TOI start

kenmc

Anyone planning on going along to this tomorrow? I'm hoping to make it up to the M50 bridge where the racing starts, for 10:30 or so. Will bring the camera hopefully and see if I can get some shots.
Anyone else?

DirkVoodoo

Goin to Dundrum myself, couldn't convince anyone to go any further on a "work" day. Probably wont be wearing a boards jersey, but I think there are enough photos of me floating around here now in case anyone is around there.

blorg

Raam and myself are planning on heading down to the finish line- what started at "the M50 bridge" turned into Laragh, Mount Leinster and has ended up being the finish line in Waterford. We aim to take a head start on the race and get down there before them, anyone else is more than welcome to join in BTW, and if there are any Boardsies in Waterford would be happy to meet up.

Getting the 18:25 train back to Dublin, have to be in Waterford a bit before the estimated stage finish at 14:30. I am trying to plot logistics now, hope we should keep up a 30km/h average; doing the actual stage might be over-optimistic, we may have to take a short-cut down to Waterford if we are to be sure to get there (on the other hand if we do the stage we are guaranteed to see the riders whether we make it to Waterford ahead of them or not!)

kenmc

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Goin to Dundrum myself, couldn't convince anyone to go any further on a "work" day. Probably wont be wearing a boards jersey, but I think there are enough photos of me floating around here now in case anyone is around there.

Where were you planning on watching in Dundrum? it only breezes by the balally luas stop in neutralized zone from what I can understand of the route.

DirkVoodoo

Yup, I think that's where we were planning. I wanted to pop out to Enniskerry but the lads here only want to take a quick spin out of UCD, see a blur and cycle back in time for morning coffee. Sad, i know.

Blorg's idea sounds like the way to do it, but a) I can't do it that fast or b) take a day off

blorg

@Dirk- I'd consider heading on up to the National Mint/M50 bridge/Lambs Cross area, only 5 mins further up the road and that is where the flag goes down and the racing actually starts, would be well worth it I reckon.

DirkVoodoo

Blorg - Sounds like that's the thing to do so, thanks for that.

Caroline_ie

guys, I have a few things to write and some photos already to post. I will start new thread.

smithslist

am planning to head towards Laragh to see it around there, its a good cycle out, so hopefully the weather will be good

c0rk3r

Ill be at the very start at Grand canal dock. Will be cool to see everyones photos along the route

Supercell

Lucky for me this goes right by the house, cannot wait, will be out taking pictures

zzzzzzzz

Anyone have a map of the Stage 1 route?

Which way are they going out to roundwood? Out past calary bog, is it?

kenmc

From the official route sheet someone sent around earlier...
0.0 National Mint Start Proper Greenlands 10:44 10:44 10:44
1.0 Lambs Cross Straight On Enniskerry Road 10:45 10:45 10:45
2.1 Roundabout Straight On, both sides 10:47 10:46 10:46
2.4 Sign - Stepaside Straight On 10:47 10:47 10:47
2.8 Traffic Lights Straight On 10:48 10:47 10:47
5.4 Traffic Lights Straight On 10:52 10:51 10:50
9.2 Y Junction Keep Left Texaco Garage 10:58 10:56 10:55
10.4 Speed Bump 10:59 10:58 10:57
10.5 T Junction Right Enniskerry Village 11:00 10:58 10:57
10.6 Town Clock Left 11:00 10:58 10:57
12.1 Narrow Bridge 11:02 11:00 10:59
12.4 T Junction Right Dir Roundwood 11:03 11:01 10:59
14.0 T Junction Left 11:05 11:03 11:01
15.5 T Junction Right - KOM Start Cat 3 Lower Sugar Loaf 11:07 11:05 11:03
17.9 KOM Finish Mirror on RHS 11:11 11:08 11:06
27.5 Roundwood 11:26 11:22 11:18
28.5 Roundwood Post Office Sprint 1 11:27 11:23 11:19

LDB

I'm in work all day
going to try and catch them going by lesson street though as that is close to me.

TinyExplosions

kenmc wrote: »

From the official route sheet someone sent around earlier...
10.5 T Junction Right Enniskerry Village 11:00 10:58 10:57
10.6 Town Clock Left 11:00 10:58 10:57
12.1 Narrow Bridge 11:02 11:00 10:59
12.4 T Junction Right Dir Roundwood 11:03 11:01 10:59
14.0 T Junction Left 11:05 11:03 11:01
15.5 T Junction Right - KOM Start Cat 3 Lower Sugar Loaf 11:07 11:05 11:03
17.9 KOM Finish Mirror on RHS 11:11 11:08 11:06
27.5 Roundwood 11:26 11:22 11:18
28.5 Roundwood Post Office Sprint 1 11:27 11:23 11:19

No Sally Gap eh... thought these guys were supposed to be professionals -Blorg, I hope you're including Sally and Wicklow gaps in your route today... I'd expect nothing less

ROK ON

TinyExplosions wrote: »

No Sally Gap eh... thought these guys were supposed to be professionals -Blorg, I hope you're including Sally and Wicklow gaps in your route today... I'd expect nothing less

Thought that was strange. Have been up Sally Gap 4 times and it is killing me. What is the route to Roundwood that the tour is taking when compared with route up to Sally Gap from Enniskerry. ie what is the road from Enniskerry to Roundwood like in terms of climbs/gradients?

TinyExplosions

ROK ON wrote: »

Thought that was strange. Have been up Sally Gap 4 times and it is killing me. What is the route to Roundwood that the tour is taking when compared with route up to Sally Gap from Enniskerry. ie what is the road from Enniskerry to Roundwood like in terms of climbs/gradients?

It's a grand road, not a huge amount of climbing at all in it. I suppose though the speed those guys will be hitting makes it tough enough!

Downtime

Just back from watching the start at grand Canal Street. Couldn't see Cavendish in the group but as we were heading off we saw a Colombia rider coming up the road who stopped dead in from of us on the corner with a stem problem. Wearing the #1 it was Mark Cavendish.


Small enough field. looking forward to the highlights tonight.

c0rk3r

Missed the start by 3minutes. Thought it was 10:30 beginning. gutted

smithslist

Downtime wrote: »

Just back from watching the start at grand Canal Street. Couldn't see Cavendish in the group but as we were heading off we saw a Colombia rider coming up the road who stopped dead in from of us on the corner with a stem problem. Wearing the #1 it was Mark Cavendish.


Small enough field. looking forward to the highlights tonight.

yeah that was Cavendish alrite, wearing #1, I seeing him out the back at the start, lucky the first 10k are neutralized!!!!!

LDB

Missed the start by 3minutes. Thought it was 10:30 beginning. gutted

me too, annoyed :mad:
went up for 10:30 but I suppose they started a bit early. I stood around for about 20 mins!

kenmc

Just back from KM0. Few pics, nothing special I think. A huge crowd of around 7 at the start. Lucky I got there early :rolleyes:
Pics here

smithslist

LDB wrote: »

me too, annoyed :mad:
went up for 10:30 but I suppose they started a bit early. I stood around for about 20 mins!

they started at 10.15......

DirkVoodoo

I was out last nite, got a phone call at 10:22 this morning waking me up. Popped into the shower, hopped on the bike and raced in...got to Foster's ave at 10:44. Gutted I missed the bunch passing through, but one of the lads got some class photos. Would have liked to go to the start like Blorg suggested, but none of the lads wanted to stray far from UCD

kenmc

Oh the best part was watching the postwoman throwing a wobbly cos they'd closed the road and wouldn't let her drive out of the estate where she'd been delivering letters. You'd think that An Post would have some idea about it..... ? :rolleyes:

Caroline_ie

The riders got lost somewhere along the route, wasting about 30 minutes.
Met Niceonetom, Cadex at the start in the quays, and Raam and Blorg, who made it to Waterford before the riders at the finish.

blorg

Caroline_ie wrote: »

The riders got lost somewhere along the route, wasting about 30 minutes.

Classic stuff, we were wondering what was keeping them!

Great day cycling to see the end of the race whizz by in 15 seconds! We took a pretty "direct" route down but almost all on back roads and it was more than a bit hilly in places. Quite a good (and completely gratuitous) climb near the start took us up over 325m, in order to avoid the N81.



We were on the N9 for only around 5km during which Raam was almost killed by a truck, gave him about 4cm at the most passing, absolutely disgraceful driving (we were single file, me behind, and as close to the edge as we could be too.) Wavin were the owners of it if ye happen to be a big consumer of plastic pipes and want to start a boycott.

I must say it was absolutely classic to sprint down the finishing straight in Waterford with all the 500m, 400m, etc to go markers and with spectators cheering us!

David Millar's chain snapped just inches from the finish line


Raam has a very good photo of the winner who shall remain nameless for now as I am sure many of ye will be watching the highlights in just a few minutes.

Raam

A great day indeed, near death experiences aside. Although, I thought I was a goner.

Anyway, the real winner was Blorg who beat me by bike lengths in the sprint. In my defense, I suck. That's all I got. Though it sure was great fun hammering it down the main run in getting all the attention from the awaiting fans. Even the Gardai were cheering us on, either that or telling us to get off the course

Many thanks to Blorg for routing us over that climb first thing in the morning. I'll remember that one. Having said that, he made up for it by doing a great job leading into the headwind for most of the way. Thanks for that.

If you are watching the highlights now, don't click this link...
http://picasaweb.google.com/PLDoyle/TOI2008Stage1

Caroline_ie

Do u recognize these 2 cyclists ...? hehe!!!!

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Do u recognoze these 2 cyclists ...? hehe!!!!

Blorg, what are you smoking in that pic?

Chips Lovell

Raam wrote: »

Blorg, what are you smoking in that pic?

Looks like a fat one.