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The Wicklow 200 (2009) Thread

Ghost Rider

I'm starting this thread in the hope that we can keep tips, maps, info etc. relating to this year's W200 in the one place. (Worth a try anyway...)

This will be my first year doing it so I'm keen not to miss anything that might help prevent me freewheeling backwards down Slieve Maan, half a chewed banana drooping from my semi-comatose mouth.

I'll start with two related questions: does everyone leave UCD at the same time? If so, how long does it take before the crowd thins out enough for riders to attain a decent pace?

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FrankGrimes

Guess all we can do is look on the bright side of that weather forecast - if it is p1ssing rain and windy on Sunday, completing the course or hitting your target time will only feel like even more of an achievement!

When cycling in heavy rain I generally just wear my Endura medium weight jacket as it keeps me dry and I've found it's surprisingly breathable though aerodynamic it ain't. I just wear shorts with overshoes and that's generally worked well but I haven't been caught in heavy rain for extended periods. Thinking ahead to how tough Sunday is gonna be for me even with nice weather, I might aswell invest in more suitable rain gear if it'll be more comfortable.

I have a micro jacket which is basically a thin sheet of plastic I use for descents or when caught in quick brief showers. I also have full length running leggings but can't see how it would be comfortable wearing those over/under my bib shorts.

So, what will most of you be wearing to protect against the elements? Is there some leg covers that you put on separate to shorts?

petethedrummer

Rain jacket, sealskinz socks and over shoes. Serves me well on my commute. Will probably throw on race blades too.

Lumen

On the upside, a gilet means I have twice the number of pockets for food, dioralyte sachets and morphine shots.

FrankGrimes

Hey Pete, have you tried long distance cycles in sealskinz socks? I've found that when wearing them on dry days after an hour or two the waterproof layer actually stops the sweat/steam escaping and they end up soaked on the inside so bad that my toes literally freeze. True they are designed for wet days and do a good job of keeping the water out but not sure if this offsets the above on a long ride. Might wear them and bring a pair of normal socks to change into during the ride if needs be.

Not sure if I'll stick on the race blades. Have a large saddle bag that kinda acts as a bit of a rear mudguard, so I might stick the front one on depending on the weather.

Might jiggy something up to act as a cover to stop water going in at the top of my overshoes but in general I do like the idea of keeping the legs exposed instead of covered with something soaking.

TinyExplosions

For feet, on cold wet days the best solution I've found is merino socks under sealskinz. For Sunday, it'll be merino socks, shoes and thin overshoes. Merino keeps me warm and mostly dry

Lumen

btw, dripping candlewax into the spare cleat holes on the soles of my cycling shoes has made a significant difference to the dryness of my feet on wet roads.

Funkyzeit

blorg wrote: »

He has claimed he is doing it for the Sean Kelly rather than the W200 for some reason.

Mankini free zone for W200 - the agreement was for the SK classic alright - and you'll be delighted to I voted to non-shaving of legs in Diarmuid's new poll.

Could be a lonely 160 spin..

hynesie

Its my first time doing the Wicklow 200, or even cycling in Wicklow for that matter, so I must apologies in advance for the noobie questions.
I was just reading through the emails sent by the Wicklow 200 people and they say to bring 2 tubes and a repair kit. Is this not a bit excessive?
I was thinking of bringing 1 tube, but then again I've no idea what the roads in Wicklow are like.
My second question is regarding the food stops. I've heard that they're not as good as the ROK ones, but is there any need to bring extra food in the pockets or are the organised food stops sufficient?

TinyExplosions

hynesie wrote: »

Its my first time doing the Wicklow 200, or even cycling in Wicklow for that matter, so I must apologies in advance for the noobie questions.
I was just reading through the emails sent by the Wicklow 200 people and they say to bring 2 tubes and a repair kit. Is this not a bit excessive?
I was thinking of bringing 1 tube, but then again I've no idea what the roads in Wicklow are like.
My second question is regarding the food stops. I've heard that they're not as good as the ROK ones, but is there any need to bring extra food in the pockets or are the organised food stops sufficient?

I would recommend 2 tubes and a puncture kit just in case (though will only carry one myself), and it wouldn't hurt to have 4 or 5 nutrigrains or similar in your pocket, again just in case

petethedrummer

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Hey Pete, have you tried long distance cycles in sealskinz socks? I've found that when wearing them on dry days after an hour or two the waterproof layer actually stops the sweat/steam escaping and they end up soaked on the inside so bad that my toes literally freeze.

My feet tend not to sweat at all while cycling. In the winter its usually a battle to keep them warm. So I'll be fine in seakskinz for the WW200. I usually wear a very thin pair of socks under them, dunno what brand they are. I might just stick the sealskinz in my jersey and put them on if it rains.

petethedrummer

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I would recommend 2 tubes and a puncture kit just in case (though will only carry one myself), and it wouldn't hurt to have 4 or 5 nutrigrains or similar in your pocket, again just in case

As an example, on the Swords 145km flat(ish) tour I ate....
On the Bike: 2 nutrigrain oat bake bars and another power energy bar (which tasted like bubblegum), 3 bottles of fluid (sports drink/water combo),
In Drogheda(after 60km): 1.25 sandwiches and 1 cup of tea,
At the finish: 3/4 sandwich, 1 can of coke, 2 cups of tea.

An exciting post there, but maybe it will help.

blorg

I will probably go with one tube and a repair kit. As to food, depending on the year you might not do it on the organiser-supplied food alone all right. I wouldn't worry about carrying a ton of food at the start though- the route passes through lots of towns so you can always stock back up in a shop if necessary.

ROK ON

2 tubes and a quick repair patch, plus Brake Bros tyre lever (invaluable - thanks to Blorg for idea).

2 Natures Way Bars (Oats & Honey and Maple Syrup)
2 small bags of sports jellies. I must remember that I owe Lumen and DaveOBrien jellies. SO maybe more jellies.
1 mango and passion fruit power bar. Actually nice.
Water with Nuun (plus a spare Nuun tablet (cola flavour)).

Gilet.

Clothing will depend on weather. Pink for sunshine, black for everything else.

kenmc

Also there are plenty of flies around these days too, so just cycle with your mouth open and you'll get oodles of protein.

kenmc

ROK ON wrote: »

2 tubes and a quick repair patch, plus Brake Bros tyre lever (invaluable - thanks to Blorg for idea).

Crank brothers even?

blorg

At lunch today the Enniskerry road was being resurfaced in Stepaside, not sure whether this will all be gone by Sunday. The obvious thing to do would be to detour up by Johnny Foxes/Devil's Elbow.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

At lunch today the Enniskerry road was being resurfaced in Stepaside, not sure whether this will all be gone by Sunday. The obvious thing to do would be to detour up by Johnny Foxes/Devil's Elbow.

1000 or so riders down the Devil's Elbow... carnage!

Nietzschean

be 2 tubes and a some glueless patches for me , extra iso stuff for fresh water and then gel's, lots of gels (new torq ones have 86mg of caffine per gel

) , find them much easier to take than bars when cycling though obviously will need solid food at times but hoping food stops will suffice for that

kenmc

blorg wrote: »

At lunch today the Enniskerry road was being resurfaced in Stepaside, not sure whether this will all be gone by Sunday. The obvious thing to do would be to detour up by Johnny Foxes/Devil's Elbow.

Crap, all well and good on the way out, still fresh, but don't fancy facing the devil on the way back as well - especially as going north is way worse than going south

ROK ON

blorg wrote: »

At lunch today the Enniskerry road was being resurfaced in Stepaside, not sure whether this will all be gone by Sunday. The obvious thing to do would be to detour up by Johnny Foxes/Devil's Elbow.

How much of the road is actually open at the moment?

Ryaner

hynesie wrote: »

Its my first time doing the Wicklow 200, or even cycling in Wicklow for that matter, so I must apologies in advance for the noobie questions.
I was just reading through the emails sent by the Wicklow 200 people and they say to bring 2 tubes and a repair kit. Is this not a bit excessive?
I was thinking of bringing 1 tube, but then again I've no idea what the roads in Wicklow are like.
My second question is regarding the food stops. I've heard that they're not as good as the ROK ones, but is there any need to bring extra food in the pockets or are the organised food stops sufficient?

After getting a puncture on Sunday, forgetting to check the tyre to remove the glass, and then shredding the spare tube, two tubes could be quite useful.

decrrrrrr

The nerves are starting already and it's only Wednesday....!!! Still questioning whether the 200 is for me. I reckon that will still be the case rolling out of UCD.

Was on the road back to Enniskerry last Tuesday. Nice fresh surface of loose chippings for a couple of km's on it. The cars were not slowing down on it and there was chippings flying everywhere. Anybody been on it this week? Has it improved any since then?

FrankGrimes

Lumen wrote: »

btw, dripping candlewax into the spare cleat holes on the soles of my cycling shoes has made a significant difference to the dryness of my feet on wet roads.

that's a quality tip right there. Noticed an improvement on coldness when I taped over the holes but will wax em up before Sunday instead cos that just makes sense now that you've pointed it out.

I'll have my trusty large saddle bag with 2 tubes, a tyre patch, small multitool, pump (wrecks head on bike), P20 (I get sunburnt even at hearing rumours of sunshine), phone, cash,a sweat cloth, maybe a spare pair of socks, sachets of energy drink powder, couple of granola bars, and a couple of energy gels. It's not as heavy as it sounds and I wouldn't trade that reassurance for the weight saving but that's just me.

DirkVoodoo

decrrrrrr wrote: »

The nerves are starting already and it's only Wednesday....!!! Still questioning whether the 200 is for me. I reckon that will still be the case rolling out of UCD.

Was on the road back to Enniskerry last Tuesday. Nice fresh surface of loose chippings for a couple of km's on it. The cars were not slowing down on it and there was chippings flying everywhere. Anybody been on it this week? Has it improved any since then?

You will be fine. Join our slow group, will be lots of fun! Just remember Lance's words of wisdom about pain being temporary, yadda yadda. You will suffer for 8-10 hours, but that's the point

zzzzzzzz

FrankGrimes wrote: »

that's a quality tip right there. Noticed an improvement on coldness when I taped over the holes but will wax em up before Sunday instead cos that just makes sense now that you've pointed it out.

I'll have my trusty large saddle bag with 2 tubes, a tyre patch, small multitool, pump (wrecks head on bike), P20 (I get sunburnt even at hearing rumours of sunshine), phone, cash,a sweat cloth, maybe a spare pair of socks, sachets of energy drink powder, couple of granola bars, and a couple of energy gels. It's not as heavy as it sounds and I wouldn't trade that reassurance for the weight saving but that's just me.

P20 - isn't that the stuff that doesn't give you any protection against UVAs?

I vaguely remember reading an article or hearing about how some chain of shops stopped stocking it because it was useless.

AstraMonti

Ss jersey with arm warmers or training jacket with just a base layer from inside?

Socks overshoes or the plastic waterflex?

Superlight jacket folded in the backpocket will be a must in both situations.

And i still need to get a small pump that fits into the backpocket!

Lumen

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

P20 - isn't that the stuff that doesn't give you any protection against UVAs?

I vaguely remember reading an article or hearing about how some chain of shops stopped stocking it because it was useless.

Thanks for the warning. I bought a bottle at the weekend.

I guess it's likely to be less useful now anyway.

blorg

ROK ON wrote: »

How much of the road is actually open at the moment?

It's not a particularly long section at all but they have half the road closed and so just have the one lane with a manual rotating sign system. Guy I talked with wasn't sure but reckoned they would be finished where they were but were moving further down the road towards Enniskerry. Given it is a manual rotating sign system I can only imagine whatever they are doing they will be leaving it alone for Sunday.

petethedrummer

Lumen wrote: »

Thanks for the warning. I bought a bottle at the weekend. I guess it's likely to be less useful now anyway.

Boots are doing 2 for 1 on bottles of Piz Buin stuff. I had the factor 50 on me on Sun and Mon and had zero sunburn.

irishmotorist

I got some Boots own factor 25 stuff and had it on me on Saturday for the whole day. It lasted the day through a lot of sweat and no burn. Pity I didn't put any on for the 1 hour it took me to do the garden on Monday then