The 2011 Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford

Captain Havoc

That was me giving you a shout alright and I was at the bottom of Seskin very early but the top, not so early.

jimm

I love this sport.

Where else could you do this on two consecutive Sundays?

The tax man

Sorry about not meeting up but I just needed a quite day on the bike,hence the early start and avoiding the crowds. Hung around the finish for a while but couldn't spot any of your club jerseys anywhere.

jimm

Another fantastic day out on the bike a week after the Leinster Loop. First time for me doing the SKT 160 and have to say it was one of my highlights of the year. Everything from registration to finish was superbly organised, they even had a place to try on your jersey and a swap area if you needed a different size.

I met thebouldwhacker at the start, as he was looking for somewhere at the back of the centre to take a quick pee (don't worry, I won't tell a soul...oops..:eek:)

Went around much of the course with Inquitus, and with Daithi BC on The Nire, but got dropped on the last climb and was pretty much on my own until the last 15km where I joined an express train back to Dungarvan. Super run in to the finish.

Chatted with NeedMoreGears at the first foodstop, and briefly with Captain Havoc at the finish. Also spotted an old jersey with Dr Groove (I think) on it. Had a lot of "Hi Boardsie" shouts from people disguised in club gear.

Got around in 6hrs @ 26.6km/hr avg.

@ The tax man. Didn't see you at the finish, hope the knee didn't suffer too badly.

Hey, here's a quick tip to avoid carrying too much weight up those hills. I have learned that on these events, with plenty of regular water stops that I don't need to carry 2 bottles. I bring a few High 5 tabs and a single 750ml bottle and top up as required. It saves me lugging an extra 853g (a full 750ml bottle....yes I weighed it on the kitchen scales) up those climbs. Works for me if I know there will be refill stops.

hinault

Blew to pieces on the 160km route.
Got as far as Clonmel and decided to opt out of the loop at ballymacabery.

I ended up doing 100km which isn't bad.

Great event very very well organised. Puts the W200 to shame in all honesty.

hinault

Gas Pipes CC are who they exactly?:)

kcphoto

Had a great day myself on the 160k.
As everyone says , it's such a well organised event , even the weather was great this year.

If you went over Mahon Falls you're photo is probably here :
http://www.kierancoffey.com/f504162574

markcroninbsc

kcphoto wrote: »

Had a great day myself on the 160k.
As everyone says , it's such a well organised event , even the weather was great this year.

If you went over Mahon Falls you're photo is probably here :
http://www.kierancoffey.com/f504162574

Great photos!! Does the money from print outs or downloads go towards the events nominated charity down syndrome ireland or is it purely for profit?

The tax man

jimm wrote: »

@ The tax man. Didn't see you at the finish, hope the knee didn't suffer too badly.

I spotted you as I was heading back towards the hotel. I was too far away to give you a "Boardsie" shout. The knee was sore but it got me home...just.

I'd say the lads where delighted to get their picture taken with Jimm.:D

XtotheZ

mel.b wrote: »

What a fantastic day:D Finished the 50km in 2hr 37min which was well under my goal of 50km. I did the first 25km or so with a friend and then headed off and did the second half on my own. The atmosphere was fantastic and the volunteers were great. I couldn't believe the amount of food that was laid on at the rest stop:eek: I don't normally stop (or eat) on my cycles so far though, so I just grabbed a drink and a wagon wheel and kept going.

Coming back towards dungarvan just before the turn off for Youghal there was an ambulance loading someone up. I heard that it was a young kid in a black and white cycling club jersey - I hope that whoever it is was ok.

Got a photo with Sean Kelly and the Rubber bandits at the end (although I think the music world might have been happier if they had worn their rubber masks over their face for the cycle:p).

Does anyone have the exact distance (or gps track) for the 50km? My runkeeper app didn't work and when I mapped it afterwards (using the map from the Sean Kelly website) it comes up at 46km so not sure if that is right or not?

I'm going to be shopping for a road bike at some stage and will absolutely be back for the 90km next year!

He was one of Inspiration Cycling Club Dunboynes riders and he is in hospital with his arm broken in 3 places and had surgery last night. He hit off my back wheel at around 40kph and went down pretty hard but its nothing too serious and its fair to say the helmet saved him! There was 2 huge cracks in the side of it.

Lemag

CptMackey wrote: »

Ya that was me. Those shorts are the best thing for my backside. Best shorts ever. Think the get up looks ok lol. Atleast i stand out

Fair enough. 'Tis your ass at the end of the day and when you're tearing passed others at breakneck speeds you'll appear as nothing other than a blur no matter what you're wearing.

aquanaut wrote: »

You met me aswell in Tramore, I shouted at lemag from the queue, I wasnt in Boards jersey though

Did you? I was the guy displaying my internal organs via a NorthWave jersey. If you called out 'Lemag' I probably wouldn't have noticed. My superhero name isn't really used normal life

garminguy

6;30 for the 160 for me, i was in no great hurry but it was hard to hold back from lashing home on the last 10 k or so, got a few shout outs but didn't know anyones names apart from jimm,even spotted and old style jersey with a hairy face wearing it.
its hard not to enjoy a day like that espsecially when the waether was fab apart from the feckin headwind up mahon falls!
hats off to the guy on the full suspension giant mountain bike who done the 160, he took full advantage of his chunky tyres on the decents!

nothing planned for the next few weekends,any suggestions to some sportives in the munster region?

CptMackey

garminguy wrote: »

6;30 for the 160 for me, i was in no great hurry but it was hard to hold back from lashing home on the last 10 k or so, got a few shout outs but didn't know anyones names apart from jimm,even spotted and old style jersey with a hairy face wearing it.
its hard not to enjoy a day like that espsecially when the waether was fab apart from the feckin headwind up mahon falls!
hats off to the guy on the full suspension giant mountain bike who done the 160, he took full advantage of his chunky tyres on the decents!

nothing planned for the next few weekends,any suggestions to some sportives in the munster region?

The an post rebel cycle is on the 10th

experimenter

Myself and my two brothers completed the 90km in 3hrs 30mins approx...

Then we got a photo with the Legend himself...

Next on the list for me... Conor-Pass-Challenge

funnights74

garminguy wrote: »

6;30 for the 160 for me, i was in no great hurry but it was hard to hold back from lashing home on the last 10 k or so, got a few shout outs but didn't know anyones names apart from jimm,even spotted and old style jersey with a hairy face wearing it.
its hard not to enjoy a day like that espsecially when the waether was fab apart from the feckin headwind up mahon falls!
hats off to the guy on the full suspension giant mountain bike who done the 160, he took full advantage of his chunky tyres on the decents!

nothing planned for the next few weekends,any suggestions to some sportives in the munster region?

Cork on the 10th of next month, starts and finishes in the CIT, route is a doddle compared to Waterford, rolling hills and no journey through the city center this year.

Keep_Her_Lit

Enjoyable but tough, 5:19 rolling, 5:25 elapsed.

Last year, it was very slow leaving Dungarvan so this year I waited for just over 10mins after the mass start and then headed up the road. This worked out quite well, as there were no hold ups anywhere and I was back in touch with the tail end of the group after 12-15km.

At about 18km five lads working together came past at a lively pace, four of them wearing Tour de Munster jerseys, the other lad in black kit. The next 20km went past very briskly (cheers lads!). Seskin Hill brought that little party to an end - I managed to get over the top ahead of them and fully expected them to come past again within minutes but never saw them again - I guess they stopped at Carrick-on-Suir.

From there on, contact with other groups was fairly brief and sporadic and it was pretty much a solo effort to the end. Mahon Falls was certainly tough with that headwind up on the open ground. I saw some old boy out for a leisurely Sunday walk up ahead and it seemed to take forever to reach and pass him - I didn't look but the speed must have been down to 10kph or less at that point. Worked as hard as I could on the final ramp and heard some expressions of concern from onlookers as I went over the top, such was my gasping and panting!

Cramped up fairly badly on the way down the other side. That was avoidable, as I just hadn't taken on enough fluid since I topped up at Ballymacarbry, more than 40km earlier. So backed off for a few minutes and guzzled down plenty of the High5/Nuun mix and the legs came back fairly quickly and were OK for the final haul over the Mama Road. As others have commented, the run back into Dungarvan offers a nice, fast conclusion to this fairly tough spin.

Last year, I was lucky enough to sync up with diarmuid at about the 50km mark and we covered the remaining 110km together, coming home in 5:11 elapsed. So having a quality wheel to follow sure makes a big difference. We both agreed that the 5 hour mark would be well within the reach of a well organised group. For 2012, it would be great to get 6 or 8 together to have a go at this. If I'm injury free and still enjoying cycling when the 2012 SKT thread pops up, I'll float this idea again and hopefully there'll be some interest.

cantalach

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

At about 18km five lads working together came past at a lively pace, four of them wearing Tour de Munster jerseys, the other lad in black kit. The next 20km went past very briskly (cheers lads!).

The lad in the black kit was Tour de Munster too but wanted to show off his nice new Assos gillet on Sunday And yes, they stopped at Carrick where the rest of the TdM contingent was regrouping after Seskin.

CptMackey

funnights74 wrote: »

garminguy wrote: »

6;30 for the 160 for me, i was in no great hurry but it was hard to hold back from lashing home on the last 10 k or so, got a few shout outs but didn't know anyones names apart from jimm,even spotted and old style jersey with a hairy face wearing it.
its hard not to enjoy a day like that espsecially when the waether was fab apart from the feckin headwind up mahon falls!
hats off to the guy on the full suspension giant mountain bike who done the 160, he took full advantage of his chunky tyres on the decents!

nothing planned for the next few weekends,any suggestions to some sportives in the munster region?

Cork on the 10th of next month, starts and finishes in the CIT, route is a doddle compared to Waterford, rolling hills and no journey through the city center this year.

The website is saying that the 150 is starting on grand parade. So not sure if it will finish there too. Map for the route is still starting at cit tho

seve65

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

Enjoyable but tough, 5:19 rolling, 5:25 elapsed.

Great time, do u upload to strava ?

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

We both agreed that the 5 hour mark would be well within the reach of a well organised group. For 2012, it would be great to get 6 or 8 together to have a go at this. If I'm injury free and still enjoying cycling when the 2012 SKT thread pops up, I'll float this idea again and hopefully there'll be some interest.

'Still enjoying cycling.....' well I suppose next year is a long way off !

Id be up for the sub-5 attempt, albeing well. Seem to recall somebody did it last year in 4hrs 50. Cheers.

aquanaut

CptMackey wrote: »

The website is saying that the 150 is starting on grand parade. So not sure if it will finish there too. Map for the route is still starting at cit tho

Thinking of doing 150 as not as hilly as SK 90, and would love to end year with a century

kcphoto

markcroninbsc wrote: »

Great photos!! Does the money from print outs or downloads go towards the events nominated charity down syndrome ireland or is it purely for profit?

These photos are not affiliated with the event.
There are photos available to view on the official website also.

TheBlaaMan

seve65 wrote: »

Great time, do u upload to strava ?



'Still enjoying cycling.....' well I suppose next year is a long way off !

Id be up for the sub-5 attempt, albeing well. Seem to recall somebody did it last year in 4hrs 50. Cheers.

Does anyone know the fastest finishing time for the 160 this year, and by whom?

seve65

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Does anyone know the fastest finishing time for the 160 this year, and by whom?

the fastest up here seems to be 'keep her lit's 5h19 with only 6 minutes stoppage. it may have been joe barr who was the top time last year, not sure where I got the idea the time was 4.50. some kind of mad association going on in my head or i did read it somewhere ?

hinault

I reckon a lot of riders who started the 160km either didn't complete it or they chose to not stop at Clonmel for a food stop.

I was one of the last riders in to the Hillview Sports centre and the volunteers were packing away a lot of the prepacked lunches/food.

TheBlaaMan

Docman has already said he did it in 5.11 and I suspect the fastest was nearer 4.30...? I recall hearing a time like that for Joe Barr in 2010:eek:

funnights74

aquanaut wrote: »

Thinking of doing 150 as not as hilly as SK 90, and would love to end year with a century

From the official site.
The 150km Rebel Challenge:
The Rebel Challenge will begin at 9am from Cork Institute of Technology in Bishopstown and will continue towards the Bandon Road Roundabout where the route will head along the N71 road into West Cork affectionately known as “Michael Collins Country”. The cycle will pass through Halfway before turning right toward Crossbarry on the R589 and continuing on the back road to Bandon, bypassing the town and proceeding on the R586 through the quaint villages of Enniskean and Ballineen and onto Dunmanway where the route will veer off left toward Clonakilty. After passing through Clonakilty the route will continue on the R600 through Timoleague, Kilbrittan and Ballinspittle along the coast taking in the scenery of Garretstown and the views around the Old Head before coming back in along the harbour town of Kinsale. The route will then join back up on the N71 at Halfway and head back for the City via the Viaduct, and onto Bandon Road roundabout where cyclists will be directed toward the finishing point at the Cork Institute of Technology.
View: 150km - Google Maps

seve65

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Docman has already said he did it in 5.11 and I suspect the fastest was nearer 4.30...? I recall hearing a time like that for Joe Barr in 2010:eek:

who saw the 4.30 vapour trail !!!

docman said he was working with 4-5 guys. 'keep her lit' was a mainly solo effort. Still thats cycling !

TheBlaaMan

seve65 wrote: »

who saw the 4.30 vapour trail !!!

docman said he was working with 4-5 guys. 'keep her lit' was a mainly solo effort. Still thats cycling !

Seve..........you weren't wrong. 4:50 it was in 2010 !!
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=67734944&postcount=330

Keep_Her_Lit

seve65 wrote: »

Great time, do u upload to strava ?

Sorry, no upload available as I'm still shuffling along with 20th century technology in the form of a Sigma 1606 computer.

'Still enjoying cycling.....' well I suppose next year is a long way off !

I was only joking - provided I can still draw breath and swing a leg over a bike, I'll be enjoying cycling this time next year, please God.

Id be up for the sub-5 attempt, albeing well. Seem to recall somebody did it last year in 4hrs 50. Cheers.

Great, so we have a plan! Talk later.

[Apologies for the delayed response BTW, limited opportunities to post at the moment]

El Vino

I have done this now for a couple of years and absolutely love it. I have a couple of suggestions. optional timing chips would be great, especially ones that would register entry and exit for the food stations and starts and finishs for the climbs. I for one would pay £10 extra for this but it probably should be optional. The other thing I would like considered is a 40km extension, to give a 200km option. This could possibly bring the Vee or a nice chunk of the costal road to tramore into play.

ktz84

El Vino wrote: »

I have done this now for a couple of years and absolutely love it. I have a couple of suggestions. optional timing chips would be great, especially ones that would register entry and exit for the food stations and starts and finishs for the climbs. I for one would pay £10 extra for this but it probably should be optional. The other thing I would like considered is a 40km extension, to give a 200km option. This could possibly bring the Vee or a nice chunk of the costal road to tramore into play.

I case the organisers are reading this - optional being the operative word. I would not be prepared to pay and extra £10 for timing chip. I can already get all the information that it will give me and considerably more from my bike computers. Trying to emulate the ever spiralling costs of British Sportives is not the way to go IMHO.

Great event. Really enjoyed the 160k. Gave it too much respect ie you all frightened me with your talk on here about how hard it was. It's no harder, indeed I would say it easier, than the Dromara Hilly 125km which I had done earlier in the month. The stops were great and loved the fact they were plentiful it meant that you didn't have to lug around a load of energy drink though in retrospect I would use less of them next year and carry a bit more just to keep the momentum going but good to know that they are there if you do need them.

I got round in a rather leisurely 6h20. I'll be looking for a good bit under 6h next year now I know what the course is like (assuming good weather) .

There must have been some very slow sections as my phone registered the time as 6h08 but got the distance right so looks like the lower speed (which is set to assume you are walking and not riding) must have kicked in on some sections.

Whoever paced me up Mauma Road put out the most beautiful tt pacing on that climb as it came in with a VI of 1.01. Powers the Pot also good for a nice steady pace too.