Organiser: Eoghan Barry (eoghanbarry72@gmail.com)
Contact: 14 Waterloo Road, Apt. 4, Dublin 4
Entry Fee: €5 cash/cheque, €6 PayPal (download entry form).
Closing Date For Entries: Monday, 28th May
Start Point: Stephen Roche Monument, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16
Start Time: 6am, Saturday June 2nd
Cycling Ireland license, helmet and lights mandatory. One-day license available at start.
Map (NB this map is of an outdated version of the route – I will update with a corrected version before the event. However it should give you a good idea of where you’re going.)
The REK (Roche-Elliott-Kelly) 400 is one of the most demanding yet rewarding routes in the Audax Ireland calendar. Starting from the Stephen Roche monument in Dundrum, it ascends Glenmalure to the Shay Elliott memorial before pushing south through the hills of Wexford and Kilkenny to Sean Kelly Square in Carrick-on-Suir. Looping back through the Kilkenny hills, you head east through Enniscorthy to Blackwater, up the coast road to Arklow and home.
Although there are few mountains on the route, the constant succession of hills will challenge all but the fittest of randonneurs and even the minor ascents in the final hundred kilometers can be testing for tired legs. The new start time of 6am means that all entrants can expect several hours cycling through the night – good lights, warm clothing and reflective gear are essential. However the scenery is more than adequate compensation, taking in the best that Leinster has to offer with fantastic views and quiet roads.
