Lenny, Alek and Rob's cyclo crossbromance

crosswords

Event going ahead.

Weather looking good enough for tomorrows champs, now with 25% extra free, mud.

Hope all our competitiors enjoy the day tomorrow.

We will have plenty of shelter in the marquee for spectators too.

And with the view over the big hill it's the best place to watch a cross race this side of Belgium.

So, will it be Squeak or Robin, Fran or Beth, Robfowl or Lenny?

Beasty

dooverylittle wrote: »

Any chance of the Park calling it off?

No chance - they've all gone home for the weekend ......

crosswords

Lads & ladies,

Hope you are all ready for tomorrow.

Yes there will be mud, and some running, lots of brand new tarmac, and some amazing new stuff, in the woods.

Rumours of chicken curry are also true.

If you have a CI licence and you want to race, please do come over on the day, and sign on.

Tomorrows Leinster Cross Champs Schedule


Event Time Duration Categories
Race 1 10.00 40 mins "Crossmass" B Race
Race 2 11.05 45 mins Ladies & Juniors
Race 3 12.20 50 mins M40 M50
Race 4 13.40 60 mins Senior Men & U23
Prizes 15.00 15 mins All Championship Cats

In order that all events are run to schedule tomorrow we will be operating a continental style lap countdown system.

How does it work?

1. As opposed to a starting lap count, riders will be given an allocated race duration (see above).
2. Based on a review of the time of the race leader’s first 2-3 laps, a calculation will be made by the chief judge as to how many laps will be completed by the race leader within the allocated race duration. This calculation will form the basis of the remaining lap countdown.
3. A lap board with a countdown of remaining laps will be displayed after about 20 minutes of racing.


A working example of this would be:

Elite Men – Race Duration 60 mins
Robin Seymour Early Race Leader
• Lap 1: 05.58
• Lap 2: 06.02
• Lap 3: 05:57
Laps remaining = 7

A lap board is produced starting countdown at 6 laps to go.
A Bell will be rung continuously at 1 lap to go
All riders will finish on the winners last lap.

....and Robin finishes as winner in a final time of 59.56.

We hope that is clear enough.

See you tomorrow.

Beasty

crosswords wrote: »

....and Robin finishes as winner in a final time of 59.56.

We hope that is clear enough.

Yep - looks clear enough to me - the rest of you in the main race can have a lie in if you like......



:pac:

Beasty

I heard a rumour the gods are going to be working overnight on the introduction of a special "water obstacle"

And I don't have any wellies:o

Forecast is for sunshine by the time racing starts though, so hopefully the camera will be safe:)

lennymc

Won't be me. My flight home from Manchester was cancelled at the last minuso i wont make it. gutted

Beasty

lennymc wrote: »

Won't be me. My flight home from Manchester was cancelled at the last minuso i wont make it. gutted

There are direct trains from Manchester Airport to Holyhead ferry port. The 2.30 ferry gets into Dublin by 6am.

C'mon Lenny, don't let a bit of a damp squib named Des get in the way of your tete-a-tete with Rob.....

Raam

Course for tomorrow...

wanderer 22

Man, that was hard. Well done to Swords CC on a great course and event. Good to see Alek, Comete, Taxman and Luke all of whom finished ahead of me ;-)

Craig06

I punctured out on the first lap. Very tough course though. Got to try out my new Juin Tech R1 brakes on the longer descents.

detones

Thanks to all involved and in very well run event today. I had a mare but that's life. That was me puking my guts up on lap 1 in the B race in the woods if anyone seen me. A slow puncture after that was the perfect excuse to quit. I went too hard at start and never recovered. Feeling a bit gutted now but I just couldn't carry on. Lesson learned, Won't attempt another one of these I'm less I'm 100%. Toughest course I've done so far. I helped out what the some marshalling for a bit and I could not believe the speed of zippy Doyle over the mucky stuff. Unreal.

The tax man

That's gonna hurt for a few days. Well done to all at Swords CC for today.
Great course design that certainly challenged you in places. I hate that hill with a passion.

Tenzor07

Tough oul course put together by the Swords boys(and girls) today, very challenging for the riders...

Hard luck to O'Reilly, but Seymour was on fire today, horsing up that climb where most people could barely walk!
And the battle for 3rd place was the highlight of the main race!

Beasty

So much suffering on a single day. Really must bring some popcorn along next time...

BTW for those of you who did not recognise me I was the one giving tips as you approached the "little hillock" when turning right off the tarmaced section in the woods.

Hopefully should have some photos up later.

lukegjpotter

Great course, I'm just regaining my senses now. Lots of soft landings in mud and trees. Spent ages driving around looking for a Petrol Station with a power washer, there are none. Ended up getting the car and bike washed in Ballyboden for €13. I'll buy one of those washers from ChainReaction for next year.

Very opportunistic prices for a cup of hot water and a teabag.

Raam

I'm wrecked and I didn't even ride. Up at 5, leave gaff at 6 to ride over. Start taping the course at 7.20. Panic at 10.00 as we realise that we forgot to tape the back end of the course, hence the delay. We got there eventually. Goaded to ride the A race which thankfully I didn't fall for as it would have killed me. Clean up after the race. Home now to put the kids to bed.

Alek

BTW for those of you who did not recognise me I was the one giving tips as you approached the "little hillock" when turning right off the tarmaced section in the woods.

You look too young to be real Beasty, impostor!

comete

What a muckfest, great fun though.

I had a decent start in the crossmas race but lost the front wheel first time through the forest section and lost a few places that I couldn't make back up.

I done what every mechanic says you should never do and washed my bike with a powerhouse in a garage, whatever damage I done is better than being kicked out of my apartment.

The tax man

I left all that Northside mud...Northside. I brought a brush with me so after the race I headed down to the river and gave the bike a good going over.
Meant a quick five minute hose down when back home, certainly beats the usual clean up that lasts longer than the race itself.

Wishbone Ash

The tax man wrote: »

I left all that Northside mud...Northside. ...

North County mud!

stecleary

I learnt a bloody lot today,
Racing after 7 weeks of antibiotics is just silly
I cant ride cross, not even if my life counted on it
You need big balls to take on some of them sections
Never assume everybody can get on a bike as quick as you, I started well and was mid bunch after the first run up, jumped on the bike only for the person in front of me to stop, touching wheels and over the bars, bars shifted to one side that I didn't really notice until half way down tarmac section, quick fix and back on, past beasty and passed by the juniors, an other fall in the trees before coming back out to the tarmac. Bars moved again and I gave up
I don't bounce well and have the battle scars of half a lap.
I'll stick to being a spectator/podium hauler

crosswords

Great report and great podium work.

lukegjpotter

stecleary wrote: »

I learnt a bloody lot today, ...
I cant ride cross, not even if my life counted on it
You need big balls to take on some of them sections ...
I don't bounce well and have the battle scars of half a lap.
I'll stick to being a spectator/podium hauler

Ride the early season (grippy green) races next year to build the skills.

stecleary

lukegjpotter wrote: »

Ride the early season (grippy green) races next year to build the skills.

That is tempting to be honest I'm stupid like that and always jump in the deep end

JK.BMC

Thanks to Swords CC for today; it's a great venue and lots of effort made to make a spectacle. Maybe a little down on the numbers? I dunno but that's not the organiser's fault.
Forgive me now if I sound a bit critical, but I didn't think it was necessary to put so many off-camber zig-zags on the hill- by 2pm it was just unrideable for everybody, even the very top guys. In fact, the course was great in many respects but perhaps it would be just as exciting if a few of these extra twists were left out; it is a different type of race when 90% of the field are tip-toeing and sliding sideways (myself included) as opposed to trying to ride the bends or engaged in decent run-ups or running tactically thru mud.
Anyway, that is just my tuppence worth on what was overall a very good day out.

Raam

JK.BMC wrote: »

Forgive me now if I sound a bit critical, but I didn't think it was necessary to put so many off-camber zig-zags on the hill- by 2pm it was just unrideable for everybody, even the very top guys.

They were designed to not be rideable.

JK.BMC

I thought that the way they were set up for the nationals last year was better; but sure enough, not every metre is to be taken on the bike, I know. I just preferred the other set up.
Not that it made an iota of a difference to my performance!

Raam

JK.BMC wrote: »

I thought that the way they were set up for the nationals last year was better; but sure enough, not every metre is to be taken on the bike, I know. I just preferred the other set up.
Not that it made an iota of a difference to my performance!

Feedback is always welcome, so thank you for providing it!
We took it out this year for two reasons... to do something different as we have had the full slaloms two or three years now and also cos the full slaloms take ages to set up!

dooverylittle

Raam wrote: »

Feedback is always welcome, so thank you for providing it!
We took it out this year for two reasons... to do something different as we have had the full slaloms two or three years now and also cos the full slaloms take ages to set up!

The course was brilliant, the organisation was brilliant and the organisers team spirit was really evident.

The course is a very challenging one, which I think puts some people off, keeping numbers a little lower then the day deserves.

BUT that does not mean the course should be dumbed down.
The swords race is a great part of the cx calendar.

Well done to everyone who helped out over the past weeks and today.

Thank you.

Hmmzis

Thanks to all the organisers, marshals, cake bakers, sandwich makers, face painters, curry geniuses and all the other volunteers who made today a great day out for all of my family.

Was in the B race. Absolutely loved the start, just awesome, both as a participant and later as a spectator. Got a good start, was 5th or 6th wheel when remounting, overtook all but the MTBer on the tarmac/grass straight. Lost a bit of ground to the MTBer in the forest singletrack section. Was gaining a bit on him on the less technical parts of the circuit and was quite close to him on the first tarmac uphill. Then my chain unshipped, some cursing, chain back on, MTBer gone. Rode up that hill not a happy camper and unshipped the chain again at the top of that same hill. Waved to Mr Grieves in the pits that I need a bike change, changed bike and told him that chain is coming off a lot. Couldn't get used to the handling of the spare bike in mud, come off a good few times on the second lap. Swapped bike back for lap 3 (or the other half of lap 2, no idea how many laps we did at the end), didn't unship the chain until the last lap. Happy days (sort of)! The mud was getting harder to ride through and the last two laps I was running through most of the lower mud plains. It felt a lot quicker and less leg sapping than trying to grind my way through. My remounting needs work though. On the second to last lap made a total balls of the steep descent coming out of the woods, some trees got in my way, one of them moved away the other one wasn't so kind. Ribcage 0 : 1 Tree. Landed on my back in some thorny stuff, marshal came to assist, nothing seemed to be broken so carried on. Noticed Alek closing in on me so upped the pace a bit. On the last lap just tried to focus on staying upright. From what I heard I came 5th over the line. Given the mechanicals and the amount of time I spent on the ground I'm well chuffed with that result.

A Huge thank you to Mr Grieves for providing me with a spare bike and doing the pits for me, I think I was one of only a few riders in the B race having someone in the pits. The body feels in bits now. Happy!