Dublin-Cork tomorrow, Fri 21/04/10 ~255km

blorg

I'm planning on riding down to Cork tomorrow probably following this route, leaving Dublin at around 7am. Looks like it will be a nice day with a slight headwind ranging from 10km/h rising a bit to 20km/h later in the day. Lunch planned in Freshford pretty much half-way. Route is pretty flat excepting a few hills in Kilkenny (nothing serious.) It mostly follows the old N8 which is now supplanted by the M8. Low traffic, flat, good road surface.

ETA in Cork around 6pm, maybe a touch earlier if I am making good time.

It is quite easy to put bikes on the Cork-Dublin train if you wanted to head back that night. Train at 18:30 is £20+8 bike, at 20:30 is £10+8 bike.

Lumen

Can I borrow your time machine for the next TT?

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Can I borrow your time machine for the next TT?

Should be perfectly manageable, that is 11 hours to do 255km. 23km/h average, OK that includes stops but if you are doing that in a TT you could be doing better I did a similar route in reverse 1 hour quicker last year with 560km already in the legs. This route cuts out most of the hills on the former route but should have a slight headwind.

Good training for the audax heads.

DirkVoodoo

Haha, I don't think he spotted it.

Sounds like a good spin, see you in a month! 0.38 km/hr, surely you can go faster than that?

Lumen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

22/04/2010 DUBLIN (Reuters) - After 428 years of common usage, the Gregorian Calendar was renounced today by Pope Blorg I. The new calendar, provisionally called the Blorgian Calendar after its inventor, is exactly the same as its Gregorian predecessor except runs four weeks ahead. During the press conference Blorg was asked what prompted this development. "I'm not sure really. I guess I looked out the window, saw sunshine, and assumed it was May".

DirkVoodoo

Lousy Smarch weather!

bcmf

Blorg doesnt go to May- May comes to Blorg

ROK ON

Blorg. I will be out in Co Cork training tomorrow. If you wanted a slight detour then I. Could meet you to show you the austere beauty of Mullaghanush. Nice climb up to 650m in just 7km.
You would love it.

Vélo

bcmf wrote: »

Blorg doesnt go to May- May comes to Blorg

I think he lapped May a few years ago.

blorg

Haha right, it is looking a bit May outside. This ride is planned for tomorrow, in April.

@ROK_ON- appreciate the offer but need to get down to Cork City on a schedule and as going via Mullaghanish appears to add a 145km detour onto my route I will have to decline

coolbeans

Blorg, I'm considering spinning up to Dublin from Clonmel on Sunday. I'm just wondering what type of bike you'll be using, what you'll carry and how you'll carry it. Simple questions I know but if you don't ask...

CB.

blorg

For this I'll use my road bike with aerobars.

I'll use a triathlon-style bento bag for some food. Two 750ml water bottles, probably one with water and one with sports drink.

Apart from that, jersey pockets... unless it is really chilly in the morning in which case I'll stick on a bar bag that I can stash a jacket into.

I have clothes down in Cork but if I was going for longer I have a rucksack that attaches to my saddle; used it on a 800km 4-day tour around Ireland and also to do the Raid Pyreneen self-supported (4.5 days across the Pyrenees.) Complete overkill for a day ride IMO though.

templer27

Your an inspiration Blorg,I would love to be able to cycle half that distance some day though.

thebouldwhacker

Hey Blorg, I have no experience about getting a bike on the train but the guys working there are pretty sound if you are of the right attitude.

tbh if you tell them you just cycled from Dublin and wish to return immediately they would be so bemused by your tale they'll even help you disassemble it...

A note on your route, the road between Fermoy and Watergrasshill is quite busy as many cars use this section to avoid the Toll on the motorway, so just beware. Because of the motorway the road network of WatergrassHill is a tad confusing. they changed the layout to discourage road users going through the village. If you want to stay off the dual carriageway ignore the road signs for Cork.

When you are climbing the hill toward the village take the right into the village. Cycle through and at the lights turn right, next you will hit a T junction go right again and you should be on the way again.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/ie/cork/449127197642819708

Sorry if you know this already but if you dont you could end up going around in circles for 20 minutes. Have a great cycle, I hope it is incident free!!

blorg

Cool, thanks for that. I have cycled most all of the route a few times now including the bit between Fermoy and Watergrasshill. I know it can be a bit busy but to be honest it is quieter now with the new motorway and the road is wide with generally a hard shoulder. The only new bit will be the bit into Mitchelstown- I generally cut over the mountains but am looking at a flatter route to save time.

I've changed my planned route a bit to avoid the hills in Kilkenny, so I'll be riding down to lunch in Urlingford.

To be honest the worst stretch on this I expect to be the bit on the N8 between Abbeyleix and the start of the motorway on the Kilkenny border. It is busy and not particularly pleasant but at least it is pretty short.

Leaving a little later as I was racing last night and then late enough to bed after getting my bike and stuff together. Weather looks good and at least leaving that bit later I don't have to carry so much thermal stuff.

Captain Havoc

Abbeyleix to Urlingford is good, wide and hardshouldered, can't see it as a problem. Best of luck with that.

karlmyson

Good luck Blorg, looking forward to the report. Some work colleagues and I are riding Dublin-Cork on 1st June, similar route to yours.

**Timbuk2**

Sorry for dragging up this thread, but how did it go? I hope you get on well!

redmaxi

I was driving down from Kildare on Fri when I passed a cyclist whom I suspected was the legendy 'blorg' outside Cashel. I had to stop and introduce myself.
Fair play to you blorg - that's a mighty spin, sorry for breaking your rythm.

IM0

I think I heard someone say they are going to rename one of the villages on the route as blorgstown in honour of this. I can see it now, throngs of boards jerseys will be flocking to it wondering if indeed blorg eat in 'there' for lunch.

blorg

Nice day for a cycle. Slight headwind which picked up through the day but nothing terrible. Took back roads via Punchestown as far as Abbeyleix and then stuck pretty much to the old N8, now mostly the R639. With the exception of the short stretch from Abbeyleix to the start of the M8 on the Kilkenny border this road is now pretty much deserted. I did however find that short stretch faster, maybe the drafting effect of traffic played a role.

Lunch in Urlingford as planned. Wasn't great but it was fine: sandwich from a Centra and restocked on a few bars. There are some decent looking cafes in Abbeyleix but that was too soon. I think Urlingford suffers from the motorway bypass. Muffin in Fermoy to steel myself for the final push into Cork.

Good to meet Redmaxi at Cashel. I had just finished a quick pee stop at that point so there was no rhythm to break.

Started to tire a bit from around Cahir (175km in.) I had raced the previous night and although the race itself was short what with getting out there it came to a touch over 100km for the day and I could feel it in the legs from then on. Pushed on and didn't lose too much speed; dropped from around 28.5km/h average down to 27km/h by the end of the 260km.

Rained on Saturday and in patches on Sunday- but I had always planned on getting the train back!

It was a good, reasonably fast route but I think next time if I'm not time-constrained I'll try to keep it on back roads a bit more. The R639 is a good road surface and has little traffic but maybe is a bit on the boring side.

a/tel

Fair play Blorg, well done.

Was thinking of doing Cork - Dublin during the summer. Only a newbie to cycling but up to 100km + at the moment. Do you reckon i cud do it in one day or would it take me more?

hinault

blorg wrote: »

Nice day for a cycle. Slight headwind which picked up through the day but nothing terrible. Took back roads via Punchestown as far as Abbeyleix and then stuck pretty much to the old N8, now mostly the R639. With the exception of the short stretch from Abbeyleix to the start of the M8 on the Kilkenny border this road is now pretty much deserted. I did however find that short stretch faster, maybe the drafting effect of traffic played a role.

Lunch in Urlingford as planned. Wasn't great but it was fine: sandwich from a Centra and restocked on a few bars. There are some decent looking cafes in Abbeyleix but that was too soon. I think Urlingford suffers from the motorway bypass. Muffin in Fermoy to steel myself for the final push into Cork.

Good to meet Redmaxi at Cashel. I had just finished a quick pee stop at that point so there was no rhythm to break.

Started to tire a bit from around Cahir (175km in.) I had raced the previous night and although the race itself was short what with getting out there it came to a touch over 100km for the day and I could feel it in the legs from then on. Pushed on and didn't lose too much speed; dropped from around 28.5km/h average down to 27km/h by the end of the 260km.

Rained on Saturday and in patches on Sunday- but I had always planned on getting the train back!

It was a good, reasonably fast route but I think next time if I'm not time-constrained I'll try to keep it on back roads a bit more. The R639 is a good road surface and has little traffic but maybe is a bit on the boring side.

Fair dues to you, blorg.

I am a Dub but I'm living in Thurles, so I know the route that you cycled well.

The good news is that Portlaoise-Cullahill stretch of that route that you did, will become a lot quieter as soon as the new stretch of dual carriageway opens.

I am doing Thurles-Dublin next Saturday (cycling up to my folks house)
It's only 86 miles - which probably is nothing in your book but there you go.

Incidentally I think you'd find Cork-Dublin route much quicker than Dublin-Cork route, given the prevailing winds in this country.
I did Limerick-Dublin a couple of years ago.
Far easier than Dublin-Limerick!

karlmyson

Superb blorg, great speed for that distance, solo, into a headwind ...

blorg

a/tel wrote: »

Was thinking of doing Cork - Dublin during the summer. Only a newbie to cycling but up to 100km + at the moment. Do you reckon i cud do it in one day or would it take me more?

I'd suggest taking two (or even three) for the first time you do it. I did it over an evening and the following day the first time I did it and it took a lot out of me. If you have the time take your time and do a more interesting route; I've done Dublin-Cork via Wicklow, Mount Leinster and Waterford over three days and it was a lot more interesting.

hinault wrote: »

Incidentally I think you'd find Cork-Dublin route much quicker than Dublin-Cork route, given the prevailing winds in this country.
I did Limerick-Dublin a couple of years ago.
Far easier than Dublin-Limerick!

I have done it the other way and even over a hillier route with 550km already in the legs, yes, it was a lot easier!

a/tel

blorg wrote: »

I'd suggest taking two (or even three) for the first time you do it. I did it over an evening and the following day the first time I did it and it took a lot out of me. If you have the time take your time and do a more interesting route; I've done Dublin-Cork via Wicklow, Mount Leinster and Waterford over three days and it was a lot more interesting.

I have done it the other way and even over a hillier route with 550km already in the legs, yes, it was a lot easier!

Cheers Blorg, Its actuall Cork - Drogheda now!!. Gonna give it a go over two days in June / July. Hopefully make it to abbeyleix in day 1. Should i avoid dublin altogether??

blorg

a/tel wrote: »

Should i avoid dublin altogether??

I would, cycling through a city isn't a lot of fun and would slow you down also.

Google Maps has a number of suggestions - following the old N8 would probably be fastest but the second, R423 option might be more interesting.

SubLuminal

Are there any campsites on the way? I'm looking to go on a cycling holiday for a few days with the girlfriend in mid june, not at any great pace but am quite keen on rebuilding an old racer i've got into a tourer, sticking panniers on it and just peacefully plodding out the miles and enjoying the company and the scenery.

Also, does anyone know anything about how i'd put that google map onto a GPS, and what kind of GPS i'd need? Total noob when it comes to that, i'm afraid!

Thanks guys!