Ring Of Kerry Charity Cycle 2016 - **no entry requests/offers**

Hi all,
I will be doing my first Ring of kerry this year. But I don't have any group to join near my house for practice. I am mostly cycling alone now. Will I able to join any group on that day? Are people welcoming to allow other lonely cyclists ? What about if my speed is not matching their group? Idea of cycling alone for that length bit scary for me at the moment. How do you go about in this situation?

powerstar wrote: »

Hi all,
I will be doing my first Ring of kerry this year. But I don't have any group to join near my house for practice. I am mostly cycling alone now. Will I able to join any group on that day? Are people welcoming to allow other lonely cyclists ? What about if my speed is not matching their group? Idea of cycling alone for that length bit scary for me at the moment. How do you go about in this situation?

I won't worry about it; I lost my crowd before Kenmare- (only meet them that day but had a friend in common).
I cycled up Molls Gap on my own but meet plenty to talk to me and encourage me.... when you are cycling with people just say "hi" .....
Everyone is in great spirits that day!

You'll have no problem finding company on the ring,actually finding space and staying safe is probably a bigger challenge. Just take your time early on and pace yourself, it's a long slog and most of the climbing is in the second half of the course.

Hello,

Is there someone who will do the Ring of Kerry and will travel there from Dublin with car and have a free space in car? One spot for the bike as well. We can share the costs for return way for sure!

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Thanks Brian!
Forgot to add from where I'll go. Post edited

alexlazarciuc wrote: »

Hello,

Is there someone who will do the Ring of Kerry and will travel there from Dublin with car and have a free space in car? One spot for the bike as well. We can share the costs for return way for sure!

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Think I seen last year that Irish Rail accommodates cyclists in some way... Put your bike in mail carriage for you and so you could take the train????

I was down in Kerry over the weekend inflicting some pain on myself. Managed to include Coomakista and good to see a few Kms of it has been re-surfaced. The first 2 Kms are bumpy enough but for the most part it's a fairly smooth climb

powerstar wrote: »

Hi all,
I will be doing my first Ring of kerry this year. But I don't have any group to join near my house for practice. I am mostly cycling alone now. Will I able to join any group on that day? Are people welcoming to allow other lonely cyclists ? What about if my speed is not matching their group? Idea of cycling alone for that length bit scary for me at the moment. How do you go about in this situation?

I do loads of sportives on my own (I'm a filthy mtb club member but enjoy the road too) - something like the ROK is ace for a lone cyclist. Literally thousands of riders at every pace possible and everyone I met was up for a natter along the way. Just pay attention to the riders all around you to avoid any mixups, make sure you don't half wheel in a group (google road train cycling for tips) and keep the effort at about 65%.

The ROK is "easy" in that the roads are smooth (and closed in sections), there is a shedload of support along the way both on and off the road, you have all day to get around and it's not actually 181km (just over 171km).

There are 2 main climbs both with plenty of time to recover from between them, just take it steady and enjoy the views (particulary on the southern coast - it's nearly as nice as wicklow ).

I'd recommend taking a plastic A4 pouch thing, so when you get your cert of completion, you can put it in the pouch to protect it until you get home.


One thing I do think the organisers could do/highlight, is the fact you don't have to start from the start. I started 10Km into the ROK at my B&B (as the owner said I was mad to cycle in to cycle back past), did the rest of the loop, picked up my Cert and completed the ROK outside the B&B. An additional 2-3 "start" points would spread the cyclists out around the loops too. It would be tricky to organise 10-15 years ago but I'd link to think that now it wouldn't be a problem. It would spread the ROK love around the rig too.

BailMeOut wrote: »

I am doing my 6th ROK this year and I know nobody has asked but I have these top tips if interested!

1. Pickup your tags on Saturday morning. There is no need to stand in a queue on Friday night as you can pickup in seconds on Sat morning right next to the start line.
2. Start closer to 8am as most people start around 7am / 7:30am so road is really busy at this time and pace very slow going. So enjoy your breakfast and set off a little later when the pace is faster and less crowded and you will catch-up with with the main bunch right around Cahersiveen at the food stop.
3. Use the food stops in Cahersiveen and Kenmare. There is a temptation to skip as they look so crowded but these are military style operations so you really do get your sandwich and tea very quickly.
4. There is a brilliant little ice cream / coffee shop in Sneen right before the bridge where you can get your sugar/caffeine fix for the very long spin into Kenmare.


That's all. Enjoy the day!

Great advice to which I would add one suggestion:

Chip shop in Sneem, off to the left of the town centre. By that stage I was sick of sugary foods and wanted some more substantial. Nicest bag of chips I ever had, and I flew up the gap!

fryup wrote: »

how many kms is the ROK cycle ??

i did the 62km tour de burren yesterday and am knackered today..so will the ROK be tougher?

ROK is 170km. You will most likely have breaks at Caherciveen, Seem and Kenmare as well as on top of the two climbs. So while long there are quite a few decent stops to rest and refuel.

fryup wrote: »

i did the 62km tour de burren yesterday and am knackered today..so will the ROK be tougher?

I've done ROK few times but yesterday was first TdB. The 110km route on TdB was harder as the road surface isn't as good, roads are open, and there are constant rolling hills. ROK has good roads and only 2 real climbs but its a much longer day in the saddle. get in a few 40/50 spins mid week and try get a 100k next weekend to set yourself up. taper off the week of the ROK and I don't usually do anything much after the Wednesday.

I thought I emailed the office Tuesday with my name transfer details but after realising I sent it to the wrong address. The cut off day was yesterday! Anyone have any advice on what I should do?! Tried ringing to no avail

philstar wrote: »

^^^^^^^^^^^

i want to enjoy myself

me too!

Masala wrote: »

Hope the Friday Registration has been well thought out.... Don't want to be hours in a queue!!!

pick up your tags on Saturday morning! No queuing and takes literally seconds.