Ring of Kerry cycle

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780737#Comment_120780737

No, not everyone can. But some people can, and some people enjoy doing it.

Nobody here was recommending irresponsible behaviour of any type on a bike, descending or otherwise. Nobody was advocating 'racing' or cycling in a reckless manner.

One of the posters simply pointed out the joy in being able to descend on a closed road, without fear of oncoming traffic. Which sounds like great fun, to be honest

Mr. Cats

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120781402#Comment_120781402

I think the Ring of Beara is getting close now in terms of number of riders participating. The RoK numbers have dropped a bit since the peak a few years back when there was a lot of complaints about registration lotteries, accommodation etc. whilst RoB has been getting bigger every year.

I think RoB have done well in the organising by giving people the option to start in Kenmare (the traditional start point) but also Glengarriff or Castletownbere. This spreads the accommodation load around and they’ve been able to grow. As anyone who knows tourism in Kerry will tell ya though, there’s no way the ‘Killarney crowd’ would agree to that for the RoK! 😂😂

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120781402#Comment_120781402

I think you're a lot more experienced than the OP, but each to their own. You certainly have the user name for it anyway.

I just think for an inexperienced rider in what sounds like their first event, saving the pints for after might be a better idea.

Technophobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780599#Comment_120780599

Yep depends on the person ..I stopped and had one drink half way round,soaked in the atmosphere,,, did me no harm and yes Istill enjoyed the descent at the end..I take your point (pardon the pun!) tho..

Actually the biggest danger I faced that day was being very close to (audible gasps all round) being sideswiped by an overly enthuasistic marshall on a bike in a hurry to get thru the crowds...

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780028#Comment_120780028

I did it last year, and was told there were 6,500 doing it. Id imagine it will be similar this year.

Masala

Good luck to all ye who are cycling tomorrow… wish I put in the effort over past few months. Would love to give it another shot. But the body is weak!!

mcburns07

5 hours 45. Happy with that and happy the body stood up to adding 65km to my previous longest ride 😅

Ending up riding majority of it on my own, crowd thinned out a lot after Cahersiveen.

Boscoirl

Just in Kenmare now. Food stops disappointing this year. Only brack left. They’re a lot of people on the road behind us. Started later than previous years so maybe that’s the norm? Caherciveen was only marginally better

i put too much faith in my natural athletic ability. Should have done more(some) training

DrumcDub1

That wind up Molls gap was a killer

tbo1

Enjoyed the RoK today! People said the numbers were a good bit down on previous years and there were a few parts where you’d have to chase up to join a group as cyclists were few and far between.

The wind on Molls Gap was something else! Food was thin on the ground for sure in both Caherciveen and Kenmare, I had enough to eat but there weren’t plentiful supplies by any means.

Hope everybody enjoyed the day and got home safe, enjoy the post cycle celebrations. I’ll definitely be back next year 😀

Seadin

Enjoyed today. Glorious day, ideal day for the Ring. The numbers seemed alot more this year than last year. Great day out. There was a bad accident on the fast descent near Waterville, ambulance were there and a cyclist was lying flat on the ground attended by paramedics. Hope that person is ok, it looked pretty nasty.

potters ground

Met a man yesterday who did it twice ( both directions) and was back for the match. He continued to 400k..some effort..

saccades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780767#Comment_120780767

100% agree, that's why I said if you are far enough in front, with the unwritten bit being "with the road clear ahead of you".

Seadin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120796073#Comment_120796073

Fair enough.

RikkFlair

Enjoyable day, very little sleep the night before had me going round at a slower pace. Molls Gap was indeed a serious slog in that breeze. Had a mechanical and the guy in the bike shop in Sneem sorted me out, invited me into his kitchen for tea....a gent!

Conba

For context, I hadn't cycled in a decade before Covid, when my brother decided he was upgrading from his Giant Escape hybrid which I happily took off him as a handy way to figure out if my bad knee (soccer!) could hack a few kilometers. So in my fifties I started cycling the local Limerick Greenway, celebrating gleefully every time I hit a new milestone until I finally managed the Listowel and back 80km towards the end of last year. And when I hit a 120km Ballybunion-and-back in March I 'started getting notions' that I might be able to participate in the ROKCC... "sure I might be able to make it as far as Sneem anyway",... if I got myself a 'proper' bike, so in April I ordered a Giant Revolt... which still hasn't arrived. 😔

Imagining looks of pity all around I hopped on my clunky Escape at the start line in Killarney and realized that nobody gave it a second look. And by the time the majority of competitive cyclists had whizzed past me by around Kells Bay I started to feel right at home with the average pace. I can't give enough credit to all the stewards and volunteers who were universally pleasant and enthusiastic - it was so nice to be cheered on at nearly every junction along the way.

Taking plenty of stops to enjoy the views and refueling in every town I was amazed to find myself in Kenmare and thinking "I can do this!"... Molls Gap suddenly didn't seem half as intimidating as I feared. It was wonderful to arrive at the gap where groups of happy cyclists were cheering themselves for conquering the final climb. And as someone who has never competed in any kind of organized event it was so heartwarming to be waved across the finish line in Killarney.... even at 6.30pm.

So, for an uncompetitive 'Johnny come lately' cyclist like me the RoKCC was the perfect event. Just perfect. And I'm already looking forward to participating again next year.... hopefully on a Giant Revolt 😄

mcburns07

Fair play Conba 🙂 this is what cycling is all about

I think a lot of people get sucked into comparing numbers with others and chasing segments on Strava but the main thing is to enjoy it and if you're so inclined, strive to improve vs. yourself