The Reservoir Dog Sportive 2019 - September15th.

magicbastarder

Weepsie wrote: »

Is anyone driving to this from Glasnevin direction with space for another plus bike?

couple of things make me wary about tackling something like this.
one, i've only ever done one other sportive.
two; what's it like to drive a car after having banjaxed yourself for hours on end up mountains?

triggermortis

I’ve done the last 3 and hoping to do it again this year.

AxleAddict

magicbastarder wrote: »

couple of things make me wary about tackling something like this.
one, i've only ever done one other sportive.
two; what's it like to drive a car after having banjaxed yourself for hours on end up mountains?

I can only vouch for the 125km route and, in my opinion, its certainly well up there with some of the tough (but rewarding) routes over that distance. Irrespective of how many sportives you've done it'll be your overall fitness level
and how regularly you ride hilly routes which will ultimately dictate what sort of a day you have in the saddle. This'll be my fourth time taking part and it's become a firm fixture in my annual sportive calendar - it's well organised and numbers seem to have increased year-on-year, which is a good sign. I'm no speed demon on the hills (being ~95kg doesn't help!) - but I get out on the bike once, or maybe twice a week - it is tough but do-able for me. In previous years, the climbing started fairly early into the route - bit of a shock to the system if you hadn't studied the route before setting off - I think with the tweaks which have been made to this years route, the first climb might be a little later and more gentle - I'm looking forward to the updated route - for a bit of variety and a new challenge. Bring it on!

As for driving after an event such as this - well, when I had just started out cycling (2016) and taking part in events like these I did feel a bit of pain on my right knee just keeping the pressure on the accelerator for long periods of time - as time progressed and I got stronger, this lessened - cruise-control and mostly motorway driving helped too :P

The Noble Nudge

magicbastarder wrote: »

couple of things make me wary about tackling something like this.
one, i've only ever done one other sportive.
two; what's it like to drive a car after having banjaxed yourself for hours on end up mountains?

How does one become a cycling mod with only 1 sportive under the belt?:eek:

magicbastarder

sheer sex appeal is what they told me.

Macy0161

magicbastarder wrote: »

two; what's it like to drive a car after having banjaxed yourself for hours on end up mountains?

It's not a race, so don't completely banjax yourself! Also, plenty of time to recover with a burger and a brew, even if you can't partake in the Mont beer on site!

The Noble Nudge

magicbastarder wrote: »

sheer sex appeal is what they told me.

:pac::pac:

You now have to do it Magic... Corker look after that man with a good discount keeping all us safe on here

Just signed up. June was my first time out on the bike in a year, and I've only done about 300km in total so far this summer.

I look forward to struggling massively in a couple of weeks time.

Weepsie

The Noble Nudge wrote: »

:pac::pac:

You now have to do it Magic... Corker look after that man with a good discount keeping all us safe on here

We could go around with yellow cards and wave them at people

Corker1

Borderfox wrote: »

I have a good load from Dunshaughlin signed up for the 65km, doing the Peter mc Verry the day before so will be a good weekends biking!!

Excellent. I took a look at the online entries and see you guys have nearly 20 riders signed up. Fair play. You have a great weekend of biking lined up alright. I hope the Pup rounds it off nicely.

Corker1

Dónal wrote: »

Just signed up. June was my first time out on the bike in a year, and I've only done about 300km in total so far this summer.

I look forward to struggling massively in a couple of weeks time.

Well Donal you still have time to double your 2019 mileage BEFORE the Dog. Put in a few hard sessions on the bike over the next 10-12 days and it will stand to you on the day. Just give yourself a few days easy recovery before the 15th.
Pace yourself on the Day. The Pup is also an option for sure. It's a tough fecker of a 65km circuit. And there are always bail out options on the 125km route if you are on a bad day. But hey, just make sure you enjoy the day and don't burst yourself.

The Noble Nudge

Weepsie wrote: »

We could go around with yellow cards and wave them at people

At every corner...
:)

Cant post the image..darn it

lochdara

signed up for the 65km again this year. its enough for me. the first big hill was a killer for me last year. This year i am fitter ( a bit) and lighter ( a bit) so i am looking forward to taking that one on. I have been looking forward to it as it was so well organised last year.

koutoubia

I believe a good crew from VCB are going down including myself and most of the RAI animals riders.

Epitaph

How long typically would the Pup take, for a reasonably fit weekend rider? Am on the clock that day!

Epitaph

Epitaph wrote: »

How long typically would the Pup take, for a reasonably fit weekend rider? Am on the clock that day!

3 hours cycling time would be grand @ 22 kph. I did the first 40km of the Pup this morning in about 1 hour 45 mins - had never been up the Dowery before, great route up that way.

Corker1

Epitaph wrote: »

How long typically would the Pup take, for a reasonably fit weekend rider? Am on the clock that day!

Donal's estimate of about 3 hours riding time sounds about right to me. It might only be 65km but there is well over 800 metres of climbing along the way. Also allow a few minutes for the food stop at Lacken. Thanks for signing up and enjoy your day on the 15th.

Corker1

]

koutoubia wrote: »

I believe a good crew from VCB are going down including myself and most of the RAI animals riders.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 15th. Always a great turnout from the VCB crew at the Dog . And big Kudos all round on the RAI.

Corker1

lochdara wrote: »

signed up for the 65km again this year. its enough for me. the first big hill was a killer for me last year. This year i am fitter ( a bit) and lighter ( a bit) so i am looking forward to taking that one on. I have been looking forward to it as it was so well organised last year.

Thanks Lochdara. Yes that first hill the Dowry is a rude awakening for the legs (and lungs) but it sounds like you should have it licked this year. Pace yourself and above all enjoy the Pup on the 15th.

Corker1

Online entry has now closed for The Reservoir Dog 2019. Thanks to all of you who have signed up and we look forward to hosting you on September 15th. Cheers.

Weepsie

Ah feck. I hadn't signed up yet! My own fault

magicbastarder

pity it wasn't on sept 14th, you might have had a few people looking to sell their entries.

triggermortis

Dammit. I’m away on holiday and forgot about registering.. I did the last 3 and was looking forward to this. Ah well, next year then ☹️

LennoxR

Any lifts going out on the morning from Dublin? Will pay for petrol money!

Mercian Pro

Setting new standards for sportif signage - details of climbs, opt-out points, etc. Well done Corker & Co.

Did half the dog today, tired today as a result. Really good route though. Agreed on the signage, great to see the pup and dog clearly displayed on the ground!

Is it a mass start next Sunday @ 9am, or do you just head off when you register?

Corker1

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Setting new standards for sportif signage - details of climbs, opt-out points, etc. Well done Corker & Co.

Thanks Mercian Pro. Though some have said they would prefer not to know what they are facing at the bottom of Cunard Climb.

Corker1

Dónal wrote: »

Did half the dog today, tired today as a result. Really good route though. Agreed on the signage, great to see the pup and dog clearly displayed on the ground!

Is it a mass start next Sunday @ 9am, or do you just head off when you register?

Cheers Donal. Hope You enjoy the Full Dog next week. It is a mass start. If you set off early you may not have the benefit of marshals. Also the food stop and water stops are only set up and opened to account for expected arrival times from the 9am rollout. If you arrive too early you may miss out on those facilities. For those reasons we advise starting with the mass start rollout @ 9am. Hope that helps.

AxleAddict

The only thing that surprises me about Cunard now is that there isn't a photographer lying in wait somewhere to capture the pained expressions on all our faces as we slowly ascend - actually, wait, maybe thats a good thing :P

Hope this is not the kiss of death, but the weather forecast is looking promising for the weekend! Looking forward to another great day out.....!

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

.... what's it like to drive a car after having banjaxed yourself for hours on end up mountains?

I've driven back from sportives all over the country and it varies. Sometimes I'm fine and other times I have to pull over for a snooze to stop me falling asleep at the wheel. It tends to be worse on motorways due to the monotony of them. As a previous poster has mentioned, cramp/spasm of accelerator foot is common also. I also make a point of filling both water bottles and having access to them in the car as I tend to drink quite a lot after an event.

(Blessington should be grand for you as you're just going back to Dublin I presume).