Ring of Beara

This time last year I completed a very cold and soggy Tour de Connemara. That same day on Facebook I saw pictures of my friends in Beara. They were sunburnt, smiling and toasting their wonderful cycling achievement. I was gutted!
One year on I drove down to Kenmare on Friday in rain and was worried. Maybe I am a bad omen. "Soft day thank God" the Kenmare natives told me at registration. Great. I kept checking YR.NO and it clearly said Saturday was to be perfect. Hallelujah! They were spot on. Blue skies, I could see mountains clearly, no trees were blowing past my door, in fact it was almost "tropic!" I still brought my rain jacket though, old habits die hard and previous lessons well learnt.

Myself and Aine Greene set off in earnest, we had never been to that peninsula and really wanted to give ourselves a push. We were doing the 140km route but there is also a 110km. On such a stunning day I can honesty say that it was by far the most beautiful route I have ever cycled. It was simply breathtaking. Lots of lovely bays, calm waters, fishing boats, lobster pots and pink! Azaleas. Bright cerise pink lined most of the route. It's no wonder the event uses the same colour for its logo and jerseys. They just grow wild all over the peninsula and are in full bloom at this time.

The cycle route was picturesque and not too busy. There were plenty of cyclists to chat to, form pelotons with but not mad busy that you couldn't relax and enjoy the scenery. We left Kenmare and headed south to the tip of the peninsula, towards Allihies. I had never heard of it but won't forget it in a hurry. Exciting, steep, short, sharp climbs that got the better of a lot of cyclists. Narrow roads, pot holes, the odd switch back and amazing views to top it off. What more could you ask for? It really was a thrilling ride that pushed you enough and challenged your technical skills.

We had plenty of food stops to choose from. The two I stopped at (Allihies and Glengarriff) were very well organised, plenty of grub, tea/ coffee/ water, bike racks and loos. It's always the one thing that can make or break a sportive. Thumbs up to the event organisers it really was well organised. For the most part the route is rolling, it was so hard to concentrate on the road for stunning scenery!

The view from the peninsula(photograph with thanks to Tour de Beara)

I wish I had taken more pictures because words just don't do it any justice. Being a leisure cyclist the point of sportives is to see new places. The Ring of Beara is an achievable cycle route for most I would think. There is a long drag into Glengarriff but in a group the wheels keep turning and you get there. After the food stop in Glengarriff there is a 9km climb to Cahir pass. It's much easier than Wicklow gap so if you can do that you can easily do this. I loved the drummers at the top of the pass, tribal beats to get you to the tunnel. Dark and damp it's fun and exciting to get a little scared in the dark!

The tunnel at the Caha Pass(photograph with thanks to Tour de Beara)

A massive decent and on your way home. Kenmare was electric and really the whole town went above and beyond themselves to make us all welcome.

Kenmare at the finish(photograph with thanks to Tour de Beara)

The finishers area was amazing, medals, bike racks, pasta and water. Lots of other beverages too, sure you need to rehydrate! The an Post Rebel tour (September) is the same peninsula but takes in Healy pass twice and is longer (160km). If your looking for a manageable route, stunning scenery, good food and a few drinks then I would highly recommend the Ring of Beara in May. Plus, the Azaleas are in full bloom and they are worth the trip alone.

Sinead and Aine at the finish(photograph with thanks to Sinead Kennedy)