Date: Saturday 28th September 2024

Difficulty/Climbing (from * to *****)    *****

Navigation should be straightforward – keep the water on the right in the morning and on the left in the afternoon.

The road is undulating.

Organiser: Stuart McLean

E-Mail: stuartm@stiona.com

Phone: 0044 7966255887

Address: 20 Ben Madigan Park South, Belfast, BT36 7PX

Entry Fee €5 on Eventmaster, plus fees
Optional ACP or Audax Ireland Medal €7
1-day Licence if required €20, this will be charged automatically on Eventmaster if you do not enter a valid Annual Licence number.

Entry on Eventmaster (September): to follow

Closing Date: Tuesday 24th September 2024

Start Location: Belfast Boucher Road.

B&Q car park.  Corner of Boucher Road/Balmoral Road.

Start Time: 6.00am

Facilities: Parking at start (On Street parking on Balmoral Road). Unsupported event.

Route Description:

Draft route is here: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4585791. but will be subject to change.

In 2014 the Giro visited Belfast and included a stage through the Glens of Antrim and Causeway Coast.  The Glens are classified as an area of outstanding natural beauty.  So I thought we’d follow suit and take advantage of some of the re-surfaced roads. Now, glen means valley – “typically one that is long, deep, and often glacially U-shaped” – so expect some climbing.  Part of the route is along the coast road – so expect a bit of flat too.

Starting from Belfast (parking available) and heading out over the Cave Hill above Belfast and Knocklagh, with its commanding views over Belfast Lough,  through Carcickfergus and Glen’O before heading along the coast to Glenarm .  This route will follow the Antrim Coast Road – regarded as one of the great tourist routes of the world.

Continuing along the coast through Cushendall and Cushendunn, the riders can experience the spectacular views over the Mull of Kintyre, crashing waves and historical intrigue of Torr head arriving at Ballycastle for lunch.

From Ballycastle the route follows the Causeway Coast past the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giant’s Causeway (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986), through Bushmills and Portrush to control at Portstewart (160K). The route then loops back through Coleraine to Ballycastle (control).

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From Ballycastle we start to head back to Belfast, on the “straight road” up the Glendun Road and Old Cushendun Road, to Broughshane and on to Ballyclaire.

This will be an unsupported event.

On return, you are unlikely to pass anything open between Ballycastle (~ 200km) and Broughshane (~250km) (might have a pub or a chip shop open in evening), Ballyclare (~275km) (Asda open until 10pm) so stock up in Ballycastle with enough to get you back to Belfast.

As with all Audax events over 200km, lights and reflective clothing are mandatory.  I will be checking lights at the start – no lights, no card.