For the benefit of those that missed the cycle last weekend I've summarised the main points I remember from the route. We didn't cycle the section before the Park so those notes are from memory last year.
Bike Route 2016:
www.strava.com/activities/627329439 - Belpark recce from Park
For 2016 it appears (though not confirmed yet) that the route will be in reverse to 2015. There have been a small number of other route changes also.
Leaving Dun Laoghaire be aware of a few speed bumps and small pot holes, in general the road from here to North Quays is Ok. After crossing the Liffey past the East Link Toll there is a tight left turn at roundabout, keep an eye out as can be slick in wet. From here to Phoenix Park is fast and relatively good surface – Enjoy.
The first change for 2016 is that now the route does not go through the Park, rather you will continue along south of park and towards Chapelizod. You will turn off the main road (right) into a narrow section with a number of speed bumps in the village. This is then followed by the first climb of the day. It is steep and at the apex you will be turning left down onto the Strawberry beds. You will pick up speed on this descent, and there are a number of speed bumps on the descent!!! In total there are 16 speedbumps along the stretch to Lucan. Coming out of Lucan there is another climb, not as long or steep as the first but will break up your momentum.
After leaving Lucan, there is a small hump back bridge that you will be turning left after (you will revisit this bridge towards end of cycle also) heading towards Leixlip. The next section towards Maynooth is a slow gradual drag, with nothing to note in particular. In bypassing Maynooth, there is an offset crossroad where you will go right/left in quick succession. Heading towards Kilcock is a quiet road with good surface, however this will then change into a number of narrow roads, tight turns to other roads with loose gravel / potholes on the junctions.
The last long drag of a climb on this section is up the about 53km mark where at a crossroad you’ll turn right towards Dunboyne. This section is downhill for 8km on a main road so you should be able to gain back some time/speed. There is a turn to the left before Dunboyne to be aware of, which will redirect you down some more narrow roads of mixed surface quality. After passing through Dunboyne, the route is fairly direct, just pay attention to potholes and drains along the left.
You will come back towards the humpback bridge (referred to above) again. Slow down as you come to the peak, there is a very sharp left turn to be made on the opposite side. There is a narrow 1m strip of road to the very left, then a metal manhole cover, then more road surface with some loose gravel. After this section you will be heading into Castleknock which is a little more up-and-down than the preceding flat sections, with one final short sharp climb (you wont have to worry about the traffic lights on raceday!) before a long descent into the Park.
On entering the park you’ll follow the road around the south of the park, after the windy section through the trees the road starts to drop, it’s a nice fast decent, but there is another tight left turn at the bottom to be aware off. All that remains is to cycle up the final climb (S Bends) and down acres road to transition.
I'll caveat all the above by saying that while in general the road surface is pretty good, there were some sections which had considerable number of drains, covers, potholes, speed bumps etc so keep your wits about you and stay out from the extreme left of the road. Also that the route we did was based off a document not officially released yet though we believe it will be the final route.
These are also some general bike points I mentioned at the talk:
• Powerbar is the brand provided at aid stations, try before the race, or avoid and carry your own. The exact flavours will be specified in the Race brief document.
• Aid stations will shout out what they have in the bottles on the bike, water or powerbar drink. Do not stop, or swerve to grab one (there is probably someone right behind you on a bike) There is generally a line of volunteers, if you miss the first there will be more. Generally water, powerbar, water, powerbar
• Have 1 cheap bottle on the bike that you are happy to lose. Before waterstation toss it into the mountain of empties you will see. Then pick up 1 or 2 new bottles as you go through, repeat as required at each station. At end of race you’ll have 2 new powerbar bottles for the 1 you tossed early in race.
• Don’t kill yourself on the bike, you’ll regret it halfway into the run
• Watch out for drafting (though I didn’t see a single draft marshal last year). The changes this year will probably lend themselves to more drafting.
• Bodyglide is not just for your neck – lube up everywhere you think there is a chance of chaffing. Sea water will dry into salt crystals that can cause big issues on the bike/run!