Tour de Kilkenny, 5th Aug 2017

Buzwaldo

Just to remind you all that this event is on the usual Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Routes are 160, 120, 70, and 20km family spin.
Online registration is available at a lower rate of 25 euro up to 10th July.
All monies after costs go to charity.
Looking forward to seeing you all down this year again, and hopefully a few new faces.

http://tourdekilkenny.com/

dastardly00

Since I did survived the 160km last year, does that mean my only option is to do the 160km again this year?

marvin80

Signed upto the 120k - looking forward to it

fat bloke

Oh. We did the 70k last year with our girls but we're not around this year. Great event and lovely routes.

Steve SilverMint

Just signed up for it today

I may start ramping up the mileage over the next few weeks or the 160km will kill me.

Buzwaldo

Bumping this to remind that early bird 25 Euro entry is up to 10th of July. Goes up to 30 thereafter for online (or 35 on the day)
http://marblecitycyclers.com/tour-de-kilkenny

Sign up and save.

Buzwaldo

Today's the last day for early bird entry. Up to 12 tonight.

cats pyjamas

Signed up for this as well. Challenging route - Woodstock hill nearly killed me the first time I did it!

1bryan

I've a question about this. I signed up a while ago. Just looking at the website there now it says about online registration, but also registration on the friday, and also on the day.

If you've registered online, is there further registration needed (to get your number, etc)? I'm guessing there is. I had planned on doing this on the friday, but just wanted to be sure this is a different registration to the 'online registration'.

Also, is the middle route 110km or 120km? The site says 110km, but the event page says 120km? Will probably do the 160km, but depending on how I feel, could end up doing the middle route.

Cheers

Steve SilverMint

1bryan wrote: »

I've a question about this. I signed up a while ago. Just looking at the website there now it says about online registration, but also registration on the friday, and also on the day.

If you've registered online, is there further registration needed (to get your number, etc)? I'm guessing there is. I had planned on doing this on the friday, but just wanted to be sure this is a different registration to the 'online registration'.

Also, is the middle route 110km or 120km? The site says 110km, but the event page says 120km? Will probably do the 160km, but depending on how I feel, could end up doing the middle route.

Cheers

Hi 1Bryan, yes in addition to registering online you will have to register yourself before the event Friday evening or Saturday morning. Get your number, goodie bag etc

The route is closer to 110km and is a tough route for the distance, the 160 is a real test. They share the same route until a little after the main food stop in Listerlin so you can see how you're feeling at that stage if you're not sure which to do.

1bryan

Steve SilverMint wrote: »

Hi 1Bryan, yes in addition to registering online you will have to register yourself before the event Friday evening or Saturday morning. Get your number, goodie bag etc

The route is closer to 110km and is a tough route for the distance, the 160 is a real test. They share the same route until a little after the main food stop in Listerlin so you can see how you're feeling at that stage if you're not sure which to do.

Perfect, thanks a lot for the info.

Buzwaldo

Online Registration is open until tomorrow at 12.
Weather forecast looks good, so hopefully will be like last 2 years & not 2014 deluge.
We will be taking registrations on the day, but you will save a fiver by going online.

http://tourdekilkenny.com/

Looking forward to a good boardsie contingent down again this year.

Mercian Pro

Looking forward to it.

I will probably be in Swords gear but will be looking out for Boardsies.

funnights74

Buzwaldo wrote: »

Online Registration is open until tomorrow at 12.
Weather forecast looks good, so hopefully will be like last 2 years & not 2014 deluge.
We will be taking registrations on the day, but you will save a fiver by going online.

http://tourdekilkenny.com/

Looking forward to a good boardsie contingent down again this year.

2014 :(:( The day I swam around Kilkenny.

Buzwaldo

Tis a grand handy route.

We sent out one of our MCC guys to check it out today, and he had another look, just to make sure like - as you do.....

https://www.strava.com/activities/1115656163/overview

Arthurdaly

Looking forward to it lads. My one and only was 2011 where I somehow managed to end up in carrick on suir and add another 20km onto the the 160.

padyjoe

I'm looking forward to it. Got a swap from work, so have a good sleep before. Hopefully I do my planned route, following some recovery then in for night duty. I'll be fooked but don't mind at all, life is too short. Haven't cycled for 3 weeks, I'll be ok I reckon.

marvin80

Looking forward to seeing some of the nice Kilkenny countryside and climbing Graiguenamanagh after seeing it featured in the Rás so much.
Weather looking decent at the moment.

andy69

Enjoyed that! Did the 110 route with the wife.

After the foodstop, we'd no group, or any sign of one forming after the hill from Listerlin and I really wasn't looking forward to that awful big main road from Mullinavat(?) the whole 30-odd kms with a cross-headwind so we scooted off to the right after the windfarm and took a lovely route parallel to the official one and then joined in the 70k route from Thomastown. 112k in total, so almost identical ;-)

The second lead car on the way out was crazy close to the front of the riders though....we were hitting savage speeds! Had to give the wife a few pushes to hang in but Bennetsbridge was as far as she could hang on. Pity really as she was looking forward to being in the lead group until the first big climb.


*my town-name spelling is terrible!

marvin80

andy69 wrote: »

I really wasn't looking forward to that awful big main road from Mullinavat(?) the whole 30-odd kms with a cross-headwind so we scooted off to the right after the windfarm and took a lovely route parallel to the official one and then joined in the 70k route from Thomastown.

The cross-wind was a killer (especially on my own).
Great day and weather, very well organised event.
Woodstock was a beast!!

marvin80

cats pyjamas wrote: »

Signed up for this as well. Challenging route - Woodstock hill nearly killed me the first time I did it!

How did you get on today?
Did you exact your revenge on Woodstock?!!

Mercian Pro

What a brilliant route. Must have included just about every climb in Kilkenny. It certainly felt that way. The real killer was the sign about a third of the way up the Woodstock climb saying "well done" when there was still plenty left to do.

Everything else, marshalling, food, registration, friendliness, was spot on and the scenery was amazing. Tagged along with a group from Naas CC at a cracking pace until a bit after the food stop, suffered as a small group of three for the next 20k or so before catching and being adopted by a great bunch of guys from Kells CC. With their help we made it back in 5:45' for an average of 28.2kph.

Well done Buzwaldo and the rest of the team.

Arthurdaly

My second time doing the Tour De Kilkenny. Great atmosphere around the rugby club before and after the event. Love the souvenirs of t-shirt and water bottle. A bloody tough route and it seemed like there were no flat roads until the final 25km and then that killer hill with 10km left (thankfully a tailwind).

Thanks MCC.

cats pyjamas

marvin80 wrote: »

How did you get on today?
Did you exact your revenge on Woodstock?!!

I wouldn't say that I got any revenge but I was quicker up it than last year. Still a very though climb though. Its a challenging route - very few flat spots - but altogether I really enjoyed it.

Well done to all the organisers and participants.

goldenboots

Well done to MCC on an excellent event. A tough day in the saddle for 160km. Didn't realise Kilkenny was so hilly, made worse by the wind which seemed to be in our face nearly all day. Struggled for the last 30km. Thanks to Bob from Lakeside Wheelers and a guy from MCC whose name I didn't get for helping me home.

padyjoe

Were there many doing the 160k? I was brave enough, had been off cycling for 1 month (and a failed resolution that I'd be much lighter this year), struggled after halfway through. There was too much wind, remember finishing it in 6.5 hours last year, now I needed 8 hours. Was a bit of a disappointing experience as well, arriving back around 5pm, seeing only few around while in 2016 there was a lot going on when I made it back.

My heart wants to say I enjoyed it (route, weather, way it was organised, etc.) but the mind calls it a torture (my @rse was on fire).

Well done to everyone and bring on 2018! ;-)

Buzwaldo

Thanks to everyone who came down and participated this year. Fairly lucky again with the weather - just a shower or too, but the wind direction was not favourable for the second half of the route, especially as shelter of groups was harder to ceme by.
Met Mercian Pro of this parish, with a Swords clubmate. A true gent, and fresh as a daisy after 160 km.
Numbers down a small bit, but that seems to be universal, will still have a decent return for our four charities.
Once again, thanks to all.

jrar

Was part of the Naas CC contingent on the 160km route - would echo what others have said about the fabulous scenery, and who knew Kilkenny was that bloody hilly with not too many flat bits !

Great route, great food-stops (great to see something different like melon slices on offer !), good marshalling where required, and overall a very good atmosphere ruined slightly by one of our group having their glasses lifted at the main food stop (Rosbercon ?)

Loved the hills especially Woodstock but then again I'm a bit of a masochist that way ! ....except the last one when my chain popped off half-way up ! The last 10kms in the rain was just a little damp end to a great day's riding

For 2018, can someone turn off the wind machine ? Ta !

Buzwaldo

Some pics

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0jGDdyTvGl9TMR

Buzwaldo

Some more pics.

https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1934478553232684.1073741843.1131287653551782&type=1&l=a43475d918