What Cycling Ireland Road Race Category are Boards viewers!?

Slideshowbob

Might be interesting - perhaps best to vote only if you have a current licence and/or have raced this year.

Lumen

A+

Technically I'm not even an A4 since I only have a Club Competition licence.

Slideshowbob

Lumen wrote: »

Technically I'm not even an A4 since I only have a Club Competition licence.

Interesting - good job I qualified the poll

hold on ..........

BREAKING NEWS

THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND LUMEN!

Flankerb

A+

A4 what about race numbers aswell?

Lumen

A+

Slideshowbob wrote: »

Interesting - good job I qualified the poll

hold on ..........

BREAKING NEWS

THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND LUMEN!

I was just trying to clarify the purpose of your poll. :rolleyes:

Are you trying to establish in which category we race, or what is the licence status?

Slideshowbob

Flankerb wrote: »

A4 what about race numbers aswell?

Sorry dont understand your question

Slideshowbob

Lumen wrote: »

I was just trying to clarify the purpose of your poll. :rolleyes:

Are you trying to establish in which category we race, or what is the licence status?

Sorry if not clear enough

Trying to establish the former

So if you have a 2010 CI race licence what cat is it OR if you have taken out a 1 day licence for a race - what cat was it?

that's clear enough?!?

niceonetom

A+

No vote from you yet bob?

Slideshowbob

Interesting so far 6-0-0-0 to the A4's !! Hmmm

thanks for voting - keep em coming!

Probably wont get a balanced representation for a day or two

PS - no aint raced or applied for a lic yet this year

DirkVoodoo

A+

Blorg is probably adding up points wondering if he has been upgraded again.

Beasty

Where's the vet option (Mr Fowl reliably informs me this is equivalent to A4, although I think there should be a lower catergory for a vet who has never raced in his life!)?

Slideshowbob

Beasty wrote: »

Where's the vet option (Mr Fowl reliably informs me this is equivalent to A4, although I think there should be a lower catergory for a vet who has never raced in his life!)?

When i say race i mean a CI open race - not an IVCA race or club/interclub

Slideshowbob

ha ha

who added A+ to the poll? I don't think we will need that!!!

Caroline_ie

A+

Does that related to the size of people's manhood? Is that what is it really all about?

... in which case I shouldn't have voted.

Lumen

A+

FWIW, the numbers from the Feb 5th C.I. approved list were:

A+: 3
A1: 31
A2: 72
A3: 209
A4: 200
JR: 28
U12: 26
U14: 64
U16: 49

Obviously that was very early on in the year, and doesn't include the 445 who have Club Competition licences but would presumably compete in A4 (?).

Slideshowbob

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Does that related to the size of people's manhood? Is that what is it really all about?

... in which case I shouldn't have voted.

dont lower the tone - this is a scientific survey

DirkVoodoo

A+

I was asked on Sunday by an Under16 if I was a fellow U16 of his. Either my youthful good looks or bambi like cycling ability led him to believe this, I'm not sure which.

Lumen

A+

Slideshowbob wrote: »

ha ha

who added A+ to the poll? I don't think we will need that!!!

I didn't want you to feel left out.

Gavin

Hey, I find this poll offensive. Why are there no counts for the offroad racing ? I paid good money for my bleedin license.

Your discrimination is not on SideShowBobby

victorcarrera

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Does that related to the size of people's manhood? Is that what is it really all about?

... in which case I shouldn't have voted.

I dont think so.
And just in case you hadnt noticed.
On a cold day we all look like girls.;)

blorg

A4

Can we have a category for triathletes?

Slideshowbob

I am not that familiar with off road in ireland so dont even know what cats they using this year

nothing to stop you creating a thread/poll on that topic if u want!!!

Also I know nothing about Triathlon and their cats - again a separate poll could be started on it?

Flankerb

A+

Slideshowbob wrote: »

Sorry dont understand your question

What about including our race number aswell to help identify fellow Boardies?
ie Green 264

levitronix

A+

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I was asked on Sunday by an Under16 if I was a fellow U16 of his. Either my youthful good looks or bambi like cycling ability led him to believe this, I'm not sure which.

You should of told him you were U14 and kicked his ass in a sprint haha:D

blorg

A4

Slideshowbob wrote: »

I know nothing about Triathlon and their cats

RobFowl

A+

blorg wrote: »

Just getting a cup of tea and waiting for Tunney to start giving out about the poor aero positioning.....

godihatedehills

I don't think I'm any of them....how about a club racer category?

sy

Beasty wrote: »

Where's the vet option (Mr Fowl reliably informs me this is equivalent to A4, although I think there should be a lower catergory for a vet who has never raced in his life!)?

‘Super Vets’, i.e. those who have amassed more than 30 points classed as A2

The vets with points fewer than 30 A3

Vets just in it for a bit of fun A4

Taken from Cycling Ireland website.

So Beasty looks like its A4 for you.

Had hoped to join IVCA this year and also race some of the A4 races but have to postpone due to old age injury.
By the way would like to look at the table at the end of the season

I propose that there is a prize giving ceremony next November (Boards Members only) for the highest points amassed, most improved, best climber, best galloper, Lantern Rouge, best wheels, most bling, youngest looking (ie U16 lookalikes:pac: ), best telemetry on a bike, oldest Boards member with sore knee. Forget the last few but on a serious note it might be a nice idea. Open to your suggestions.

Oh yeah, Blorg is excluded!

billy.fish

A4

What about mountain bikers?

I know a certain Elite rider who only has an A2 licence

Slideshowbob

I gather the A1 - A4 cats apply in same way as Senior 1, 2, 3 / A, B, C did in previous years i.e. only to road racing, not MTB etc

Maybe have a look over CI rules etc if u can find them!?

ROK ON

What is interesting to me as a non racer is that of the people who voted that I know, I bet very few of the had a race license 2years ago.
So it would seem that people who liked cycling found other folks who liked cycling. Did a few social spins, longer rides, challenges and sportifs together. Then these people went off joined clubs trained and finally began racing.
This seemed to have happened independently of Cycling Ireland promoting the sport.
I think the metamorphosis of various people here in past few years is great.
It maybe worth bringing this to the attention of Cycling Ireland from several points.
1, there are a lot of people who love cycling and want to take it further,
2, these people can be found on websites, at sportifs etc.
3, I have never seen Cycling Ireland try to market itself in anyway to those new to the sport or at its edges but want to get in a bit deeper.
For example maybe the organisation could set up a promotion stall at the various sportifs etc.

Anyway. A bit longwinded and maybe off the point. But while it is natural to expect some attrition in this years new racers. Maybe a new crop is waiting to take their place.
I just wanted to get across the poi that it is great that so many are progressing from tadpoles into baby frogs so to speak.

Lumen

A+

The popularity of the A4 category is great, but (speculating from ignorance) I suspect what the sport really needs is a decent number people racing at higher levels to give promising young talent a decent ladder to climb up to future greatness.

A bunch of past-it nu-Freds battling it out for glory in the white heat of A4, whilst entertaining for ourselves, isn't going to produce much glory for Ireland on the professional/Olympic scene.

That said, it was great to see a few very young lads (much less than half my age) starting the A4 race in Newbridge the other day, so maybe we are slightly useful to them.

ROK ON

Firstly. A healthy sport is one that is thriving regardless of success at the very top level. Though there are links to success abd popularity.

I guess my point is that for all the cycling I do I have never encountered anyone from Cycling Ireland.
Other sports in this country are actively promoted whereas I get the impression that people fall into cycling.
One example if this is a guy I know who is a decent triathlete. He is a savage cyclist and finished the cycling leg (85k) of a very hilly circuit in undef 2h20m.
This bloke should race. But here's the rub. If you are not in the know then CI doesn't do lot to help you find out.
I get the impression that many people just fall into cycling through contact with friends or family.
I am aware that rugby, soccer, GAA go after kids to actively market themselves.
That's all really. Is it not just a happy coincidence that a lot of you are now racing?

blorg

A4

I think there is benefit to the sport having mass participation very much including sportives and the bottom rung of amateur racing. Even people just out riding their bike. I'm under no illusions that I am going to be progressing to the Olympics, or even beyond A3!

I think Cycling Ireland recognises this and are very supportive of the leisure section and the explosion of sportives in recent years.

As to how people get into racing, that is generally through a CI club rather than "directly" with CI itself. If you are cycling you will meet other cyclists, many of whom will be in clubs, and if you want to race it is easy to join one. I joined Orwell myself last year as I knew other guys in there and it seemed like a nice bunch of guys.

sy

blorg wrote: »

I think there is benefit to the sport having mass participation very much including sportives and the bottom rung of amateur racing. Even people just out riding their bike. ...

+1 On that. It really is all about raising the profile of the sport. I have noticed a lot more cyclists on the roads in the past 2 years.

All we need now is for some of our young pros to win some prestigious races!

Chips Lovell

A+

Lumen wrote: »

The popularity of the A4 category is great, but (speculating from ignorance) I suspect what the sport really needs is a decent number people racing at higher levels to give promising young talent a decent ladder to climb up to future greatness.

Couldn't agree more. Guy's like Roche, Martin and Deignan along with some of the younger riders coming up are really important to the sport. Big time success is what really gets kids into the sport. There's a whole generation of riders still racing who got into it because of Kelly and Roche.

Lumen

A+

blorg wrote: »

I'm under no illusions that I am going to be progressing to the Olympics, or even beyond A3!

niceonetom

A+

I think the clubs could play a greater role in expanding the sport, and thereby gradually increasing our standard. I've never seen a club angling for new members (save, perhaps, for poaching each others A1s). Anecdotally, it seems to me that the average age of a new members for clubs is 25+ years old - too old to really go far in the sport (but plenty young enough to race and enjoy themselves in the lower ranks, thank god), and the only really young members are the children of older members. If clubs made an effort to get school kids and college kids in we produce a lot more fast people. Probably.

CI is essentially an administrative body, and not an especially competent one as far as I can tell from their site; I just can't see them mounting any kind of successful campaign to bring talent in. The clubs could be more active in local communities though. As ever, look at the GAA if you want to see how to build from the grass roots.

sy wrote: »

+1 On that. It really is all about raising the profile of the sport. I have noticed a lot more cyclists on the roads in the past 2 years.

All we need now is for some of our young pros to win some prestigious races!

Exactly. The problem can be tackled from the top as well as the bottom. A single good summer from our guys in the pro ranks would get a lot of 14 year olds on bikes and that might make for a few very good 24 year olds 10 years later. The media would have to shine a light though...

RobFowl

A+

sy wrote: »

All we need now is for some of our young pros to win some prestigious races!

Some of the younger guys are starting to do quite well.

Sean Downey, Aaron Buggle have both placed highly in France over the past week and Stephen Halpin has placed twice in Belgium so far.

Sam Bennett is back racing and Philip Lavery is heading off to Belgum as well.

The future is looking good..

ROK ON

I don't doubt at all that success at pro level will attract a huge amount to the sport.
However competition for teenagers is very aggressive. Rugby in particular is increasingly proactive in seeking to attract young kids to the sport.
I don't want to be critical of CI for the sake but a few ideas could be
1 youth sportives aimed at school kids.
2 CI stands at sportifs encouraging people to join for a tenner.
Etc
I think it is great that so many here are moving on to another discipline within cycling. But fir all the Bennett, Bugles and Laverys how many are never attracted.

Given that BH is a junior it would be interesting to see how he got into cycling if h cared to divulge.
Also did anyone here seek out a club or was it thru friends.

Finally how difficult is it to set up a club. There used to be a club where I live (Touring etc) but is now defunct.
There are a lot of cyclists but no club. How easy is it to reactivate a club etc.

Slideshowbob

good point by Rok On - if CI had an info stand at Sportives they could get alot more involvement

RE: Blorg and Olympics - what age are you Blorg? and how long have you been racing?

blorg

A4

Slideshowbob wrote: »

RE: Blorg and Olympics - what age are you Blorg? and how long have you been racing?

34, started racing in the club league last year and open racing this year. So a bit past prime development age. For me the racing is a bit of fun and a challenge; it is a hard physical effort certainly but I also enjoy the tactical side. Have a schoolmate who started in his 30s and made S1 within only a couple of years, but then he was quite committed For me it is a bit of fun; I don't see racing as the be all and end all of cycling. The vast vast majority of cyclists will never race but I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing if more people are getting out on their bikes. International success for a country's cyclists whether in the pro ranks or Olympics is important and deserving of funding, but getting more people taking part in the sport at whatever level is also a worthwhile goal in itself, even if they are never going on to race at amateur level never mind beyond.

CI have been promoting their introductory one year €10 license at a number of sportives I have been to IIRC.

Slideshowbob

ah ya Blorg - maybe if u 10 years younger you could build up for olympic cycling but at your age - feck all chance

redmaxi

ROK ON wrote: »

Also did anyone here seek out a club or was it thru friends.

Finally how difficult is it to set up a club. There used to be a club where I live (Touring etc) but is now defunct.
There are a lot of cyclists but no club. How easy is it to reactivate a club etc.

I stopped a stranger on the road one day and asked him who I could join up with, simple as that. A friend of mine decided to start cycling and on his fourth outing I couldn't keep up with him, just a natural. He didn't know anyone but rang the nearest club, joined and is now racing (six months on from his first cycle) in A4 and doing well, (he's 35). It takes a bit of nerve I suppose.
Conor Hanlon started a club 'carrigdhoun CC' in Cork this year. He'd be able to tell you exactly what's involved in starting up a club.