He should have taken some direction from his dad.
Nico Roche is leaving Sky and will ride for BMC next season. I see he was 9th in the San Sebastian classic two weeks ago.
Day 2 of the TdeM. Great day. About 100km in Co Clare then the rest in Kerry. Lovely weather, light breeze, good roads too helped a lot. Great reception into Tralee was a real treat. The main hammer drop was a 14km effort on route from Listowel to Tralee. Came in the top 20, won the sprint in the third group home, delighted with that. Thereās about a half dozen A1/A2/A3 riders who are hoovering up all the hammers but tbf theyāre classy on the road. Kelly is flying it, was in the second group sprint into Tralee.
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Dan is up today.
He has a chance. Its a hilly course. My money is on costa the portugese ex world champ
Thatās great going. I had a chat with Kelly for ten mins or so on Malcolm rourkes charity sportif a couple of years back. He was in an elite group with rourkie (as heās generally called), Malcolm Elliot and a few others, on a borrowed bike, and was absolutely untroubled. He is a beast of a man even now.
Saw a report and pictures in todayās examiner. Fair play, did you get up Patricks hill?
I did indeed. Some atomsphere; they really did fill the Hill!
Had the wind on our backs for most of Sunday. The early climb up the Caha Pass had a bit of wind but nothing much to write home about. Glorious morning and the valley below looked spectacular. Gouganbarra was bathed in sunshine also and we were on time making Lissarda and then Ballincollig - flew in the road at speeds up to 40km/ph. Not too much waiting at the Kingsley and then onto Patricks Bridge. There is a group of contenders that is sent up first to see who is the quickest out of the peleton. I must try it next year, not that Iām much of a contender but it gives you more time up on the Hill to appreciate what everyone else goes through. I like to go up with my group seeing as you spend so much time with them.
Saturday was tough. It was supposed to be the best of the weather but we didnāt see it really. Hard spin out to the bottom of the Connor Pass from Tralee; our goal was to deliver 3 of the strong ladies from the peleton and for them to have a crack off the QOM. We did our job, averaged 32km/ph out there but when we got there you could feel the wind straight away so no chance of the top prize. Think they got PRās alright. I cycled it up with another lad and we shared the work. Nowhere near a PR for me but the wind was also a factor. Plus I was fucked after the spin out.
Molls gap, we had the worst of the day. More wind into us and mist at the top. Rode the Ladies View section well enough and dragged a train of 6 along the flat bit as far as it opens up but blew up at that stage. Cycled the rest on my own but was happy enough. Counted 20 odd ahead of me so will take that.
Great event folks. If you are a cyclist or even if you are not you should consider doing it. If you have a connection with Down Syndrome and want to fund raise on their behalf this is a rewarding way of doing it. Some great inspirational stories and characters there. One chap from Tipp, very inspiring to see how he got around. The man has cerebral palsy and he completed it. So it can be done by folks of all shapes and sizes.
Some amount of aten and drinking on it though, put up nearly a half stone. All about the carbing up sureā¦
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Well done boy, sounds like a blast. Can you appreciate the scenery cause it sounds like ye had plenty of it. I like the new avatar as well, a lovely drinking spot on a fine evening.
I remember when the old professional tour of Ireland was going on during the glory days of cycling as a spectator sport in Ireland, one afternoon myself and a few mates got a great spot on Patricks Hill where it turns a little steeper towards the top, great fun watching some of the top cyclists in the world struggle up it.
Cheers chief. I couldnāt resist the pic when we were so close to it the other day. Not a bad auld spot for a pint or two alright.
Patricks Hill is something else to get up. The bit from Wellington Road to the top will take you around 90 seconds to do but itās straight up and like you said, where it ramps up it the hardest of hard bits. But you get there. Iāve done it around 20 times at this stage. Put my foot down the first time I attempted it but that was 5 years ago and I had only started back cycling around a month at that stage. Havenāt put the foot down since. Tis a baasht of a climb though! Cav and Armstrong turned back when they saw it the last time the Tour of Ireland was in Cork, the quitters!
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Whatās the surface like on Paddyās Hill these days? I remember going down to watch the Nissan in the old days and it was bumpy enough. One year a team car got stuck on it and there was carnage. Robert Millar just put his hand out and held onto the barriers and laughed his head off. Was there the wet day when Kelly broke away with Sean Yates, I think.
Thatās good ridinā. How does it work, controlled groups for most of the day and they let ye off the leash for the last hour or at certain intervals?
Yeah, pretty much like that. 8 groups to hold the 120 or so riders on each day. Day one there are hammer drops from Carrick on Suir to Clonmel (to pay homage to Kellyās epic time trial back in 1985), Christ the King climb and decent around Bansha and then the last 8km on the Clonlara to Killaloe road. Day two, 5km to the next village out of Killaloe, nice decent into it, begins with āTā, then the last 3km down to Killimor from Kilrush and then a 12km on the Listowel to Tralee road ending before you go into the town - thatās a great one! Tralee to Connor Pass and Torc to the top of Molls Gap on Day 3. Day 4 is the Caha Pass and then the Pass close to GougĆ”nbarra which name escapes me. And then of course Patricks Hill. So something for everyone.
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Very good these days @balbec, not a problem.
Kelly tells a great story of one Nissan. Canāt remember the names of the riders but he could feel he was in trouble on one of the Patricks Hill reps they did back then. He had a team mate along side him and a rival coming up fast behind him. Told the team mate to take a dive, thus taking out the lad coming up fast. Rode away from the carnage then. You couldnāt make it up!!
Christ the King, you mean up the Glen of Aherlow? Thatās a nice climb, bit harder from the Tipp town side if itās the same one.
Yep, thatās the one. From the Bansha side alright with the hairpin and the grotto. Had to give it a miss this year as we were late leaving Waterford and into a headwind all day. Shame as itās a nice climb with a great decent. Like you said, wouldnāt like climbing it from the Tipp Town sideā¦
Went over to watch the Nissan there one year. The cunts came up the Tipp side on the big ring. Cool as mustard.
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Hopping Iād say 
Gollum won the TT today but Quintana still leads by over a minute. The Vuelta will be decided in the last mountain stage tomorrow.
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I think Froome looks more like one of the lads from the bar in the first Star Wars.
He has no chance of taking a minute out of Quintana.