Blarney Cycling Club Sportive

lengraf

The Blarney Memorial Sportive is planned for Sunday 2nd January 2011, 3 Routes announced 85km, 72km, 40km. See attached for more information.

funnights74

Count me in , great to shake off the xmas cobwebs with a workout. Fingers crossed for the weather.

ROK ON

I am aiming to do this. Hopefully the weather will be kind to the event this January.

seve65

I will be there too, a good way to start the year.

CheGuedara

Will be there with the Chain Gang contingent

thebouldwhacker

Gonna be in Wales doing the hills so I'm missing this... hail to the (new year) ale!!

crashoveroid

Should be a good day should not be as fast as last year as it was closer to the stat of the season due to the bad weather.

cantalach

That was one of the most enjoyable events I did in 2010 and I'll definitely be doing it again. Fingers x'd the weather won't see it postponed multiple times as it was this year.

cantalach

Ha...I see there's a slightly longer option now to come back via the Windy Gap above Farnanes. That'll make it a bit harder for those lads who sucked wheels all the way along the N22 last time

karlmyson

cantalach wrote: »

Ha...I see there's a slightly longer option now to come back via the Windy Gap above Farnanes. That'll make it a bit harder for those lads who sucked wheels all the way along the N22 last time

A lot of 'em club racing cyclists too. The shame ...

ROK ON

Can someone who knows the area throw up a map of the 85km course.

seve65

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Gonna be in Wales doing the hills so I'm missing this... hail to the (new year) ale!!

where r u going in Wales ?

cantalach

ROK ON wrote: »

Can someone who knows the area throw up a map of the 85km course.

Here you go, J.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/blarney/704129245261314205

Btw it's starting at the Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel this time but as I've no idea where that is in the village I've shown it starting at the GAA club as it did last time.

crashoveroid

cantalach wrote: »

Here you go, J.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/blarney/704129245261314205

Btw it's starting at the Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel this time but as I've no idea where that is in the village I've shown it starting at the GAA club as it did last time.

The Woolen Mills are right in the center of the village its well signposted

ROK ON

Everyone still doing this. What is the road like given the recent weather - I remember that it was in great condition last summer.

seve65

I plan to all being well.

fat bloke

Boo. I'd have liked to have done this if I knew it was on.

Didn't think there would sportives on that early in the yeah. Is there any one site where a fella could keep up with the year round irish sportive calendar?

seve65

Doesnt have all events, but has quite a few.

http://www.irishcycling.com/events/calendar/

karlmyson

ROK ON wrote: »

Everyone still doing this. What is the road like given the recent weather - I remember that it was in great condition last summer.

Yes. Check your gmail J.

Morrisseeee

I might try and make this event, start off the year with good intentions !!
I suppose they should have added in Temple Hill (at the end) seeing as the route just skims past it :eek::p

karlmyson

Morrisseeee wrote: »

I suppose they should have added in Temple Hill (at the end) seeing as the route just skims past it :eek::p

Em, no, thanks all the same.

karlmyson

Well that was very enjoyable indeed. Jumped on the elite train just outside Coachford on the return and rode it all the way to Tower. Fabulous sustained speed in a big group just eating up the miles.

Very happy with time of 2:35.

seve65

karlmyson wrote: »

Well that was very enjoyable indeed. Jumped on the elite train just outside Coachford on the return and rode it all the way to Tower. Fabulous sustained speed in a big group just eating up the miles.

Very happy with time of 2:35.

yes. good fun, one casualty, seemingly he was ok, but went to hospital to be checked up. Too many flipping pot holes though, was told to hold my line a couple of times, but what can you do if you're about to go straight into a crater

it was zipping along for a couple of stretches there.

i was pooped on the cycle back home from Blarney though, self inflicted though as i went the long way to take in a couple of hills.

karlmyson

seve65 wrote: »

... as i went the long way to take in a couple of hills.

Course you did!

I did a flat loop to Garryvoe from Glounthaune the other day in prep for today and I thought about Killahora on the return to GT but declined! Glad I did, the legs were good all day.

Great understated organisation by Blarney CC.

seve65

karlmyson wrote: »

Course you did!

I did a flat loop to Garryvoe from Glounthaune the other day in prep for today and I thought about Killahora on the return to GT but declined! Glad I did, the legs were good all day.

Great understated organisation by Blarney CC.

yes organisation was good, and the sandwiches and cake were great. What were you wearing, sure I must have seen you. But if the answers blarney or st finbarrs gear....

ROK ON

This was a very very enjoyable day. More clubs should realise that a successful course is not all about throwing tons and tons of hills on a 200km circuit (although that is fun sometimes).
Short, flattish and (for me) very very fast.
My first ever event with a >30km avg (30.8km).

There was one or two potholes, but I thought the roads were fantastic. Any time I head over the border from Kerry into Cork I am immeiately jealous of the vastly superior roads in the rebel county versus the kingdom.

A big thank you to Karlmyson and MarkH for the tow as far as the Windy Gap. I was dying at the first switch back and i saw ye drift away.
I had practically caught ye on the bridge on the way into Coachford when I was swallowed up by the large peleton. I really hope the majority of those lads were A1, A2 and A3, cause I couldnt believe the pace. Lasted a five minutes before I was spat out like used gum. If that is what A4 pace is like then I am in for a very sorry and sore year. Anyway it was good fun. Picked up a fair few groups of stragglers and finished with two Blarney blokes.

Thanks also CheGuedara and dad for the compaby for much of the spin. Ye had one guy leading the way for much of the event whom was very strong with a great burst of acceleration.

As an aside I have only very very rarely seen such bike porn. Colnagos, de Rosa, some really nice Focus bikes. The best one was something I had never seen or heard of - UniVelo I think it was.

Well done Blarney, however, showers at the end would have been welcome. Great day out.

seve65

ROK ON wrote: »

...I really hope the majority of those lads were A1, A2 and A3, cause I couldnt believe the pace. Lasted a five minutes before I was spat out like used gum. If that is what A4 pace is like then I am in for a very sorry and sore year...

Sure there were a few hot guys in there. I think a couple of the sponsored Edge guys were at the front I think (or even further ahead), not sure as I was tagging along at the middle-back of that bunch I thought the guys took it easy at the windy gap, but then its always easy until you realise your legs or lungs are gone !

"Michael Fitzgerald, 9th place in National Championships, 2009

Michael O'Reilly, Winner of three stages in Corkman, 2007. Making a comeback next season!"

karlmyson

seve65 wrote: »

yWhat were you wearing ...

I was in an Assos jacket, the light dayglo blue (at the back, just a little on the front) one. Riding a black Canyon.

@ROK - the Univelo is the bike Stephen Roche rode in his eponymous sportive in Midleton in 2010. One was raffled off after the event. Canadian I think.

Morrisseeee

Made the effort to attend today, although getting up at 7:30am and -2C with frost outside nearly put me off !! A big thanks to the group from Coachford who adopted me for the day and there was good comraderie (ie. we had a few punctures and the whole group waited). We had a total time of 3.5hrs (5 stops) and a rolling time of 2hr56mins so close to 28km/h. My feet were numb for quite a while aswell, so overshoes or a little electric fire are a 'must buy' soon .
Here's my full (humble!!) o/p file and a section of the 'climb' from my recently purchased Ciclosport computer, note: it calculates 'power' aswell but I don't know how accurate it is, I had forgotten my HR belt...doh !
Note: Overall, I'm happy with my progress so far, as I just started last August, so I'm a bit like ROK ON and wondering what A4 pace is like .

boege

I was the casualty today but it was not down to potholes. Group speeding and slowing behind pace car was resulting in panic breaking and I got caught out despite watching. For anyone still doubting the topic, my helmet definately saved me serious head injuries today.

Want to thank the Blarney guys and the ambulance crew for a very professional approach to my accident. I was ready to get up on my bike and they were having none of it. Sitting here with a very sore shoulder tells me they were right.

Great event - will be back next year.

ROK ON

boege wrote: »

I was the casualty today but it was not down to potholes. Group speeding and slowing behind pace car was resulting in panic breaking and I got caught out despite watching. For anyone still doubting the topic, my helmet definately saved me serious head injuries today.

Want to thank the Blarney guys and the ambulance crew for a very professional approach to my accident. I was ready to get up on my bike and they were having none of it. Sitting here with a very sore shoulder tells me they were right.

Great event - will be back next year.

I overheard someone talking about a pretty serious crash. I hope that yu are all right.

CheGuedara

Gotta echo most peoples view on the cycle - great early season event and well worth doing. Nice route (though I took the 'easy' 72km option), marshalls at every junction, tea/coffee with plenty of food at the end and a great atmosphere about it - a very enjoyable spin and a credit to Blarney CC.

Headed off before the official start with some of my club mates, ROK ON and karlmyson after having made the novice error the last two years of starting with the A1/2 that make up the main bunch and paid for it by being shelled out by Macroom.

Very cold (garmin says average 3.2degC!) made going strong difficult at the start (flash frozen lungs!) but rode well after warming up. Dropped the wheel yesterday at about the 30km mark and rode the rest of the way with Tomas only getting reeled in by the peloton (and it was a peloton; about 5 deep, overtaking on the left, 'vyying' for position etc - I can see how things could so easily go pear shaped boege!) by about the 40km mark not long before the turn off the main road.

After that we rolled home the main road picking up one or two on the way through Ballincollig from there. @ ROK ON - the Chain Gang rider you were with is BuzzingNoise here on boards; strong as heck that lad (pulled the cleat out of his shoe going over Priests Leap when training for the Etape/Nice IronMan!)

At the end of it all finished up with a 28.4kph/17.6mph average which I'm more than happy with for the day and as a start to the year

boege

ROK ON wrote: »

I overheard someone talking about a pretty serious crash. I hope that yu are all right.

Thanks for asking.

No bones broken and lucky enough with the grazes given I hit the ground awkward and hard. Some pulled muscles behind my shoulder but on reflection now I feel I have been very lucky. I was taken to CUH, poked and prodded, rayed and given an all clear bar instruction to take some panadol.

To top it off the bike seems to be Ok with just bars and hoods a bit twisted but they dont look damaged. Blarney guys brought my bike back to start and looked after it. My son was up the road and they also even managed to get a mesage to him.

michael196

ROK ON wrote: »

This was a very very enjoyable day. More clubs should realise that a successful course is not all about throwing tons and tons of hills on a 200km circuit (although that is fun sometimes).
Short, flattish and (for me) very very fast.
My first ever event with a >30km avg (30.8km).

There was one or two potholes, but I thought the roads were fantastic. Any time I head over the border from Kerry into Cork I am immeiately jealous of the vastly superior roads in the rebel county versus the kingdom.

A big thank you to Karlmyson and MarkH for the tow as far as the Windy Gap. I was dying at the first switch back and i saw ye drift away.
I had practically caught ye on the bridge on the way into Coachford when I was swallowed up by the large peleton. I really hope the majority of those lads were A1, A2 and A3, cause I couldnt believe the pace. Lasted a five minutes before I was spat out like used gum. If that is what A4 pace is like then I am in for a very sorry and sore year. Anyway it was good fun. Picked up a fair few groups of stragglers and finished with two Blarney blokes.

Thanks also CheGuedara and dad for the compaby for much of the spin. Ye had one guy leading the way for much of the event whom was very strong with a great burst of acceleration.

As an aside I have only very very rarely seen such bike porn. Colnagos, de Rosa, some really nice Focus bikes. The best one was something I had never seen or heard of - UniVelo I think it was.

Well done Blarney, however, showers at the end would have been welcome. Great day out.

isnt univelo owned by Mr Stephen roche ?