Cycling up Patrick's Hill in Cork

michaelm

Going to be in Cork for a few days and as well as cycling along the coast I would love to have a go at cycling up Patrick's Hill. Does anyone know if this is legal? - something tells me it is a one-way street - coming down.

corkandproud

One way, going up.

It must be 20 years since I last did it, great fun.

Lumen

22%. :eek:

crashoveroid

I have been up it a good few times a mate of mine goes up it every day he lives right up the top its a good climb not one you would do in the saddle you will defo need the 23 LOL

Caroline_ie

The Tour of Ireland will have the cyclists go over it again this year something like 4 or 5 times on the final stage. Last year Cavendish gave up after just one lap, he turned around and decided it wasn't for him.

The tax man

^^^ Someone remember to stand at the bottom with the wimp list.:p

niceonetom

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Last year Cavendish gave up after just one lap, he turned around and decided it wasn't for him.

This is among the reasons I can't warm to Cav. I know a victory in the TOI isn't worth much on his palmares, but if Magnus can drag himself up it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_2BJIwbDqc

Lumen

Well behaved crowd on that video. Not a single stupid-hat-wearing-half-naked-fat-man-running in sight.

DJsail

What a laugh, went to college in Cork living at the bottom of that mad hill on MacCurtain Street, going up on a sunday morning is still the best cure for a god awful hangover I've ever found!

DePurpereWolf

Patrick's hill is two way, so be careful for cars coming down the road not seeing you.
If you ever thought you would never use your lowest gear, try Patrick's hill.

Edit: Only the part at the bottom, between wellington and mccurtain street is one way going down. this part is not steep anyway.

blorg

It is a steep one all right! Took me two gos to get up it on my fixie without falling off (46-17 gearing.)



As DePurpereWolf says there is a short bit one way going down but it is not steep and you can cycle up it the wrong way if you are careful.

emtroche

The race around ireland will be going up this at about 1,040 miles!!

Malari

Oh, I'm in that youtube video!

blorg wrote: »

As DePurpereWolf says there is a short bit one way going down but it is not steep and you can cycle up it the wrong way if you are careful.

Don't some of the the roads going across have right of way too?

Funkyzeit

Attempted it at weekend - chain snapped half way up. Great excuse for stopping...:o

blorg

Malari wrote: »

Don't some of the the roads going across have right of way too?

Not on the steep bit certainly, maybe further down.

DePurpereWolf

Malari wrote: »

Oh, I'm in that youtube video!



Don't some of the the roads going across have right of way too?

No, the wellington road cross is a three stop-sign cross, but you'll be coming from the wrong side (one-way bit) going up the hill, so you still have to be careful anyway. But in theory they all have to stop.
Cork drivers are blind for that stop sign, and there is no such thing as a traffic cop in this city, so you can get away with pretty much everything here.
Really, only 10% of car drivers actually obey that stop sign.

Malari

DePurpereWolf wrote: »

No, the wellington road cross is a three stop-sign cross, but you'll be coming from the wrong side (one-way bit) going up the hill, so you still have to be careful anyway. But in theory they all have to stop.
Cork drivers are blind for that stop sign, and there is no such thing as a traffic cop in this city, so you can get away with pretty much everything here.
Really, only 10% of car drivers actually obey that stop sign.

Fair 'nuf. I don't drive up there that often, let alone cycle it :pac:

As for cops, apparently a dozen taxi drivers were issued with penalty points one afternoon last week, when they were all caught doing u-turns at the top of Patrick's St!

DePurpereWolf

Being a traffic cop in Cork, should be so easy, you just go and sit at some random traffic light and start writing licence plates. There is no easier money.

Maybe then they can finally buy some guns.

thebouldwhacker

Just to clarify...

(Map my ride)

Looking at the photo: the guy in the foreground is crossing Patrick's street by the Fr Matt Stat, the barriers mark the start of the Bridge. Bridge Street starts with the guy in the yellow top beside the cop car and extends as far as where the guy in the blue T shirt is crossing the road on the right (apparently Bridge street is the shortest street in Ireland) this is the start of McCurtain Street and the base of the hill. The road here is one way down but is quite wide so bikes do regularly cycle up this section. . Further up the Wellington road cross roads is located were the guy in the luminous jacket is standing. The hill reverts to two way from here on. The hill is steep from this point on but is very manageable. Looking up the hill again where the green barrier finishes and the road narrows is where things start getting interesting. The gradient takes a sharp increase from steep to bloody sharp. Once you hit the blue house on the right (which my sister lived in years ago) your nearly there but do be careful of on coming traffic, its so steep there there is a brief moment where drivers cannot see where they're driving so you are warned.

I was going out with a girl who rented at the top of this hill so I know it quite well. I having cycled down this hill more times than I can remember I think its best done in winter with a light sprinkle of ice, wakes you up nicely. I have cycled up it only a few times. Each time was when I was 'lubricated' by a night out. I had a big old steel framed mtb, no fancy clip less pedals, oil or properly inflated tyres! no sir, fall outta the Sin e and straight up... happy days:D

FastFullBack

Cycled Patricks Hill last night. My god it's bloody steep.
Lance who?

sportbilly2008

tried to cycle up it a few weeks ago twice but failed just as it kicked up at the narrow bit at the top,even worse is the descent down the other side, fairly scary!

FastFullBack

I did have to stop at the cross road because of traffic but it hadn't really got very steep at that point. I was very close to giving up but got some encouragement from walkers that kept me going.

Going back down is not fun!

CheGuedara

boulds photo brings it back in disturbing clarity. Three attempts in the past while in UCC.

One spud fall into parked car (to peds hysterical amusment), one broken chain (and swift change to a reverse gear I didn't know I had), and one success (and minor heart attack at the top).

ROK ON

Never been up it, but would love to try.
There are a few advantages.
(1) Very short.
(2) Road surface appears from phot to be good.

Climbs that I have encountered with that type of elevation/gradient are invariably i the country on sh1te 3rd class roads/boreens.

blorg

To be honest it is no trouble on a geared bike, racing it would be another matter, I could not get over how slow the pros appeared to be going up it on the ToI. Quite a contrast to the stage finish in Waterford. I think that hill in Wicklow is probably worse, principally due to the road surface.

andun84

anybody been over it with an altimeter? What's the avg gradient and what length is it?

2 Wheels Good

They re-tarred it earlier this year so it's grand now to get up. Used be messy as there was a mini stream on the steep bit. It's a nice climb to finish a spin on. Have done it on the road bike with a 39x23. Make sure all is in working order though, chain was on the way out the first time i tried it and gears slipped all the ways up!
Coming down is fun, would love a straight run down to patricks st.

BryanL

That picture doesn't do it justice, they never do.

kincsem

I downloaded the data for the hill last night from MapMyRide but didn't post it because the gradients were so ridiculous and could not be correct.

nitrogen

MapMyRide never gets the gradients right, or even the total ascent of a ride. I reckon you need to double the gradient on that site to get the real percentage.

markyboy

Made a stab at it this evening. Got up to just before the blue house on the right. Front wheel was lifting which seemed ridiculous. Possibly in too low a gear. Gave one of the lads from work a good laugh watching me though. I'll try again next week!

Victor

andun84 wrote: »

anybody been over it with an altimeter? What's the avg gradient and what length is it?

Its not actually that tall. I think the maximum gradient is 22%, not the average gradient. Teh porblem is it starts out steep, that wears you out, then it becomes very steep.

OK with a serious set of gears and a fit rider, but not with an ordinary bike and Joe Bloggs.

IM0

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Just to clarify...

(Map my ride)

Looking at the photo: the guy in the foreground is crossing Patrick's street by the Fr Matt Stat, the barriers mark the start of the Bridge. Bridge Street starts with the guy in the yellow top beside the cop car and extends as far as where the guy in the blue T shirt is crossing the road on the right (apparently Bridge street is the shortest street in Ireland) this is the start of McCurtain Street and the base of the hill. The road here is one way down but is quite wide so bikes do regularly cycle up this section. . Further up the Wellington road cross roads is located were the guy in the luminous jacket is standing. The hill reverts to two way from here on. The hill is steep from this point on but is very manageable. Looking up the hill again where the green barrier finishes and the road narrows is where things start getting interesting. The gradient takes a sharp increase from steep to bloody sharp. Once you hit the blue house on the right (which my sister lived in years ago......

Great..but wheres wally though?

thebouldwhacker

joshor123

done it twice...1 on mtb 1 on road bike....found it easier on mtb.... go up both times first try:D

The_Jabberwock

Did O'Mahony's Avenue then this in succession before the ice set in - really sucks the life out of you!

High Nellie

Somebody or club is missing a big chance in not organising a popular night-time, open hill-climb on it - would make a lovely summer evening event.

The_Jabberwock

Hah, yeah! I suggested that on the MBCC website after seeing this: http://vimeo.com/15360036

Victor

Victor wrote: »

Its not actually that tall. I think the maximum gradient is 22%, not the average gradient. Teh porblem is it starts out steep, that wears you out, then it becomes very steep.

OK with a serious set of gears and a fit rider, but not with an ordinary bike and Joe Bloggs.

The max is 25%, not sure about the average. The very steep bit is fairly short. The important thing is not to expend all your energy before reaching this steep bit.

I do repeats on it sometimes if I'm feeling in the mood for almighty punishment! I think the most I've been able to do is 5 ascents in a row, after that it felt like I'd just fall over if I tried again. Surprisingly it's my arms rather than my legs than begin to feel like they're going to give up.

It's doable in 39x25 or 39x23 at the most, any bigger a gear would be really, really hard. Again most important thing is to go slowly and conserve energy till the steep ramp at the end, I think that's what catches people out.

Run_to_da_hills

I did it in the late 70's 40 Front 34 rear. Long before MTB's were even heard of.

CrankyCod

The link is to a MapMyRide route following the circuit used for the finishing stage in the Tour of ireland.

It follows F4ggot Hill (don't ask) Bakers Hill, York Street, Patrick's Hill and finally Fair Hill.

I did the circuit a few times (not 5 times in a row like the actual race in 2008!) and I found Baker's Road by far the toughest bit, as it's from a standing start. Its the part off Blarney Street, the second of the hills.

If you're doing it, try it on a Sunday morning as it is a very busy route once you enter the city.

Map My Ride link here

seve65

Been up Patricks hill a few times now and it gets my ticker going a wee bit fast ! Bit funny this really, i was looking at youtubes of various races going up Patricks and fair hill just before I noticed this thread.

Summer league circuit goes up Fair hill doesnt it ? Anybody have the full route they follow and the one in Glounthaune ?

Gordons hill towards mayfield is another very steep climb, but short.

Temple hill :eek: near Ballincollig is the toughest near Cork city in my book followed by Kilahoura in Glounthaune.

seve65

Also Popes road is steep if you keep on cycling up the hill to the dead end, and woooosh come back down, or maybe not so wooosh but more squeak squeal squeak.

thebouldwhacker

High Nellie wrote: »

Somebody or club is missing a big chance in not organising a popular night-time, open hill-climb on it - would make a lovely summer evening event.

POB's trying to go up it on BSO's.......... imagine trying to get insurance:p

Morrisseeee

Patrick's Hill...........meh............that's nothing, a mere bump in the road !! Sure I go up that hill on one wheel !!!!!! :eek: ..........and come down on one wheel aswell :cool:
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That Muro di Sormano is kinda steepish .

FISMA

Go up Patrick's hill and make the first left (right if you want to see a dedication to the Big Fella - highly recommended).

Down a bit and first left, at bottom of this hill, just as steep, make a right.

At the light, straight on, there's Branigan's. If it is later in the evening, stop and have a pint. Otherwise, hang a left and proceed to light.

At this light, before next attempt, go to Cork City Roasters on the RHS and have a cup of the Morning Growler. Head out to hill again.

Next loop, right at Cork City Roasters, Right before the river, and head to the Franciscan. Drink a Rebel Red and meet and/or drink a Blarney Blonde, it's just too cold to be on the bike.

Slan...

seve65

CrankyCod wrote: »

The link is to a MapMyRide route following the circuit used for the finishing stage in the Tour of ireland.

It follows F4ggot Hill (don't ask) Bakers Hill, York Street, Patrick's Hill and finally Fair Hill.

I did the circuit a few times (not 5 times in a row like the actual race in 2008!) and I found Baker's Road by far the toughest bit, as it's from a standing start. Its the part off Blarney Street, the second of the hills.

If you're doing it, try it on a Sunday morning as it is a very busy route once you enter the city.

Map My Ride link here

Did the old Ras patricks hill route 4 times today. http://ridewithgps.com/routes/262592
I just have to laugh that ridewithgps has max grade at 9.8. Both bakers and patricks hill are around 25 I would have thought. I was going to do it 5 times, but bad light stopped play plus the 4th time was the toughest, although strangely the back of my thighs had a kind of burning sensation the 1st time.

CrankyCod

Thats good going..I did it 4 times, each time 4 months apart:)

I find Bakers Road a killer, particularly since the surface detiorated.

If there's a few urchins up and about it makes it even more interesting...

I measured the gradient on it and got 23% at the steepest, using a GPS and mapping software. MapMyRide is well off.

To think I used to scoot up that on my Carlton Criterium 10 speed:(

seve65

yes I got caught out on bakers the first time in the wrong gear, not easy to change when its that steep and you are several gears away.

had been up bakers a few weeks before on the way to work, after your post, when there was a small patch of ice at the bottom, but fortunately got past that.

fourth time up bakers it felt like I was flying it, i knew i wasnt going for 5 at that stage, still once the gradient levelled up out i was back sitting down puffing away and thinking I should be powering on but knowing my ability/determination isnt at that level. I actually found fagots the most difficult in some ways, and its no steep hill at all, but a bit longer, just shows the psychology of cycling. The first 40 yards out of my estate, a very small hill, always bring me back down to earth.

cantalach

seve65 wrote: »

I actually found fagots the most difficult in some ways, and its no steep hill at all, but a bit longer, just shows the psychology of cycling.

Sure does, though I reckon Fagg0t Hill is not just a bit longer than Bakers Road - it's a lot longer. You can just power up Bakers out of the saddle because it's only 300-400m or so. But Fagg0t Hill is about a mile or more and you actually have to find a rhythm and climb.

There are some great hills up there though. Strawberry Hill is another great one in case you're not aware of it. It's quite similar in length and gradient to Bakers and the nice thing (if 'nice' is the right word) is that you can do them back-to-back. Unfortunately, they changed the traffic flow about a year ago and you can't now start Strawberry Hill from the very bottom - you have to divert around by the Gaol and come onto the hill about 1/4 of the way up.

Special Red

Have been up Patrick's Hill 1 and a half times, first time I just couldn't make it up but by God I wasn't going to fail the 2nd time. Some sensation of making it up there, another milestone ticked for this summer.