Ring of Kerry - gradient, gearing, etc.

on_the_nickel

Does anyone have an elevation map for the Ring of Kerry route in July? Will I get around in 39 x 25?

Also, can anyone give me advice on when, what and how often I should eat/drink on trips longer than 50k? I did 80k last Sunday and 90k yesterday, and though I felt ok when I got home, I did feel a bit of the knock in the last 15k of both. All I had with me was a banana, a handful of jellies and two bottles of water.

crashoveroid

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Does anyone have an elevation map for the Ring of Kerry route in July? Will I get around in 39 x 25?

Also, can anyone give me advice on when, what and how often I should eat/drink on trips longer than 50k? I did 80k last Sunday and 90k yesterday, and though I felt ok when I got home, I did feel a bit of the knock in the last 15k of both. All I had with me was a banana, a handful of jellies and two bottles of water.

Hi

As for the ROK i normally ride with a 39x23 and its fine the hills are steady climbs and never really bad.

50k Spin i never eat anything as im normally ok and it a short run.

80K i would have a Power bar or one of the cereal bars i always carry a gel as well just incase but the key is little and often imo.

Chips Lovell

The honest answer is, it depends. I'm no climber, but I've done the Ring of Kerry easily with 39x25 as my lowest gear. As crashoveroid said, the climbs aren't that bad. There's only two. Coomakista is little more than a glorified drag. Moll's Gap is a proper climb but it's steady and handy enough to get up.

What gear you need depends on your fitness and weight. If you're a complete newcomer to the sport, then it might feel a bit tough, but the best way of finding out is trying Gap (if you live in Kerry) or a similar climb (if you don't) and seeing how you go.

How much you need to eat is to some extent governed by personal factors. I wouldn't eat on anything less than 50 or 60km but above that, I'd shove a few bars in my pocket. Just take more than you need and after a while you'll get a feel of how much you need to be consuming to avoid the knock.

Lumen

The grades on the ROK are not bad, much easier than the worst of Wicklow (don't know about Cork).

From 2009:

on_the_nickel

Thanks lads, that's reassuring and helpful.

I just remembered I did the Caha pass from Kenmare last year when I was a good bit heavier and less fit and didn't find it too bad.

From looking at some other posts on here, I think I'll be ok. My only worry is that it comes when there's 150k in the legs!

Found the route on mapmyride too.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/killarney/517061458

ROK ON

There are some brutally tough climbs in Kerry. None of them feature on the Ring of Kerry.
53/23 is more than enough. Both climbs are 6-7km at average gradient of 3.8%.

I did it at 17,5stone and managed to get over them.
Plenty of people on each climb to pace yourself with.

For 90k hydration IMO is more important than nutrition as long as you have had a decent breakfast beforehand.
Jellies are fine as is a bar or small sandwich.

ROK ON

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Thanks lads, that's reassuring and helpful.

I just remembered I did the Caha pass from Kenmare last year when I was a good bit heavier and less fit and didn't find it too bad.

From looking at some other posts on here, I think I'll be ok. My only worry is that it comes when there's 150k in the legs!

Found the route on mapmyride too.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/killarney/517061458

The 5km of CahaPass from the bridge to tunnels are at 5.5%. You'll be grand on molls gap.