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Irish Road Racing 2023

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    #452
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,774 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Took long a season I imagine for many, I always love the August and September races as riders have settled down and the bike handling is vastly improved.



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    #453
    Chips Lovell
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,269 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    Even the weather in October is often better than March. I'm often still wearing shorts when our club's winter spins starts.

    I think some of it is down to the calendar, where the big dates are in the first half of the season, the easter stage races, then the Ras and the nationals. People want to get a lot of racing into their legs for those but by the time they're back from their summer holidays they've had enough. However, all of those dates are essentially immovable feasts, so not sure if there's too much that can be done to radically rebalance the season.

    Personally I like being able to keep racing into September because I think if you stop too early you just lose too much. But I'm not really doing any stage racing these days, so I never feel burnt out.



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    #454
    eeeee
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,844 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    I much prefer racing towards the end of the year, earliest I've ever started racing on the road is may.

    Just because things were always one way doesn't mean they have to stay that way.

    The likes of the Laragh Classic and the Mick Lawless are always well supported later season races.



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    #455
    Junior
    Registered Users Posts: 3,196 ✭✭✭Junior


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121009680#Comment_121009680

    Well done on the result in the TT.



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    #456
    Benny Cake
    Registered Users Posts: 3,144 ✭✭✭Benny Cake


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121018764#Comment_121018764

    Is that for definite? I thought I saw it was 2 races . One for a1/2 & one for a3/4?



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    #457
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121022795#Comment_121022795

    Cheers, got about as much out of myself as current form/fitness would allow. Very tactical course with fair amount of lumps and exposed sections.



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    #458
    lazycyclist
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭lazycyclist


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121023238#Comment_121023238

    Great surface though (apart from the first/last 3k) - would think it would be a horror course if the wind was stronger. The bike check was a much more enjoyable experience than last year's, thankfully!



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    #459
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Yeah for the most part great surface. Wind was only very light last night too, dread to think what a real wind would feel like! There was no need to worry about lack of UCI stickers anyway :D



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    #460
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,774 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121023221#Comment_121023221

    They have it on their FB page, A123 handicap and an A4/women's race



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    #461
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Kilteely GP ( Limerick)run on a handicap basis for all grades listed for August 31st.



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    #462
    Mapaputsi
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭Mapaputsi


    How did the provincial races go for everyone? Wet and windy day across most of the country.

    I raced at the Connacht championships. Was surprised to see only around 30 starters for the A123 race but then again not surprised really with the trend this year of smaller and smaller fields racing. I know it's end of summer, but not quite school term time yet. The Galway Gravel Grinder was on just outside Galway City on Saturday and they got about 500 registrants apparently, tickets were about €60 a pop. Can see clubs going more and more down that route in the coming years. Not good news for us that enjoy our road racing!



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    #463
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Excellent numbers at the Munster equivalent last weekend with representations across all grades. I don’t think provincial champs ever get huge numbers anyway.



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    #464
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    3 Foran boyos in for Charleville i see. Id the "pleasure" of trying to bridge across the break in the M40 nationals, preceeded to blow my lights out when we got to within about 20/30m 🤣 they were brought back by pack not long after but the lad has power!



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    #465
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    As expected due to non allocation of CI points for international riders in Ireland.

    On review I couldn’t hold your wheel so that means I won’t be chasing you or them this weekend 😂😂😂



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    #466
    Chips Lovell
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,269 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121040285#Comment_121040285

    What's your contention, that if they had been given points like domestic riders for their performance, they'd be ineligible for this year's event?



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    #467
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041741#Comment_121041741

    Yes, if they have achieved the upgrade quota while racing here.



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    #468
    Chips Lovell
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,269 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041800#Comment_121041800

    Even if Cycling Ireland had done what you suggested, none of them would have been upgraded to A1. George Mitchell was second on Stage 3 last year, which is 9 Points. Ian Middleton was 6th on Stage 3 and 8th on GC, which is 8 points. Thomas Quaid wouldn't have scored any points.

    The threshold for upgrade to A1 at the moment is 20 points, isn't it?



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    #469
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041828#Comment_121041828

    Yes, that is correct & if that is the case i've no problem at all as they meet the entry criteria.



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    #470
    Mapaputsi
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭Mapaputsi


    I have some personal experience of this, I started racing in the UK and was upgraded to 3rd Cat over there (similar points threshold from 4th to 3rd in the UK as for A4 to A3 I think, 12 or 15 points), then when I moved home CI were happy to let me straight into A3.

    Where there is a bit of misalignment is in the UK you then need 40 points to upgrade from 3rd to 2nd Cat, and the competition from my own experience is pretty fierce. The fields are very strong in 2/3 or even 3rd Cat only races. That means that these guys from Foran who are scoring points at 2nd Cat are probably around the level of A1 riders here. But that's ok because there will be plenty of lads there at the weekend looking for a couple of points to make that upgrade from A2 to A1.

    The good news for us is that they seem to have left their 1st category riders at home this year, the sort of guys who would be looking for stage wins and good GC results at Mumhan/Ras.

    Really looking forward to the weekend now. There's something nice about finishing off the season at the same race, same location, same circuits. Always a good benchmark for myself to see how I'm going year on year. Fair play to the organisers for keeping it going, sounds like they are not even breaking even on it anymore.



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    #471
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Was really looking forward to it until I realised I'm now an A1 😭😭 I stupidly didnt realise masters TT would have had points and ended up getting the 2 I was short of for promotion! Even tried to confirm with CI about a note on points saying races with under 20 riders only apply points to first 3 but supposedly doesn't count towards national champs!! So I'll now end up doing no more open races this year and seek a self demotion back to A2 as of January bit can't ride this weekend 😭😭😂



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    #472
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,774 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Lucan GP and the Mick Lawless memorial still open for you 😉



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    #473
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Have accomodation booked so will still head away me thinks and I'm not arsed doing any A1 races. Im nowhere near form/fitness to in any way enjoy those races. Will just have to wait for the demotion again and make sure I don't make the mistake again!

    The place we booked (wife and little lad) has free cancellation until tonight and tempted now by the vets 50m TT if I can wrangle permission



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    #474
    Chips Lovell
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,269 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043609#Comment_121043609

    I did 50 mile TT back in 2016 and I still haven't recovered. Don't do it. You're a young man and you've still so much left to live for. (On a positive note, my club hasn't run one since so I'm still, technically the reigning 50 mile champ)



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    #475
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Ha yeah I've done a few 90km TTs during middle distance tris years ago so ha e some idea how it is although wouldn't have been emptying the tank in those. Kinda have the plan of go out mid/high zone 3, try bring it up after an hour and see how it goes. Probably fall off a cliff after 1.5hrs!



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    #476
    Chips Lovell
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,269 Mod ✭✭✭✭Chips Lovell


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121044538#Comment_121044538

    My tactic was to try hold the lower end of Z4. That worked for the first hour and a half and then I faded badly. Fortunately the same thing happened to the guy who was closest to me and he blew up even more spectacularly.



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    #477
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Ras na Luimni - was this was 100% cancelled for 2023?



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    #478
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Seems I dodged a bullet at Charleville?! Seems there were a fair few high speed crashes?



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    #479
    dahat
    Registered Users Posts: 16,728 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    Just the one late on after some lad decided to cross back on from over the white line taking out alot of lads. Multiple time penalties as a result of white line infringements all day in stupid places.

    Came a cropper myself last time at the bottom of Milford in a silly crash ( not my fault) Failed to get back on so weekend over for me as such.



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    #480
    Bambaata
    Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Bambaata


    Sorry to hear that, think 4 of 5 of my clubmates got caught up too!



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    #481
    mamax
    Registered Users Posts: 880 ✭✭✭mamax


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121057909#Comment_121057909

    Had been moved to this month but def cancelled now.



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