes etc in good condition with strong reliable wheels. You'll need some knowledge on how to fix the stuff that normally can go wrong on long tours
*punctures (right tyre choice makes these very rare)
* cable break (service you bike beforehand and it should last the 5k km! Fixing especially on externally routed isn't hard to learn
* chain break
* tyre damage (tyre boot to limp to lbs is a good idea)

For route guidance you'll need some assistance; maps work but modern gps WITH the knowledge on how to use them reliably and simply is great. The hiking Garmin etrex 10/20 or 30 is the best in my view given you don't need to charge

If you want to get a nice quite, but possibly lumpy route, between two points this is great
http://cycle.travel/

Best of luck

el tel

My advice is to start at the top of the country (Donegal) and go downhill along the west coast and then back uphill along the east cost where the gulf stream will be pushing in your favour.

blackvalley

el tel wrote: »

My advice is to start at the top of the country (Donegal) and go downhill along the west coast and then back uphill along the east cost where the gulf stream will be pushing in your favour.

I would have thought that a rout starting say in Cork travelling west and then up along the west coast would be the easiest. As the prevailing winds are south westerly you would have an advantage from Kerry all the way around to Belfast . Then coming down along the east coast the headwinds tend not to be as strong as on the west .
( Most attempts at Mizen /Malin are done in that direction for that reason )
Im sure some smartass will tell me if it was done in the other direction it would be Malin/ Mizen :rolleyes:
Best of luck.

magicbastarder

el tel wrote: »

My advice is to start at the top of the country (Donegal) and go downhill along the west coast and then back uphill along the east cost where the gulf stream will be pushing in your favour.

your reasoning is wrong. the earth is 'fatter' at the equator - the closer you get to the equator, the further you are from the centre of the planet - so going north means you're going downhill, not uphill.

Wishbone Ash

ford2600 wrote: »

.... while getting safely through all (32 county all)....

32 counties on a coastal ride?

EDIT: Oops - I see what you meant now!

OleRodrigo

There is the TEI next year:

http://atlanticseries.ie/services/emerald-isle-3100km-2018/

blackvalley

el tel wrote: »

My advice is to start at the top of the country (Donegal) and go downhill along the west coast and then back uphill along the east cost where the gulf stream will be pushing in your favour.

I have been cycling in Ireland and abroad for more than forty years .I have attended many planning meetings where routes ,distances , terrain , weather accommodation and backup have been discussed .Its only today that I realise why those trips and tours I took part in were so difficult :eek: .Never in those forty years has the direction of the gulf stream been taken into account . Our trip next year will certainly be much easier as the direction of the gulf stream will be the first item on the planning agenda

OleRodrigo

Doesn't the gulf stream cause the prevailing westerlies?

magicbastarder

no, the wind causes the prevailing westerlies.

el tel

Let's also not ignore the Coriolis effect on any round Ireland ride

cdaly_

So aim for Athlone and you'll end up riding the coast...