Wicklow 200

Theres a veloviewer route and a downloadable GPX that you can upload to Strava or Garmin etc and create your own route

https://wicklow200.ie/wicklow200/

https://veloviewer.com/routes/3187350342388046796?a=1

Haven't posted anything in a while and apologies if I'm nhijacking this thread. I'm entered for the wicklow 200. The website says the spin has start time of 7am and a finish time of 6pm. Does anybody know if you can start before the official 7am start time. Another question - would you still get a medal if your finish time was after 6pm? Cheers Grouchy.

Unofficially, you can start any time (public roads) but there will be no support etc. outside of the official hours. Also, if you start very early, the first food stop may not be open when you get there. If you finish after 6pm, there will be no one at the finish giving out medals.

I generally don't take sportive medals but I'll take it and can send it to you if you don't get one. (That's assuming I get around without incident!)

Leave at 7am and get back around 5pm. My advice, treat it as a day of touring and don't look at the clock. Way more enjoyable doing it that way. The first time I did the W200 I tried to chase a time all day and it's just way too long a day to be dealing with that sort of nonsense. Also take it easy for the first 100k - taking on the backend of the W200 with empty legs is a horrible experience.

I’ve signed up for the 100 with a colleague and his mate. Do you have to pick up your pack at the cycle superstore the day before? I thought you could just sign on on the day of before? Or am I misremembering? It says you can do it on Sunday but between 5.30 and 6.30 but as we’re only doing the 100 we won’t be there that early.

Did they change the route? Looks like its down the main road to Baltinglass / Hacketstown now? I think it was previously the quiet road into Donard and over Glen of Imaal?

If anyone has an entry that they are not using I'd love to take it. Thanks

I’ve done a bit of cycling in Wicklow recently. Made three separate trips. Two of those were to do the 100km loop and the third was a loop starting and finishing in Laragh which brought me over the Slieve Mann and Shay Elliot.

Based on these three spins I reckon it’ll take me about 13 hours to do the 200kms. Add in one hour for stops (it’ll probably be more in reality) I’m looking at 14 hours all in. hope to be on the road by 5.45 which I estimate will help me make the cut-offs.

Based on my two previous spins I’d expect I’ll be past the Sally Gap cut off by 8 am ish and including the Valleymount stop I should make Hollywood by the cut off.

I’d reach the Valleymount food stop after 68 Kms which would be at about 10 am (I expect the food stop is open at that stage). Give the stop about 30 mins and all going well I’ll make Hollywood by 11am. The Hollywood to Laragh section is the section that will make or break me. It’s about 85 kms in length and includes the two big climbs. This will take me I reckon about 5.25 hours to do. So, If I’m leaving Hollywood at about 11am I would hope to make Laragh at about 4.15. With a bit of luck, the food stop would still be open at that stage. But if it isn’t I’ll use the local shops.

Half an hour for food in Laragh and I’ll be heading back to Bray at about 4.45. Based on my previous two trips from Laragh back to Bray and the days cycling already done, it’s going to take me the guts of 3 hours to finish meaning that I should be back in Bray about 7.45. A long day but hopefully achievable. I have the legs for the distance it’s the elevation that will kill me.

Also, I’m not a great descender. Based on what I’ve done before my speed going downhill will be about 35 kms an hour and it will be less on the Slieve Mann and Shay Elliott as I’ll go slower to take the bends in the road.

Many thanks WA for the offer of taking a medal for me, but there's no need, I’ll be chuffed enough if I finish it. I’ll have it on Strava.

Best of luck to everyone taking part.

Just to clarify - is the route on their web page incorrect or has it been updated?

I think the ridewithgps link has the updated map.

What's the story with parking at it? Will the spaces in the gaa club fill up early?

The new strava route they've uploaded seems to have been saved as a running route. Not sure if this will have any effect when uploading it to bike computers, as in with showing climb profiles etc.

I tried that, but when I changed it, it added 12km on to the route. Probably because of road surface. Maybe I did something weird, must try it again.