Evil 2016

Anyone unsure of tomorrow watch this.
https://youtu.be/eV5K4BICr6w

Sorry lads, my evening commute took a wrong turn, so I'm still a bit drunk and going to tour+camp with a friend in the mountains tomorrow instead...




BTW, Smoked Saison was simply exceptional.

Good luck tomorrow lads and stay safe. Sorry I won't be with you tomorrow as I'm in the middle of Mizen to Malin.

bbolger wrote: »

Did a number of the climbs today, but had to get there & back from Skerries, 225km with just a shade over 3,000m climbing...

I was looking at it on Strava earlier - kudos.

Garzard wrote: »

Apologies lads but it's looking quite likely I won't be getting up as early as planned. Can't bloody get to sleep.

I know the feeling. Have had about 3 hours sleep which always happens to me before a long day out. Couldn't switch off and then my son is insistent on telling me about the cute baby bur-bees singing outside the window at half 5.

Having the strongest coffe ever, its nearly as thick as tar. Long day ahead and looking forward to it

Just home. Had to cut the day short due to a fever that was creeping up since yesterday and lack of sleep last night. Fever hit me hard after about 120 km. Really hard day due to the route and the heat. The evil needs to be renamed for next year if it's the same route. Daragh is still out there and maybe godtabh too

208km 3770 elevation

daragh_ wrote: »

...290 on the clock.....

That bit pales into insignificance compared to your 5,600 metres of climbing. Jesus wept! :eek:

Even though I tried to avoid this madness at all costs, the Evil Crew got me in Rathdrum, and made me cycle no more no less but 400m of their crazy route on my tourer! This deserved a 99er at the top of that insane hill we went up together.

We slept in Aughrim - I found a nice field, then a house this field belonged to, then an elderly lady that was very surprised by me asking to use it for sleeping but at the end got convinced by my irresistible tired look after a day of pushing that bike up the hills

Guys, BTW - casque bas to all of you, you are magnificent. I still feel guilty for quitting this ride, but very slightly less so after meeting you. It was very unexpected but super nice encounter!

daragh_ wrote: »

Here's my Strava.

Technically a DNF as I didn't do the last bit. We could try again next week?

For the record irishrover99 is a natural climber with some serious ability. I spent at least 4 hours brainwashing him about getting into racing. When he does I plan to take all the credit.

Apologies to all about the sadistic nature of the route.

Just looking at your times over the last few climbs I didn't do, is making me wince with pain. feeling surprisingly good today and the fever I had never really got any worse. It makes me think I could have finished it yesterday as it was ONLY Wicklow gap and Sally gap but sitting in laragh yesterday it might as well have been hill repeats on the Stelvio pass that I was faced with.

You have me sold on St tiernans anyway daragh so when I do you'll be the first to know about it

godtabh wrote: »

This might be too early for 2017 but what about keeping to the 200 next time but try and max out the climbing? Saturday was the first time I've ever climbed above 4000m. Could we do a route of 200km with say 4500m? I dont know the Wicklow mountains well enough to know.

I'd say it might be hard to get 4500m in 200km around Wicklow but I'm sure daragh could find a way.

TBH I really liked the route other than the part from laragh to rathdrum, Clara vale?. It just went on forever and took about 2 hours to complete at painfully slow pace. Lots of steep hills and very hard to get into a rhythm.

Edit: Vale of Clara

Alek wrote: »

Really? Last year, as well as this year this was one of my favourite parts - very smooth fast road, gently rolling downhill... the good twin brother of Lake Drive

Perhaps give it a go it without a fever one day? :P

Alek, if you check out the route from km 100 to 130 you will see a section that was not there last year and by passed the rolling section to Rathdrum. We went over Shay Elliot and turned left at Glenmalure lodge and then there was 3 other small and steep climbs before we got to Rathdrum. Then it joined the strava triple loop of evil segment. The heat in that valley was very taxing on the body and i think it took nearly 2 hours to complete as the roads were more suited to MTB on the descents.

You now know why we looked beat when you seen us in Rathdrum. I was glad to get back onto the longer more gradual climbs

This was one of the climbs in that section. Its like the Wall but maybe harder. Average 12%
https://www.strava.com/segments/1305765?filter=overall

godtabh wrote: »

This might be too early for 2017 but what about keeping to the 200 next time but try and max out the climbing? Saturday was the first time I've ever climbed above 4000m. Could we do a route of 200km with say 4500m? I dont know the Wicklow mountains well enough to know.

Here you go godtabh. Maybe for 2017 or even for next month?

https://www.strava.com/routes/5290293

I've put lake drive near the start