Ras Mhaigheo 2018

yop

Lads
We are back for year 5 of Ras Mhaigheo.
Entry is open online for the 2 Day A2/A3 race.

A4 race is on the day registration only.
All details are on our page.
https://www.westportcc.ie/2018/01/15/ras-mhaigh-eo-2018/

Any questions give me a shout or contact Richard our race director.

RowanHarley

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

Esroh

RowanHarley wrote: »

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

If your making that assumption from the profile, don't be fooled. A line on a map has caught many a man out.

elchupanebrey

As far as i know racers are permitted to make a race hard too! Just a thought!

JK.BMC

RowanHarley wrote: »

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

Have you done many?
Racing in Mayo is some of the best in the country in my opinion.

Eamonnator

RowanHarley wrote: »

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

No, not a one.
I think your best bet is to win a couple and get yourself up to A3 as quickly as possible.

yop

RowanHarley wrote: »

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

Thats a very flat route, we tried finding a few fat flats, but Mayo is like any of the flat roads you'd find around Majorca or Lanzarote.

Best to HAMMER it from the drop of the flat and TT it all the way.


See you in March.

JK.BMC

yop wrote: »

Thats a very flat route, we tried finding a few fat flats, but Mayo is like any of the flat roads you'd find around Majorca or Lanzarote.

Best to HAMMER it from the drop of the flat and TT it all the way.


See you in March.

Excellent advice there ðŸ˜႒

Holy God.... it the 2nd week of February and the complaints about A4 racing have started already. Give it another few days and the moaning about watts, average speeds and having to sprint will start again, as it has been for about the last 10 years.

Back on topic- won't make it to Mayo this time but will return later in the season; good to see racing in Connacht restored this season.

Chumpski

RowanHarley wrote: »

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

Lacey Cup and Cycleways cup the first weekend in March have hills and are tough courses.

Theres also the race in Carlow that same weekend in March as the Ras Mhaigheo.

For St Patricks weekend, im not 100% sure on the course but id imagine the Carrick on Suir route might be hilly as ive never raced a flat course in Carrick.

Lots of hilly races, a few in April too with Stamullen and the Deenside cup.

And if not hilly, its up to the guys in the race to make it hard for the guys who want to sit in and wait for the sprint.

yop

Chumpski wrote: »

Lacey Cup and Cycleways cup the first weekend in March have hills and are tough courses.

Theres also the race in Carlow that same weekend in March as the Ras Mhaigheo.

For St Patricks weekend, im not 100% sure on the course but id imagine the Carrick on Suir route might be hilly as ive never raced a flat course in Carrick.

Lots of hilly races, a few in April too with Stamullen and the Deenside cup.

And if not hilly, its up to the guys in the race to make it hard for the guys who want to sit in and wait for the sprint.

Markowiz Cup in Sligo has a slight hill in it also, well worth going to that if hills are required.

daragh_

RowanHarley wrote: »

Hm... The A4 race looks very flat. Are there no good races for A4's these days?

Flat as a pancake. Attack at the back of the course around the N59. You'll probably win.

thekooman

the A4 race is always hard and usually breaks up either crossing to Delphi or the main road back in by the Church... hard roads and if the wind blows its even harder. most years its won by a break and won solo as well.

thekooman

yop wrote: »

Markowiz Cup in Sligo has a slight hill in it also, well worth going to that if hills are required.

the Marky cup has the Hungry rock in it... 5mins at ur max and then the descent is even harder! last year only 2 A4's were left at the end when the scratch got them on the 2nd last lap. they basically dropped the rest of them. about 800metres of climbing in 60k-ish.

RowanHarley

thekooman wrote: »

the Marky cup has the Hungry rock in it... 5mins at ur max and then the descent is even harder! last year only 2 A4's were left at the end when the scratch got them on the 2nd last lap. they basically dropped the rest of them. about 800metres of climbing in 60k-ish.

Ya i'm going to this race. The hill really suits me as I'm a very small rider (5ft 5'). As for the Ras Maigh Eo, not sure if it's a course that'd suit me. Not sure what my chances would be like if it came to a sprint although I do like getting into breakaways

Bambaata

yop wrote: »

Markowiz Cup in Sligo has a slight hill in it also, well worth going to that if hills are required.

Nice hill alright! Hope to get back up to this race this year, and hopefully up that hill a bit faster this time!

RowanHarley

Bambaata wrote: »

Nice hill alright! Hope to get back up to this race this year, and hopefully up that hill a bit faster this time!

Ya I'm seeing averages there of around 20km/h. It must be fairly hard. On the strava segment, about 500m of it averages over 10%! One way to kill the legs off anyways

thekooman

RowanHarley wrote: »

Ya I'm seeing averages there of around 20km/h. It must be fairly hard. On the strava segment, about 500m of it averages over 10%! One way to kill the legs off anyways

oh its hard... and the finish is at the top of the Hungry Rock. only half the starters finish it usually and the last lap is manic. if you can stick with the scratch group, you're doing very well.

RowanHarley

thekooman wrote: »

oh its hard... and the finish is at the top of the Hungry Rock. only half the starters finish it usually and the last lap is manic. if you can stick with the scratch group, you're doing very well.

Ya mightnt have chosen the best first race to do lol. I'll be happy if I can finish it then but I feel like I'm fit enough to keep up with the faster groups, looking at last year's results

yop

thekooman wrote: »

the Marky cup has the Hungry rock in it... 5mins at ur max and then the descent is even harder! last year only 2 A4's were left at the end when the scratch got them on the 2nd last lap. they basically dropped the rest of them. about 800metres of climbing in 60k-ish.

Bambaata wrote: »

Nice hill alright! Hope to get back up to this race this year, and hopefully up that hill a bit faster this time!

Its a pig and its sister that race. But its great early session training/death imitation.

yop

RowanHarley wrote: »

Ya mightnt have chosen the best first race to do lol. I'll be happy if I can finish it then but I feel like I'm fit enough to keep up with the faster groups, looking at last year's results

You wont be long in A4 if you are keeping up with the fast groups in that race

yop

TT google map below. This is about 1/2 way into the TT climb.
https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.7755609,-9.7093867,3a,75y,224.68h,87.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWRVpINPMUtFdstMwb3l39Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Some inside info for boardsies!

RowanHarley

yop wrote: »

You wont be long in A4 if you are keeping up with the fast groups in that race

I doubt I will but I could definitely hold the pace on the main climb anyways Id say

yop

RowanHarley wrote: »

I doubt I will but I could definitely hold the pace on the main climb anyways Id say

You can change your license up to A3 as your a junior, sounds like you are much too strong for A4 races and will only waste your season down with that lot.

Contact CI and upgrade.

RowanHarley

yop wrote: »

You can change your license up to A3 as your a junior, sounds like you are much too strong for A4 races and will only waste your season down with that lot.

Contact CI and upgrade.

I'm not sure if I should. Its my first year racing and although I do think I'd be able to keep up with them on the hills, I think I'd rather do the race then if I do well, contact CI and upgrade. Will they let me do that or if I race, will I need to get the points

yop

RowanHarley wrote: »

I'm not sure if I should. Its my first year racing and although I do think I'd be able to keep up with them on the hills, I think I'd rather do the race then if I do well, contact CI and upgrade. Will they let me do that or if I race, will I need to get the points

1st year racing, go learn to race then. Learn what its all about and how it go. A4 will cut your teeth.
Get your points in and then move to A3, win the races and get their on merit.

Get down to Ras Mhaigheo, you'll be top dog down there.

fondriest

yop wrote: »

TT google map below. This is about 1/2 way into the TT climb.
https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.7755609,-9.7093867,3a,75y,224.68h,87.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWRVpINPMUtFdstMwb3l39Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Some inside info for boardsies!

Apart from the TT are the other 2 stages the same as last year ?

RowanHarley

yop wrote: »

1st year racing, go learn to race then. Learn what its all about and how it go. A4 will cut your teeth.
Get your points in and then move to A3, win the races and get their on merit.

Get down to Ras Mhaigheo, you'll be top dog down there.

Well an update on being in A4... Spoiler: I've been moved up to A3. To elaborate, I was contacting them on something different and they realised I was A4, took it as a mistake and upgraded me to A3. Should I say that I deliberately chose A4 or should I just go along with it?

yop

fondriest wrote: »

Apart from the TT are the other 2 stages the same as last year ?

They are indeed

fondriest

yop wrote: »

They are indeed

Thanks , great stages . Looking forward to it.

Chumpski

RowanHarley wrote: »

Well an update on being in A4... Spoiler: I've been moved up to A3. To elaborate, I was contacting them on something different and they realised I was A4, took it as a mistake and upgraded me to A3. Should I say that I deliberately chose A4 or should I just go along with it?

If it’s your first year racing I’d correct them and start as A4. A3 races are long, some 100k or more and there are some quality riders in that bunch. Some juniors for example will be pretty much near A1 level.

Up to you really, on the plus side you are eligible to do some really cool races like Gorey 3 day and the Shay Elliot at A3. Just if you are a normal guy like most of us you may struggle initially.

A4 is more forgiving for newbies as that’s what it’s there for really.

JK.BMC

RowanHarley wrote: »

Well an update on being in A4... Spoiler: I've been moved up to A3. To elaborate, I was contacting them on something different and they realised I was A4, took it as a mistake and upgraded me to A3. Should I say that I deliberately chose A4 or should I just go along with it?

Apart from here, is anybody advising you about bike racing? A real and much debated topic in the country in recent years has been the number of cyclists who enter races with little or no prior experience and the dangers that brings to both the individuals and the other racers.
By all means take up the racing- but only if you have done some proper fast paced group riding with other experienced riders.
And whatever you do, don't go near the Gorey 3-Day as a 16 year old with no prior experience of big bunch racing; that would not be in any body's best interest.
The suggestion to start in A4 seems sensible. And if you reckon you can hang in with A1 riders on Hungry Rock outside Sligo, well more power to you. See how you get on