Evil 2021(10th Anniversary)

Mercian Pro

Hope to get to the start by 8.00. Getting to the finish by 8.00 might be more problematic 🥵.

On the basis that I won't be cycling over from Glasnevin, any suggestions for somewhere nearby to park the car?

I hear the last few km heading up to Sally Gap has been resurfaced with plenty of loose gravel around. Hopefully they have left the descent to Luggala alone!

irishrover99

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117627967#Comment_117627967

BF68F9A4-17CA-47E3-85B0-8D5185733880.jpeg

There is a car park close to the Bottle tower pub with free parking. It’s only about 500m from the Luas bridge. See picture above.

I only live about another half a k up the road and you could park in the estate if you wish. Plenty of free spaces on the road.

Anywhere out of Dundrum by about 2km is free parking. I think lamb Doyle’s pub is also free.

Pm me if you need more information.

strmin

I drove to Sally Gap on Saturday, it's pretty much gravel road at the moment. Hopefully it's gonna be fixed this week.

irishrover99

Also Marlay park would be suitable for parking.

Not far from the finish line

Euppy

Weather forecast is improving. Looking like no rain now on Saturday.

Wishbone Ash

Stuck a 30 on the back for a bit of comfort on Saturday. Going by the improving forecast, I'd say we'll get through a few bottles on the day.

Weepsie

My intended bike for this on Saturday is out of action. Better to have a front brake fail when leaving work than downhill.

Like Devon P, I was exploring the route for bailout points as I don't think I have the whole day free to do it, and with the last minute bike switch, I'll be struggling I think. There are none really, the route seems to go over a lot of roads twice which was always avoided in the past (presuming it's the route in the very first post)

irishrover99

Yep, that is the route. I think the only bit of road that we go back over is the 8km from roundwood to laragh via louch Dan. Shay Elliott is always done each side when leaving and coming back to laragh.

A get out point is after shay when we go up another climb and descend towards Clara Lara before the turn for the vale of Clara church climb. You could take the left there back to laragh and it would save you doing 4 climbs in that loop( there is 6 altogether on that loop.

I am still hoping to recover some more from my second vaccine shot.

feeling crap all week but still 2 more days to get about better. The weather looks great and although I am not expecting much from myself, I am really looking forward to it.

Daroxtar

My endurance on the hills isn't great this year but I'm going to give it a shot. Even if I blow up after 100- 120km it'll still have been a big day out as far as I'm concerned

daragh_

Best of luck all. Looking forward to reading your reports.

Weepsie

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117649043#Comment_117649043

Toyed with doing this but can't find my spare chain.

Could chance it as it's an 11-28 to 11-30 without changing the chain, but, I'm probably tempting fate that something goes wrong then

Daroxtar

Just don't go into the big/big and you'll be fine.

irishrover99

Bike ready, weather looks great, need the legs to do their part now.

See you all between 7.30-8am at the Luas bridge in Dundrum

Wishbone Ash

Just finished work and am on call for the rest of the night. Praying that I don't get called out!

Weepsie

Might set off early (famous last words) and have set aside laragh or roundwood as bail out points. Fully expect to be caught quickly, and then try and follow.

That said lll likely sleep in and miss it and do something else

30t cassette on now, so a little bit of extra help.

irishrover99

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117654073#Comment_117654073

phone off

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117654269#Comment_117654269

set alarm

😃😃😃

devonp

not going to make it today after 2 days with stomach cramps ....just too weak for a hard cycle like today...might give it a go solo in the next few weeks

Good luck and safe cycling to all

D

Daroxtar

I'm afraid I have to pull out too, bit of a disaster last night. Brought the kids swimming in the Boyne and banged my back off a rock. I thought it'd be fine but I'm sore this morning.

magicbastarder

good bit cooler out there this morning, and a bit of a breeze - but still very humid. best of luck to all having a go.

irishrover99

Laragh, you’ve never looked so sweet

Weepsie

I've made it to roundwood. 4 ahead of me (unless they stopped somewhere) 2 behind me.

The legs are not feeling it. Might turn for home, and settle for 130km and 2200 or metres

IMG_20210724_091112.jpg

IMG_20210724_083738.jpg

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117655404#Comment_117655404

I might have seen ye there had I not pulled in

Weepsie

Wishbone ash and Mercian pro have rolled into roundwood

Weepsie

So I abandoned about 10km earlier than I thought I would (earmarked laragh as the turning point.

Legs were just a lil dead, though I trucked up some of the first few climbs, shankill road or whatever sucked them of life. I was also taking it easy on the descents, as I'm a bit crap at them, and was unfamiliar with most of them. Sally gap after was grand right until the end when my thighs cramped. Took a rest and hung around longer than I should've and flew down there at least (nice and familiar)

Roundwood then, queued for coffee and eyed up the sausage roll that the dinkus in front of me ordered. He looked like he had nothing in his legs compared to my 1800 metres. Sustenance acquired in the centra when WA and MP rolled in. I thought about going with them but had already been stopped for 25 mins by then. Went on to enniskerry via Djouce and then home.

All in 124 km for me with 2300 metres. Turns out it was the most climbing I've done in a day, though I thought I did more another time.

I'd love to blame the bike, or something, but it was the legs. Just didn't have it today

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/XmgfEqgC9hb

Weepsie

Based on what was my estimated moving time ( Strava being very optimistic). I think there ll be some rolling in about now, though I imagine not before a pint somewhere

irishrover99

Just in the door. Unreal day, so much pain at the end after what had started out promising.

I was like Chris Froome today. Getting dropped on every climb.

I stayed with guys until the vale of Clara climb. I turned off at Rathdrum and headed for laragh. The road home up sally gap was awful. The head wind was a sole destroying. 1hour 51mins from laragh to the viewing point. dark dark times it was.

170 km in total which is 80 more that my best this year.

again, great company on the evil. We always get a good bunch.

https://strava.app.link/JEmyG3aP9hb

blob:https://www.boards.ie/7fead0f2-5183-4e7b-b35d-2216b85abe42

daragh_

Bravo chaps. Always a brutal day however much you do.

timbel

Epic day out.

202km in total, 4875 up.

Absolutely shattered now, on couch - may not move til Monday!

https://strava.app.link/L7GHlTD09hb

blob:https://www.boards.ie/8058a87f-f87d-430a-a569-f2b52b95608c blob:https://www.boards.ie/587a10ae-53ca-41d8-a338-5f6eec7ed459

Mercian Pro

Better late than never. Knackered 😊

Weepsie

Hope you got a new bottle cage

Daroxtar

Fair play to everyone of you, you bunch of lunatics

Wishbone Ash

My body is sore! https://www.strava.com/activities/5681683506

I thought that Liam Horner climb or whatever it called would never end. Thanks to Mercian Pro for insisting we do Ticknock. I was tempted to leave it out and head home.

Euppy

Well that was... Evil! Almost broke my vertical ascent record from the Alps.

Bonked hard coming up over the featherbeds but didn't realise I was that bad. Turned down the offer of a bar to keep me going. When I finally crawled my way up ticknock I was very glad the offer of that bar still stood!

Thanks to the Blanch lads for towing me around. You were having a good ding dong battle for the KOM points on each climb!

Mercian Pro

Well done guys. We decided on the (slow and) steady approach with plenty of refuelling and filling of bidons and it worked! First ride this summer where I weighed the same at the end as at the start so no dehydration for a change. Thanks irishrover for planning the route (you evil ba**ard). Decided not to use the MTB trail going up 3 Rock at the end - hope that doesn't disqualify us. First time up a few of those climbs and probably happy never to see them again.

Off to Clonmel later for a few days of hill-walking and maybe a lumpy spin on the Waterford Greenway 😊

magicbastarder

you should not be awake at 9:40am the morning after an evil. midday is a more suitable time to wake up.

belting hot out there today, i suspect that wind yesterday may have been a blessing in disguise.

Weepsie

Other than when I was applying suncream on the go and got into my eyes the wind was welcome.

Think I'll have to do last year's mini evil route and then work my way through all other routes before doing this one.

hesker

Chapeau folks. That’s some serious cycling. Nearly 5k climbing. Very impressive.

burger1979

I tried and I failed....https://www.strava.com/activities/5689543239

2nd year in a row i havent finished it.......next year will be third time lucky.....hopefully...

devonp

Evil 2021

cycled this today (solo) in less than dry conditions !! stopped so many times to change from arm warmers to gilet to rain jacket to gilet..ad naseum

but still end up soaked through by the time i got to climbing out of Cunard...and that lane! found the steep ramps around Oldbridge really tough on the return part. stopped in Laragh , Rathdrum and Laragh again ( got very cold waiting al fresco for me burger) never really warmed up after and kept my rain jacket on despite weather improving with some blue pieces of sky. Cold HW on the feather beds was the straw...so no legs for the mast climb to 3 rock left at the top of Kellystown and back to the car.

still happy to have done it 😊

196Km 4500m at 21kph in 12 hrs total