Mick Byrne 200, 22nd May 2011

groovyg

Just thought I'd start a new thread for this years cycle, using the old one is causing a little confusion with dates. I'm not sure if some of the other posts from the old thread can be merged on to this one.

http://sorrentocyclingclub.com/site/audax/mick-byrne-randonee-2011/

velo.2010

Sent off entry for the 200km. Might have to cycle some of the way out and all the way home so god knows how long I'll be on the bike. The legendary food spread I read about, should ease the pain!

Just to clarify, its a clockwise route? Trying to match the mountain profile with the map route posted(no arrows pointing etc.):)

cnz8euq6x7syj2

velo.2010 wrote: »

Just to clarify, its a clockwise route? Trying to match the mountain profile with the map route posted(no arrows pointing etc.):)

Yeah its clockwise all right, glanmacnass waterfall at Laragh is always a welcome sign you are nearing the end on the Mick Byrne 200.

Ive signed up too for the 200. Last years was fantastically well organised with a good standard of riders too. Couldnt fault it. POD even organised the weather for us.

velo.2010

Just been looking in detail at the map route for this. I've given up trying to memorise hills and where I might be able to take it easy etc.

I cycled down the bit towards Shroughmore/Connery (South of Rathdrum) a few weeks back. Instead of going on towards Connery, I took the left up the hill to visit relatives. Maybe they'll come out to cheer me on this weekend!

Anyway, all I remember is the road was in a shocker of a state and the road towards Connery itself looked blocked off so maybe the only route through on Sunday means a diversion up that hill which is 15-18% in places!

groovyg

Is that the back road that eventually leads to Avoca? I cycled that a few weeks back as it's in an awful state. At this stage I'm hoping for a nice sunny day with no wind,rain or hailstones....

cnz8euq6x7syj2

how shocking? are there big holes all over the place or is it loose gravel? is it on the decent?

its just good to know these things in advance. I dont like punctures and i hate having to buy new wheels

funkyjebus

Thinking of doing this. Is there anywhere to store a bag, lockers etc or even just a room. Nothing valuable, just clothes.

Highway_To_Hell

funkyjebus wrote: »

Thinking of doing this. Is there anywhere to store a bag, lockers etc or even just a room. Nothing valuable, just clothes.

They have access Dalkey United clubhouse and as far as I remember it should be possible to leave stuff there. - I am sure a Sorrento club member can confirm.

velo.2010

My participation is in doubt. My stomach is still sore after an all night vomiting session in the early hours of Friday morning.

If I do turn up it'll be the 160km route at most. I'll see how I'm am in the morning.:(

Plastik

Looking at the weather forecast on TV now - rain and possible gale force winds tomorrow morning.

get on your bike

I'd say that was hardcore today. Looking forward to hearing the reports back

Inquitus

get on your bike wrote: »

I'd say that was hardcore today. Looking forward to hearing the reports back

Aye, it was dreadful at sea level, never mind up there.

andy69

Well - it certainly was a windy one today!! that wind seemed to be either in our faces or a side-wind....seldom actually behind us (almost like it was just out to get us or something!! )

anyway, well done to the organisers...that food stop was brilliant! Didn't wanna leave!

I just did the 'baby one' (108km), tough enough, but have to hand it to anyone on the 200 or even the 160....fair play to yee! that was some day for the wind and the horizontal rain!

Got round in 4h30, along with two other guys. Three of us stuck together from when it had split up there on one of the steep hills not too far after the start.
Lovely spin - great challenging route.

daragh_

I did the 160. Crashed in a ditch, got dropped twice, got horrible lower back pain, had two punctures on the descent in to Clara Vale, battled mental 360 degree headwinds, got rained on and then to cap it all we nearly gate-crashed Garrett Fitzgeralds funeral cortege.


Brilliant day in other words. Sorrento did an amazing job!

souter

Did the 100 and thank bleep I wasn't more ambitious. The crosswinds going over the back of Djouce was scary, I know some people bailed out early.
Thought being short and fat would finally prove advantageous but hard to tell.

Surprisingly the return over Sally Gap wasn't nearly as bad as expected, in fact had a constant tailwind up by the waterfall. Also majically avoided nearly all the rain.

Wasn't many people (c.30), and I was a bit of plonker in I left the back group thinking I'd catch the front group (or the back group would catch me). Needless to say neither happened so ended up doing the whole thing in no-mans' land on my tod.

Thanks to Sorrento for the organisation, great food stop, home made sambos, cakes and coffe in china cups. Definitely a bargain sportive.

Will have to start training early next year and attempt the 200.

130km in 6.5 hours on the move, spectacularly slow 19.8 average.

mvt

Yeah,tough going out there.Did the 200,went round with Andreus,Cadex,Last Gasp and a bunch of other very nice guys whose names I didn't catch.
Wind was hard work but only a couple of rainshowers and a bit of hail.
Thanks to all at Sorrento for their trojan work in making sure everyone had a safe and enjoyable day.

LastGasp

Did the 200 with MVT and the rest of the gang he mentioned above, also including Steve and Peter from Dublin Wheelers, and Paddy, who was going strongly all day and headed off on his own before us from Laragh. Big thanks to Paul, Claire and all the gang from Sorrento (John, Andy, Stephen, Paul, Aidan to name a few) for all their hard work. The route was superbly marked, and the 3 foodstops on the 200 were excellent. The wind was a bit mad, and that big gust through the gap at the top of Djouce gave us all a taste of what was to come ! Having said that, we did get blown up a few hills, including Slievemaan, which can't be bad. Had the rainjackets off and on every few minutes for a while, but didn't get badly soaked at any stage, and got back to base in 8:55. Thanks all for the company, and excellent organisation. Cheers, LG

Dr_Colossus

Did the 200 solo after loosing the group at the start in the hills of Killiney. Had decided to tackle the route at my own pace given the amount of climbing and that it was over 3 weeks since I'd been on the bike so I wasn't going to try and push it at the start to implode later on. A long tough day in the saddle with alot of debris on the roads and severe gusts of wind trying to throw my 100kg off the bike. Some cracking scenery but alot of climbing, didn't believe it was possible to get in more climbing over 200km than in the Slieve Maam 200 earlier in the year but between the route and the cycle to and from the city center had just over 3600m of climbing on the garmin.
Great organisation from Paul and the Sorrento guys, the road markings were superb and the food/water stops were well stocked and a welcome break. Took me all of 12hrs to get around the course so was well fatigued by the finishing line and feeling a few twinges today. Thankfully Claire, John and a few of the Sorrento guys were still at the Dakley base at 20:00 with some tea and cake to get me home. Superb service all day.
Pleased that I slogged it out and didn't give in when I saw the markings for the 160km route coming out of Aughrim, it was a consideration at the time knowing that Slieve Maam was yet to come.

oflahero

Fair play to everyone who got around in those tough conditions yesterday. Will definitely give this a go next year.

seamus

Absolutely fair play for braving it. I was half pleased that my cold kept me off the bike as I had planned to do it.

deekster

I don't usually eat Brack Cake, but i never tasted anything as sweet as that laid on for us after the 100km...

(Actually, 108km - Vico Road nearly finished me off!)

QueensGael

Got blown off my bike on Djouce, went flying into someone's front wall, some craic! Finished the 160km but it was tough going. The course was really well marked, lots of tea and sandwiches along the way - thanks to the Sorrento gangs for organizing! Will be back next year

TheNah

managed to get through the 160k. flawless signposting all along the way i have to say, even a dumbass like myself who habitually goes astray did not have to worry! Big thank you to peter wallace (i think..) who fixed my chain after i went head long into a hedge (couldnt blame the wind for that one..). well done to all...scones and jam at laragh the highlight for me:)

ROK ON

I saw a tweet last night saying that some lad did the Borlin400 audax. In a gale and driving rain.
Drove to Dublin at 1am and then did the Mick Byrne 200.

Well done that man.

LastGasp

ROK ON wrote: »

I saw a tweet last night saying that some lad did the Borlin400 audax. In a gale and driving rain.
Drove to Dublin at 1am and then did the Mick Byrne 200.

Well done that man.

That'd be Dave McLoughlin from Orwell Wheelers. He's a "proper" cyclist and racer and tourer, organises all Orwell's Racing, and amongst other things completed the 2007 (wet) Paris Brest Paris 1200km in 70 hours.

daragh_

Pics

cnz8euq6x7syj2

Did the 200 and it was a quality day if you take the weather out of it. The wind was pretty much relentless all day but some of those gusts would have literally lifted your bike and put you onto the opposite side of the road. crazy stuff. We got pretty lucky with the rain only getting two showers. it really is the only thing that you can legislate for!

One or two sections were really bad (no fault to Sorrento) but lucky i was in the group (above) with MVT, Last Gasp, The dublin wheelers trio, Aidan and we were screaming at one another "Hole" every two seconds just so we could be heard over the wind. Good to have a bit of company as 200k gets a bit boring when you are on your own as i found out by leaving early and going it alone from Laragh.

Cant fault Sorrento and there organisation. Paul and the other lads and ladies put an awful lot of time and effort into it and it really shows.

Mick Byrne would be proud of all the efforts put in by the club.

Food was good and the cup of Tae before Browns was just what I needed. The feed stop in Laragh was savage and fair play to all who manned it including the girl serving the tea who had got a puncture the previous day and tried to call the AA to get them to fix it(i may have made that up but its a good story). It reminded me of being in O Briens sandwich bar and getting tailor made sambos.


Briefly talking to Dave McLoughlin in Laragh and at the end. He was as fresh as a daisy. Fair play to him.

And fair play to the guy who did it on a fold-up bike. he was flying along. Sorry never caught your name. See the picture

QueensGael

Anna Cool Statistics wrote: »

Briefly talking to Dave O'Loughlin in Laragh and at the end. He was as fresh as a daisy. Fair play to him.

And fair play to the guy who did it on a fold-up bike. he was flying along. Sorry never caught your name. See the picture

Legends! Both of them

DrGroove

I just had this tune ringing through my head all day, along with the howling winds on those exposed little roads up every slope in Wicklow (it felt like that).

I stuck with the 200km - despite starting off behind the main bunch and never catching it. I'd forgotten my water bottle and had to borrow one from one of the Sorrento boys. I was fortuante to miss most of the heavy showers apart from one coming down Slieve Mann which made the tricky descent that bit more tricky. The route back from bottom of Slieve Mann to Larragh has plenty of stiff little climbs in it also, which I'd forgotten.

By the time I got into Larragh I just collapsed on the abandoned couch. After some revitalising tea and sweet cake - I was off up to the Sally Gap, got a bit more rain and then homeward bound via the coast road into Dalkey.

9hrs 31mins (probably more as my Strada was out of synch for a few clicks) and was very nearly broken by the savage elements that raged through the Mick Bryne of 2011.

As usually - hats off to the Sorrento Cycling Club for this great event which was really well organised and catered for as always. They also introduced me to creamed rice cones for the first time this year.

LastGasp

Anna Cool Statistics wrote: »

And fair play to the guy who did it on a fold-up bike. he was flying along. Sorry never caught your name. See the picture

Good to meet you Geancster, you were flying along fairly effortlessly all day, fair play to you. The aforementioned folder was Pat Doocey on his 1984 Moulton - he must like them, he has a new one on order !