Evil 200 2022 - June 18

themighty

Thanks irishrover99. I'm getting nervous already😅.

irishrover99

Nothing to be nervous about.

it’s only after you do it for the first time that you get nervous each following year as you know what’s ahead 😀

Daroxtar

4 days to go. Who's in? I'm saying yes and hoping the weather stays nice

Wishbone Ash

Can't wait!

Mercian Pro

Bringing both lights this time!

Wishbone Ash

Hope I don't jinx it but weather looks ok so far. Gentle breeze, cloudy with some sunny spells in the morning - no rain.

themighty

I'm in 👍

irishrover99

The issue with being the "organiser" is that you have to turn up 😂.

Most definitely in.

Can't wait also.

irishrover99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119205579#Comment_119205579

I'll take that, as long as there is not much wind, i am good with that.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119205579#Comment_119205579

That's a turn. Forecast yesterday had a 1 pm downpour but that's very quickly shifted

irishrover99

Looking at the boards weather forum and Saturday is now looking a lot better than it was earlier in the week.

magicbastarder

exceptionally calm weather forecast; for enniskerry, the whole afternoon is forecast to have wind under 10km/h.

Daroxtar

Is that the car park beside the Bottle Tower pub?

irishrover99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119217310#Comment_119217310

Yes, thats the one. It's in the middle of the roundabout.

See you all at 7.45, roll out for about 8 am

fat bloke

Looks like it might be cool enough tomorrow. I'll be out with my usual quartet for some sort of a hybrid evil-ish. We'll be hitting the road a bit earlier as well. If you see three IRC jerseys and one generic on ye're way around give us a nod.

Wishbone Ash

Went with my usual preparation - few pints after work, then with Mrs WA to an Italian restaurant with a nice bottle of white and now sampling a beautiful West Cork whiskey. See you all tomorrow!

fat bloke

How did ye get on lads?

We followed the route til Laragh and then we did our own thing. We did 3 trips to Turlough Hill from Glendalough and then home Glenmacnass. 4000m and 178km.

The Turlough Hill interval is great Marmotte training cos it's a decent gradient 10km / 40 mins of constant climbing.

Bloody freezing out there today though FFS. :(.

Daroxtar

Bailed out at 125km before hitting Shay Elliott for the 2nd time. I was just beginning to starve. Rolled into Laragh, got fed and went back up Sally Gap on my own. Finished up with 175km and 3550m. I probably could have finished it properly but I really just didn't fancy that extra 1000m and another 90 minutes on the bike.

Great to meet up with Irish Rover, The Mighty, DevonP and of course my 2 partners in crime for the majority, Wishbone ash and Mercian Pro.

https://strava.app.link/AEn70yXVXqb

devonp

a great day out , Thanks to IrishRover99 for organising this and a great route selection by puting in crone woods at the beginning and also having the Roller coaster on the way out . Great to meet Daroxtar, WA, Mercian pro, The Mighty and of course IrishRover99. We even picked up a stay Spanish cyclist who was looking for the Goat grill to meet some people for a spin but decided to join us instead for a 1-2 hr spin with some hills in Wicklow !!! well done Isaac from Valencia whose vocab improved throughout the spin to Laragh (more fcuking hills 😂) where he decided to return via Glenmacnas to Dublin.

got to the end at Ticknock with The Mighty and welcomed the mini break up there to chat to Irishrover99

Mercian Pro

Jesus, was ever a route (and its originator) more appropriately named! Thanks IrishRover99 for including some of the old favourites in reverse and, for me anyway, quite a few new roads as well. All sorts of new aches to contend with but pleased that even if I wasn't the fastest around, I was certainly the oldest!! Nice to get to 3 Rock in daylight for a change (even if the shadows are fairly long!).

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119217750#Comment_119217750

Boy, did I regret that this morning. My head was hanging off me for the first few hours and all I could think of was a big greasy full Irish breakfast which I didn't get.

Thanks Irish Rover for organising and for your company lads.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7331144334

themighty

That was a tough day out, really enjoyed it. I was pretty shot by time we got to the foot of Ticknock. Cunard before it just saps the strength out of you, great climb.

It was great to meet you all. Daroxstar, cheers for helping with the chain, it was nearly the shortest Evil attempt ever. IrishRover99, so, so glad for an excuse to stop on Ticknock. Cheers for organising everything. DevonP thanks for getting me up Ticknock, I would have been tempted to climb off the bike without the company.

magicbastarder

i'm curious as to what sort of gearing people used on this. i've never had a cassette on a road bike which went past 28 teeth, and i suspect i'd need it.

fat bloke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119228890#Comment_119228890

I changed the gearing on my bike the week before with the Marmotte coming up. So I had a 34 32. Wasn't going to, I was intent on leaving the bike as it was - a 34 28, but I had a longer cage derailleur option so I caved and got that fitted and it was definitely the right decision. It just means that on the steeper stuff you're spinning a much nicer cadence at your given power.

Daroxtar

I used an 11-32 cassette with a 50-34 crank. I think I only used the 32 maybe twice or three times (Cunard, The Wall and Oldbridge) and briefly at that but it's nice to have that last bit to fall back on. I do the vast majority of my climbing in the 23-25 range, 28 when it gets to 10% and only really use the 32 if it's above that or I'm completely knackered.

Just a side note, I have Dura ace 9000 rear derailleur with a short cage and despite it only supposed to be able to handle a 28 I have had no issues whatsoever using the 32.

themighty

I was on a 36 30. I was in it pretty early on, on a lot of the climbs. I still got around ok, but would have been very glad to have an extra couple of gears. Especially on the last couple of climbs.

Wishbone Ash

I stuck a 30 on the rear beforehand so a 34/30 was my lowest.

mr spuckler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119221684#Comment_119221684

Were you stopped waiting at the viewpoint at the top of Stocking Lane early enough, say 9ish? If so I think I mumbled something to you about the glorious weather as I chugged up towards the featherbeds on my own solo spin!

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119232350#Comment_119232350

That would sound about right - he was waiting for me (as usual!).

irishrover99

Sorry all for the late responses here. I have been super busy with work and also trying recover from Saturday.

Thanks to all that turned up as it was an extremely hard day on the bike.

I have always said that you should get a medal for even turning up for the evil 🙂 and it was great to see some old and new faces.

Regardless, we always get a good crowd for the evil and the company is always smashing and it must go with the mentality of turning up for the evil.

I counted 15 climbs on that route and thats not including the wall and some other short ramps and going up ticknock at the end i felt every last bit of the previous 14. I have to say that the roads around Wicklow are in a really poor condition and the pounding you body takes must contribute to the overall hardness of the event. Something like this in Mallorca would not be as hard when you are cycling on billiard table like roads.

My time at the end up ticknock was 15 minutes of my PR on strava and its the first time lying down at the end of an event on a mountain purely exhausted 😀

Thanks to Devon and themighty for waiting on me so many times only to drop me again within meters, you were both on some form.

That was my first 200+ in a few years and was super happy to finally get over that hurdle.

Can't wait for next year and i am already think of a route in my head.

Maybe trowing in Turlough Hill and Kippure as they ave yet to make it to the evil?.