Does anyone know if there is any sportive in 2022 that are open for sign up now
Great event and well done Orwell for getting everything right except the weather! Very impressed with two Dunboyne CC riders who led a mixed group of us around the lake. They could easily have left us behind but eased back on the climbs to keep the group together as far as Manor Kilbride.
Overall I found it tougher than previous attempts but that could be down to less training in the hills, the weather, a faster average of 24.0 or, perish the thought, a recent significant birthday 🙁
Did the 125 in the end. Rain wasn’t too bad all day and the only wind that whipped up was the tailwind after the last assault on the sally gap. Extremely well run event, fair play to Orwell.
Great day out, tough but thoroughly enjoyable. Weather didn't turn out too bad after all. Drizzling most of the time. Mucky conditions but quite mild and very little wind. Fell in and out with various groups over the course. Thumbs up to the lads from Naomh Barrog CC in Kilbarrack, from whom I hitched a lift coming down from the Wicklow Gap and all along the lakes.
I did very little distance over the winter, partly due to injury, and only really got motoring again early last month. So quite happy to get around in 5h 37m moving time, 26.0 km/h average.
Thankfully, I didn't see any accidents and I hope everyone got around safely. However, there was one hair raising moment when a chap in front of me ran wide through a corner, mounted the ditch and ended up riding along the ridge of the ditch inches from a barbed wire fence. Miraculously, he stayed on board and rejoined the road again. You can guess which corner it was!!!
Finally, huge thanks to Orwell Wheelers. They do a really superb job of running this event. Marshals all over the course looking out for our safety, an absolute feast laid on in Laragh and scrummy burger at the finish! Fair play to all in the club and thanks for your efforts.
Really well organised. Super spread at the food stop. Friendly to a fault as well.
I was not in my winter gear... chilly at times
Weather wasnt the worst in the end. I averaged 24.8kmph which I was happy with. The Orwell guys are very friendly. It was an exceptionally well organised event so fair play to them
Was grand in the end. I toddled off early and spent 5 and a half hours on my own 🙄. Was damp all day. I just wore my winter gear and brought my winter bike. A couple of degrees colder and it would have been miserable but as it was it wasn't too bad.
Its not actually that cold. The easterly breeze is gone
I have 2 tickets for the 2022 Ring Of Beara on 28th May that I'm not going to use.
If anybody knows anyone who wants to go, contact me.
As Brendan Behan said "the weather is so changeable, you wouldn't know what to pawn"
That weather is making it tricky to decide what to wear. I wonder if it will be chilly enough for the Mistral jacket.
I think I'm going to drive and leave the car and then just gear up and suck it up. That leaves me with no excuse but to Sally gap back to the start to collect the car.
Yeah, that's the bail out point alright.
If you can't make it over the Wicklow Gap, well you probably chose the wrong course, TBH. But by the time the lakes are behind you, a lot of folks (myself included) will be feeling less than fresh. Manor Kilbride is often my "nearly home now" marker, with no more climbing to do. So turning for the Sally Gap at that point will require a deep breath and firm resolve!
Good luck to everyone tomorrow. Get yourself around in one piece, take it handy on the descents in the wet and remember Mercian Pro's safety tip.
My counter-intuitive road to Damascus junction is Manor Kilbride. Straight on for easy spin home, or turn east for Sally Gap again!
at least the wind is low!!
Will be emotionally difficult to take that sweeping left down towards powerscourt just as the heavans open... might force myself out in the AM but knock the 20km off by ignoring that turn!
Sugar anyway. Looks worse now. :(. We have until about 10am.
<sigh> Mummy, take me back to Majorca!! 😭😭
I've actually managed to stay upright for a while now!! I had the Dreaded Lurgy 2 months ago and had a minor bit of heart surgery prior to that, but have just begun to get a bit of form back in the legs in the past couple of weeks . Just tied up tomorrow so won't get out. Don't worry, we'll have a spin or two soon enough. WW200 and Evil are on the agenda
Looking at the rain radar it looks to be dry to start with rain sweeping down from the North West later in the day. Has me thinking of setting off early, more like 8 am. The mass start barely lasts a km anyway cos the bunch splinters completely on the almost immediate climbing.
Just wondering when the food stop in Laragh opens. I may as well get my Orwell artisanal snacks for my 50 quid like!
I admire your optimism, though I'm struggling to share it 😉!
We'll be out there on Saturday after 100km of pi**ing rain ... "Right, the sun is going to break through those clouds any minute now ... there'll be blue skies the far side of that hill up there".
I have to confess, I'm wavering now, despite having paid for a ticket. Anyone who completes that course if it's raining from start to finish most certainly deserves their burger afterwards.
Hi all,
1 ticket for https://ringofclare.ie/ Value €50, selling for €40 A beautiful, scenic ride with option of 160km or 120km.
16TH JULY 2022, ENNIS, CO. CLARE
I was in the first 1,000 to register so you get a FREE JERSEY Transfers are permitted- https://ringofclare.ie/faqs/
Cheers,
Pa.
Christ I just checked my forecast app and it looks pretty grim alright.
Hopefully the change in forecast (yr.no) to ‘raining for 6 hours from 9am Saturday’, has changed early enough for it to revert back to ‘dry and no wind’ 😬!
i'm signed up for the Lite - hadn't heard of the wall before so glad to be missing it :). I reckon i'll be tacking on the spin in either direction rather than take the car
Make that 16% D - was looking forward to meeting up again on the Randonnée but I think you have been in the wars recently!
I find Old Long Hill nearly tougher than The Wall. You know what coming on The Wall but as soon as you finish it you turn the corner and before you catch your breath there's another bloody kilometer hitting 10%.
Unfortunately I can't make the Randonee this year but it's a great spin. Good luck to all taking part.
You could probably easily park up the road at the school/church if it does fill up.
The email I got from them today (assume everyone that's registered got it) said that parking at De La Salle is limited so they recommend carpooling or making alternative arrangements. My plan is to arrive early, hopefully well before any overspill.
Is there plenty of parking in de la salle palmerstown rc for the day? Don’t fancy the extra 15k cycle there and home on top of the 140!
For those not familiar with the route of the Randonnée, there is a fast and potentially dangerous descent from the Military Road at Glencree down to the gates into Powerscourt Waterfall. Shortly before the gates, there is a steep and sharp right turn. Knowing Orwell, it will be well marshalled but please take their advice and slow down. A colleague misjudged it on a club spin last year and had a very bad crash resulting in him having to give up cycling.
After the gates you have about 0.8k of uphill before the right turn at the crossroads onto The (Upper) Wall. That's where you really do need to be in the small ring.
It's more the moss and sheep **** on it (not cunard levels, but not far off in spots).
The surface on it is pretty rough to add to the fun. It's quite a narrow lane as well
