Wicklow 200 2025 Co Wicklow Ireland

Wicklow 200 – Sixteen Years on the Hills
Wicklow 200 8th June 2025.
Every year, I ask myself the same question as I drive towards the Wicklow 200 start line:
“Why am I doing this again?”
Then I see the mist rolling over the hills, the early risers tightening their cleats, the familiar buzz of nervous energy and I remember exactly why. At 5°C, the morning air at Russborough House, the new start for the Wicklow 200 felt more like March than June. But the shiver in my bones wasn’t just from the cold, it was anticipation. At 7:00 am sharpish, the 2025 Wicklow 200 got underway. Over 3,000 cyclists clipped in and rolled out under grey skies and the first of many light showers.
The Sally Gap was the first real test and climbed in reverse this year as part of the new figure-of-eight route. It might have been a change of direction, but it still packed the same punch. At the summit, wind, rain, and single-digit temperatures. A harsh welcome. And just the beginning.
This year, the organisers laid out three food stops — a blessing I didn’t take for granted:
• Laragh (twice)
• Tinahely (mid-route saviour)
The stop at Tinahely couldn’t have come at a better time. Just as I arrived, the heavens opened again, dumping a heavy shower on already-weary riders. I sheltered, refuelled, and tried not to think about how many climbs were still ahead.
Some aren’t on the official highlight reel, but they deserve a mention:
• Slieve Corragh (2.93 km @ 3.5%) – just long enough to wear you down
• Avoca Climb (3.44 km @ 4.6%) – a deceptively steady grind
• Old Long Hill (2.19 km @ 7.4%) – punchy and relentless
• Glendarragh/Cooladoyle (5.37 km @ 2.9%) – long and draining
Together, they build a rhythm of suffering that defines the Wicklow 200.
Now the Real Work Begins as the final 60 kilometres of the course are where you truly earn your medal. Just when the legs are begging for mercy, the route throws up three legendary climbs:
• Slieve Maan – long and soul-stealing
• Shay Elliott – my personal tradition to stop here for a photo and a quiet nod to history
• Wicklow Gap – never easy, always iconic and to add to the pain, a strong headwind.
I always make a point of stopping at the Shay Elliott monument, not just to catch my breath, but to honour Ireland’s first yellow jersey holder in the Tour de France. It’s a quiet, meaningful moment I look forward to every year, a small ritual that adds something deeper to the suffering.
This years Wicklow 200 group riding was only a fantasy. The climbs shred any peloton. I tried to get on the back of many groups but the groups just explode and disintegrate on the next hill and everyone is back riding on their own again as the hills let you know who is boss. You ride solo, in your head, legs burning, watching the kilometres tick down slowly. This moment tells you something about yourself, you now start to push yourself further than you ever thought was possible, when your legs just can't keep pedalling but you find the inspiration from somewhere to just keep going.
This new Wicklow 200 introduced something new this year, there’s something surreal about riding through green-grass roads, narrow roads so rural that a strip of grass grows proudly down the middle, I love cycling these roads. It’s like nature reminding us who's really in charge out here. These roads wind through Wicklow’s stunning landscape, a county that lives up to its title as the Garden of Ireland at every turn.
And yet, despite the pain, the isolation, the cold and rain, it’s so beautiful.
This year was different. I rode it alone, I think every cyclist had to, not by design, but because the route breaks up groups so quickly that you're often left finding your own pace just to finish. In a way, it made the ride more personal. More reflective. This was my 16th Wicklow 200 in a row. And even after all the years, all the climbs, all the brutal conditions, I still get the same feeling crossing that finish line. Relief, such pride and extreme satisfaction of completing another Wicklow 200. This cycling event makes me feel alive and so fortunate to still be able to do what I do on my bicycle. I don't take it for granted, I work hard at it because I just love cycling. Hopefully I can keep going. And already, a spark of excitement for next year, because no matter how hard it gets, there’s nothing quite like the Wicklow 200.
See you in 2026. All going well. See you on the road.
Paul Gammell