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WICKLOW 200k A RESOUNDING SUCCESS |
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Last Saturday, June 15th nine members of the club departed for
Dublin to participate in the Wicklow 200 Classic. The morning did indeed hold up very well, as we headed towards Blessington, via the Sally Gap, Laragh, Wicklow Gap and Valleymount. This was the first of the control checkpoints along the way, at which registration cards of each participant were stamped as having reached the point in the designated time. Onwards then to Donard as the Dungarvan group (cycling together at all times) was joined by Sean Kelly and others who cajoled us into pushing a very strong pace on the final 3km push to the second control point. Following a quick cup of coffee (4 minutes), we headed on to what we all knew was the toughest section of the course, the long stretch across to Rathdrum. The roads worsened considerably, and so did the weather. It started as a cool mist, but soon deteriorated to a heavy continuous rain that continued right to the finish. Upwards then to Ballinabarney Gap at which point Ivan's chain snapped. Lo and behold, in the wilds of Wicklow along came a service van to the rescue. The only unfortunate part of the episode was that we were informed that Spain had just taken the lead against Ireland. There followed a lovely descent to Aghavanagh, followed by the terrible climb up Slieve Mann. The chat stopped, and there were no more jokes until we reached the top in a very weary condition having completed 85 miles. Our collective pain showed on every face. But of course there was a bright side (no, not the weather), because what goes up must come down and we relished the steep and tricky descent to Drumgoff. Customers in the local hostelry informed us of a missed penalty, but we were too tired to care. One final stiff climb between Greenane and Rathdrum brought a great cheer as our mobile phones relayed the details of the Irish goal.
We stopped for 30 minutes in Rathdrum where the local shop does a
marvelous ham and cheese sandwich and we sat and watched the dreaded
penalties. We were so cold at this point that when we finally did
mount the bikes again, the only way to warm up was to race the 9 flat
miles to Laragh. The final big climb of the day brought us once again
up the Sally Gap, this time via Glenmacnass waterfall, on to Glencree
and Kilakee and the final 5 mile downhill section back to Tallaght.
This was wonderful achievement by all our participants who had put in
so much training together since April, and we celebrated with a
lovely meal in Kilkenny on the journey home. Some have said they will NEVER
do it again, and others will think it over for a bit when the aches
and pains have disappeared. Total distance 124 miles in 9 hours (and
four minutes&ldots;but who's counting). 60 miles fine and 64 miles %^&*!"
wet. Well done and thanks for the report.
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This is without doubt the premier cycling event in the country for
non-racing cyclists, and is thought to be equivalent to a mountain
stage of the Tour de France. The 124-mile route outlined for 2002
provided an immense challenge to the average fit cyclist. Following a
preparatory pasta meal in Terenure, and some light refreshments, we
headed for an early night in ready for a 5:30 wake-up call on Sunday.
The morning was clear and bright, but we were aware of the usual June
forecast of heavy rain and high winds. Upon arrival and registration
at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght we started the marathon
trip just after 7:30 am in unusually warm conditions.