Mayo Western Lakes MTB Audax - 100 or 200?

Alek · 12-06-2019 1:26pm #1

https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/mayo-western-lakes-200100-mtb/

Anyone done it in the previous years?

How technical is the 200k, especially these 2-3 climbs in the middle?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27628743

They say gravel bikes are ok, but I can see a lot of places on the route (in Google Satellite view) going completely off-piste...

(asking for a friend

)

Large bottle small glass · 12-06-2019 2:12pm

Alek wrote: »

https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/mayo-western-lakes-200100-mtb/

Anyone done it in the previous years?

How technical is the 200k, especially these 2-3 climbs in the middle?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27628743

They say gravel bikes are ok, but I can see a lot of places on the route (in Google Satellite view) going completely off-piste...

(asking for a friend )

Great minds, I was just filling out an audax entry form an hour ago.

A friend did it last year; said he was jealous of cx/gravel bikes a lot of the time but occasionally glad of his hard tail.

I'll give 200 a go slow and all as I'll be. Stunning part of the country should be fun.

It's a very long haul for 100km spin

Alek · 12-06-2019 2:24pm

It's a very long haul for 100km spin

Exactly my thoughts, but then my fitness this year is truly awful.

I have a family pass for this event, if my car-enabled friend decides to go too, see you there!

smacl · 12-06-2019 2:45pm

Alek wrote: »

https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/mayo-western-lakes-200100-mtb/

Anyone done it in the previous years?

How technical is the 200k, especially these 2-3 climbs in the middle?

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27628743

They say gravel bikes are ok, but I can see a lot of places on the route (in Google Satellite view) going completely off-piste...

(asking for a friend )

Looks awesome. The 100k seems to be all l-roads and bohereens with a bit of forest path around Moore Hall. Climbs on the 200k seem more like fire-roads from the satellite but then everything looks like a doddle in satellite view

First ~80k, satellite photography is a blur where it gets interesting

Second @90k

Third @98k

Be very tempted by the 100k myself as it is a part of the world I used to spend a lot of time in at one point. Hmmm......

Alek · 12-06-2019 2:59pm

satellite photography is a blur where it gets interesting

Bing is sometimes better... http://www.gpsies.com/test/BingVsGoogle.html

(switch to Aerial on the Bing map on the left, then hover mouse over the right image and zoom in... boths screens will zoom and move in sync)

everything looks like a doddle in satellite view

Yeah. Like the Glenmacrass > Laragh gravel road we were discussing before... what a nightmare it was in reality

https://www.strava.com/activities/2372702683

Resoguy · 12-06-2019 3:08pm

Had signed up for the 200K, but family stuff has derailed that plan, pity was looking forward to it, maybe next year.

smacl · 12-06-2019 3:18pm

Alek wrote: »

Yeah. Like the Glenmacrass > Laragh gravel road we were discussing before... what a nightmare it was in reality

https://www.strava.com/activities/2372702683

You managed to get across the river then, I'm guessing you had to carry the bike at some point? I went down all the little dead ends and ended up doubling back. Problem with those steeper fire roads for me is the descent, getting up is a struggle but coming down is a nightmare. Went up this little beauty a couple of years ago on the CX bike and found the descent slow and really hard going.

Alek · 12-06-2019 3:29pm

You managed to get across the river then

You mean ravine? Yeah I did

25m almost straigh down and 25m up to cross it... And then it was that 300m of woods so dense, I wished I had a handlebar mounted chainsaw... basically I had to push the bike forward and crouch behind it in a tunnel it made... new jersey and legs in shreds.

The 8km gravel descend was worth it though!

devonp · 12-06-2019 4:48pm

its mad....right up your street Alek

did it on a hardtail with 35/38c , others on better MTB bikes had 40+ and wider, some gravel bikes also, the two big climbs are dead ends: up you go back you go, sections of fields, also bushes up to your waist and good old fashioned bog, also bits of flat out to the ends of peninsula's and back again
i just made the 13 hr cut off (or is it 13.5 for a 200 Audax ??)
the climbs are hard with very poor surfaces near the top of the first one especially, much worse than fine gravel or fireroads

https://www.strava.com/activities/1613543277

enjoy

cdaly_ · 13-06-2019 10:13am

Alek wrote: »

I have a family pass for this event, if my car-enabled friend decides to go too, see you there!

Car? Get the train to Claremorris and then it's only 25k to the start...

Alek · 13-06-2019 5:18pm

It arrives two hours after the start and costs 40e return...............

smacl · 13-06-2019 5:42pm

Alek wrote: »

It arrives two hours after the start and costs 40e return...............

Was looking at that. For me it would involve going down the previous day and getting a B&B or hotel locally. Still tempted.

at1withmyself · 13-06-2019 6:00pm

Have wanted to try this for a few years but yet again something comes up this year so no go. However don't forget the Mayo XTRM route a few weeks later.

https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/mayo-xtrm-200/

Large bottle small glass · 13-06-2019 7:16pm

devonp wrote: »

i just made the 13 hr cut off (or is it 13.5 for a 200 Audax ??)
the climbs are hard with very poor surfaces near the top of the first one especially, much worse than fine gravel or fireroads

https://www.strava.com/activities/1613543277

enjoy

My memory is that you are a pretty strong rider; did you spend 4 hrs stopped because you needed to recover or where you in Sunday drive mode?

The reason I ask is I have a draft 200km semi off road audax put together(I'll need to do a lot of tidying up yet)which has way more climbing. If you are struggling to finish this in 13h20mins there is probably no point putting it on

devonp · 13-06-2019 8:48pm

Large bottle small glass wrote: »

My memory is that you are a pretty strong rider; did you spend 4 hrs stopped because you needed to recover or where you in Sunday drive mode?

The reason I ask is I have a draft 200km semi off road audax put together(I'll need to do a lot of tidying up yet)which has way more climbing. If you are struggling to finish this in 13h20mins there is probably no point putting it on

sure you got the correct rider...?

did it in 12.49 total, certainly got lost near the beginning, 15-20 mins to re-route and again near Cong another 15-20 mins, also stopped to recharge the Garmin 20-30mins plus the MTB is the guts of 14Kg w/o the gear etc so found it slow on the road

it is a tough route but a good one, prob a lighter Gravel/cross bike might be ok...and i tend to take too long at controls, no splash and dash for me

good luck with the new Audax

El Vino · 14-06-2019 9:34am

Why does West seem to be the only area with these long MTB Audex events? There seems to be 3 of them on the Audex site
including this one https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/tubbercurry-offroad-200/

Alek · 14-06-2019 9:40am

I was thinking about submitting one of the Weevil routes as permanents. They're a bit hardcore elevation-wise, but at least local

Never got around to doing it though.

https://www.strava.com/routes/10783437
https://www.strava.com/routes/14111787
https://www.strava.com/routes/14112402

Large bottle small glass · 14-06-2019 10:11am

El Vino wrote: »

Why does West seem to be the only area with these long MTB Audex events? There seems to be 3 of them on the Audex site
including this one https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/tubbercurry-offroad-200/

More unenclosed and marginal land I would think than most other parts of country and an active audax scene.

Look up Padraig Marrey's rwgps profile; the man likes to explore!

If the area is predominantly good land, good luck getting access. Uplands, lakelands, peatland where there will be access roads for fishing, turf, commonage sheep farming etc.

I've a a nice bit of looking done in Comeraghs/Knockmealdown areas and other than Coillte and maybe one hill farmer and maybe Mellary farm there is not a lot of other road types available

@Alek do you not need a 200km min for audax? 15km/h including stops is going to beyond most riders on those routes

Alek · 14-06-2019 10:17am

@Alek do you not need a 200km min for audax? 15km/h including stops is going to beyond most riders on those routes

200k is minimum for a route to be recognised as a brevet.

With Weevil routes, they would need to be extended to 200k using fairly flat, ideally paved sections to be rideable in 13.5h!

cdaly_ · 14-06-2019 12:12pm

smacl wrote: »

Was looking at that. For me it would involve going down the previous day and getting a B&B or hotel locally. Still tempted.

Sure a hammock and a couple of trees* will do ya...

*Oh wait, this is Connaught isn't it...

NamelessPhil · 14-06-2019 5:38pm

@Alek there is a permanent with over 4,500m for it's 200km in South Dublin already. I rode it last year. https://www.audaxireland.org/events-calendar/gazetteer/200km-events/excelsior-200-permanent/

https://strava.app.link/huQLN1F9vX

It's on real roads and it's one of the few times I was glad to descend The Wall rather than climb it.

Alek · 14-06-2019 11:38pm

Thanks, its on my bucket list already

It's a properly mad route in the elevation department but then a road one, and I wish there was something more gravel/MTB oriented around...
like the Long Heron, but, ekhem, hillier

NamelessPhil · 15-06-2019 8:54am

If you really want to create an off-road 200 for the Dublin/Wicklow area, go ahead and submit it to Audax Ireland. This is the right time of year to submit routes for consideration for next year's audax calendar.

Redm0 · 22-06-2019 6:23pm

Anyone know How is the course marked out on this ?

Large bottle small glass · 22-06-2019 9:05pm

Redm0 wrote: »

Anyone know How is the course marked out on this ?

Audax with exception of Mick Byrne 200 are never marked ime.

It's up to riders to navigate, feed and get themselves home in the event of a mechanical.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157332623314288&id=330941294287

delynet · 24-06-2019 8:07am

Redm0 wrote: »

Anyone know How is the course marked out on this ?

There are some markings on the road at junctions. Also, route maps here

200km https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27628743

100km https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30321364

smacl · 24-06-2019 9:37am

delynet wrote: »

There are some markings on the road at junctions. Also, route maps here

200km https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27628743

100km https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30321364

The 100k above is a very different route to the one on the Audax Ireland site here; https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26469760 You've basically got a circuit of L. Mask where the Audax route is more L.Carra and takes in some off road at Moore Hall.

delynet · 24-06-2019 9:40am

smacl wrote: »

The 100k above is a very different route to the one on the Audax Ireland site here; https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26469760 You've basically got a circuit of L. Mask where the Audax route is more L.Carra and takes in some off road at Moore Hall.

I got them from here

https://westernlakescc.com/2018/03/17/audax-event-to-test-your-endurance/

smacl · 24-06-2019 10:21am

delynet wrote: »

I got them from here

https://westernlakescc.com/2018/03/17/audax-event-to-test-your-endurance/

Just spoke to Padraig who's organising this. Your route above is the right one for the 100k and my Cross bike will be fine, audax website is out of date. Plan to make it down for this and make a bit of a weekend out of it. Now to get accommodation and transport organised.

Alek · 24-06-2019 11:43am

My friend bailed out. No car, no ride

smacl · 24-06-2019 1:41pm

Alek wrote: »

My friend bailed out. No car, no ride

Booked the train and a small cottage for the weekend, €42 for the return to Claremorris including bike which isn't too bad. Cottage was a bit more than planned but what the hell. It's a part of the country I'd be planning on getting back to and the type of cycling I know I'll enjoy. Knobblies on the CX for me I reckon.

Esroh · 26-06-2019 3:03pm

Just to let you know that there are some markings on the roads. MTB in white.
One of your out and back loops are close to me

smacl · 26-06-2019 4:25pm

Esroh wrote: »

Just to let you know that there are some markings on the roads. MTB in white.
One of your out and back loops are close to me

Ran through the revised 100k route on google streets last night. Lots of twists and turns so will be keeping a careful eye to the garmin and have a printed cue sheet as backup. Much more off-road in the revised route, I'll be pleased to make it before the six hour cut-off given my current fitness level but thoroughly looking forward to it either way.

smacl · 01-07-2019 3:22pm

Well that was only mighty craic! Missed the six hour cut off for finishing by a few hours but had a truly fantastic day on (and off) the bike for all that. Some of the technical bits were way beyond my ability on the CX bike, the fitness required on some of the climbs also had me off and pushing a fair bit and jaysus but the mud in the bog on Lough Coolin got deep in spots. And for a fun sting in the tail the course ended with a circuit on the club BMX track. Fair play to Padraig for organising such an entertaining and challenging route. I'll be back next year though will work on being a bit fitter and either bring a hard tail or way wider tyres. With a bit of a tour of old haunts in Mayor on the day before got about 200k in over the weekend which is something I haven't done in a while so well pleased.

Mayo Western Lakes MTB Audax - 100 or 200?

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