Wicklow 200 Y2023

loyatemu

Devil's Elbow will cause carnage for the 100km route riders, it's ridiculously steep at the bottom.

lissard

Wow I feel like such a hypocrite writing this - despite my previous ranting about the price, the new route has genuinely piqued my interest - it's a proper challenge with 3,500m of ascent. Nothing but up for the first 30k however the roads are all nice quiet scenic ones - definitely some of my favourites in Wicklow. Could be an absolute stunner if the day is nice. Just hope I've something left in the legs at the backend of the day - the poggio/monastery road combo could end up being a killer when running on fumes.

Drake66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120223874#Comment_120223874

True. That bridge road is quite narrow. It could end up being a bottleneck . I might start early to avoid some of the crowd

lissard

The three climbs before it (Ballyman Road, Kilgarron Hill and Ballybrew Road) should thin things out pretty quickly.

loyatemu

I was specifically thinking of a video from some sportive in Antrim (I think the climb was Torr Head) where a succession of riders fell over as they ran out of gears trying to get up the climb, some of them taking others with them. Devil's Elbow is over 20% in places, that's steep enough that more casual riders won't be able to get up it. IDK if they've had one that steep on the WW route before - Old Long Hill for example is a tough climb but it doesn't hit that sort of severe gradient.

j3r

Steep price indeed, and unfortunately I will no longer be able to take part… So I am selling a ticket at a discounted price: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058288077/wicklow-200-150-ticket-for-sale

saccades

Only just really paid proper attention to the 200 route, I'd only half looked before.

It's massively different and that devils elbow is an arse in the car (as is the drag out of enniskerry), never mind on a bike (Google takes me that way to get to the gap). I suspect there will be carnage going down there.

Tempted to do the start/back end (heading to roundwood from the top of the Salley gap) in the next month or so.

Will have to pay a lot more attention going around as I'm so used to the recent route.

Seth Brundle

Cycle SuperStore are giving away 2 tickets (1 male & 1 female) to the W200

https://www.facebook.com/CSDstore/posts/pfbid0hHmxxXXi8QXHexFLSVdKkeqEdydZAv65H3mK2Cc5wh6rrtTn8SQhWoi2YcVSbHQPl

iwillhtfu

I think there will be a lot of people going into this without realising the effort required. The new routes are going to be another level to the old 200, even the 100 and 150 routes aren't getting off lightly. I'd say the climbing in the first 30km is worse than the back half of the 200 with SE/SM. That climb up towards Johnnie Foxes is going to be a doozy and Kilgarron hill is also a kick in the plums. I can see a lot of the 200/150 guys abandoning onto the 100 route.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120357404#Comment_120357404

I signed up for the 150 with a few mates before they released the route. I'll reserve judgement on how much I've bitten off until after the Orwell Lite in about 6 weeks time

saccades

A clubmate noted that kilgarron hill wasn't mentioned and cursed. Anyone got a Strava link? Around the lake saps the legs a lot too. Edit: Have discovered that kilgarron hill is the horrible climb out of enniskerry I had previously mentioned.

Looks like I'll be up the local valley climb doing reps (12.5% for 800m but hits 25% at points), to build the legs.

I'm heavy and big climbs really take it out of me.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359390#Comment_120359390

Sound like ye found it, but I'm assuming it's this yoke

https://veloviewer.com/segments/13024665

Doesn't look horrendous on the face of it, but then again anything being described as "super steep section".......

saccades

I've done it three times on the MTB with a 32:50 combo (opposite way around to a roadie) and was just long. But then that combo will get me up a vertical wall.

It'll be 10 minutes of hard work to add into the other 120 mins of hard work in the first 30km.

Mr. Cats

Agree it’s not really all that hard and I would be surprised if anyone had to clip out going up. At the same time it’s a pain in the hole of a climb as it gets steeper as you go coming out of Enniskerry, and it doesn’t really give you a break. It feels unexpectedly difficult, maybe because the road is quite wide etc.

Devils Elbow could be carnage - one of those spots where people clipping out or walking could create obstacles for others coming from behind. It’s very steep so might be difficult to keep your momentum if there’s any blockage or slowness ahead etc. I think it’s a spot with the potential to create a domino effect of falls if it’s overcrowded.

I have to say though that I really like the new route overall. I think the clipped corner avoiding Baltinglass, through lovely quiet roads, and via Roundwood on the way back feels like they’ve cut out some of the filler sections (like Rathdrum) that were only there to make up the 200k. The increase in climbing metres increases the overall challenge too.

It’s a shame that it’s so expensive. I’m still on the fence whether to do it or not.

Macy0161

The climbing before the Devils Elbow will probably have thinned it out a good bit though. Pacing and fuelling going to be crucial for the back end of the 200. Poggio could be absolute carnage.

I think I did the Donard to Tinahely section on the Wicklow Covid Permanent 200km Audax - lovely country, but the road surface around Glen of Imaal wasn't great (and I had a block head wind through the Ballinabarny Gap).

I've only done the WW200 once, back when it started in Greystones. tbh this is the first route that would've got me back (only I have to marshal!)

Weepsie

Donard to tinahealy is lovely. It's another of the "gaps" isn't it.

Drake66

They will need do a change to the route. The never ending works on the Ballyman road is being extended until the end of June

lissard

Funny enough I was thinking the same. I cycled up Ballyman road yesterday and it's all dug up for a good long section. It looked like there was a lot of drainage work yet to complete. They could route via some of the lanes around the area but that might be problematic with 3000+ cyclists.

TheProudHighway

Is this sold out? I tried to enter got an email about it but no further emails about paying.

j3r

Entry is now gone

daragh_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120546412#Comment_120546412

Berryfield Lane via Thornhill Road is what I would normally take to avoid Ballyman. Handy enough solo but the pinch point on Thornhill along with the very steep ramp at the end would be an issue with large numbers.

You could also loop around on the Old Dargle Road but you would really need Garda support at the lights for the first few hours. Probably a safer option though.

lissard

That sounds like the most sensible change - Thornhill road would be carnage. It will be interesting to see what change they make.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551719#Comment_120551719

I got an email from them a few days ago that there were still places available. Link here https://eventmaster.ie/event/3K6Bfx4tZW

(Looks like nobody told Eventmaster the 150 was no more)

saccades

As it's only 3 weeks to go, does anyone have a more detailed (Strava preferably), route map?

I'm nervous that tinahely to Shay/slieve is via Brown MTN.

I'm regularly doing half distance/climbing but won't be on the bike much from now until then (have #2 child's confirmation the day before the 200, so have to finish the garden landscaping and have tickets for the fa cup final). So I'm happy I'll get around but it's not going to be easy.

uberwolf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624959#Comment_120624959

https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2098624

you can download a gpx file from there to upload to strava.

saccades

That's great, many thanks!

godtabh

Any idea when time cuts will be published? Training for a hilly 200km is proving more difficult than i thought in the flat mindlands

terminator74

Is this route 3,445m as per W200 Website/Route download and Strava?

It reads as:

2829m on Garmin Connect

3171m on Map my Ride

Is this down to differences between mapping platforms or does anyone know which is accurate?

Jonesy101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119970725#Comment_119970725

€110 now, wtf this is ridiculous. 85 to sucker you in, then €5 "fee" then 20 for cycling ireland to line their pockets.

for a road that isnt closed what are you getting? at least a triathlon has a closed road and swimmers and lifeguards in the sea and no where near as pricey.

Macy0161

Fee and the Cycling Ireland one day licence aren't really in their control though. fwiw I think the TI one day licence is €30, and it must have got a lot cheaper to enter than when I was doing them if the big commercial triathlons aren't similar money to WW200 for standard distance.