On leaving Carrick for the Carrick Wheelers Challenge Sportive Route the first of the eight challenges comes within 5km of the start and is possibly the least testing of the challenges, taking its short distance into the 160km event into account.
The climb is 3 km long, reaches a height of over 200metres above sea level and has gradient of up to 18% in places, with the majority of the climb being in the 10% to 15% gradient rage.
Its smooth tarmac surface will allow the fresh participants to ride efficiently up the climb and roll along the top taking in the beautiful scenery and wildlife. As one can see from the photos included with this article, Tullahought is a very picturesque part of South County Kilkenny, with plenty of wildlife in the area and, as one local informed me as I took a picture of the drinking fountain (pictured below), boosts ‘the finest drinking water in Ireland…in fact, you couldn’t get more pure water than what you see before you!’
Although I wouldn’t advise stopping to take in either at this early stage of the event, as with 150km to go better to keep clocking up the kilometres.
After passing through the village of Tullahought the route continues for a number of kilometres before swinging left and descending back down the valley towards the townsland known as Skough. The descent is on a good road but as always when descending on open roads; caution is needed especially as the route approaches a junction at Delaney’s pub and swings left again. The route is then fairly flat for several kilometres as you pass through the village of Faugheen having taking a right turn off the R697. After passing through the village in Faugheen, the route follows the road all the way along to the junction for The Gap of Rathclarish, which is about a kilometre later, where the route takes a right.
The Gap of Rathclarish is truly a steep, difficult climb as it reaches gradient of over 20% in places with the majority of the climb being in the 10% – 20%. This 2.5km climb again reaches a height of over 200metres above sea level and is a difficult challenge, as it is steeper than Challenge 1 Tullahought and has a rougher surface.
As the route crests the top of the hill the participants will begin to feel the opening challenges in their legs and some are sure to be thinking ‘2 down, 6 to go’.
The route then gives riders a chance to recover after these opening climbs as there is a distance of about 15km between the top of The Gap of Rathclarish and the start of Challenge 3 – Slievenamon. So, it will be a case of get in a group, cycle two a breast, and get plenty of shelter and recovery time because for the 3rd and remaining Challenges of the day you will need a lot of energy, so make sure not to overdo it at times like this early on.
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