Road resurfaced from Glencree'ish to Sally gap.....

RacoonQueen

RacoonQueen wrote: »

More random spots of loose chippings Glencree to Sally Gap today - thankfully thats the way I go up. Would not like to be coming down on that. Went up the same way on the 'new' surface last week and they seem to have laid more chippings down on what they put down a few weeks ago.
Hope they plan to lay tarmac over all that...the 'settled' part of it aint fun either.

They've done the same thing coming out of Maynooth into Kilcock...was awful to cycle on that last week too.

And as if like magic we had cyclists down on the bend between Cellbridge and Maynooth this morning. They don't think it was the chips but perhaps they took the corner differently in anticipation - it's a horrendous bend there anyway, I always overcook it there. Going up to Sally from Glencree yesterday, was not fun when you hit a crosswind and your tyres had nothing to grip. Would not have fancied coming down on that.

Never seen this road covering before myself. Wouldn't fancy having all that hit up on to my car either.

Miklos

Was out there today, by god it is truly poxy on that Lough Bray corner. You'd swear it was sponsored by Continental, it's proper tyre shredding stuff. I'd say it's murder on the descent, even in a car you could quickly find yourself in difficulty.

1bryan

NeedMoreGears wrote: »

I was up sally gap yesterday on the gravelled section, just at the spot where cars park above the lake. I hear a hissing sound and stop thinking I'm punctured. Tires are ok but when I start off the front wheel got stuck in the gravel. I must have gone slightly off the road itself but couldn't tell because of all the chips. I fell over doing about 2kph and managed to really hurt my hand. Nothing broken, just heavy bruising and I couldn't really hold the handlebars for quite a while.

The council should at least sweep the road. No more chips are going to embed themselves into the surface now. Needless to say I took it very handy up the rest of the way.

surely grounds for a claim there?

mr spuckler

i can confirm that the descent is really bad :mad:

i'd already come up that way and didn't have time to head down one of the other routes so was stuck with heading back down towards Glencree. everyone coming up against us was warning of the surface.

Daroxtar

I have to admit I've been deliberately avoiding my usual Sunday spins up the Wicklow hills specifically because of the reports on the road surface. I know it's only one section but from where I'm coming it's usually my main route either out or back. I'm looking forward to getting back up there but not at the risk of injury to myself or my bike.
On the plus side I'm not far from the Slieve Blooms and had nearly forgotten how nice they were till last week.

mr spuckler

having seen this thread here over the last couple of months i actually forgot about the resurfacing when i was up there 2 weeks ago and tbh it didn't make that much difference then. so going up yesterday i expected it to be the same.

the climb (and in particular descent) is terrible but the section near the crossroads is nearly worse. both of us came much closer to offs along that stretch.

NeedMoreGears

1bryan wrote: »

surely grounds for a claim there?

Not really my thing. I prefer to moan about it instead

The Noble Nudge

Think its mentioned same crap outside the entrance of powerscourt heading toward long hill the descent to the bridge terrible with loose gravel...
I had the strangest thought while descending...think Alek planted the seed some years ago about a flying stone from a passing car cracking my delph!
The handsome devil that I am.

Brian?

RacoonQueen wrote: »

And as if like magic we had cyclists down on the bend between Cellbridge and Maynooth this morning. They don't think it was the chips but perhaps they took the corner differently in anticipation - it's a horrendous bend there anyway, I always overcook it there. Going up to Sally from Glencree yesterday, was not fun when you hit a crosswind and your tyres had nothing to grip. Would not have fancied coming down on that.

Never seen this road covering before myself. Wouldn't fancy having all that hit up on to my car either.

Where between Celbridge and Maynooth please? I need to avoid that.

A couple of years ago I did the descent from the Sally Gap into Manor Kilbride on freshly laid chippings. Absolute disaster. I met the guys laying the chippings just before Manor Kilbride, that's how fresh.

Alek

.think Alek planted the seed some years ago about a flying stone from a passing car cracking my delph!

Did I?

The Noble Nudge

Alek wrote: »

Did I?

Yep you sure did Evil 200 2015...about the only timeI seen you all day

Alek

I think I can remember... I still believe that smiling wide to passing drivers may be a risky business ! Had some paint chiped off the bike frame from these encounters.

Mercian Pro

Update from a spin in Wicklow yesterday:
By far the worst section we came across was the climb up from the Devil's Elbow on the Wicklow side of course. It looks like it had been done in the last few days and has a "local access" sign in place.
Most of the Military Road from Glencree to Sally Gap has bedded in with the loose chippings pushed to the side by traffic. As pointed out here, the section around Lough Bray seems to have been given a second dressing and is tricky.
From Sally Gap on to Laragh is fine with one beautiful naked section of fresh tarmacadam just waiting to be dressed!
Between Laragh and Ashford various side roads had fresh chippings but nothing as bad as the Devil's Elbow.

Daroxtar

"Mercian wrote:

From Sally Gap on to Laragh is fine with one beautiful naked section of fresh tarmacadam just waiting to be dressed!

So they're going destroying the whole Sally gap for cyclists for the next few months? Absolute fücking shambles.

Edit: is there any way of finding out when they intend on carrying out this act of vandalism? The Reservoir Dog sportive is coming up and I'm not keen on falling off my bike or shredding my tires because of some bean counter

mr spuckler

Mercian Pro wrote: »

By far the worst section we came across was the climb up from the Devil's Elbow on the Wicklow side of course.

i did the devil's elbow last sunday and thankfully it was clear, obviously been done during the week so. it really is ridiculous carry-on by the council on some of the most popular cycle routes in the country.

the world wonders

Anyone been up here lately? What's the Lough Bray->Sally Gap section like now?

1bryan

the world wonders wrote: »

Anyone been up here lately? What's the Lough Bray->Sally Gap section like now?

It's fine. The surface is rough (which was the plan) but there are no loose chippings now. Doubt there'll be any strava PRs or KOMs up there for a while.

buffalo

There's a bit around the back of Powerscourt that's very dodgy with chippings - on a downhill twisty section just here: https://goo.gl/maps/c5WzDQ2MxFD2