LCRC / Irish Air Corps Around the Mountains Sportive 2012

LCRC_BAX

Hi Guys,

We are expecting between 150 - 200 riders. The weather is due to be good and all the plans are in place to make this a brilliant day.

No problem with dropping a form into Stagg Cycles or else completing one on the morning. Just to update everyone here are all the important details;

Timetable of Events

Parking Open - 7.30am

Breakfast Served - 8.00 - 9.00am

Sign on - 8.00 - 9.00am

Pre-Event Briefing - 9.15am

Group A & B Roll Out - 9.30am (1 min gap)

Refreshments & Snacks en-route at 2 stops.

1st Stop (Water & Energy Drinks) - Top of Sally Gap

2nd Stop (Tea, Coffee, Sandwiches) - Top of Wicklow Gap

Dinner served at Baldonnel - 3.30 - 5.00pm

Cheque Presentation to Barnardos - 5.30pm (NCO Mess)

Bike & Spot Prize Raffle - 6.00pm (NCO Mess)

***************************************************

Important Information

1. Route is 120kms taking in Sally Gap & Wicklow Gap
2. Entry is €30.00 - All to Charity - Barnardos
3. Along with entry - Free entry into Bike Draw sponsored by Stagg Cycles
4. Entry forms available to download here or at Stagg Cycles
5. Completed entries and fee to be dropped into Stagg Cycles
6. Entries will be taken on the day (Limited up to 8.45am in Canteen)
7. Sign on in canteen from 8.00am - 9.00am
8. 2 Groups - Group A - 28kph, Group B - 24kph
9. There will be 4 rider marshals per group
10. Food and water stops en route
11. All welcome & encouraged to stay for presentation & raffle afterwards

Any further queries please contact ronanbaxter@gmail.com

In Sport,

terminator74

Is there a route/map available online?

LCRC_BAX

terminator74 wrote: »

Is there a route/map available online?

Here you go:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/222176631

Hope everyone is looking forward to the day, weather is set to be spot on!

Any last minute questions please just ask.

Bax

fat bloke

Lucan Around the Mountains spin ?????

LCRC_BAX wrote: »

[*]Route is 120kms taking in Sally Gap & Wicklow Gap

Can I get a refund under the trades description act?

velo.2010

I'll be there in the morning. Might have to press on a bit through the foodstops to get back early for a message. Still plan on getting back up to Baldonnell for the dinner/presentation after if those times are correct.

LCRC_BAX

velo.2010 wrote: »

I'll be there in the morning. Might have to press on a bit through the foodstops to get back early for a message. Still plan on getting back up to Baldonnell for the dinner/presentation after if those times are correct.

Those are military times!

No problem pressing on but you will be without support, just so you are aware. All welcome back in NCO mess afterwards for presentation & a pint.

seamus

Military times is right. We left a little late (9:40 by my watch), but still managed to come in five minutes ahead of schedule. That would be a due to the bloody epic pace being set in the fast group. Nice fast setting out, I needed to pee just before the climb to Sally Gap. When I was done I caught a glimpse of the group about half a km ahead, hammering on. Bugger.
Never mind, I'll catch up when they stop between SG and Glemacnass. Except that never happened Whoops, military planning had failed. About 30 of us who'd fallen off the back of the main group, including Jimmy Stagg, managed to get the water van to stop at Glenmacnass for a short break. Result. Feckin cold though. I had dressed totally wrong for today. I had the base layer out, but it never made it into the car. So I was in full summer gear. D'oh. Generally worked out OK, but I had to put on my rainjacket for the descents, which isn't good riding into a headwind.

We chased the rest of the group up the Wicklow Gap to the food stop. Not the niceset trip up the gap for me, I suddenly felt starving as we started to climb and just couldn't muster the energy from my legs. Thankfully after about ten minutes, the energy drinks kicked in and I managed to up the pace.
Great setup at the top of the gap, nice military marquee set up with tea, food and fruit, everyone huddling in at the door of the tent to shelter from the wind.

Setting off from the Gap was something else altogether. Cold again, so jacket on again in all its flappy, wind resisting glory. Pedalling hard just to keep the bike at 50km/h downhill, so I started to lose the group. Bugger, again. Thankfully I wasn't the only one lagging behind, so a few unseen nods later and we're pedalling like madmen in a nice up-and-over formation. 15 leg-busting minutes later and we've latched back onto the group. Thank fnck for that.

Not that we had a chance to rest up when we caught the group. I don't know who was setting the pace, but clearly they were out to test us. Completed the trip from the top of the Gap to Baldonnel, about 45km, in 1:15 :eek:
Average overall for me came to 29.3km/h. I'm sure those who were up with the pace vehicle for the first half must have averaged well over 30km/h.

Great day out, marshalling was top notch - I think those outriders were having as much fun as we were, blasting around the wicklow roads. Couldn't hang around for the meal, family duties...

Plastik

Aye, up near the front averaged, depending on how fast you climbed the hills, 31ish - 30.9 for me. Never felt hectic tbh and there was quite a bit of time where we were just cruising. If you're off the back though you'll always have a hell of a time catching a big group doing high 30's.

Good day out though Met Eireann let us down with the weather predictions. I could listen to those screaming Moto outriders all day and never tire of them!!

J Madone

Most enjoyable day out, great marshalling and pacing, food stop was heaven ( cup of soup) mmmmmm i was freezing and sandwich.Great bunch of lads and it stayed dry thankfully,
Morgan's father nearly had me in tears at the start, will defo do it again.suprised nobody has made a segment out of it on strava yet,
J m

velo.2010

Lads, I think the Air Corps, Defence Forces were testing our mettle up on the Wicklow Gap! Surviving that cold and onset of mild hypothermia, expect an email from the Chief of Staff asking us to join up.:D

A grand spin all told. Though I really dislike the run across from Sally Gap to Glenmacnass and just seemed to go backwards through the lead riders. HIghlight was the brief but classy escort from an Aircorps Helicopter out of Baldonnel. Cue manic waving from the peloton and an audible humming of the Airwolf theme!

I managed to nip home for something and get back for the dinner and raffle, good timing! Didn't win.:rolleyes: Met J Madone, who is well named, and one or two other boardies. Spoke to a nice chap called Sean from Marble Wheelers in the Mess hall/bar.

Many thanks to all those involved for an enjoyable day out. Thanks too, to the Sparrow family. I hope they got some solice from seeing so many people out in support of the spin.:)

fat bloke

A great day out. Fantastic organisation and welcome and all around shepherding from the Baldonnel gang. It's ages and ages since I did the two gaps back to back too.
Really heartbreaking listening to Morgan's father, I suppose a day like this just brings the tragedy back afresh but fair play to him for saying his piece. Hopefully the spin will become an annual fixture, if they opened registration again now for next year, I'd sign up tomorrow.

Consey

Yes, fantastic day out. Had to be back by 3 so was a wee bit skeptical of the chances of making 2.30 when we rolled out late. However excellent Marshalling and pacing in the quicker group made it doable 5 mind early! Stopped to support fellow Wheelie just before start of Sally Gap climb so ended up just two of us up over the gap before catching the smaller groups at the van/drinks stop. Another minor mechanical mishap saw us detached again but caught quite a few on way up the Wicklow Gap. Spin from Gap back was great fun at great pace with the escort through Blessington a highlight ! Very nice tribute to Morgan Sparrow. Moving to see his family there. We'll done to everyone involved, a must do for next year already!

greenmat

Many thanks to LCRC and the Irish Air Corps for a fantastic days cycling. A brillant turnout, superbly marshalled, good food stop and paced perfectly. A fitting tribute to Morgan Sparrow, will definatly do this again.

Super Freak

Thanks for the reports guys. Anyone from the slower group?

Actual Paramedic

Was a great day, enjoyed the spin, good route and the marshalls on the bikes did a great job. Pace, average 28km, well I had 31km at the end. Some good groups along the way and most worked well together. The water stop wasn't there early on but then again was it needed, the main stop was enough, though in date milk would have been nice.

As for Morgan, I have a lot of friends whom knew him and held him in great esteem and spoke highly of him. I was honoured to talk to his father after, had to be so tough for the man to talk before and for it bringing back some memories. Anyhow to the Aer Corps, Lucan and Usher clubs it is a great honour that they have this spin in his name.

greenmat

Will a link for the photos be posted here? Really want one taken from the Helicopter:D

Actual Paramedic

greenmat wrote: »

Will a link for the photos be posted here? Really want one taken from the Helicopter:D

Think you were going too fast for them!!!

uberwolf

I'd have to echo a lot of what Seamus had to say. A bit tentative signing up for the faster paced group having been on the bike a handful of times over the summer.
Set up in Baldonnel was excellent, breakfast, showers, dinner, mess hall for a few pints - a great end of season spin.
The briefing at the start emphasised the intended nature of the spin - stick with the group leaders and ride safe.
I'm not sure what the final sign on was, but it must have been north of 100 in both groups.
Everything stayed nicely organised to the base of Sally Gap where the inevitable split happened, I think everyone was happy enough with that in expectation of the stop somewhere over the top where we would regroup. The stop didn't happen, and whilst I lost touch with the gang who were first over the climb there were little groups all over the road. with half a dozen or so I dropped down into Laragh and started for the Wicklow Gap. An important lesson in gearing there as I struggled with my 39*23 the whole way up - nothing in my legs. Particularly pertinent as I was already at my longest spin in 6 months at the base of the climb and I'd taken less fuel on than ideal.

Struggled up, devoured a banana and some water and wanted to get back on the road. 30 minutes later people were still coming up the climb from the fast group. Especially in the weather 30 minutes was more than long enough to get cold.

Dropped off the gap and on through Valleymount and slid ever closer to the back of the bunch. Presumed I was going to be shelled and when Seamus appeared and commented on the pace I didn't realise the work he'd obviously been doing to regain contact. Gritted the teeth and figured if I could make it as far as Blessington, and up the drag into Blessington, that I'd be able to make it the rest of the way home. In the event turning on to the N81 I felt fine and cruised home.

North of ten years since I'd covered that distance and feel ok for it this morning. Back and neck aren't great and I'll be buying a new cassette for the winter bike on foot of yesterday - adding a 25 at a minimum. The time for bravado is over...

Good event, would happily do it next year. Enjoyed the facilities that the aircorp were able to offer - military police escort, helicopter overhead as we departed. The outriders were great all day and the whine of their engines as they blasted past us suggested that they were enjoying their day too.

Hopefully Morgan's family got some comfort from the turnout. Very raw for them still to judge by the emotion when his father spoke.

bren_mc

had a hugely enjoyable day (apart from puncturing on the sally gap descent). well done to everyone involved in organising it. your heart really went out to the Sparrow family. Morgan's dads speech i think nearly has us all in tears.

bren_mc

in typical me fashion, i left my cycling shoes behind (in the gym i'm pretty sure) on saturday evening. If anyone has any contact details for who i might get in touch with to get them back, could they let me know. thanks

edit: igore all that. shoes found!:)

terminator74

This was a fantastic event; top notch organisation and a great route. Heartbreaking speech from Morgan's dad at the start that puts a lot of things into perspective. Thanks to all who clearly put a lot into organising this - no hesitation in recommending this for next year.

Indu

Chapeau! Great event all together. Really enjoyed it.:D

fat bloke

Super Freak wrote: »

Anyone from the slower group?

They still not back??


:pac:

yak yak yak etc

LCRC_BAX

Delighted that on a whole everyone enjoyed the day. As always the AC did a great job marshalling the route and laying on the use of their facilities for the all participants to make use of. The only minor hitch was that the first drinks stop was a few miles further on than it should have been so apologies to everyone I told going up the Sally Gap that it was right at the top!

For anyone who stayed around afterwards we had a great evening back in the NCO Mess where we did the raffle - all prizes generously donated by Stagg Cycles and also presented a cheque for €5,000 to Barnardos, making it all worthwhile.

Hope to see you all back next year.

I will post a link to the photos as soon as I get them.

Bax

uberwolf

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.494254643918004.116711.308450012498469&type=1