Ring of Kerry 2012

tonyangelino

nope watching wimbledon with a mug of cha while the others all sleep..sure hop outta bed at ten maybe:D

teednab-el

D shelly wrote: »

Hi all hope everybody is tucked up in bed by now to be ready for the morning Id squeeze them allen keys in if you can Im heading solo from the gleneagles at around half six if anyone wants to tag along ill be on a black giant defy and black and red abbott top and just remember guys be safe out there and enjoy

I would if I could but I can't. Where can I put the Allen keys? The ones I have are too big for my saddle bag. Surely someone will have them on the way if I need them. I wouldnt be fixing my bike anyway if something happens, Il just ring the emergency number. Is anyone bringing a hipbag or rucksack with them? Thats the only way I can fit in Allen keys.

Woop

Chips Lovell

It's fierce early.

EMYVALE CC Monaghan

Good Luck to all the Emyvale Cyclists who have travelled down, there was good feedback about this event last year

Axel Lamp

Great day out. Loved it, cant believe I didn't do it all those other years.

Met loads and loads of cyclists from eveywhere: Laois, Meath, Galway, Carlow, Dublin, Portrane and all the Munster locals too.

Special mention to 'Fatheads Cycling Club' :-)

shamwari

What was the weather like?

Axel Lamp

shamwari wrote: »

What was the weather like?

Two heavyish showers. One long one halfway between Glenbeigh and Cahirciveen and another heavy one coming down Coomakishta. Few drizzly bits but majority of the time it was dry.

Nice sunshine in Killarney at the end too.

Superb organisation too i must say

meercat

Brilliant day today
Weather not too bad,sunshine even
Great organisation
Well done to all volunteers
Food stops were excellent
Great friendly cyclists
Back next year for sure

Thanks Niall from clontarf/Galway
Really enjoyed your company
and the lovely lady at the last food stop(sorry can't remember your name)
Pics to follow tomorrow

A_Sober_Paddy

So gutted I'm not doing it today, stupid knee:mad:

Hope ye're all having a great safe day...so jealous:(

bogmanfan

First sportif for me and really enjoyed it. I'd only done 120km previously, so was a little worried about Molls Gap, but it wasnt too bad at all. It was great to see so many people out cycling, on all kinds of bikes. And fair play to the people on suspension mtbs!
Weather was ideal for it. The shower at Coomakiste helped to cool me down after the climb. Finished it in 6 hours 5 mins rolling time. Will be back next year.

okane1

Great day out. Rolling time was 6hrs. Legs bit sore, few pints tonight may or may not cure them!
I'll be signing up again next year.

Chips Lovell

170km is a great hangover cure.

Masala

My first ROK and I cant express my feelings at this moment at having completed it!!!

Am the big 50 this year and this was my Everest. Took up the Bike to work scheme in Feb, joined the Killarney Cycling Club who got me ready for this challange with their great weekly spins and enthusiasm, got out on the bike another 2 x times a week myself and most importantly lost that flab on the tummy and generally feel better in myself !!!

Really really enjoyed the day..and credit to all who organised the stops etc!! Wore my Boards.iesey and got loads 'Hi Boardsie'!! Saw a nice 'Brownish' coloured Boards.iejersey and of course the obligatory wave!!

People were so nice and considerate....even the 'pros' in the team shirts.

I ate and drank my way round and sampled every aspect of the event. However....I dont want to see another Banana for a few weeks!

Well done to all...and we'll do it again next year!!!

OOPs.... the wife is calling me- the bath is ready!!! (With extra bubbles as well...!)

Roger Hassenforder

Great day, weather mostly good. Sunshine from kenmare home. Could have done without the wind in molls, with the guns stuttering. Lovely massage in kenmare, chapeau to the girl. Savage organization, tons of food. Dont want to see a banana or dairymilk for a few weeks though

Spotted two boardsies just, one on his arse in kenmare opp centra.
Wheres the recovey drinks at?

Masala

Roger... That was me!!!! You gave me a big Hello... !! You were looking for more food stops I believe!!!! I would have given you a biite of my choc-ice if you asked!!!

Was getting my Rory Gallagher playlist on my Iphone in order for Molls as I needed a good beat/rhythm to get up. Brute Force and Ignornance got me over the final hill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMmsoxoDC1E

Rock on....

vistafinder

Sunshine? I didnt see any.I was wet. The shoes and gear are out drying for tomorrow.Still it was a great day. Great to see so many people on their bikes.

langdang

Saw two jerseys, didn't get a chance to talk. All bracked out now til Halloween. Unbelievable amount of people! Liked the bit of Chemical Brothers being blasted out at Coomakiste haha

Roger Hassenforder

vistafinder wrote: »

Sunshine? I didnt see any.I was wet. The shoes and gear are out drying for tomorrow.Still it was a great day. Great to see so many people on their bikes.

Maybe I was so slow, I think ive a bit of sunburn!

Roger Hassenforder

Masala wrote: »

Roger... That was me!!!! You gave me a big Hello... !! You were looking for more food stops I believe!!!! I would have given you a biite of my choc-ice if you asked!!!

Was getting my Rory Gallagher playlist on my Iphone in order for Molls as I needed a good beat/rhythm to get up. Brute Force and Ignornance got me over the final hill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMmsoxoDC1E

Rock on....

Howya Masala, I reckon I was about 2 hours in kenmare, a lot of eating had to be done!
And theres no way youre 50

jinkypolly

Masala wrote: »

My first ROK and I cant express my feelings at this moment at having completed it!!!

Am the big 50 this year and this was my Everest. Took up the Bike to work scheme in Feb, joined the Killarney Cycling Club who got me ready for this challange with their great weekly spins and enthusiasm, got out on the bike another 2 x times a week myself and most importantly lost that flab on the tummy and generally feel better in myself !!!

Really really enjoyed the day..and credit to all who organised the stops etc!! Wore my Boards.iesey and got loads 'Hi Boardsie'!! Saw a nice 'Brownish' coloured Boards.iejersey and of course the obligatory wave!!

People were so nice and considerate....even the 'pros' in the team shirts.

I ate and drank my way round and sampled every aspect of the event. However....I dont want to see another Banana for a few weeks!

Well done to all...and we'll do it again next year!!!

OOPs.... the wife is calling me- the bath is ready!!! (With extra bubbles as well...!)

Great stuff Masala, well done.

Frere Jacques

Lovely weather from Molls down. My highlight was the randon cup of tea in Sneem from a lovely lady by the park who had some family doing it. If one of her kids are reading this and didn't get a purple snack then, IOU 1 Purple snack.
Really enjoyed Molls. The fact that I can't cycle properly meant I don't use the front of my thighs so I was able to pull them out for the climb and just pull up instead of pull down.
Only down point was I was too late to get a jersey last night so Anyhoo.. If someone has a spare I can sort them out of the 30 notes or give 50 to their designated charity.
Either way I doff my cap to the organisers and thank them for a wonderful day. It's probably the only thing I'll ever beat Bernard Dunne at. (not that I was racing)

siblers

Set off this morning at 7 am and arrived in Killarney at half 4, my only training involved 6 hours of cycling last week so im pretty happy with how it went. Was a great event, brilliantly organised and great atmopshere, great support as well.
Personally I found moll's gap quite handy, there was this girl infront of me who kept a very good pace all the way to the top which I was able to keep up with and made it much easier.

My least favourite part of the cycle was Sneem to Kenmare, such a dull cycle which seemed to go on forever, the huge climb after Waterville (or was it before) was very tough as well, as it kinda came out of nowhere, was a horrendous collision on the way down when one guy cut across another, poor guy took an awful fall and I just managed to avoid him and his bike, dunno how he managed to carry on but I saw him at the finish line so fair play to him.


My only real complain is that the signage telling distances to next towns etc didnt seem to match the distances that were put up by the race organisers, could have done with a few more signs telling the distance to next town, as between Sneem and Kenmare it was torture not knowing how much longer it was till Kenmare.

Roger Hassenforder

siblers wrote: »

Set off this morning at 7 am and arrived in Killarney at half 4, my only training involved 6 hours of cycling last week so im pretty happy with how it went. Was a great event, brilliantly organised and great atmopshere, great support as well.
Personally I found moll's gap quite handy, there was this girl infront of me who kept a very good pace all the way to the top which I was able to keep up with and made it much easier.

My least favourite part of the cycle was Sneem to Kenmare, such a dull cycle which seemed to go on forever, the huge climb after Waterville (or was it before) was very tough as well, as it kinda came out of nowhere, was a horrendous collision on the way down when one guy cut across another, poor guy took an awful fall and I just managed to avoid him and his bike, dunno how he managed to carry on but I saw him at the finish line so fair play to him.


My only real complain is that the signage telling distances to next towns etc didnt seem to match the distances that were put up by the race organisers, could have done with a few more signs telling the distance to next town, as between Sneem and Kenmare it was tortu not knowing how much longer it was till Kenmare.

Aye, there was a lot of "where the fcuk are we" on that stretch. Energy sapping road

siblers

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Aye, there was a lot of "where the fcuk are we" on that stretch. Energy sapping road

There was one horrible time when we were coming into Sneem, I thought we were almost there and I looked at a sign and it said 23 km, was absolutley sickening. Then there was a sign later on which said 8 km to Sneem, was the longest 8km i ever cycled. Might get a GPS yok for next year, just for my own sanity.

flying11

great day out on the bike today even if the weather was a bit dodgy for the first half of the trip.

I set of this morning at 6:30 and got around the ring in 6 hours 40 mins so im happy out with that.
Got 3 punctures today though which was rather frustrating especially when i punctured half way up Molls gap
That brack in Cahersiveen was brilliant. The first time in my life that i have ever been served a barn brack sandwich!
I found the descent of Molls gap was very fast and technical, lots of sharp turns where any excess speed would have you end up in the ditch.
All in all a great day out.
Bring on 2013
:cool:

Roger Hassenforder

siblers wrote: »

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Aye, there was a lot of "where the fcuk are we" on that stretch. Energy sapping road

There was one horrible time when we were coming into Sneem, I thought we were almost there and I looked at a sign and it said 23 km, was absolutley sickening. Then there was a sign later on which said 8 km to Sneem, was the longest 8km i ever cycled. Might get a GPS yok for next year, just for my own sanity.

I know that hurt. Its beyond HTFU

siblers

flying11 wrote: »

great day out on the bike today even if the weather was a bit dodgy for the first half of the trip.

I set of this morning at 6:30 and got around the ring in 6 hours 40 mins so im happy out with that.
Got 3 punctures today though which was rather frustrating especially when i punctured half way up Molls gap
That brack in Cahersiveen was brilliant. The first time in my life that i have ever been served a barn brack sandwich!
I found the descent of Molls gap was very fast and technical, lots of sharp turns where any excess speed would have you end up in the ditch.
All in all a great day out.
Bring on 2013
:cool:

I was worried about the descent but I thought it was ok, I only coasted down it though, wouldnt have lasted 2 minutes if I tried to cycle it down, was fairly hairy at times as there were some cyclists blasting down it.

okane1

Masala wrote: »

My first ROK and I cant express my feelings at this moment at having completed it!!!

Am the big 50 this year and this was my Everest. Took up the Bike to work scheme in Feb, joined the Killarney Cycling Club who got me ready for this challange with their great weekly spins and enthusiasm, got out on the bike another 2 x times a week myself and most importantly lost that flab on the tummy and generally feel better in myself !!!

Glad you enjoyed our Wednesday leisure spins. They will be back in two weeks, please come back!

langdang

Great festival atmosphere in the various villages, fair play to the people of south Kerry and the organisers. Saw Sean Kelly MEP out, didn't see Enda. People from all over were out, from monaghan to the philipines! Lotta punctures and mechanicals, tough day for some people...

Seve OB

Masala wrote: »

Roger... That was me!!!! You gave me a big Hello... !! You were looking for more food stops I believe!!!! I would have given you a biite of my choc-ice if you asked!!!

Was getting my Rory Gallagher playlist on my Iphone in order for Molls as I needed a good beat/rhythm to get up. Brute Force and Ignornance got me over the final hill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMmsoxoDC1E

Rock on....

Think I gave you a hollar to somewhere after the 100k marker, but just were just getting back up on the bike after a pit stop and momentum was on my side so never got to stop for a chat. mind you I did look up at one stage later on to see you had whizzed past me! Do you have a beard? If it was you, I never would give you 50 either!

I saw just one other boardsie, before I met you but just after the 100k marker, a girl on a nice blue planet x. She left me for dust so never even got a shout out.

My first ROK and only been cycling properly since March and I got round in 6:54 cycling time. Never ever thought I would come near the 7 hrs so when I realised I was in with a chance at the top of molls gap I gunned it the whole way home!

Agree with all the above so I won't repeat it all, but the highlight was the massage in kenmare, my neck feels so much better after that!

Now to the pub

siblers

I wonder how many calories would on average a person have burnt today? Was going through all the stuff I ate today,
2 Yorkies
Galaxy bar
Galaxy Ice-cream
2 packs of wine gums
2 packs of fruit pastelles
Lion Bar
Wispa
Purple Snack
some other biscuits
and about 4 bottles of lucozade sports/powerade.

manafana

bit too much chocolate rumble the stomach, i stick to the fruit and flapjacks.

j@utis

well I burn about 25kcal/km, 180km*25 = 4500kcal. I don't know how would I survive because I don't eat/drink any of that stuff you mentioned

I didn't participate in this event this year. maybe next year...

siblers wrote: »

I wonder how many calories would on average a person have burnt today? Was going through all the stuff I ate today,
2 Yorkies
Galaxy bar
Galaxy Ice-cream
2 packs of wine gums
2 packs of fruit pastelles
Lion Bar
Wispa
Purple Snack
some other biscuits
and about 4 bottles of lucozade sports/powerade.

I'd give all that about 3000kcal all junk, yuck.

Morrisseeee

Masala wrote: »

My first ROK and I cant express my feelings at this moment at having completed it!!!

Am the big 50 this year and this was my Everest. Took up the Bike to work scheme in Feb, joined the Killarney Cycling Club who got me ready for this challange with their great weekly spins and enthusiasm, got out on the bike another 2 x times a week myself and most importantly lost that flab on the tummy and generally feel better in myself !!!

Really really enjoyed the day..and credit to all who organised the stops etc!! Wore my Boards.iesey and got loads 'Hi Boardsie'!! Saw a nice 'Brownish' coloured Boards.iejersey and of course the obligatory wave!!

People were so nice and considerate....even the 'pros' in the team shirts.

I ate and drank my way round and sampled every aspect of the event. However....I dont want to see another Banana for a few weeks!

Well done to all...and we'll do it again next year!!!

OOPs.... the wife is calling me- the bath is ready!!! (With extra bubbles as well...!)

Nice one Masala, I think it was you I was talking to in Sneem, the SeanKelly 160km is next on the agenda so :pac:

Great day out, my spin, I gave Coomakista (with a mighty wind) a good rattle.

The ROK experience is unique I think, you'll see and witness 'things' at the ROK that you won't see anywhere, eg. I saw 3 guys on the flat of their back today, one on the road, one in a ditch & one on the floor of a food hall !, there was a guy who did an Andy Schleck (chain) in the middle of the road & then proceeded to fix it............in the middle of the road.......que chaos!, I was talking to a group of guys who were tackling the ROK with no previous cycling experience and were wondering how long the Molls Gap climb was?!...........my response: "yera not too long" etc etc

siblers

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Nice one Masala, I think it was you I was talking to in Sneem, the SeanKelly 160km is next on the agenda so :pac:

Great day out, my spin, I gave Coomakista (with a mighty wind) a good rattle.

The ROK experience is unique I think, you'll see and witness 'things' at the ROK that you won't see anywhere, eg. I saw 3 guys on the flat of their back today, one on the road, one in a ditch & one on the floor of a food hall !, there was a guy who did an Andy Schleck (chain) in the middle of the road & then proceeded to fix it............in the middle of the road.......que chaos!, I was talking to a group of guys who were tackling the ROK with no previous cycling experience and were wondering how long the Molls Gap climb was?!...........my response: "yera not too long" etc etc

I remember the guy with the chain, madness to stay there but a bit of a hero all the same. I'd say the most FAQ on the day was about Moll's gap, really dont think its half as bad as what people say it is.

well I burn about 25kcal/km, 180km*25 = 4500kcal. I don't know how would I survive because I don't eat/drink any of that stuff you mentioned

I didn't participate in this event this year. maybe next year...

Yeah I didn't really know waht the hell i was doing in all honesty, just wanted something to give me a quick sugar rush, loads of other people seemed to be doing the same, never cycled a distance remotley close to today's one so bringing food with me had never been an issue. Stomach wasnt great in all fairness towards the end

Chips Lovell

stevieob wrote: »

I saw just one other boardsie, before I met you but just after the 100k marker, a girl on a nice blue planet x. She left me for dust so never even got a shout out.

LOL. I think it's time Dirk got a haircut!

Morrisseeee

siblers wrote: »

I'd say the most FAQ on the day was about Moll's gap, really dont think its half as bad as what people say it is.

You make a valid point, ie. if you imagine Molls gap as a monster and then discover it's not too bad, but........it's actually quite a tough climb for several reasons: you've have alot of km's in the legs at that stage, you're probably after stopping in Kenmare for a top-up and the climb basically starts in Kenmare, and it's long...............it really drags on-&-on-&-on, oh and there's the wind :pac:

That descent is spectacular tho, bend after bend after bend..............beautiful !

BailMeOut

First ROK today. Did in 9 hours with stops. Amazing event, enjoyed it so much. Organizers did so well. Cycled with Enda for about 30 mins!

Very happy with my pace and Molls Gap was really not so bad although i think that had something to do with the Tea and barn brack in Kenmare .

Definitely doing again in 2013!

Seweryn

My first Event of this size and a great day out in overal.

However, I woke up in the middle of the night in B&B after preparing the bike for the morning wondering where are my cycling shoes :eek: ?
Ended up going to a local bike shop in the morning and got a cheapest set of ordinary pedals and cycled the whole way in my driving shoes. I left Killarney around 9 AM (don't remember exactly) on my own and got back at approximately 10 to 4 PM. Happy as always .

At the first half of my cycle the roads were quiet, but then I got into massive groups of people. It was great to have a quick chat with tens, if not hundreds of friendly people while we passed each others.

I loved seeing so many people on anything with two reasonably straight wheels. Fantastic stuff!

Trek1000

siblers wrote: »

I wonder how many calories would on average a person have burnt today? Was going through all the stuff I ate today,
2 Yorkies
Galaxy bar
Galaxy Ice-cream
2 packs of wine gums
2 packs of fruit pastelles
Lion Bar
Wispa
Purple Snack
some other biscuits
and about 4 bottles of lucozade sports/powerade.

that is absolutely disgusting. You need to totally change your food sources man.

WAY too much simple sugars.

This has to be an example of what not to eat during a long cycle.

Absolute madness

Seve OB

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

LOL. I think it's time Dirk got a haircut!

And boob reduction

lescol

11th ROK! Very sociable. I was amazed at the sheer numbers on the road, there wasn't a quiet section all day, I was worried that I'd dislike what the event has become, but loved it. The road closures/restrictions really helped, it was glorious to descend off Molls Gap without meeting a coach. Didn't see a Boards.ie jersey at all!

My brother-in-law rang about 5pm and said there were cyclists still entering Sneem!

A unique event and long may it continue.

Now ready for http://www.iveragh200.com/

siblers

Trek1000 wrote: »

that is absolutely disgusting. You need to totally change your food sources man.

WAY too much simple sugars.

This has to be an example of what not to eat during a long cycle.

Absolute madness

shamwari

I didn't do the ring this year but I did do it 2 years ago. It was a memorable day and I will never forget the generosity of spirit shown by the good folk of Kerry. They were brilliant giving out homemade food, water, and clapping and cheering everywhere as they willed us on.

I'll be doing it next year come hell or high water, and in memory of someone dear to me ;-)

shamwari

Trek1000 wrote: »

siblers wrote: »

I wonder how many calories would on average a person have burnt today? Was going through all the stuff I ate today,
2 Yorkies
Galaxy bar
Galaxy Ice-cream
2 packs of wine gums
2 packs of fruit pastelles
Lion Bar
Wispa
Purple Snack
some other biscuits
and about 4 bottles of lucozade sports/powerade.

that is absolutely disgusting. You need to totally change your food sources man.

WAY too much simple sugars.

This has to be an example of what not to eat during a long cycle.

Absolute madness

Who cares? He got around and enjoyed it.

FZ

I must say a big thanks to the organisers & to the people of Kerry.

I had a great day, chatting to people from all over. I picked up my bike tag the night before & set off from Kenmare @ 07:30. I finished @ 16:30.

The funniest sight all day was seeing some contrarion who having consulted the rules must have decided to break them all:

He had no helmet, was passing people on the inside, while listening to his Walkman & was puffing on a fag when I saw him.

For the record, here's what I consumed over the day:

1 full Irish, bowl of muesli, 2 coffees, 2 lucozades, 3 liters of H2o, snickers, mars bar, 2 meusli bars, 3 ham & cheese sambos, 2 apple pastries, 5 bananas, 2 energy gels & 2 pints of cider in Sneem ahead of the last drive to Kenmare.

When home had some shepherds pie & large bag of dry-roasted peanuts

Seweryn

FZ wrote: »

For the record, here's what I consumed over the day:

1 full Irish, bowl of muesli, 2 coffees, 2 lucozades, 3 liters of H2o, snickers, mars bar, 2 meusli bars, 3 ham & cheese sambos, 2 apple pastries, 5 bananas, 2 energy gels & 2 pints of cider in Sneem ahead of the last drive to Kenmare.

When home had some shepherds pie & large bag of dry-roasted peanuts

Welcome on Boards .

I found I did not eat or drink much:
A small bowl of porridge, a slice of toast with jam, a cup of tea for breakfast. Then on the cycle - about 5 bananas, 1 and 1/2 sandwich, 2 slices of cake, a small biscuit, 2 cups of tea and one coffee and about 1 - 1.5 l of water. Then a small dinner at home after 9 PM.
I was nearly sick of all the sweet stuff, but I enjoyed the day very much.

danbrosnan

I was asleep for 16 hours yesterday after the ring!!!

Did it last year and it really was torture but this year it was a lot easier...

Great day and great occasion would recommend it to everyone..

mel.b

I'm loving reading everyones stories of doing the ring yesterday. absolutely gutted i couldn't do it:( Hopefully i'll be back on my bike soon (again:rolleyes:) and get to do a couple of the an post cycles.