Click on the below routes for Rás na mBan 2008.
DAY 1
Sneem – Kenmare – Sneem (taking in Moll’s Gap) 35.28 miles
DAY 2
STAGE 2 – 2 mile TT from Parknasilla to Sneem
Sneem – Tahilla – Killarney Road – Sneem
DAY 3
SAMPLE HILLY ROUTES
Some of you might be new to cycling, and are hoping to race in Rás na mBan. With the help of a few of the girls around the country we have put together some sample hilly routes. As you can see from the above links, the stages are quite hilly – so if you follow Paddy Doran’s Training Programme here and use the sample 2 hour training spins below, you should be sorted!!
UP NORTH – Ballymena region – Louise Fullerton
A favourite is one from Broughshane heading for Glenarm, few wee drags until a descent into Glenarm and around the coast to Carnlough and up a 2 or so mile drag up carnlough and into broughshane and ballymena again.
Or you could go into Carnlough from Broughshane, down the decent of Carnlough around the coast to Waterfoot and it’s a five mile climb up Waterfoot (they take in this climb in the Tour of the North), it takes you into Martinstown, Cargan and then Ballymena.
LIMERICK REGION – Adrienne McCarthy
Ours is quite simply the Graves of the leinstermen of about a 10 km climb up and up! Its a 14mile cycle out past killaloe from limerick city center – you can descend down into nenagh and then back to Limerick – great big climb.
We also have cratloe – better know as gallows which is a 4km climb that is based about 5 miles from Limerick city centrer and leads to lots of subsequent climbs.
If anyone is looking for something more specific in the limerick area contact queries@womenscycling.ie and we’ll pass on contact details for Adrienne who will happily direct you up lots of great climbing routes!
CARRICK-ON-SUIR REGION – Emma Walsh
Emma has pointed us in the direction of the Sean Kelly Tour here where you can pick from many routes! This tour should be good fun, and a sociable way of taking in a few climbs!! It takes place on the 24th August.
CORK REGION – Fiona Meade
If you are living in Cork, you can’t go wrong if you do some training on the 2008 National Championship route, in Glouthane. the loop is only about 10km, but is a tough hilly circuit.
We will try to have few more routes up to help – let us know if you have any special requests, or have any sample routes you would like to share.
A second route that’s lovely in the cork region(seeing as i dont think anyone would want to revisit that hill in glounthane!)is from cork city go out the carrigrohane straight towards ballincollig.Turn right at the set of traffic lights just vefore the balincollig roundabout.Pass the angles rest pub on your right.The road sweeps round to the left…continue on this.This road will take you to Dripsey and Coachford.Turn left in Coachford for Farran.Folow that road and it’ll take you over the bridge across the inniscarra dam.Take the first left after the bridge and continue on that rolling road..straight all the way(you’re basically doing a loop of the inniscarra dam)You eventually get to a few hairpin bends(great for practising technique!)and come out at a T junction with a pub on your right hand side.Turn left and you are now on the N25 heading back in towards cork city…it’a about 15km back into cork city on this road.the whole route is about 55km.It’s lovely quite route(except for the last 15km)with lovely views of the dam….enjoy!!
Thanks for the ras na mban routes.Valerie,thanks a mill for mapping them…it’s great,
fi