Ring Of Kerry Charity Cycle 2014

Only took a few pics on the day (but I got one of the ghostbusters and the bicycle-recumbant hybrid!).

Wishbone Ash

Ana Rough Slammer wrote: »

Tis true, its not the climbing you would get as in the Mick Byrne etc...but the way some go on you would swear Molls Gap was 22% for 11k

funnights74 wrote: »

Ya a newbie to the RoK i spoke to ,has done Wicklow 200, SkT160 etc had heard all kinds of stories, he was very under whelmed.

When I was got the first food stop, a couple of local lads were saddling up. On seeing my club jersey they engaged in a bit of banter about Dublin flatlands and how I would be out of my depth when I hit Coomakista. I don't know Kerry at all and was expecting some sort of Alpine pass!! Delighted when I caught the same two lads on the way up Coomakista but they weren't able for any banter this time

downwiththatsor

5th ROK and first ever crash in 6 years cycling and many other sportives On the bridge into killorglin a guy braked and swerved erratically in front of me and i ran out of road, lesson learned, you can never leave enough room between your front wheel and those in front, fell on my knee shoulder and hip but no major damage bar pride and a front tire print on my back courtesy of my brother in law. Its a fabulous event, caherciveen food stop was busy but well organised, molls gap only had water and cheese and onion tayto when i got there, the finish was the highlight great buzz.
I think the main issue re numbers etc is that the majority leave in a 6am -8am window, some but obviously not all sections of road are closed to traffic so bunching and braking as well as overtaking make it dangerous for all.

I heard there were 9 broken collar bones so i feel lucky.
Will do it again but might leave well after the majority as it will be safer for me and all concerned ( especially those cycling behind me!)

thesimpsons

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Finished at about 12.10pm - they mustn't have had it set up then.

in fairness to ROK committee, they did have 1pm on wards as the listed finish time. guess you were too quick for them. pity about that cos the finish line is best bit - apart from passing people out going up Molls Gap. never thought I'd be the person doing the passing out this year. 2 months ago I thought of selling my ticket cos I didn't think I'd enough done for this year. glad I didn't give in.

Boscoirl

Congrats to all, been following this thread the last few weeks, it's a great read.

Getting my first road bike next week, and I hope to do this next year.

iwillhtfu

Out of curiosity and to put to bed all the rumours.

Did they have a check point checking numbers and removing cyclists from the course?

downwiththatsor

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Out of curiosity and to put to bed all the rumours.

Did they have a check point checking numbers and removing cyclists from the course?

Yeah one in Fossa and one after food stop in Kenmare at foot of Molls Gap.

Grassey

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Out of curiosity and to put to bed all the rumours.

Did they have a check point checking numbers and removing cyclists from the course?

One on road from Killarney to Killorgan, and another outside Kenmare heading towards Mills gap

jober

first ROK for me
had a great day started bout 5 to 6,didnt find it too busy at all
got my first puncture after bout 15 mins big hole in my tyre,patched my tyre on the inside and changed tube,2nd puncture the hole got bigger another patch up job got me to kenmare where I had to get a new tyre
food stops where all great no queues

good banter all the way round, all though I was cycling on my own there was always a friendly chat to be had

didn't come across any accidents or crashes luckily enough

the reception at the end was fantastic,all the spectators gave me a good cheer in my superman gear

Wishbone Ash

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Out of curiosity and to put to bed all the rumours.

Did they have a check point checking numbers and removing cyclists from the course?

I didn't see any nor was I asked for my number or wristband at any food stop.

New2bike

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Out of curiosity and to put to bed all the rumours.

Did they have a check point checking numbers and removing cyclists from the course?

Yes one checkpoint not long after the start and one just as you leave Kenmare one guy tried to go past and the Steward a fairly big Eastern European dude pulled the bike from him and would not allow him to pass didn't hang around to see what happened a small matter of Moll's to be conquered

slowcyclist

4th RoK in a row, and the first one where I got wet; nasty downpour before Cahirsiveen left my feet damp for the rest of the day. Agree with previous poster - Kenmare lacked some atmosphere of previous location and Molls Gap seemed less than before. Saw one nasty accident in Sneem where a cyclist ended up under a car - hope she is ok. Other than that - met loads of old friends and made some new. My party of 4 got round with no mechanical issues and no accidents - no mean feat with so many cyclists. Thanks RoK organisers - feedback on Registration Queue and delays in Cahirsiveen seem to have been listened to. Somehow I think the Gleneagles finish was better - I just don't get the new finish - it's too crowded, too noisy and as soon as I've collected my Certificate I cannot get away from the bedlam quickly enough.

mossym

Masala wrote: »

You are right - club cyclists are the most experienced around. SO - they should realise that the rest of the people around them are no so experienced. If they were in a Club Race Meeting - all cyclists would be of the same mind. But this is a different event and not all are experience.

on the one hand i can see your point, its part of the reason i said i wont be doing it again.

on the other, who decides then what is the acceptable level? you wanted people to stay left becuase you wanted to pass.Was your overtaking okay? who says? you, because it felt safe to you? are you 100% sure not one of the people you passed thought you were flying past on the outside? i;m sure nist of the cylists you mentioned were as much in control of their overtaking as you were, and if they weren't, and in some cases they are not, then the marshalls should stop them and warn them. i saw loads of marshalls yesterday.

the problem here is you have an idea of what is safe. it's relative though. putting a limit on it is next to impossible. hence why for me it makes more sense to go to events where the cyclists are a bit more experienced. that's my choice though, and the ROK is open to all, even the club cyclists, and as long as what they are doing is safe, even if it feels bad to you, then there isnt much that can be done

not often i both agree and disagree with someone, but this is definitely a case of it

Jovetic

Perhaps if the clubs left between 5am and 6am and let them race away as much as they like. Let everyone off at own their pace afterwards.

Still amazes me the people with mountain bikes and backpacks/panniers going around. Mental. But fair play to them

joeKel73

Yesterday was my first time on the Ring of Kerry and almost 3 times further than I'd ever cycled before! Really enjoyed the day, big thanks to all the volunteers and organisers, great support along the route too.

Did the route in a very manageable 22km/hr average with a good few stops and plenty of food and water. Highlight of the day was the big tray of jaffa cakes at the Kenmare stop - was exactly what I needed!

Found two of the cycle clubs to be pushing past very aggressively on several ocassions, only to find them further up the road standing having a chat together in the way of the slower cyclists on the left. There were a couple of suspect calls for "Car" which seemed to be only to force a gap for the group to push through at speed.

DanDublin1982

First post here but have been following the thread for weeks in preparation of my first ROK Charity Cycle. Got some truly valuable advice from reading through it but was also a bit worried about what to expect from clubs and the likes.

Started off around 6.20 or so and there were plenty about at that time, including some dedicated families along the route who cheered everyone who passed. Rolling into Cahersiveen was most welcome as I hadn't stopped to that point and the water bottle was running dry.

Coomakista was probably the toughest, longest climb I've ever done on the saddle (Dublin based and don't venture much outside it) but from the thread I knew before the end of the day I'd face tougher. I stopped briefly there to snap a couple of pics and started the descent. I heard but did not see a poor unfortunate behind me crashing to the ground. A cycling club just in front of me notified about 5 or 6 officials it had happened and I think one may even have doubled back. Hope whoever it was that fell is OK.

The ride to Kenmare was a slog but I knew if I got there I'd be OK. I wasn't expecting the feast that awaited me (I only had a couple of bananas and a couple of bars in Cachersiveen and never even went inside the main hall) and I was convinced I'd overdone it foodwise as I set back off. Molls Gap took every ounce of energy that I'd stuffed my face with though and I was glad of it! I was so happy to get to the top I just kept going.

I felt a bit emotional towards the end, the last 15km or so. I was practically crying crossing the finish line. I had real visions of not finishing the event so was thoroughly delighted to get there. Total cycling time was 7hours 20mins so really chuffed with that. Especially considering that my current bike of choice is a hybrid.

Personally had no issues with cycling clubs myself and wasn't shooed out of the way. Maybe I was just lucky but hey, that's my experience. Just out of interest how fast is too fast? I came down towards Ladies View over 40km/h at times and there were people passing me in a perfectly safe manner.

I have one con and one con only of the whole day. The signs about the food stop in Kenmare were posted way, way too far away. I understand this was the first year it was in the current location and presumably you used to have to go right to get to it but it was giving me false hope for ages. I got over it as soon as I'd eaten my 3rd Jaffa Cake.

A great day out and already looking forward to next year.

iwillhtfu

Jovetic wrote: »

Perhaps if the clubs left between 5am and 6am and let them race away as much as they like. Let everyone off at own their pace afterwards.

Still amazes me the people with mountain bikes and backpacks/panniers going around. Mental. But fair play to them

This is actually a very good idea.

Start in waves similar to tri with the clubs off first followed by relevant experience and desired speed completion times.

It obviously won't solve all the variants in ability and speed but surely it would reduce the risk of a high speed collision and from what I've read and having never taken part in the ROK it sounds like a good result is getting round in one piece.

Alsonot having the finish chute completed was poor form.

Well done to all the survivors.

ratracer

Yesterday was my second ROK, and I enjoyed most of it. Registration was seemless, fair play to the organisers for sorting of out. Our group left at 7am again this year and it was quite busy on the road. Got to caherciveen and went into the food stop, however the queue was nuts so didn't get inside the school at all. I got a bananas and water and a energy bar from a truck in the corner of the car park.
Didn't bother with the official stop In Sneem either with the crowds but had a burger in a pub instead.
Same for kenmare, food queue was a disaster. I don't know how the feeding stations could be improved due to the sheer numbers.
I was very disappointed at the top of Molls Gap, it was like a carnival up there last year and great craic, and this year.....nothing!!!
I don't like to hang around the finish area either, too loud to have a chat (from the music) and more crazy queues for the bar, toilets etc.
A great cycle, fair play to the organisers, I really am indecisive about doing it again next year though, I think I'd like to seek a different challenge.

bazzer86

buffalo wrote: »

Yeah, it's one of the reasons I wanted to do it. I went up it from the other way back in 2011 (when I didn't know it existed, I was just trying to go from Waterville to Portmagee), and wanted to have a go at it again because I remembered it as so bloody horrendous.

Only problem was a last-minute bike change meant I only had a 12-23 cassette, so was swinging out of the handlebars all the way up. There was an odd squeaking, which I thought was the front brake rubbing. Loosened the caliper a bit, realised it was my shoe against the crank. Stopped at the top for recovery and photos, then headed down the other side. As I hit the first hairpin, I realised I hadn't reconnected the front brake, but there was enough to slow me down enough!

Much prefer doing it the other way - hairpins for the ascent, and that lovely long straight descent into Portmagee. And the scenery around there is just magnificent.

Magnificent is right, it's great cycling around there... Tho skellig ring is a great cycle. Yeah coomanaspic is as hard as I can imagine coming from the portmagee side.

daymobrew

Very few people go into the Sneem Hotel food stop. It is on the right on a tiny climb as you are leaving Sneem. It's always a quiet oasis - I got a cuppa, some chocolate and used the toilet, all in about 5 mins. Maybe I shouldn't be telling people :P

funnights74

daymobrew wrote: »

Very few people go into the Sneem Hotel food stop. It is on the right on a tiny climb as you are leaving Sneem. It's always a quiet oasis - I got a cuppa, some chocolate and used the toilet, all in about 5 mins. Maybe I shouldn't be telling people :P

God I've done 4 RoK's and never knew or heard of it, maybe next year.

funnights74

daymobrew wrote: »

Very few people go into the Sneem Hotel food stop. It is on the right on a tiny climb as you are leaving Sneem. It's always a quiet oasis - I got a cuppa, some chocolate and used the toilet, all in about 5 mins. Maybe I shouldn't be telling people :P

God I've done 4 RoK's and never knew or heard of it, maybe next year.

Wishbone Ash

Jovetic wrote: »

Perhaps if the clubs left between 5am and 6am and let them race away as much as they like. Let everyone off at own their pace afterwards.

Still amazes me the people with mountain bikes and backpacks/panniers going around. Mental. But fair play to them

That would be difficult to police as many slow cyclists wish to get going early (and many club cyclists are not fast). We started at 5.50am and were averaging over 30 km/h but couldn't get over how many were ahead of us. 2 hours in and we were still passing much slower cyclists of all shapes and sizes in various types of bikes. Later we heard that some had been on the road from 4am which explains the progress they made.

DanDublin1982 wrote: »

)...I have one con and one con only of the whole day. The signs about the food stop in Kenmare were posted way, way too far away...

Totally agree - the first sign must have been 5k away and my stomach expected fuel immediately. (I found the bit from Sneem to Kenmare to be a bit of a slog - the most difficult bit for me).

DeepBlue

One of the mysteries of the ROK for me was wondering why so many cyclists had these cool Chinese script tatoos on their right legs........





.....it was only after I got a smudged one myself that I realised it was actually marks from chain grease.

Sikpupi

Anyone come across the 'auld fella' who was waiting on the other side of the road to do a U-turn on his Honda 50?? I saw him ahead of me and said to myself..'Naw- he wouldn't dare' but he did!! Just swung right around into the crowd of cyclists to face back into Caherciveen...

I got past him just before he opened up the throttle.... just wonder how many cyclists he took down!!

.. You had to be there to see it!

joeKel73

Can anyone definitively explain the "Car up", "Car down" convention... there seemed to be a near 50:50 divide on which was which! :)

bazzer86

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Out of curiosity and to put to bed all the rumours.

Did they have a check point checking numbers and removing cyclists from the course?

Passed the fossa one at 6.15, saw an older man being pointed out by the stewards, he tried to put the head down & ignore the marshals but a few more marshals asked him to dismount. He wouldn't stop and they had to take him off the bike...think they diverted him to mill town...

funnights74

DeepBlue wrote: »

One of the mysteries of the ROK for me was wondering why so many cyclists had these cool Chinese script tatoos on their right legs........





.....it was only after I got a smudged one myself that I realised it was actually marks from chain grease.

I think some people use car grease it was everywhere and how others got it on their left legs, in some cases both legs is a mystery.

sullzz

J o e wrote: »

Can anyone definitively explain the "Car up", "Car down" convention... there seemed to be a near 50:50 divide on which was which! :)

Car down = car coming towards you
Car up = car coming from behind

funnights74

J o e wrote: »

Can anyone definitively explain the "Car up", "Car down" convention... there seemed to be a near 50:50 divide on which was which! :)

Car down.. car down your throat..car approaching from ahead
car up.. car up your hole..car coming from behind.
Not very mannerly but there it is.

Wishbone Ash

....or the artic' driver at Coomakista. I presume he must have been a foreigner and unfamiliar with what was happening, Drawing a 45ft fridge through the back roads of Kerry would be challenging enough on any normal day never mind yesterday. Felt sorry for him.

sullzz

funnights74 wrote: »

Car down.. car down your throat..car approaching from ahead
car up.. car up your hole..car coming from behind.
Not very mannerly but there it is.

Lol never heard it like that before

Jovetic

http://www.rte.ie/news/player/2014/0705/20610265-almost-10000-take-part-in-ring-of-kerry-charity-cycle/

thesimpsons

I'm a club cyclist but our avg was about 25kph. Some clubs or individuals would be in excess of 30kph - how would it work if you wanted all clubs off early? Also, leaving at 5 or 6th not practice for anyone not staying overnight

Jovetic

thesimpsons wrote: »

I'm a club cyclist but our avg was about 25kph. Some clubs or individuals would be in excess of 30kph - how would it work if you wanted all clubs off early? Also, leaving at 5 or 6th not practice for anyone not staying overnight

Then the 30kph wouldn't be long passing out the 25kph :pac:

There's plenty of other races and sportives out there, why not do them if you can't stay overnight.

ratracer

Jovetic wrote: »

Then the 30kph wouldn't be long passing out the 25kph :pac:

There's plenty of other races and sportives out there, why not do them if you can't stay overnight.

There was a lot of talk on last years ROK thread and this one about groups and speed. As long as people pass safely then it shouldn't matter what speed they are doing.

From my experience of the ring, most incidents happen from people, not used to cycling in huge numbers, cycling as if they were on the road on their own. Everyone should be welcome at the ROK regardless of their cycling experience, it's what makes it such a unique day out in the Irish cycling calendar. What seems fast/slow for someone maybe the opposite for others. Cyclists need to be aware of their surroundings at all times on the ROK, think of others around them and the day can be very enjoyable for everyone.

thesimpsons

Jovetic wrote: »

:

There's plenty of other races and sportives out there, why not do them if you can't stay overnight.

Bit of a narrow minded view. Why should work commitments or finances stop perfectly safe cyclists from competing in a charity event. Do u also expect fast drivers to leave for work earlier so slower drivers can feel comfortable.

Max_Charger

sullzz wrote: »

Car down = car coming towards you
Car up = car coming from behind

Ya this. Except it's the complete opposite :pac:

quozl

Max_Charger wrote: »

Ya this. Except it's the complete opposite :pac:

No it's not...

Wishbone Ash

Chap interviewed on Morning Ireland just now who did it twice on Saturday. He left at 1am.

eoz

I saw a lad on strava did it twice as well. Did it in 12hrs with an average speed of 28km/h

sullzz

Max_Charger wrote: »

Ya this. Except it's the complete opposite :pac:

Hmmmm , I think I may have spotted you doing it too :rolleyes:

nolinejudge

willya wrote: »

People not keeping left was an issue.
I think the ROK should send out a "How to Cycle the Ring" or a "ROK Editcate" type mail to all about a week ahead of next years event and the keep left signage mentioned I agree would help. Generally it is not that hard a concept for people to follow, it is somewhat the same rules as motorway driving, left lane is slow moving, middle lane faster pace and right for over taking. Check and indicate before you pull out.
If you don't expect a shout.
That said people on the left should be not pushed into the ditch and allowed room as they are generally not the most confident/experienced on their bikes and can feel trapped in large groups and not able to pull out to avoid bad areas of road.
This why some slower movers pull out to the centre.
Also riders need to understand they are riding in a group of individual riders all at different levels and experience not a pellathon. In most cases common sense or some awareness of who's around you would prevent a lot of this.


Great event, well run and looking forward to next year already.

That's not quite how you should use a motorway.
There is no faster lane you should always keep left unless overtaking.

touts

funnights74 wrote: »

Car down.. car down your throat..car approaching from ahead
car up.. car up your hole..car coming from behind.
Not very mannerly but there it is.

Oh I heard Car UP, Car DOWN, Car BACK, Car AHEAD, all apparently meaning a car approaching from the front.

I did hear two girls discussing the difference and one was saying in her club up meant up the road which was ahead of you and down meant down the road which was behind you. The other said that was the original meaning but then someone in Dublin thought it would be more fun to make it seem a bit dirty and said you take it up the ass and down the throat which reversed the meaning.

After that I just gave up and would shout CAR!. BUS! TRUCK! or whatever I saw coming ahead.

Overall I enjoyed the day. I thought it was very well organized. It was my first time doing the Ring so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Registration was super quick and efficient (well at 5:30pm on Friday it was). The expo of cycling stuff was interesting but could do with a greater selection of exhibitors. Something for the future perhaps.

On the day breakfast started in my hotel at 5:30am and as I went down for it I was surprised to see people already on the road (Muckross road) and not only that but there were Marshals out already at the entrance to the hotels directing people out which was great to see. I got going about 6:15 and there were already people cheering us on at the start line.

The weather forecasters got it really wrong. I started with a light rain jacket and by Killorgan I was melting and had to take it off and stuff it into my back pocket. Thankfully it only came out twice briefly through the rest of the day. Near perfect weather for cycling.

I moved along at a steady pace of ~23km per hour which seemed fairly average I would guess. There were others going faster but in general they had plenty of space to pass. The only dangerous thing I saw was a club (didn't know their name but they had a black outfit with a thin white stripe/hoop around the chest). They went head to head with a bus and waited until the last possible second to swerve in to a tiny gap resulting in one girl at the head of the bunch I was in getting brushed by their tail end guy and she only narrowly avoided falling but took the whole group to a stop. Other than that I have to say the other clubs and fast cyclists I saw all abided by the rules and respected the other cyclists. I had more problems with slow cyclists going three or four abreast at 15k or less and blocking up the road on some narrow stretches. A couple of times I just had to pass on their inside and once in between them but I would shout to let them know I was doing it.

I only used the official food stop in Caherciveen. Getting food seemed to be no problem but there was a long queue for what I presume was the tea/coffee. I just skipped that. I didn't go near the one in Kenmare as I stopped in Sneem instead. Anyway in Sneem and at several places along the way (especially at the top of the climbs) there were stops giving out Bananas, Bars, Crisps and water which is as much as you get at the official half way stop at other sportives. So overall I was pleased with the stops. I know some people are complaining about a lack of music etc at the top of the climbs but as this was my first ROK I didn't miss it.

I didn't have any flats of breakdowns but I saw lots of people with them. More often than not there was a bike of a van with them already so that seemed to be a super efficient service. I saw a couple of people injured or exhausted waiting for an ambulance but again there seemed to be a good few ambulances so hopefully no one was seriously hurt or had to wait too long for assistance. There were also very regular first aid stations along the route in towns, villages and even just cars on the side of the road.

The climbs (especially the two main ones of Coomakiska and Molls Gap) are not that bad. I only saw a couple of people walking up Molls Gap. Everyone else seemed to be just head down and pedal and you'll get there. The descent from Molls Gap seemed very tightly marshaled. I saw one or two lads bombing it down the hill but there were marshals on every bend and a few cycling also. There also seemed to be a jeep with flashing lights off in the distance ahead of me setting a reasonable pace for those on bikes. As a result the descent, when I was doing it at least, never felt unsafe even though there were lots of people around and that was because the speed was controlled. I'm sure some people will be unhappy with that but given the volume of people on the road I think it was very wise.

The finish was great with crowds lining the barriers to cheer people home. Really made it feel like a great achievement (which it was for a great many people myself included who had never come remotely close to that distance before).

I had my mind made up that €70 was too much for one event and that I would just do it this year and would do two or three other sportives instead next year. I have to say having done it now I'm definitely doing it again next year.

tartanarmy

Great Day for my first ROK. Unfortunately my bike couldn't take me any further than 105km just short of Sneem. A spoke came loose & caught in the chain & ripped the cage apart. Not sure if warranty will cover that.

Will definitely be back next year. Was really enjoying it until then. Crossed the finish line in a minibus with a few others with bike issues.

buffalo

Oh, one minor complaint. My sponsorship card was taken off me at sign-on. Now I've no idea who paid me and who didn't, and not much opportunity to collect further for the charities.

Nmccd

buffalo wrote: »

Oh, one minor complaint. My sponsorship card was taken off me at sign-on. Now I've no idea who paid me and who didn't, and not much opportunity to collect further for the charities.

You had a choice to keep it or hand it in. I handed mine inin as it was full.my husband kept his as he wanted to collect more.

Nmccd

buffalo wrote: »

Oh, one minor complaint. My sponsorship card was taken off me at sign-on. Now I've no idea who paid me and who didn't, and not much opportunity to collect further for the charities.

You had a choice to keep it or hand it in. I handed mine inin as it was full.my husband kept his as he wanted to collect more.

willya

nolinejudge wrote: »

That's not quite how you should use a motorway.
There is no faster lane you should always keep left unless overtaking.

I was expecting this at some stage!
I meant in terms of the ROK, and to be fair I said "somewhat".

joeKel73

In defense of those "in the middle of the road"...

I generally tried to keep far left but there were several cyclists going very slow on the hard left, especially on climbs. If keeping hard left I'd keep getting stuck behind them, with a flow of cyclists passing on the right at the pace I'd want to be at but no way of getting out for a couple of minutes and others passing at a higher speed again on the outside when traffic or roads allowed.

So if you came across cyclists in the middle of the road, there was generally a much slower cyclist on the hard left just ahead who would otherwise be about to box them in.