Due to my procrastinational tendancies, I was uncertain whether or not I was going to be around Dublin last weekend, and for that reason I decided not to register for the Wicklow 200. Another reason was that the starting point in Greystones was a tad out of the way for me and I didn't like the prospect of having to drive or cycle there from the city centre at 6 in the morning. In days of yore participants would get a free Wickow 200 jersey on registering for the event, unfortunately this is no longer the case which is a pity. There are 2 food stops along the route for sandwiches and tea/coffee. Queuing for a sambo and a cup for tea for a half hour and getting cold in the process is not the best option when you are trying to get around a 200km course. It also doesn't represent value for money as the entry fee currently stands at €40. I know that the entry fee is put to use in a whole host of other ways, but I still think its quite steep when you compare it to other events. With all of this in mind I planned to stop in a convenience store and pick up some supplies including water along the way, thus preventing cold muscles and long queues.
I left my apartment in sunny Christchurch around 7.30am or a little after and made my way towards Rathfarnham, taking a right at the Yellow House and proceeding up along Cruagh Road, over Powerscourt Mountain and meeting the group at Glencree. I was sufficiently warm at that stage after a nice climb and headed for the Sally Gap where some misty rain had begun to fall. I've rode these roads hundreds of times at this stage and felt really at home and comfortable on my new saddle which had given me some anxiety earlier in the week, the Wicklow 200 would be made or break.
I started to really enjoy cycling with groups of riders as most of my training this year had been done in a solitary fashion or with Asher from Cycleways. My average speed was quite high but I wasn't feeling any strain whatsoever as I chatted with a veteran from Cork and subsequently a racer from Rathmines. I spotted a few lads really struggling early on and I wondered how long and how much pain they would have to endure until the reached Greystones. Some riders were sporting wigs, and I believe a guy cycled the 100km route on a DublinBike!
There were also some other diehards on the 100km course including a tandem which featured a female rider on the back who was blind or had impaired vision. Mucho respect...
When I arrived in Donard for Stop # 1 @ 90kms, I felt way too fresh to stop so I just continued making inroads towards the next climb of the day at Slieve Mann. Just outside Donard I spotted Joe Barr, Derry cyclist and former Commonwealth Games medallist who won the inaurgural 1350 mile cycle Race Around Ireland 2009. He did so in an ashtonishing 4 days 12 hours and 12 minutes, so there was no way I was going to try to keep pace with him. If you were out on Sunday you might have spotted Joe with his black support vehicle following behind with a flashing beacon on top.
At this point I met with Dave O' Shea from Limerick who was tipping around at a nice speed. We started chatting and before we knew it we had covered 40 or so kms emcompassing the Slieve Mann & Shay Elliott climbs. There was one further small climb outside Avoca (or Ballykissangel for you soap opera fiends) followed by plenty of undulations and peaceful countryside. We were treated to one last shower just before Ashford after which we upped the average speed and made a beeline for Greystones with legs which felt very fresh. We crossed the finishline at 15:11, with over 200kms registered on my Polar. The course from start to finsh was roughly 195kms but I had clocked up a few more kms (and hills) coming from Dublin city centre.
All in all I was very pleased with my days work, and really enjoyed the spin around whilst chatting to Limerick Dave, who was a very nice bloke. A couple of years back he completed the gruelling Trans Alp Challenge and he gave me lots of advice in terms of what to expect from Les Dix Alpes. Thanks dude!
I'm all set now for the big event. A week of tapering and then its off to Como on the 19th to start the long journey through the Alps on June 21st.
Unfortunately I didn't get to take any pictures while cycling the Wicklow 200 this year, as I was more focused on getting around in a quicker time. However, a kind gentleman working for the Dublin Civil Defence (who may I say did a tremendous job on the day) took this picture of us at the finish line with my iPhone.
Colly & Dave O' Shea at the finish line
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