All Ireland Hill Climb Championship 2010

Murph100 · 07-07-2010 9:42am #1

Just a heads up for those who might fancy their climbing abilities, the Championship is on this Sat July 10th in tralee, sign on at Tralee rugby club is at 2.pm Start time is 4pm.

Course is the infamous 'short mountain', full details here :

http://www.traleebicycleclub.com/allirelandhillclimb.htm

Just note as this is a National Championship, there will be NO one day licenses issued, only full competition license holders can take part.

Bummer I know, but thems the rules set out by Cycling Ireland.

ROK ON · 07-07-2010 9:49am

Murph. I hope to drive over to witness the pain. Do you know would it be possible to park on the otherside of the mountain (ie the part not used in the HillTT).

I will have the kid with me so don't want to end up walking too far.

Murph100 · 07-07-2010 9:58am

One of the Stewards on the day just PMd you

Raam · 07-07-2010 10:05am

Murph100 wrote: »

Just note as this is a National Championship, there will be NO one day licenses issued, only full competition license holders can take part.

Bummer I know, but thems the rules set out by Cycling Ireland.

Hmm, last year I took a one day out. Have a full license this year

Either way, I'm out... bro decided to organise his stag night for this weekend.

Murph100 · 07-07-2010 10:09am

It would be a better Stag if you arrived with the Cup in yer hands !!

Raam wrote: »

Hmm, last year I took a one day out. Have a full license this year
Either way, I'm out... bro decided to organise his stag night for this weekend.

Raam · 07-07-2010 10:12am

Murph100 wrote: »

It would be a better Stag if you arrived with the Cup in yer hands !!

heh heh, it sure would. Alas, I am chief organiser supreme of the days proceedings so I have to stay in Dublin.

This thread is bringing back some very painful memories from last years event, jeesus, I thought my heart was going to explode near the top. Is anyone from here doing it? I expect Ryan is.

RobFowl · 07-07-2010 10:18am

Is my mind playing tricks on me or is this very early for the nationals.

From memory it's usually and end of season event?

Raam · 07-07-2010 10:27am

RobFowl wrote: »

Is my mind playing tricks on me or is this very early for the nationals.

From memory it's usually and end of season event?

It was mid/end August last year.

Murph100 · 07-07-2010 10:38am

Was thinking that alright, dont know why it was moved.

Damn, I was looking forward to another one of Raam's great post-event installments.

Raam wrote: »

It was mid/end August last year.

Murph100 · 09-07-2010 2:26pm

Anyone here going in for this tomorrow ?

Quigs Snr · 09-07-2010 3:03pm

They were bundling it with the B champs in recent years but not this year. My club will be hosting the B's in Waterford this year (also a separate A4 race the same day, so no one gets left out if they fancy a race but don't fancy upgrading themselves)

hynesie · 09-07-2010 3:19pm

Have ye got a date for that yet Quigs?

Murph100 · 09-07-2010 3:19pm

Yeah Quigs, its a bit of a bummer that they aren't together, makes it a non runner for a lot of people, and its going to be absolutely joyus in the rain ! :rolleyes:

blorg · 09-07-2010 3:19pm

I am thinking of heading down. Not 100% decided. I'll be in the A3 competition if I do and hoping for a low turnout

Murph100 · 09-07-2010 3:22pm

Heh, I'm watching that closely myself

Let me know if you do decide to come down.

ROK ON · 09-07-2010 3:26pm

@Blorg. Let me know if you com down.

blorg · 09-07-2010 3:39pm

Tempted to... anyone going to be around after in Tralee for dinner/pints?

RobFowl · 09-07-2010 3:54pm

Welcome back Blorg....
Impressive ride in the Marmotte.
I think you'd have to ride this 9-10 times first just to get warmed up

blorg · 09-07-2010 4:35pm

RobFowl wrote: »

I think you'd have to ride this 9-10 times first just to get warmed up

It is a very different kettle of fish all right.

Quigs Snr · 09-07-2010 5:23pm

B champs will be Sept 12th confirmed. Don't quote me on the rest, but at the moment it's the same course as the 2007 National Championships as won by Nicholas Roche and will be very well organised (we have talk talk onboard as a sponsor). As per cycling Ireland rules it will be open to A2/3 riders and we see no reason why the A4's should not suffer equally so the plans at the moment are for a separate A4 race on the day. I will probably do live text commentary on the race on the Comeragh site (if I decide not to race).

RobFowl · 09-07-2010 6:05pm

Quigs Snr wrote: »

B champs will be Sept 12th confirmed. Don't quote me on the rest, but at the moment it's the same course as the 2007 National Championships as won by Nicholas Roche and will be very well organised (we have talk talk onboard as a sponsor). As per cycling Ireland rules it will be open to A2/3 riders and we see no reason why the A4's should not suffer equally so the plans at the moment are for a separate A4 race on the day. I will probably do live text commentary on the race on the Comeragh site (if I decide not to race).

The logic is A4 is an entry grade and not suitable for championship standard. If you want to ride you are entitled to upgrade yourself.
It's largely there to stop the usual suspects grabbing the glory and staying in a low category

Quigs Snr · 09-07-2010 7:07pm

RobFowl wrote: »

The logic is A4 is an entry grade and not suitable for championship standard. If you want to ride you are entitled to upgrade yourself.
It's largely there to stop the usual suspects grabbing the glory and staying in a low category

The A4 race will not be a championship race however... it will just be a standard Sunday race. So it won't interfere with that ethos.

ullu · 09-07-2010 7:47pm

What would a good time be for this across the different categories? Is it comparable to the Ticknock climb in Dublin?

RobFowl · 09-07-2010 8:27pm

Quigs Snr wrote: »

The A4 race will not be a championship race however... it will just be a standard Sunday race. So it won't interfere with that ethos.

Might well be there. Not a championship worhty bone in my body :rolleyes:

CheGuedara · 09-07-2010 10:24pm

blorg wrote: »

Tempted to... anyone going to be around after in Tralee for dinner/pints?

Just back home in Tralee now, will be going out to watch/support the riders and maybe shoot a few photos tomorrow - could be on for a few pints in the evening alright

blorg · 09-07-2010 11:31pm

Cool. I am currently booked to come down tomorrow morning and go back on the 19:15 train but maybe a quick pint could be had or plans could change.

Brooks saddle has been removed from the bike.

If anyone going along to watch happened to want to bring their turbo trainer for me to warm up on that would be much appreciated. I'll be in Orwell kit.

CheGuedara · 10-07-2010 6:17pm

Wow.

Well, I can tell you anyone who entered the event, marshalled the event or watched the event got a serious dose of classic Kerry weather. That is to say we've begun to build Arks or invest in canoes.

In a hill race that was difficult enough by the nature of the hill, riders also had to contend with a headwind and the rain that that was driving - I think calling it tough work might not do it justice.

In the results - Ryan Sherlock took first (well done!) and walked away with the National Champs jersey beating defending champion Paul Griffin who came in second. Blorg put in a great effort on the hill but was denied a medal position today but given the speed he passed me as he attacked to the summit I really wouldn't rule out him taking home some metal in next years event.

Photos as soon as I've em off the camera

CheGuedara · 10-07-2010 6:42pm

Just a few photos now - dashin to meet Murph100 & Blorg for well deserved pints

Here's just a shot to give a feeling of what the weather was like

Our own Blorg

Paul Griffin giving it socks

And finally, current Hill Climb Champion Ryan Sherlock

I'll post up more photos later but for now- To the Bar!!

Caroline_ie · 10-07-2010 7:43pm

Congrats Ryan!!

CheGuedara · 11-07-2010 2:45pm

Well, just about to head back to Dublin after a recovering from the relaxed inaugural unofficial Boards beers in Tralee. Despite Murph's best encouragement, a post-beers race in Killorglin (an idea conceived after several pints) wasn't contested this morning...

In something relevant to the race that was I can tell you that Blorg was just denied a medal position by a measly 5 seconds by the third placed rider - watch this space in the 2011 hill climb champs...

Finally - photos.

HERE's the cooliris link to the flickr album - tried to organise 40-something images into a post but it made the page MASSIVE

(will take suggestions on how to put them up tidily though and get to it when I get back to Dub)

blorg · 11-07-2010 10:38pm

Just to clarify- I came fourth in the A3 category, 15th overall. I hadn't any hopes for the overall but I did think a medal in A3 was a possibility and it was frustrating to miss bronze in A3 by only five seconds. I didn't feel I did as good a race as I could have. So here is my detailed account of how I didn't win my first national championships. I have attached a photo of the results and podium at the end for people who want to skip straight to it

I spent a fair amount of time the night before weight-weenieing my bike (got it down to 6.9kg) but didn't pay enough attention to my race preparation which is far more important. The three mistakes I made in descending order of importance I would reckon to be:

- My main error was I think lack of a proper warm up. It is a TT and warming up is essential. It is also a very short TT and the shorter the TT, the longer the warmup! I know this, yet I left this very late and just did the first 1km or so of the climb and rolled up and down the flat road at the bottom a bit. I don’t think this was enough warm up. If doing it again a turbo would be ideal but in the absence of that I reckon I should have got going with my warm-up earlier and gone up the whole climb at least once at a reasonable tempo. This would also leave me knowing what to expect and with an idea for pacing and time.

- Pacing. I think I pushed too hard at the start and blew up a bit. At the start of a TT you have to get up to your sustainable speed quickly but in the first 200m I got up to over 25km/h. Which was well over sustainable for me for a hill climb! I averaged almost 17km/h over the first half but only 15km/h for the second half, which was no more difficult.

I pushed hard at the very end, the last 200m or so, but reckon I should have started with this final push much sooner, for the final kilometre. It was a four kilometre race and I should have broken it into quarters. I think less in the first and the same in the second would have left me going better in the third and able to mount a final push in the last.

- Hydration. I didn’t drink enough water in the lead up to the race and felt a bit parched in my mouth during it.

The horrible weather was not a problem. When doing something like this it is the least of your worries; if the driving rain is bothering you, you are most certainly not working hard enough. The headwind I was actually quite happy with; I am not a pencil thin climber and I think a headwind on a hillclimb hurts them more than it hurts me.

Many thanks to Murph100 for the hospitality and great cooking and CheGuedara for the lift back. A good night was had last night in Tralee... at least I think so. Murph's boundless enthusiasm last night for entering that race was not to be seen this morning

Many congrats to Ryan on a well-deserved win; some style to make his first road race win a national championship.