Carrick Wheelers Challenge Sportive – Challenges 3 & 4

Having completed Challenge 2 you will find yourself on the N76 which you will travel along for a few kilometres and this is where this article picks up…

As you turn right (at Dempsey’s Cross) off the main N76 road along the Valley of Slievenamon in the direction of the village of Ballypatrick, you will now notice that you are now in ‘horsey country’ as stud farms, stables and many horses grazing on the Golden Vale will be observed.  This beautifully scenic road will take you straight to the crossroads in the middle of the village of Ballypatrick where the route turns right and Challenge 3 – Slievenamon  – commences.

This is 2.4km climb has an average gradient of 7.3% (according to my newly found gradient calculating skills) and rises to a height of over 200m.  The climb itself starts off gradually with the first 500m being no more than 5% – 7%.

The climb then kicks up as the road approaches the village of Kilcash and participants will be facing more testing gradient levels of 10% – 15% through Kilcash up to the turn off for the summit.  Just a word of warning – continue straight at this point and NOT to take the turn off for the Summit, unless you fancy a hike to the top of Slievenamon with a bike on your back in addition to the hundred and sixty testing kilometres of the Sportive!  So, as I was saying, the route continues straight after Kilcash and the climb begins to level out at about 5% having passed the turn off for the summit and the climb finishes with field of lamas to the left and donkeys to the right!

The decent from Challenge 3 is again relatively straight forward as its slowly brings the riders back to the down the mountain for about 4km before taking a right at a fairly open junction signposted in ‘old money’ as Duffield would say as, Grangemockler ¾ miles.  This road will then bring you down to the Tipperary Village of Grangemockler, famous for the strong presence of Traffic Corps in the parish, so it will be a case of on the brakes for cars and cyclists alike! The 5km descent from Slievenamon to Grangemockler isn’t super steep, as Grangemockler itself is still at height of 133m above sea level.

In Grangemockler the route takes a right at the main junction in the village (direction Clonmel) and stays on the main road (N76) all the way to the junction beside the Ormond stores (pictured below), where the route goes left in the direction of Kilsheelan.  These 10km or so, of main road cycling drops in altitude from 133m, as I already mentioned, to about 38m above sea level, so plenty of drafting and recovery advised again.  As riders, come along the N76 they will already be familiar with a few kilometres of the route having already passed that way between Challenges 2 and 3, however, this time round the route continues straight at Dempsey’s Cross, in the direction of Clonmel ( so don’t go for a second loop of Slievenamon!!) The route continues along this road for another few kilometres before turning left at the cross roads at the Ormonde Stores (Gammonsfield ) and heads for the former Tidy Town Winning Village of Kilsheelan.

Kilsheelan is a truly picturesque village, kept beautifully be the locals as one can see from the picture below.  As you come into the village of Kilsheelan caution is needed as you approach a busy junction.  The route crosses the busy N24 Waterford – Limerick road here and takes you over a humpback bridge crossing the River Suir (pictured below).  I would advise, on this occasion, a quick stop on the bridge for those who are not from this area just to simply take in the beauty of this wonderfully scenic area.

On leaving the bridge the participants will be entering their third county of the day and will be duly greeted by a ‘Welcome to Co. Waterford’ sign.  Then no sooner will they have passed this, they will be greeted with a 200m short steep ‘leg breaker’ that reaches gradient of 20% at its steepest, but the good news you will be over it just as quick as it was sprung upon you.

The route the takes a right at the top of that short hill along a road that the Carrick locals would call the ‘back road to Clonmel’ and continues along this wonderfully tree covered road for 5km.  As I rode the recon of this section of the route not a car or motorised vehicle did I meet in the entire 5km, music to every cyclists ears!  The route then takes a left off this R680 road and then, with over 60kms covered, the real pain of the Carrick Wheelers Challenge Sportive begins with, Challenge 4 – Tigancor.

Tigancor is 3.3km climb that brings you right from the bank of the River Suir to the heights of the Comeragh Mountains Range.  Its average gradient of 8% is somewhat misleading as within metres of turning left onto the climb; riders who possess gadgets such as mine will be looking at gradients of 20% plus on their computers, as they rock over and back on their bikes, with some maybe even weaving over and back on the road.  The climb of Tigancor is a long, difficult and steep climb with the first 2kms being the hardest but in truth, the entire climb is difficult.  As riders approach the top of this climb, they will be guided right and right again, and will descend to begin the Nire Valley Loop with a sore pair of legs and the thought in their mind that Ireland Toughest Sportive is really up and running!!