Ireland Toughest Sportives 2024

Mayonews

What’s one of the toughest sportivies around these days other than Wicklow 200k?

magicbastarder

The boards evil.

Daroxtar

You'll probably suffer more in the front group at the Ray Crinion memorial in Trim next March than tipping around Wicklow on a relaxed WW200

dahat

Any sportive over 100km where you make the front grpup really 😂. I’ve come away from some of them with 36km/h avg speeds with plenty metres.

id also put it in a time measurement, anything over 7.5hrs in a hard days graft for lads who are fit.

Morris Garren

The Tour of Kildare.

Line outs from km1 outta Naas as if pro contracts are on the line. Attacking through junctions, dodging sheep on the Curragh, horsing up hills. Great stuff ;)

spudpicker2022

Man of Sperrin is tough. 2000m gain in 100km. It didn't go ahead in 2023, hope it is back for 2024.

Leitrim Glens 200 is up there with W200 in terms of difficulty.

Wishbone Ash

Many of the basic 200k Audax's are a lot tougher than the WW200 particularly those on crappy back lanes and unpaved roads with 20% gradients.

vintcerf

I personally found Reservoir Dog 125 way tougher than WW200. Another one is Tour De Kilkenny 165km.

g0g

Mick Byrne 200

iwillhtfu

I'd put the Tour de Kilkenny ahead of the Wicklow 200 I think. Seems to be either up or down and not many more options. Although I didn't do the new Wicklow route this year which looked a lot tougher but technically neither did anyone else. 🤣

billyhead

The Orwell Randonee is nice early season tester for the legs.

cunavalos

Its long gone now but Carrick Wheelers ran a very tough sportive for a few years called the Bobby Power Memorial. Used some steep kickers along the Tipp Kilkenny border before heading to the comeraghs for tickincor, powers the pot, seskin hill,mahon falls and an off road section through curraghmore estate in portlaw. It could have been early in the year so a real shock to the system. Would have been about 160km and 2500m to 3000m climbing

531

Inishowen 100 with Mamore Gap and Kinnego Bay among its climbs, is tough.. Run by Foyle CC, the 100 refers to miles, not km.

I did the Bobby Power Memorial, mentioned above. Sure was tough. Still have the excellent base layer/tshirt from it. Not sure I could do it now. When was it last run?

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121182205#Comment_121182205

I wore the t-shirt with that profile on the back to 5 a side Thursday night.

I did it in 2012 I think.

Kop Idol

Shout out to the Slieve Bloom Extreme Challenge. Attempted it this year but had to call it a day after completing about 100k and 5 of the 7 peaks. Simply hadn't done enough training and running a single water bottle in the heat that day (tool kit in my 2nd bottle cage) proved my eventual undoing with cramps. 2500 metres over 140k, I'll be back next year for the medal.

Daroxtar

Sleive bloom Extreme is a right good one. As a mate of mine would say "It’s as hard as a goats knee". Did it in a horrible, full day downpour a few years ago. I think only 40 people completed it that year. Stayed in Birr that night, went to the BBQ and beers with Wolftrap CC, absolutely brilliant gang. Ended up in the nightclub until after 3. Will definitely do it again

Chips Lovell

Did the Extreme Slieve Bloom for the second time this year with a couple of mates. Definitely the hardest sportive I've done to date. Pretty much non-stop climbing. Slieve Blooms are a bit of a hidden cycling gem. Surprisingly few people have checked them out.

Raam

It no longer exists, but the Kellogs Tour of Ireland was great. 4 day thing

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121196256#Comment_121196256

They are lovely. Nice and quiet too, compared to Wicklow/ Dublin mountains. Well, when I was there anyway.

68 lost souls

Does it have to be a sportive? As in would you consider the Donegal 555 or similar?

Macy0161

Does it have to be road? Third time doing it, and I am again surprised how beat up my body is after the Lakelander Gravel Grinder. I've done the MB200, WW200; Dying Cow; LBL (full) a number of other Audax's, and this still takes more out of me overall I think*

*I came out of LBL with hand/ circulation issues, but the rest of the body was ok!

Mayonews

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121199415#Comment_121199415

No doesn’t have to be a sportive, was looking at other long distance events , Did you do the Donegal 555?

spudpicker2022

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121323215#Comment_121323215

TAW (transatlantic way) Cu Chulainn route would be one of the longest and hardest if you're looking outside of sportives and more at the ultra distances. Joe Barr, Donegal 300 or 555 (or 999!!), Wild Mayo Series, Western Challenge, Cork Ultra. One could also do Mizen 2 Malin or vice versa or both!!!

Sportives and ultra events are very different. Anything beyond 250km is entering the ultra world in my book

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121332538#Comment_121332538

I did the Wild Mayo Ultra 300 unsupported this year, a tough day on the bike, not just because of the distance or the climbing or even the fact the the climbing is backloaded into the last 100 km out in Achill but also because there's no drafting, no groups, no much chat to any of the other participants except for a quick word as you pass someone or get passed by someone.

The only real conversations I had were at a shop where I stopped to restock and two others were there and at the feed zone/bag drop at the bridge into Achill. You'd want to be comfortable in your own skin.

BTW, I forgot to mention the wind, those long bog roads either side of Bangor Erris will live long in my memory....

Mayonews

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121333183#Comment_121333183

I actually was planning on this next May, sounds like a tough day alright. What you aiming for next year?

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121344609#Comment_121344609

I have no definite plan for next year yet, I've a big family trip to Aus/NZ coming up over Xmas, don't expect to get much time on the bike over there so will consider my options when I get home.

I think Padraig from Raceface must have been reading this thread though, he announced a 450km gravel epic yesterday evening for mid April with "easier" 250km and 100km options. It's going to be hard to resist being there for one of those even though the timing isn't great for me work wise.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121344940#Comment_121344940

Saw that, will interested to see if it's a Raiders Gravel type stage race or just 450km race/ bike pack. I'd definitely be interested in the former, but wild camping off the bike isn't for me.

seanin4711

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121185544#Comment_121185544

some athlete, not a bad cyclist too!lol

straight to bed i would be after it!