Epic MTB Kilmashogue Hillclimb // race report

Racing is great! Hillclimb racing is even better! So, needless to say how much fun I had this evening! But let's go from the start: this race was a club race run by Epic MTB and the destination was the "feared"  Kilmashogue Lane. When I seen the date and I realized I'm off work, there was no other option but sign up and race this evening.

The race went from the M50 bridge (the bottom of the Kilmashogue Lane) up on the tarmac road and then we turned off the road onto the fire road that leads all the way over to Threerock. The finish line was at the WW trail junction. This is a 3,4 km long climb with 280 m of total elevation gain and the steepest gradient is 18%. So, it is a long enough and heavy enough climb indeed. Simply perfect for a race like this. :)

The course

I cycled out of course and met few of the lads at the carpark at the bottom of Threerock. We have decided to climb up nearly as far as the Lower Carpark as a warm up and rolled down on the other side towards the Kilmashogue Lane. By the time we got there the place was absolutely packed. Big crowd of mountain bikers from many different clubs were ready to hit the climb. It was brilliant to see that many out!

Ready! Go! Off we went! We had a mass start that worked out pretty well for me. Riding in a group kept me motivated better and also helped me to pace myself. The main goal was not to go too hard too early 'cause normally that's where I make mistakes. I managed to keep that plan and it payed off later indeed. I got up on the tarmac section nice and quick and started to push a bit more on the fire road. I had a bit of a gap to work with and luckily I mamaged to keep it all the way to the top. 

I felt great on the bike and had a great race I have to say. Finished 7th (out of more than 50 riders) with 14 minutes and 10 seconds race time. I'm delighted with this result, happy, happy, happy! :) 

Rolling home after the race. Nice & easy :)

After the race I went for a short spin around Threerock and then cycled back home. Was brilliant to be out on the bike, was even better to be able to race on this lovely evening. Thanks a lot for organizing the race, I'm still buzzing after the torcherous climb!  

Time to enjoy some uphill! :)

This afternoon I wanted to do something different: didn't feel like to go for a MTB spin and didn't want to do all the usual route on the road bike either. So, what to do? Pick a shortish route with the most possible climb on the way. Sounds great! 

After I finished my babysitting duty for the afternoon I got my gear ready and off I went. Now, this was the first time this year when the weather was really nice. I mean REALLY NICE! Warm with a bit of wind, dry roads, blue sky! The kind of afternoon that needs to be spent on the bike. :)

As I said before: the plan was to get some good road climbing done by the time I get back home. So I did most of the climbs between the Viewing Pint and Stepaside: Stocking Lane, Kilmashogue Lane, Threerock and over to Stepaside.

The Stocking Lane and the Threerock climb was absolutely great, felt very good and really enjoyed myself. But on the Kilmashogue Lane I had some trouble to deal with the single 38T ring on the front, but still liked it though. With this route I ended up havin' a bit less than 2 hours long spin with the distance of 44 km and the total elevation gain of 1027 m. And as a bonus I managed to pick up a big bunch of PRs on the way. Happy days! :)

After the spin: tired but happy :)

What can I say about todays spin? It was a perfect reminder why I love to ride on the road every now and then: it's fast and smooth. Really enjoyed myself on the bike today, loved the route and the first real taste of the spring was lovely. Kneewarmers and armwarmers but I pulled them off pretty much straight away. Brilliant!

Today's spin was as intense as it can get with my current shape but in the same time it was very relaxing: got my head cleared and enjoyed some of my favourite tunes as well. Pure fun! :)

But the best part was when I got home my little son Rhys joined me and checked out what is this whole bike business is all about! :)

Future cyclist in making :)

Flatout Fridays # 1

Uhh, it was a tough going I need to say...I'm just back from the first week of my Flatout Fridays sessions. Basicly I still don't have too much time that I can spend on the bike so I've decided to head out on Friday afternoons and get an hour intense riding in. So, this is the first one! 

After I finished with all the changing-nappies-and-preparing-babyfood things (that kept me super busy) and my wife Anett got back from work also, I got my gear ready and off I went. 

The route is one of my favourite: 

Milltown - Rathgar - Rathfarnham - Kilmashogue Lane - Threerock - Sandyford - Dundrum - Milltown

Luckily the weather was nice & mild so except the pace it was a very loveable spin. Doing the ride on the cross bike was brilliant, could build up nice speed but I paid the price having a single (38T) ring on the front...

The idea of these spins will be to go for an hour and give as much as I can in this time. So today I was out for 1 hour and covered the distance of 23,6 km with total elevation gain of 456 m and burned 707 calories. 

The best part is that I managed to do a little PR hunting on Strava and scooped up 4 of them! Happy days! 

...details of the ride on strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/33337211

 

This route suits me very well and I'm already targeting the sub 1 hour time limit. Will give that one a go for sure when I'm heading out next time! But until then...

...I'm enjoying my post ride treat: yummy ginger bread cookies

Saturday XC spin in the spirit of London 2012

After a super busy week the Saturday has finally came so it was time to get out on the XC bike again! We've seen pretty good weather all week so I had high hopes for today too. Early start just as always with one difference: my gear :)

Wearing my fancy Hungarian jersey to honor the two excellent Hungarian mounatin bikers: Barbara Benkó & András Parti, who are taking part in the Olympic XC races this weekend.

I figured it would be cool idea to take the Hungarian jersey out on the trails as a little gesture on this important weekend! They are writing sports history so this is the least I can do to show support & cheer them on!

So, after I got everything ready I was all good to go. The main target was the same as last week: get good mixture of road & off-road riding done as a preparation for next weekend. 

Wanted to cover good bit of a distance without getting bored on the same trails over and over again. To do that there was only one option: the Wicklow Way. 

The plan was to ride off-road as far as Djouce and them come back home on the road via Enniskerry. This way there's enough mountain biking and enough distance too. Happy days! :)

First destination was of course the Marlay Park and straight after that the Kilmashogue Lane climb. Once I hit the fire road bit the sun came out and the day started to look like a real summer day. That first sector of the Wicklow Way is always so quick, possibly because I've done it sooo many times. But when I got to the Glencullen river and started the second big climb things started to be more "interesting". 

Crossing on the bridge

On the twisty fire road

After all the fast climbs and exciting descents I got to the nicest spot of today's journey. The trail that goes above the Powerscourt Waterfall is one of my favourite in the Wicklow Mountains. Can't try to describe but let this photo say it all! 

I always stop here for a moment to enjoy the spectacular view! After ths short twisty singletrack riding I got to one of the sweetest bit of the ride: the massive "V" shaped valley near Djouce. The downhill bit isn't too technical but the -36° (at the steepest bit) gradient makes it definitely fun to ride!! But I had to pay the price of this kind of fun because the climb up on the other side is a torturer... 

Once I finished with all the off-road bits I got onto the road that took me back to Enniskerry. Luckily I managed to stay in a good enough shape so I really started to push to get back home nice and fast. Arrived just in time to have lunch and watch the women's XC race in the TV. Well timed! :)

I got everything done today that was planned: covered the distance of 60 km just under 3 hours and 30 minutes with the total elevation gain of 1400 m on this roasting Saturday morning. Loved every minute of it and I think I feel ready for next week's marathon race! Bring it on!!  

 

Kilmashogue climb x 9 times in a row // 2012 goal is done!

I just got back home not long ago from the Kilmashogue Lane where I got one of my special projects done. The plan was there for a while and I had the details worked out as well long ago but the real inspiration was the last year's National Hillclimb Championship. So why not to try and see my climbing limits, hah?

Luckily I picked a nice and bright day for attempt but after all the bad weather just a couple of days ago (snow, hailstones and the rest...) I was honestly worried about the sudden change of weather. I decided to drive out instead of ride my bike there 'cause I needed everything (drink & food, dry clothing) easly accessable. So, after a quick prep I was ready to go!

All ready to go

Let's get the ball rollin'! :)

The plan was to ride nicely and set a constant pace during the climb. So, after I settled into a comfortable pace I started to get the climb done one after another. The first 4 times it was absolutely ok, didn't have any problems at all. But during the 5th, 6th, and 7th time I started to feel pain and tiredness from different parts of my body (lower back, shoulders, arms, legs). By the time I got up to the top the 8th time, it was pretty much obvious to me: I can get it done one more time, but that's about it. So I went for it one more time and after that my body and my head gave it up pretty much in the same time. My lower back was possibly the most critical but I was sore everywhere else too...

The faithful Madone 4.5

But hey, it's done! I completed the Kilmashogue Lane tarmac road climb (between the M50 bridge and the top of the tarmac road) 9 times in a row. Happy days! :)

Map & elevation graph

Details of today's challenge:

Lenght of each climb: 2.58 km

Number of climbs: 9

Total distance: 46.59 km

Total time: 2 hours 42 minutes

Total elevation gain: 2079 m 

Avarage speed: 17,2 km/h

Calories burned: 2033 cal

So, the special goal that I've set for myself for 2012 is done and dusted! I'm very tired and sore but in the main time I'm happy to know I've done what was planned. So, the number to beat is 9 on this brutal climb, next time I'll try to push out the limits a bit more and get a double digit number written on that flat stone. When that next time would be? Don't even ask me! It wont be any time soon, that's for sure!!! :)

Big thank you to John Clarke from ThinkBike for the set of wheels for the day!

Kilmashogue Lane - Special goal for 2012

New year always means new things to achieve on the bike. I just simply like to set goals for myself and work hard to get them done. It always kept me motivated to know there is something to work for and when I can achieve these targets there is my reward: a fantastic feeling and perhaps a nice memory! :) 

I'm a cyclist who loves going uphill, the steeper the better! Based on this I've picked something very special indeed (perhaps many cyclist would use the word crazy instead of special...)  and since the weather is getting better it's time to get the ball rolling. So here it is: I want to climb the Kilmashogue Lane repeatedly as many times as I possibly can. I have done lots of interval sessions on that climb in the last years and the question was always there in the back of my mind: 

"How many times I can get the climb done before I get to the point when I don't go back up again?..."

After I was participating in the National Hillclimb Championship last year I just simply decided to come back in the spring and get this project done. This is not an official record attemp or anything like that, I'm doing this only 'cause I want to experience my own limits on the bike and that's all. 

The route is a 2,3 km long tarmac climb with 217 m elevation gain and some seriously steep sectors in the upper half.

...to get more detailed info in the Kilmashogue climb just click here.

...and here is the detailed data on Strava.

So, I'm very excited about this whole idea and I hope everything will go as I have planned in my head. I'm hoping for good weather and for strong & fresh legs on the day which would be on Saturday, the 7th of April. I hope I can report nothing but good news about my attempt! :)

Hard interval session // Kilmashogue x 4

Just a quick blog post on Thursday evening's interval session up on the Kilmashogue Lane. The main thing that makes me happy is the fact the days are getting longer and longer day by day. Brilliant to be able to switch the night lights on later and later every week! :)

Heading out to my favourite tarmac climb

So, yesterday I did my interval training between the regular start and finish point. After my usual half an hour warmup for these interval sessions I got the climb done 4 times in a row and instead of being jumpy I kept focus on maintaining steady pace during the four climbs. 

Kilmashogue x 4 (sorry for the little manual error, my mistake...)

The training went well, I felt good on the bike. I've had good time on this amazing climb on a great day! I hope all this hard work will pay off soon! :)

I started to try out the USN products: good impression on them but I'll tell you more when I test them all out properly.

ThinkBike.ie interval session - Kilmashogue Lane x 2

Wow, what an evening on the bike! I went out with the ThinkBike.ie CC lads this evening to get some hard interval training done on the road bike. The location was the Kilmashogue Lane , so we all expected some steep climbing as today's task. And we were right: it was steep but it was brilliant! 

All set, ready to go! :)

We started our training session at 6pm sharp just as we do on Thursday evenings. Obviously the place was pitch black so I had all the proper night lights fitted. Today's "dose" was to get the climb done twice in a row from the M50 bridge all the way up to the very top where the tarmac road ends. I haven't been on this climb for a couple months at this stage, so I was super curious to see how it'll go.

Luckily it went the kind of way I hoped for: felt good 'cause I have been doing lots of climbing lately but of the roughly 13 minutes time that took me to get up to the top is way behind my PB. But of course that is 100% OK at this time of the year though! :)

The double Kilmashogue Lane climb at night is done & dusted, it's time to head home

I started to really enjoy all these interval training sessions lately and even if they turn into a night ride road spin every time the whole thing is cool! I just simply like to get on the bike, get out there and get some sweet climbing done. Yep, sometimes it's wet and damp, some other times we are freezing to bits but that's all part of the game, isn't it? But in the end of the day I'm on the bike and that keeps me happy! :)

WW // Leadmines // Threerock - MTB spin

The temperature has been very friendly today so I decided to take advantage of it and hopped on the MTB to get a good XC training spin done. Wet and damp morning it was, but still very mild though. 

The plan was to have the first short segment of the Wicklow Way done, then hop over to Leadmines to do the Epic Club Course and do a little bit up on Threerock on the way home. So, there was no time to waste on this lovely Saturday morning!

My route this morning

I started to climb the Kilmashogue Lane as a good warmup. After the short tarmac bit and the longer fire road climb I got up to the top and started to descent towards Glencullen when I've seen something that I really liked!

The "brand new"...I should say repaired section of the WW

The downhill section of the WW between the junction of the WW / Dublin Mountain Way and the Ballybrack tarmac road was very critical for a good while. The erosion was huge and it just got worst every year. But this sector has been repaired now! The massive "V" shaped trail has been filled and they put many water drains into it as well. This way the previously tricky enough trail is nice and quick now. There are good few of these "steps" along the way also which, I have to say certenly fun to ride! :)

On the well maintained sector of the WW

When I hit the tarmac road I kept going towards Leadmines where I amied to have a lap on the Epic Club Course. It was muddy and wet but it was just perfect just the way it was. From Leadmines I started to head back towards Stepaside. I got up to Threerock on the way home to have a go on the Metro Trail before I finish my spin for the day. By the time I got to Threerock the place was pack of course so I didn't spend too much time there. From there nearly the whole way is downhill, so I got back home quickly just in time for lunch.

My training spin was 3 hours long and did get 50 km done with a little more than 1000m elevation gain. 'Cause the weather didn't make me suffer this time it was just pure fun! And the fact I visited 3 of my favourite MTB destinations around Dublin just made the ride even better. Loved it! :)

National Hillclimb Championship - closer look on the course

I went up to Kilmashogue this morning to check out the championship course once again. I know the road very well but I preferred to have a last go on it before I race there tomorrow evening. The first thing I really liked that the organizers put in a nice effort already to make the course safer and better: all the gravel is cleaned off in the road where the very steep and tricky turns are. 

But lets have a closer look on the course:

The bottom of the climb with the well known name

The bottom section starts with a quiet friendly gradient

Then it gets a bit steeper as we pass by the houses on the left

The first turn along the way: the first really steep bit

The right turn just before the carpark, still nice & steep

After the carpark the gradient drops a little bit...

...and even flatens out for a short section giving the chance to "rest" a bit

Then it gets steeper again slowly...

The real-deal just about to happen at this point

And here we are: the most difficult sector of the climb, no doubt about that!

At this point the gradient gets steeper then 20%!!! Legs are about to fall off! :)

After the destroyer straight bit the road evens out again a little bit

Getting close to the Finish Line

And there it is: the end of the race! After all the steep sectors this bit feels flat and gives a relief indeed

So, this is the National Hillclimb Championship course in details, I can't wait to line up to the start line tomorrow evening! It will be excellent race for sure! :) To add even more to the excitement I will be the first racer who takes off at 7:01pm. Brilliant!

for the full start list please click here.

National Hillclimb Championship - upcoming race

The season is nearly getting to the end but there is still plenty of great competions out there. One of them is the National Hillclimb Championship hosted by the Irish Road Club on the well known (and in some cases feared) Kilmashogue Lane. The decision was made in a hurry but I was planning to compete on this race since I got my road bike. I just wasn't 100% sure about it until the last minute. But I decided: since the Kilmashogue climb is one of my favourite interval training climb I will give my best shot and see how I can manage this time. :)

The championship course is pretty short, it is only 2,5 km long but the steepness is serious indeed. The elevation gain is 220 m and the gradient gets as steep as 20-22% at some places. Luckily the road surface is excellent! The race starts from The St.Columba's College just near the M50 bridge and the finish point is on the very top of the tarmac road where tha farms are

for full information on the race click here.

This weekend will certenly very busy for me: I will race the National Hillclimb Championship (road) on Friday and race the Single Speed World Championship (MTB) on Saturday. These two races are pretty important to me so obviously I would love to do well on both of them. :)

New personal best - Kilmashogue climb (long)

My task was to get a new personal best on the Kilmashogue climb this morning. I love this climb because it is long enough and the avarage gradient is pretty consistent (only couple of steep bits along the way).

As a warmup I cycled through Rathgar and Rathfarnham to get to the start point which is the M50 bridge just next to the Marlay Park.

From the bridge I went up on the Kilmashogue Lane to the Kilmashogue carpark. There I hit the fire road that leads up towards the top of Threerock. I have crossed all to way to the upper section of the tarmac road that runs up to the top which was the finish point.  The first section and the last bit was on tarmac road but most of the route was fire road.

I felt great on the climb and I could manage to set my new personal best on it. It is nice to see what is the best time on climbs like this 'cause I can compare to this time when I give it a go again in the future.

Kilmashogue Climb (long) 

(From M50 bridge to the top where the tarmac road ends on Threerock)

distance: 3 km

max. speed: 22,4 km/h

calories burned: 318 kcal

personal best: 21 minutes 56 seconds