Great Dublin Bike Ride - Sunday 13th September **no entry requests/offers**

Inspector Coptoor

Really good day out.
Really enjoyed it.
115km total for me.

Did the 100km route in 3 hours 37 mins
Average speed of 27.6km/hr
Max speed of 64.4km/hr.
703m climbing.

I liked the route. The middle third was very punchy.

Marshals were great.
Gardai were fantastic and so friendly.
Massive shout out to all the Gardai bombing around on the tank Garda bikes.
Food was reasonably good.

Negatives:
I felt there should have been an earlier stop for the 100km route.
Having one at 64km and 90km didn't make much sense to me.
I can't understand why the route went through the national athlete centre at all.
It slowed down everyone and those speed ramps were nasty buggers and a lot of people punctured.
Finishing in wet cobbles wasn't good either, few people took spills.

Great event and I'd do it again if the above was sorted out.
Should also be an option to forego the jersey/t shirt to avail of a cheaper entry fee.
€40 is a bit much when you have enough cycling gear and don't need more.
€30 would have been plenty.

ted1

Is this the first large sporting event in Dublin that ignored the kypher pass or even just Phoneix Park?

conkennedy

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

Negatives:
I felt there should have been an earlier stop for the 100km route.
Having one at 64km and 90km didn't make much sense to me.
I can't understand why the route went through the national athlete centre at all.
It slowed down everyone and those speed ramps were nasty buggers and a lot of people punctured.
Finishing in wet cobbles wasn't good either, few people took spills.

Totally agree, it was the only thing that could have been better planned ort place. The late food stops seemed pointless - but perhaps this was the only place to facilitate food stop.

Volunteers, marshals, gardai, organisers and participants were absolutely brilliant.

Chapeau to all involved and I look forward to this event getting bigger and better next year.

conkennedy

ImThatGuy wrote: »

The Strava Fly by is class! I'd post a print screen but I'm not allowed yet.

Quickly to Strava... and youtube...

https://youtu.be/N9xB7QW0258

Looks mental!

Skrynesaver

Had a great day out, met a few people on the road and spotted an old school orange on purple boards top.

As everyone else has already noted the marshaling was excellent, made for an enjoyable spin.

The weather even held off until we got back to Dublin.

Hopped on the back of a train on the Ashbourne Ratoath road and we flew in as far as the NSC where we slowed down and got strung out.

One of the best managed events I've been at.

Eamonnator

Can anybody tell me what the numbers painted on the road were?
They were all over the gaff. They all seemed to be 161.**

sullivlo

Eamonnator wrote: »

Can anybody tell me what the numbers painted on the road were?
They were all over the gaff. They all seemed to be 161.**

I thought perhaps they were for the marshals in terms of telling them where to stand?

Great day out. I chickened out and turned for the 60. Shoulder was giving out at that stage. To be fair I was in a sling up until yesterday (and back in it now!) but great day. Very happy with how it turned out.

The_Morrigan

Eamonnator wrote: »

Can anybody tell me what the numbers painted on the road were?
They were all over the gaff. They all seemed to be 161.**

Could have been the junction system. Junctions were numbered as they were designated drop off areas for volunteers, Marshalls and Gardai and if there was an issue event control knew by the junction number being relayed back to base.

Unknown Soldier

Superbly managed event. The pasta at the end was lovely and I wouldn't be a fan of it in general.

I did 123 with the extra there and back. The people I was with, "Kildare Farm Foods" as one person called us, due to a prominent sponsor on the Jersey had a good train going on after the second food stop (which was a bit late on in the spin tbh).

Lots of people jumped on board as we were passing them and then the roll overs got quicker and quicker as more people wanted to help out. I'd say we were averaging 30 for most of them time.

We even had our own Garda on a Motor bike as an escort! I swear!
He stayed with us most of the way till the NSC, probably due to the ever increasing size of the train. I'm nearly sure he was making sure all the junctions were ready for our impending approach too.

It all went kind of pear shaped at the NSC but a fair few of us got back together and made it into the city as a group.

Good craic all day tbh.

rollingscone

It was well organised and the volunteers were all great.

All the same it confirmed my suspicions that Sportives are not for me.

Anyone else encounter the guy with the sound system hanging from his saddle rails?

Qualitymark

Eamonnator wrote: »

Can anybody tell me what the numbers painted on the road were?
They were all over the gaff. They all seemed to be 161.**

They were where the volunteers were posted.

As a volunteer, wasn't so impressed with the organisation. Our team leader didn't know the way to where the volunteers were to be left, and the bus driver didn't know Dublin, so we went around and around and around the one-way system. Team leader took our names and phone numbers as we got off, but didn't give us his. Information we'd been given at the briefing didn't turn out to be altogether accurate (I feel sorry for anyone who believed they'd get a blue Great Dublin Bike Ride jacket and didn't bring one, they would have got soaked, though there was a thin polythene poncho with elbow-length sleeves…) At the finish we were told to look out for the broom wagon - "It'll be covered in brooms and brushes!" - and the bus would be along soon after that, so when the bus appeared with no sign of any broom wagon, a lot of people didn't recognise it. Names weren't taken getting back on the bus to check against those who'd got off. There were no calls or visits to see were the volunteers getting on ok. At the end, the bus driver dropped us on the quays rather than back at Smithfield, so those of us who'd left our bikes tied up there had to squelch back up. It was generally a bit haphazard.

On the upside, the volunteers were nice, as were the local people, and there was even an outraged man who came up to me to complain "All those riders up there went straight through a red light!" And the riders seemed to be having a great time and to be proud and happy, and many shouted thanks to us as they passed.

For future ref:

• Have a Cycling Ireland person on each bus who knows where the volunteers are going to go, and who knows the area of the city
• Give each team leader a bunch of cards with his/her name and number to hand out to people as they leave the bus
• Task the team leaders with keeping in touch with their teams
• A little more garda help would be good, especially in directing traffic at junctions - or even signs before junctions asking drivers to be cautious as thousands of riders are going to be cycling through
• Small considerate things like separating the vegetarian sandwiches and having vegetarian breakfast rolls too - a lot of the veggie volunteers seemed to be going out hungry
• Please give every volunteer, every bus driver and every team leader (and participants, obv) a good map of the route - people were asking questions about where it was going, and the online map wasn't good enough to tell them

AmberGold

Great event, well done to the marshals, Garda and organisers. Great also to see a considerable amount of Garda cycling amongst the participants.
Let's hope this event is a regular feature.

Alek

Someone set up a Strava segment for the whole 60km and I have the KOM!

My wife (blue jacket, orange mixte bike) says hello, you were passing each other nearly all the time. She has a QOM on that segment

(well, there are only two of you there so far :P )

DDC1990

Great event.

Feeling under the weather and emptied after Swords. Jelly legs, aching all over. Regained composure and finished happy enough,

Great marshalling and great job keeping the cars back. Very safe.

traprunner

Alek wrote: »

My wife (blue jacket, orange mixte bike) says hello, you were passing each other nearly all the time. She has a QOM on that segment

haha. I remember passing and being passed by a woman in a blue jacket for much of it. Hello to her too! I can't remember where I made up the few minutes between us. Probably on a downhill because I am fast on them (very slow going up though!)

PS. There are 95 of us on the segment

Alek

Maybe its a different one? Can you post the link?

traprunner

Alek wrote: »

Maybe its a different one? Can you post the link?

Surely she would remember a bearded guy in yellow! If it was a different segment then it may have been a different woman in blue I saw :pac:

https://www.strava.com/segments/10463088?filter=overall

Qualitymark

traprunner wrote: »

Surely she would remember a bearded guy in yellow! If it was a different segment then it may have been a different woman in blue I saw :pac:

https://www.strava.com/segments/10463088?filter=overall

Many, many bearded guys in yellow passed me as I stood cheering people on and holding back traffic (semi-successfully) for them. Many of them even white-bearded, as if goatee-trimmed Santys had taken to cycling.

Alek

Its not the same segment, but your times are very close https://www.strava.com/activities/391111708/

traprunner

Qualitymark wrote: »

Many, many bearded guys in yellow passed me as I stood cheering people on and holding back traffic (semi-successfully) for them. Many of them even white-bearded, as if goatee-trimmed Santys had taken to cycling.

I've a real beard. Birds nest in it and the wind whistles through it. Brownish red and some slivers of white.

Qualitymark

traprunner wrote: »

I've a real beard. Birds nest in it and the wind whistles through it. Brownish red and some slivers of white.

Oh, this is nonsense. I heard no birdsong whatsoever.

traprunner

Alek wrote: »

Its not the same segment, but your times are almost the same https://www.strava.com/activities/391111708/

Excellent time from her! That segment is not showing up on my list but we did pass a number of times.

Alek

Brownish red

Yes, she confirms it was you!

She did not stop at the first food stop and that's why the segment does not match

traprunner

Alek wrote: »

Yes, she confirms it was you!

She did not stop at the first food stop and that's why the segment does not match

An right. That makes sense. I needed refuelling. Her overall time was better by me. And her speed in places. Looking at flyby she has some acceleration on me in places. She was really flying!:)

Plasid

Chapeau to the Marshalls and Gardai, made the morning go very smoothly. Cheers to the organisers on a great inaugural event!

3h.22m for the 100km

Many punctures (not me)
No accidents witnessed (though the gravel at the sharp left following the descent from Naul was nasty)
Loads of support from locals
Not a single car overtaking until hit dublin
Good food stops (second not needed)
Horrible speed bumps near same
One squirrel
One pigeon
And a pair of horse sized huskies off the lead at portmarnock

OldBean

I think we crossed paths a few times, Traprunner. I was in black, on a red bike with a handlebar bag.

Pudsy33

Did anyone doing the 100 km route see the guy on the fixie? It was a beautiful silver bike but the poor lad is probably only reaching Garristown around now!

OldBean

Pudsy33 wrote: »

Did anyone doing the 100 km route see the guy on the fixie? It was a beautiful silver bike but the poor lad is probably only reaching Garristown around now!

Saw him finish with a good time. Commentator referred to it as a "fixer" :pac:

sullivlo

One of the girls in our club got knocked off her bike by a car. Bike totalled. Think she's okay - just shook. She went home in the van.

traprunner

OldBean wrote: »

I think we crossed paths a few times, Traprunner. I was in black, on a red bike with a handlebar bag.

We might have to invest in a boards jersey so it's more obvious.

Still delighted with the day. It was so enjoyable even when I was on my own after the first feed station. A group then came up and passed me with a guy from Clontarf CC in a leaders Jersey. It gave me a boost and I failed them for a couple of km then passed them, they passed me again and then I managed to take off over the last 5km of so. Incredible the effect of company can have.