Mick Byrne 200/160/100 2016

NeedMoreGears

Did the 200 plus a bit as we missed a turn and ended up in Ashford. That was probably the toughest day I've ever had on the bike. The little bumps were a killer. Sliabh Mann was nearly pleasant compared to the constant up and down.

Met a heap of boards use including Alek in the original kit. Also Mercian Pro, Shamrock2004, Nameless Phil, CDaly, Doozerie, Coastwatch and of course Wishbone Ash.

Many thanks to Sorrento for a great event and great weather.

shamrock2004

NeedMoreGears wrote: »

Did the 200 plus a bit as we missed a turn and ended up in Ashford. That was probably the toughest day I've ever had on the bike. The little bumps were a killer. Sliabh Mann was nearly pleasant compared to the constant up and down.

Met a heap of boards use including Alek in the original kit. Also Mercian Pro, Shamrock2004, Nameless Phil, CDaly, Doozerie, Coastwatch and of course Wusbone Ash.

Many thanks to Sorrento for a great event and great weather.

Nice meeting you too buddy. Was nice to tackle that last bastard hill in dalkey together even though I had to stop to gather my marbles!! Well done again

pats22b

mixed day for me.

got all ready to go last night and planned to cycle across from rathfarnham. set out at 7 so plenty of time for the 13km spin across. got to the balinteer roundabout and got a double blow out. changed the tubes and went back for more tubes and to get the wheels back up to a good psi with the track pump. got the wheels up and still only 7:30 so plenty of time to get there still. next thing the back tube blows and takes the tyre wall with it. luckily had a new tyre to hand so 3rd tube change of the day, no time to get there on the bike now so drove over.

Glad to say after that the biggest problem i had with the day was dropping a water bottle at one point early in the day so once that was recovered had a great day.
Someone must of had the child o prague out as that was one of the best days weather for cycling i can recall. We caught a few drops of rain at the start of slieve mann but other then that was near perfect days weather.

I hooked up with a lad from the adamstown club on the long hill climb and we worked well together for the rest of day. i was up hills i had never seen before and i don't think i have ever seen wicklow looking finer.
Foodstops were all well stocked with the creamed rice cones just before slieve mann being the ace in the deck.

The view out over the sea from dalkey towards the end rounded it all off nicely.

i recorded 199km ,7 h:50 m to give an average on 25.44km on 3280m climbing

big thanks to sorrento for a great day out

shamrock2004

I saw a few people with a print out of the climbs taped onto their handle bars. Where did you get the print out? Looked useful to have.

easygoing39

shamrock2004 wrote: »

I saw a few people with a print out of the climbs taped onto their handle bars. Where did you get the print out? Looked useful to have.

The website.

Mercian Pro

Great meeting up with so many Boardsies today. Tagging along with WA (or Wusbone Ash as he is now christened) certainly helped as he is the ultimate Boardsie magnet.
Could that be described as Goldilocks weather? Not too hot and not too cold; not too much wind and not too little (when heading south anyway). Even the six drops of rain were nearly welcome.
On the earlier debate on the amount of climbing involved, I am happy to go with the highest figure recorded. Strava on my phone recorded 3465m though my Garmin was a fair bit less. I'm sure someone can better that.
That was my first 200k cycle in 47 years - I don't intend waiting as long for the next one

Wishbone Ash

Mercian Pro wrote: »

...That was my first 200k cycle in 47 years - I don't intend waiting as long for the next one

Incredible! And I couldn't hold your wheel on any of the climbs!

BTW - there's some sort of Boards.ie thing next Saturday so you won't have to wait too much for a longer ride.

Zen0

Many thanks to Sorrento for putting on a great event. Good company, great weather and a cracking route.

shamrock2004

easygoing39 wrote: »

The website.

Didnt find it...

Luxman

Thanks to Sorrento for shredding the legs off me. Missing hamstring somewhere near the waterfall. If found please dispose of it. It's shot.

terrydel

Great, tough day in the saddle.
Turned into the Mick Byrne 171 for me, after a wrong left turn at 90k. got 5k in (3 up, 2 down) and met a food stop, so having an inkling on was on the wrong route, I asked around and lo and behold I was. The thought of continuing on to do the rest of the 200 route wasn't all that appealing, especially as this was my worst point of the day in terms of suffering. So I turned round at got back on the 160 route, 10k or so added to the day!
I'd been cycling with a good group of 4 lads for a long period up to 86 km but they dropped me then as I started to suffer a bit. Had I managed to stay on til 90 I'd not have took a wrong turn. Damn legs!
The stop in Laragh was very welcome and I got going well again after that. The route up to the last 5km before Laragh was all pretty new to me, but after that Im well used to the 20k back to the Gap, so I got thru that well.
Ended up with a time of approx. 7:08 and an average speed of a shade under 24kmph. Happy enough, but could deffo do faster.
The heat was tough, not used to it this year. Cycled the Maratona in Italy last year in temps up to 40 degrees and it baffles me to this day how I go thru that so well, as Im a typical pasty paddy and those conditions aren't my strongsuit at all. think Steve Staunton in World Cup '94!
Again, climbed well, but the distance is still causing me problems. Stamina just not where it should be this year.
All in all a great day tho, and a lovely route. Great to see new sights and places, for me that's the main reason I cycle, to push myself and get out in the fresh air and clear the mind. Love it.
Food stops where excellent imho, good cake, bananas, no complaints at all.
Well done to the organisers and all who took part. Hope everyone got home safe.

Wishbone Ash

NeedMoreGears wrote: »

Did the 200 plus a bit as we missed a turn and ended up in Ashford...

A lot of people missed that turn!

Tipperarymike

My friend and I managed to complete the 100k yesterday and I am still marvelling at the lads that did the 160 and the 200. It is certainly a spin that tests you, I am cycling the last three years and while I wouldn't be doing many long spins, the longest this year so far was 66k, I never had to get off the bike before. That Long Hill is some dog of a yoke and that bear of a short pull from on Strathmore Road (?) both had me walking just short of the top.

I met a lovely lady near the top of Long Hill when I was back on the bike who sussed it was my first time ever on that route and explained to me that soon as you get below 6kph on the Garmin there is nothing left in you or the bike. That bit of advice was great in that it kept me pushing it later in the day. One thing I did notice during the day was when I'd look down at the Garmin and it would be reading 7% ,and it didn't feel as much a strain as it might normally, that it was a day with some right bloody pinches in.

The man and lady at the top of the Long Hill with the water and oranges were a good morale boost, thanks for that. The food at Laragh was spot on and again at the finish. I have only done a few 100k spins but I can't imagine any other one better organised. Road markings were spot on.

All in all a great day out, tough but great, the weather really added something to it. I couldn't imagine going across the top of the Sally Gap in rough conditions, not to mind going down it.

Thanks again to all the organisers, I'd say we will be back, this time with a bit of training done before hand.

Thanks also to the lads on here that gave me a few tips before it. Those nuggets were a consolation at times yesterday when there was much consolation around.

Wishbone Ash

terrydel wrote: »

.... cycling with a good group of 4 lads for a long period up to 86 km but they dropped me then as I started to suffer a bit.... .....a time of approx. 7:08 and an average speed of a shade under 24kmph.... .....but the distance is still causing me problems....

24km/h is good going on that route. If you are interested in increasing distance, you need to ease back a bit on your pace. Even dropping your average by 1 or 2km/h makes a huge difference. Sounds like you expended way to much energy staying with that group early on.

Tipperarymike wrote: »

... the weather really added something to it. I couldn't imagine going across the top of the Sally Gap in rough conditions...

It's a totally different place in the depths of winter. Howling side winds, face and fingers frozen stiff with the cold and can be very lonely. One day last winter I didn't meet a single vehicle or other person in the 30k or so from Laragh via the Sally Gap to Stocking Lane.

cdaly_

Lovely day out. I elected not to chase groups (mostly 'cos they f**ked off up the hills too fast) and took 12h30 for the 200. Too many motorbikes out around Wicklow though...

-K2-

I did the 160. 26.3km/hr average. Great day, super organisation. Now I need some sleep.

Wishbone Ash

cdaly_ wrote: »

Lovely day out. I elected not to chase groups (mostly 'cos they f**ked off up the hills too fast) and took 12h30 for the 200. Too many motorbikes out around Wicklow though...

Passed you somewhere along the route and seeing your spare tyre reminded me that I'd forgotten mine!

shamrock2004

Tipperarymike wrote: »

My friend and I managed to complete the 100k yesterday and I am still marvelling at the lads that did the 160 and the 200. It is certainly a spin that tests you, I am cycling the last three years and while I wouldn't be doing many long spins, the longest this year so far was 66k, I never had to get off the bike before. That Long Hill is some dog of a yoke and that bear of a short pull from on Strathmore Road (?) both had me walking just short of the top.

I made it through the 200 yesterday and only started cycling the first week of April Am still chuffed with myself! Wicklow 200 next

Wishbone Ash

shamrock2004 wrote: »

I made it through the 200 yesterday and only started cycling the first week of April...

:eek: Now that's impressive!

The WW200 is a lot easier than the MB200. We'll have you doing the Boards.ie Evil soon.

shamrock2004

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

:eek: Now that's impressive!

The WW200 is a lot easier than the MB200. We'll have you doing the Boards.ie Evil soon.

I was on your wheel for a bit of it, in the Howth jersey. This boards.ie evil sounds like fun. Must have a read up on it

goldenboots

Thanks once again to those sadists at Sorrento. A great day on the bike, though it did not always feel like it, and the weather was fantastic. It must be as tough as any other event in Ireland. Definitely the hardest I have done.

Was going ok until Laragh, then died a death from Glenmacnass to the beginning of the descent after Sally Gap, not helped by cramp in my calf. Recovered by Eniskerry and finished well. At least this year we were not pelted by hailstones on ascent to Glenmacnass, but that road off to the left a few miles after Glenmalure is a soul destroyer.

As if the day wasn't long enough, I somehow missed an arrow in Dalkey, possibly from the sun shining on the road, and ended up in Dun Laoighre, but at least I wasn't the only one as another guy came behind me and he had also missed it. Thanks to him for getting me back to base as he knew the area.

Definitely hope to be back for slightly less suffering next year!

Alek

ended up in Dun Laoighre, but at least I wasn't the only one as another guy came behind me and he had also missed it.

This is what happens when you follow the guy in the front of you and not the navigation I followed a group of riders for 10km on one Audax spin until I realised they are completely unrelated and going their own direction...

goldenboots

Alek wrote: »

This is what happens when you follow the guy in the front of you and not the navigation I followed a group of riders for 10km on one Audax spin until I realised they are completely unrelated and going their own direction...

He wasn't following me, he was also following the arrows but didn't see it either. We met a bit further up the road when I was stopped at traffic lights.

terrydel

goldenboots wrote: »

Thanks once again to those sadists at Sorrento. A great day on the bike, though it did not always feel like it, and the weather was fantastic. It must be as tough as any other event in Ireland. Definitely the hardest I have done.

Was going ok until Laragh, then died a death from Glenmacnass to the beginning of the descent after Sally Gap, not helped by cramp in my calf. Recovered by Eniskerry and finished well. At least this year we were not pelted by hailstones on ascent to Glenmacnass, but that road off to the left a few miles after Glenmalure is a soul destroyer.

As if the day wasn't long enough, I somehow missed an arrow in Dalkey, possibly from the sun shining on the road, and ended up in Dun Laoighre, but at least I wasn't the only one as another guy came behind me and he had also missed it. Thanks to him for getting me back to base as he knew the area.

Definitely hope to be back for slightly less suffering next year!

Where you in a jersey with a safe cycling distance message on it? Your buddy had the same one?
If so, I saw ya cramping up after Glenmacnass, horrible place for it to happen.

goldenboots

terrydel wrote: »

Where you in a jersey with a safe cycling distance message on it? Your buddy had the same one?
If so, I saw ya cramping up after Glenmacnass, horrible place for it to happen.

No, that wasn't me but I know who you are talking about. I saw him at the side of the road and then he passed me later when I was stretching myself out. Met him back in Dalkey and he was fine.

terrydel

goldenboots wrote: »

Thanks once again to those sadists at Sorrento. A great day on the bike, though it did not always feel like it, and the weather was fantastic. It must be as tough as any other event in Ireland. Definitely the hardest I have done.

Was going ok until Laragh, then died a death from Glenmacnass to the beginning of the descent after Sally Gap, not helped by cramp in my calf. Recovered by Eniskerry and finished well. At least this year we were not pelted by hailstones on ascent to Glenmacnass, but that road off to the left a few miles after Glenmalure is a soul destroyer.

As if the day wasn't long enough, I somehow missed an arrow in Dalkey, possibly from the sun shining on the road, and ended up in Dun Laoighre, but at least I wasn't the only one as another guy came behind me and he had also missed it. Thanks to him for getting me back to base as he knew the area.

Definitely hope to be back for slightly less suffering next year!

Missing the 160 arrow at 90k and taking the 200 one thinking theyd only bothered to paint one, cost me over 10k extra! 5k of it climbing!
And it came at the point of the day that I was suffering most.
Ah well!

cdaly_

terrydel wrote: »

Missing the 160 arrow at 90k and taking the 200 one thinking theyd only bothered to paint one, cost me over 10k extra! 5k of it climbing!
And it came at the point of the day that I was suffering most.
Ah well!

But now you know you're ready for the 200 next year.

First time I did it, two of us missed the 200 arrow at 90k and ended up having to do that loop from the other end when we spotted people rejoining the 160k route...