Good luck to the brave souls doing the ring of kerry

roadmanmad

My thoughts are with those on the ROK tomorrow.

It looks as if it will be tough with the conditions

My excuse is that I have had a chest infection in the past week and participation would be suicide.

Well done

showry

Thanks roadman,
Conditions turned out great,
very little wind and stayed dry until we were coming down from Moll's gap.
It was my first time, very enjoyable, I've eaten so much brack I reckon I put on weight doing it.
Lots of boardsies out there - the kit looks great.

penexpers

Yep grand conditions, excellent event, very well organised.

cantalach

We didn't leave Killarney until after 9 so we actually got caught by the rain much earlier on - between Caherdaniel and Sneem. Good and wet we were!.

dh0661

Trolling HERE - sorry about that.

But I have to congratulate everyone who participated today, including my hubby -- I'm sure I'll be soothing sore mussels for the next month :rolleyes:;):rolleyes:;)

irishmotorist

What a day! The only bad weather encountered was on the way down from Molls Gap where I had the company of Tinyexplosions and Kenmc. Bit of drizzly rain there, but it was dry and fairly calm for the rest of course. I think I even improved the tan a wee bit!
I bumped into (not literally) Trekclimber too - much nearer the start. Great meeting you guys and I hope to get around to some of the weekend spins now that this event is over.
It was my biggest cycle (after the Wicklow 100 being the biggest at the time) and am chuffed with my time - about 6:35 riding time.
I was expecting the climbs to be worse, particularly when you hear about the mighty Molls Gap. It's a fine hill and all the rest, but not near enough to make you get off and walk, which was what I was half expecting.

kenmc

i enjoyed it - in hindsight. Coming up to sneem I was selling the feckin bike, never cycling again, totally in the horrors, dead legs, even cramps! guess thats what happens when you don't get on the bike for 4 weeks aftr the WW200. Met loads of people, as IrishMotorist was saying we finished together, and that was the only time we got wet. We went out hard and fast, leading the pace to cahirsiveen - overtaking many many cyclists who cheated by starting out ahead of the lead car - some of them must have left around 6am, cos they were going SLOWLY when we passed them coming up to 60km in.
An amazing amount of people doing it on mountain bikes, in tracksuits, cheapo rain jackets, backpacks, some even had panniers and sports bags - I don't know how much stuff they were carrying, truly an event for all levels - there were a pair of ould dears we passed on Molls gap on mountainbikes, they were chatting away to each other all the way up! Fair play to them all.
The organizers of the WW200 have a LOT to learn in terms of organization - we had garda escorts, roads closed as we went through in big groups, and the mountain of food to feed a small country!
my ride time was 6h11

edit also the number of comments we were receiving on the jerseys, people asking where the 'club' was from, also many many lurkers saying they drop in from time to time - come on, sign up and say hello!

cantalach

irishmotorist wrote: »

I was expecting the climbs to be worse, particularly when you hear about the mighty Molls Gap. It's a fine hill and all the rest, but not near enough to make you get off and walk, which was what I was half expecting.

Ah yeah, le Col de Moll tops out at only 260 m and has no steep bits at all coming from the Kenmare side. It's just a drag really and nothing compared to the likes of the Connor Pass or Slieve Maan. Lovely scenery though, and that fast and twisty part of the decent starting at the bridge below Ladies View is great fun if you get a clear run!

Coomakista is even lower than Moll's Gap and again not at all steep. But the nice constant gradient combined with the fact that you can see the top for most of the way seems to lure you into charging up full gas. It's one of my favourite climbs as a result. The stunning views help too I suppose.

cantalach

kenmc wrote: »

The organizers of the WW200 have a LOT to learn in terms of organization

Yes, fully agree - I made the same point last month just after my first Wicklow 200 but having previously done the RoK. There's no comparison really. And what community involvement - even in the lashing rain coming into Sneem there were whole families standing out under umbrellas cheering people on!

TinyExplosions

I enjoyed it quote a bit (especially the back massage in Kenmare!). Was surprised at the flatness of the course, and the speed we headed out -the first 60k were a blur...

Only downside was the guy with no pump who I stopped to help, and ended up changing his tube for him, but had the DIRTIEST chain ever, and turned me into someone who looked like they'd been down the mines for a few years.

Great organisation all round, and the W200 guys could definitely learn a thing or two.

Best moment was the boards.ie lead out train leaving the start and the food stop in Caherciveen -dead impressive looking I'll bet

ollietrex

Great day... Good to meet all the boards.ie lads and will defo be out on some of the saturday spins.

Dear god that was some pace you lads set... My average for the days was 30kmph I have never kept that pace on any spin. Managed the whole thing in 5.40 which I was really happy with.

Was a very friendly spin and very well organised, I will defo be back next year. :):)

niceonetom

great cycle, and one that's deffo in the calender for next year too (though i think i'll be a bit nicer to myself accommodationwise next time :rolleyes: tom no like hostels so much now).

beautiful part of the country, though i can't say that i really took much of it in at the rate we were going. all my records for pace over long distance were blitzed, we were absolutely whipping along for most of it. can't fault the organisation, or the good will shown by all involved, plenty of food, water etc and a really good atmosphere. even the hardened dublin cynic in me soon warmed to the spectators shouting encouragement, it's a welcome change from the usual verbal abuse that you might get around here . the bishop even arranged a surprising clement day for it too.

the boards jerseys seemed to catch a lot of people's eye too, so i wonder if any lurkers might be enticed out from the shadows and say hello... or even be tempted to join the ranks of the saturday spins.

kenmc

what time did penexpers get back to killarney at, and when did ye get back to dublin?

ollietrex

Think he got in at about 6ish, I was back in dublin by 11 and a beer in my hand by 11:20 and finished at about 3:30.

I even managed to do my MTB race today (well gave up after two laps) but was not as much fun as the ROK, think I am maybe turning into a roadie...:eek:

daymobrew

ollietrex wrote: »

Dear god that was some pace you lads set... My average for the days was 30kmph I have never kept that pace on any spin. Managed the whole thing in 5.40 which I was really happy with.

5:40 is brilliant - I thought I was doing well with 6h08m moving time (17.7mph for the 108 miles). I only stopped for 42mins. Got home by 3pm.

I started from Beaufort at 8:10 and I too made great time to Cahersiveen. Nice declines and good surface to there.
At Sneem Hotel I felt like I was the first person there - there wasn't anyone there when I arrived.

I found the home stretch, after Moll's Gap, to be the toughest. A group of about 10 passed me bike like I was stopped. I was dead. I felt that Torc Waterfall would never appear.

Just like last year I got pee'd on after Torc. Thankfully it's reasonably sheltered there.
The mist/drizzle was there on the way up Coomakista but dried up on the descent.

I'm a big fan of buttered brack. Mmmm.

kenmc

jeez thats good going! I was in bed at 12:30. After a 3 hour powerkip before dinner!

TinyExplosions

I was in bed by midnight I think. Definitely in the calendar for next year, with the aim to beat a 30kph average (27 was mine yesterday). Finished in about 6.10, very happy with it.

RobAMerc

Hi guy's congrats to all who took part yesterday - it was a brilliant day out!

Exact same as last year I only got wet on the run down from Molls Gap home.

Does anyone know the official start time, I am trying to work out my total time, as I forgot to start the bloody watch !

thanks

kenmc

my gps started at 8.23

RobAMerc

kenmc wrote: »

my gps started at 8.23

Thanks.

Got in at 16.10 with about 45 mins stopped - so about 7hrs on the road I reckon.

Not bad - was hoping for 7 hrs including stops - I suppose some trainging might help !

kenmc

daymobrew wrote: »

I started from Beaufort at 8:10 and I too made great time to Cahersiveen.

Was that your kid waving a yellow tshirt as promised, on the left of the road maybe about 15km into the route? Long enough garden, stone wall topped with grass perhaps (as we sped by!)

blorg

I pressed the start on my Garmin at 8:22, although it died 27km in. Got around in around the same time as Ollie (he was flying and seemed fairly handy at the top of the gaps, didn't seem to have any trouble with the pace at all), 5h49m total including going on out to my shower in An Oige hostel in Fossa (another 6.5km or so- it was pissing rain at that point, I didn't realise the end was at the Gleneagle and I wasn't going to turn around ) Fastest I have ever cycled for sure!

penexpers

kenmc wrote: »

what time did penexpers get back to killarney at, and when did ye get back to dublin?

As Ollie said got back in about 6:10. Started off with the boards.ie lads but got dropped after about 500 metres Computer read 7 hours 45 minutes cycling time and I took a fair few breaks along the way. Really happy with that considering my previous longest spin was in the 40-50k region and I had never climbed any "hills" like Molls Gap. I did fade really badly towards the end, took me nearly 90 minutes from Kenmare to Killarney and the descent took alot longer than it should have because I have crap brakes on my bike.

All in all great day. Really well organised with plenty of honest local support and enough food to feed the proverbial army. Met some great people during the day as well (including one guy who has done it for the last 23 years!) and my bike got a good few compliments (including off a lurker on boards.ie who recognised the frame from my postings here). I'll definitely be back next year.

blorg

You did really brilliantly in my opinion, Penexpers, with the previous distances you mentioned to make it around that distance at all never mind in 7h45 is a mighty achievement! I hope it has instilled in you the long-distance bug; you looked pretty handy when you got back to Ollie's van.

TinyExplosions

Bloody impressive is more like it penexpers -that's certainly a bike and a half you have in that Surly (in looks and weight!), and considering your lack of trainin, you made good time

BUACHAILL

Fair play everyone it makes me envious to hear all the stories

blorg

BUACHAILL wrote: »

Fair play everyone it makes me envious to hear all the stories

Sean Kelly on the 24th of August... Good choice of distance, get your nice new bike out there!

BUACHAILL

Sounds like someone just threw down a gauntlet blorg ? What distance is it?

Gavin

BUACHAILL wrote: »

Fair play everyone it makes me envious to hear all the stories

+1 !

paddyb

Sean Kelly Tour
50, 100 or 160km

BUACHAILL

Thanks paddy.
Now I have no excuse ha. Ok so I am in