Velvet Strand Sprint Tri

Raging_Hull

Is anyone doing this event on Saturday week? There hasn't been any updates on the website in a good while and I haven't received any e-mails. Can't seem to find what time the registration begins. Anyone know? Cheers.

tinydave

Yeah I'm doing this as well and was wondering the same! it starts at 9 so id say reg is at 7.30-8.00. but i would deffo check with the organisers before you arrive, and let us all know:D

Raging_Hull

Just noticed that this event is on Sunday not Saturday! Still no updates on the website

tinydave

I posted on the velvet strand website during the week and the messege is still waiting to be approved and displayed !! Anybody know who is running this??? Only 6 days left???

Raging_Hull

At last the website has been updated!

"Registration will take place from 7am onwards on Sunday 9th May in the transition area located on Strand Road beside the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links. There you will receive your race pack, number and timing chip. Look for the white tent!"

There are details also of where to park. ODL's must be purchased before Thursday 6th May (tomorrow).

El Director

Thanks R_H, was beginning to wonder about this.

Raging_Hull

So was I. The communicaiton has been a bit lax to date

makker

I just realised that I've entered this event as my friend who also entered just reminded me.

I had pretty much made up my mind a couple months back that i was going to give it a miss, but now i've got a rush of blood to the head that i may want to do it.

However the issue is that i have not swam once since last Summer, not even one length of the pool, so would it be madness to give it a lash. All i want to do is get around even if it means a combo of front crawl, breast stroke, doggie paddle,and some thredding water.

Just to give you backround my swimming last Summer is at an average level, I usually finish mid-pack in swims in sprint triathlons. The most i ever swam was 1.5k two years ago in an standard distance, and got around without stopping, but other than that the most i have swam is 750m.

I think perhaps by doing it it could be the only way of kickstarting my swim training for the year.

Should I give it a bash?

interested

makker wrote: »

I think perhaps by doing it it could be the only way of kickstarting my swim training for the year.

Should I give it a bash?

No better way to get back into it and sure ... it wont kill you

kennyb3

hope the wind calms then for tomorrow i ran down that way this morning - very very choppy water. i ll be down supporting in the morning best of luck everyone and enjoy!

Raging_Hull

kennyb3 wrote: »

very very choppy water.....

GULP :eek: That doesn't sound so good....

kennyb3

well i ve never seen or competed in a tri but have to ask people what they thought of this. im just back from watching and dont think i ve ever seen anything so unsafe on the bike leg. are there many tri's were the roads arent closed off?

even if they arent a few small points

- just as you come out of transition at the cones where people hop on the bikes was so narrow, this needed to be much wider - it could only fit one bike and so many took their time here (struggled with getting clipped in, knock a shoe off the clips etc).. it clogged the whole thing up. others couldnt get by to get started

- i seen so many incidents coming out of the start with lads struggling with shoes and weaving and others nearly going into them as a result

- competitors got held up by cars which is mad. the roads are so narrow and windy and if a car had to slow up behind cyclist others would have to wait behind the car and a backlog would build up

- at one point one of the better guys was flying up to the golf club and a steward let a car out - only for the shouts of the crowd i doubt he would of braked in time and his bike and him might have been mince meat.

I have to say i was really really shocked by how dangerous it was - weaving, no shouts, cars coming both ways. In first 10 mins there was near 5 accidents of different sorts. I m also really really surprised by the lack of advertising around malahide, portmarnock re this - if you cant close the roads at least let people know so as to try reduce traffice. this is a busy busy road that is very narrow. alot of motorists paniced and didnt know whether to stop, ovetake or sit behind bikes. when they sat behind bikes it held everyone else up - how is that a fair race?

Anyway really enjoyed watching it all the same. You can really see the difference in the better guys on the bike more than anything - this really struck me - you can make up so many meters of road relative to running. if you get ahead (say 500m) of someone they will really struggle to close you down running unless there is a huge huge difference in running abilities. I only say this because im always trying to figure out which area is most important to a tri (although obviously a combo of been good at the 3 is ideal) and i was surprised by the low cycling miles posted over in the ART challenge by you guys.

Another huge observation was that the vast majority really struggle with jumping on the bike and getting feet in shoes so much so that id say some lose significant time and would be better just sticking the shoes on in transition.

fair play to all who took part, hope you met your targets. be interested to hear your thoughts on how same and fair the course was. as i say im only an observer but i thought it was madness. of course the stewards, marshalls atc did their best generally to help and try make it safe.

El Director

Kenny you make many fair and valid points. Just back myself after competing. I'd like to just mention the many positives though first and Im sure you'd agree too with them kenny.

1. One of the nicest runs I've done, a bit narrow but I loved the run.
2. Great crowd, atmosphere and support.
3. Lovely weather!
4. Great road surfaces.
5 officials/marshalls very pleaseant and helpful.
6. Nice finish point.

Just a few things that could be improved for next year, baring in mind that this is the first time this event has been run.

1. 3 laps, 6 dead turns, open/busy road-madness. Frustrated cyclists and drives, drives didn't know what to do! Got held up a bit, more than once.
2. Reg q took way too long, maybe more should help getting everybody registered, In Fairness I think this was realised and they were very sorry for this (if it went off on time maybe the roads wouldn't have been as busy)
3 coming out of transition was too narrow, the guy in front of me lost his shoe and I almost impaled him!
4. Maybe the faster guys should go first perhaps.

And that's it! Really enjoyed it and if those things, especially the bike leg were sorted I would certainly do it again, thanks guys fir all the effort and obvious hard work.

kennyb3

Defo agree with the positives i didnt mean to be overly negative i actually just came home so worried for people - there were times when i could barely watch. thankfully the run is my evryday one and it is truly beautiful when the sun is shining. hope you had a good one el'd, id say the muscles will be sore after your run yesterday too

El Director

Have to say the legs felt grand kenny, think goin to the jacuzzi and steam room straight after race yesterday really helped, new PB so Im thrilled :-)

El Director

Results already up here...

www.chipit.ie

Bambaata

congrats El Director. great day for it. just in from my LSR and its savage out!!

billy.fish

Raced myself today and have to say great course. Local for myself so even better. Some comments, both pos and neg.

Comments:
Swim: was excellent, proper swim, but should have been mass start. No need for waves. If you are weak, start at the back.

Bike: Course was the best of a bad bunch, sure it was busy, but how many races do we have that have closed off roads? Few and far between. Marshals and Gardai did a great job keeping 90% of the traffic away. Always going to be some.

However.....the usual drafting complaint. Passed 4 guys trying to Team TT at one point. One who jumped on my wheel. Folks, its an INDIVIDUAL TT. But, you were always going to get it on the course. Saying that with closed roads, and maybe a bit longer to get to Malahide, feck thats a good bike bike leg.

Run: EPIC. Outside some races on the continent that is one of the best runs i have got to experience. Just fantastic. Perfect level between rolls and flats. Pity i kinda suck at that part...

Other:
Registration *facepalm* What more can be said, major let down, Sat night Pre-reg next year?
Goodie bags : BRILLIANT...bar me now having a fatty L t-shirt
Atmos: Great, almost swear you paid people to be there.
Website: Lack of updates, only getting results as i happened to check irish triathlon. But up there before 6....which was nice.

Overall, good, room for improvement. I'll be there next year though.

mloc123

The bike was advertised as 17km... was it longer?

billy.fish

Bike was : 20.79km (Powermeter) , 21.016 (GPS)



so yeah

mloc123

billy.fish wrote: »

Bike was : 20.79km (Powermeter) , 21.016 (GPS)



so yeah

Cheers, times looked too long for 17k.

cipo

Hey guys,

I marshalled today to help out a mate who organised his first triathlon today!!!!!!

I think any feedback will be greatly appreciated as paul has great plans to make this event a regular and epic tri......

Re the bike course....
Changed at late notice by gardai instructions.... Closed roads would have made it perfect I agree!!! Bike was 21k!

Small funnell on bike out was a problem I agree!!! Narrow enough road so it was a difficult one for all of us!!

I saw some crazy moves by riders on the road!!!! I really couldn't believe seeing a rider cross solid white line directly in front of transition with oncoming traffic!!! As the guards stood and saw him do it as did the race organiser....

Not the best moment of today..... I would be liked to have seen some riders being more sensible!! I've ridden in alot of road races and xc mtb races crossing the alps but still adhere to rules of the road!! Riders were aware of open roads but the whole "I'm I'm race mode" thing kicked in I think and some very dangerous decisions were being made as a result!!

Anyway, great to hear people enjoyed it despite the few problems!

Paul will be hoping to be back with an even better and more organised event next year......

Genuinely, send some feedback to him he d really appreciate it!!

billy.fish

cipo wrote: »

Hey guys,
I saw some crazy moves by riders on the road!!!! I really couldn't believe seeing a rider cross solid white line directly in front of transition with oncoming traffic!!! As the guards stood and saw him do it as did the race organiser....

This wasn't when the 32 went past was it.......

Jupiter36

I did the race today. Some feedback from my perspective:

- great location
- fantastic weather:)
- good transition area
- plenty of parking nearby
- easily accessible toilet facilities

- The swim was lovely and probably did not need to be shortened. I have swum in choppier conditions.
- Start was very delayed but this can be forgiven and put down to teething problems - no-one seemed to be too perturbed and the atmosphere at the race was relaxed and friendly.
- Very friendly, helpful and encouraging marshals;
- Bike course was very unsafe despite the best efforts of marshals and Gardai. The delayed start probably contributed to the problem as there was more traffic on the route at that time of the day. The loop was too short,too narrow and too busy with traffic (especially on a sunny Sunday) to accommodate so many cyclists. Most cyclists behaved safely (stopped behind the bus, slowed right down at the turnaround, slowed/stopped at the back of the line of traffic etc); there are always the speed freaks who flaunt the rules and common sense at every race, unfortunately and this needs to be at the forefront when any cycle leg is being planned. If I had been a motorist in Portmarnock today, I would have been petrified. There was inadequate signage to warn motorists about the race (this was one of the first things I noticed as I drove in from the Malahide direction this morning). A number of people came off their bikes and thankfully no-one, as far as I am aware, was seriously injured. But they could have been.
- Lovely run route
- Fantastic finish area
- Plenty of post race drinks and bananas
- Great goody bag
- good price

I think the race has great potential if there was an alternative and safe bike course. The location would make for a fantastic aquathon event. Maybe consider this as an alternative?

ber12

Helppppppppppppp !! So there is just over 100 people who have not received times from the race today. Anyone have any idea what is going on here !!

Jupiter36

Did you not get a time? Times posted and clock did not match; I also heard that there was a problem with some of the chips but don't know how true that is....

ber12

Ya, I got no times at all !!!! total bummer. I also looked up the ChipIT website and a toal of 107 of us did not get times from today. I checked the last race ChipIT did (Dundalk 5th May) and guess what ? aboUt 50 people their did not get times either.
The organisers have to be responsible for this !!
Bad end to a good event...

cipo

You guys will probably knowore than I do re the timing and chips but from what I know chipit are in control of the timing records etc
so best to contact them first!!

The winners times were recorded perfectly so no remason why someone else's shouldn't be recorded.... But I'm sure it could easily happen!

I can only say that the bike route was changed last minute and was designed by gardai, it was somewhat out of control of race organiser and he would agree it was not ideal...

The original bike would have been 2x laps longer course that would have spread the field a bit more....

Re dead turns.... That's what riding a bike is all about; handling, braking, kicking out of corners..... Work on it if you cant do it!!!!

Bike mounting was a real area I thought alot of people lost massive time too...
Concerns for safety re the swim and choppy water was the main factor..... Weaker or novice OW swimmers had to be thought of....

@Greg... There probably was a 32 in the mix just to add to the madness....

ber12

Winners times recorded correctly.........Have a look at the guy who came in position number 12. He did the swim in 02:06...I dont think so!!!!.

As ChipIT were hired by the race organisers, and we payed the organisers than guess what, I think the Organisers are going to have to refund all racers who did not get there times.

cipo

Just checked chipit.ie .....

They have listed all registered athletes from a list of all who signed up online but not all if these raced today... I know that for sure!!

Capacity was in the region 330 but registrations this morning only came up to around 250 or so... Don't quote me on
these numbers but it is something in that region!!

This would explain why it looks like a lot of people don't have times...

cipo

@ber12 ...
I would say contact chipit and organiser to get an answer...
Refund asking is a bit premature!

billy.fish

ber12 wrote: »

Winners times recorded correctly.........Have a look at the guy who came in position number 12. He did the swim in 02:06...I dont think so!!!!.

As ChipIT were hired by the race organisers, and we payed the organisers than guess what, I think the Organisers are going to have to refund all racers who did not get there times.

LOL...good one....ahh you guys crack me up....

Never ever race a road or MTB race...seriously....

kennyb3

@ cipo, you guys done a great job and there was a lot of shouting of keep left that was just ignored

@ jupiter - totally agree re the signage/advertisement around malahide/portmarnock - as you prob know there are other roads traffic can use to get to baldoyle etc via malahide and vice versa. this could of halfed the traffic id say

mloc123

ber12 wrote: »

Winners times recorded correctly.........Have a look at the guy who came in position number 12. He did the swim in 02:06...I dont think so!!!!.

As ChipIT were hired by the race organisers, and we payed the organisers than guess what, I think the Organisers are going to have to refund all racers who did not get there times.

meh, these things happen.

ber12

BRIAN CAFFERTY from ChipIT has updated their website with amended results from yesterday. Thx Brian

http://chipit.ie/admin/admin/editor.php?action=read&id=117

All is good in the World again..

cipo

Excellent news!

And if any of you can, please feedback to Paul directly re the race as we want to push this race on and make it a regular on the calendar!!

It's a great area for a race and will need competitor support to help get the optimal conditions needed eg road closure for an hour etc.....

Thanks

dave

dario28

kennyb3 wrote: »

Anyway really enjoyed watching it all the same. You can really see the difference in the better guys on the bike more than anything - this really struck me - you can make up so many meters of road relative to running. if you get ahead (say 500m) of someone they will really struggle to close you down running unless there is a huge huge difference in running abilities. I only say this because im always trying to figure out which area is most important to a tri (although obviously a combo of been good at the 3 is ideal) and i was surprised by the low cycling miles posted over in the ART challenge by you guys.

.

Also have to remember one guy could be on a 4,000eur bike with zipps and properly fitted V a entry level road bike ....

Its the one part of Tri's that I dont like , running and swimming everyone is on par but biking , money talks

potsy11

I was cycling back from Malahide to transition. I was overtaking a guy so i was about middle of my lane. It was on the 'solid line' part of the twisty road. I looked up in front of me and could not believe what I saw.....I black VW Golf on the wrong side of the road coming straight at me. I swerved back to the inside of the road with the driver missing me by about 2 feet. I was doing about 35kms and he was on the accelerator to overtake 2 riders who were cycling side by side.

I loved the race and am experienced in Tris but this was crazy....Closed roads for next year and we are all safe...didn’t mind the 3 loops either.

Also, I found an Orca Wetsuit in transition. It looked like a girls size. I gave it to one of the marshals...PM if it was yours and I'll give you the details of the Marshall.

Raging_Hull

I thought that this was a terrific event. I do however agree with all the other posters that the bike course was madness. To have 200+ bikes charging around a loop course 3 times on narrow, winding open roads was inviting trouble and I saw the results of a few people who were hit by cars. However, apart from that it was a credit to the organisers.

The entry fee was only €25. For this you also got a goody bag with a copy of Tri Ireland and a selection of energy drinks, gel, and re-hydration powder. There was also a technical t-shirt brandishing the event logo. The race was also fully chip timed and the results were available a couple of hours after finishing. All that for such a modest entry fee was simply brilliant.

The only other gripe I had was the registration. I arrived at 07:20 and there was only about 20 people in front of me. They took 45mins however to get them entered, at which time there was over a hundred in the queue.

I found the swim tough. Big difference between up an down in the pool and heading out into the 12oC Sea, with a big chop, against the current and the wind. About 100m in I was thinking of heading back into shore! The key was to get the head stuck down and swim as normal. Once I convinced myself of that it was grand. The few guys I spoke to after it all had the same experience.

The cycle was just crazy. 3 laps of the course with the turnarounds so tight you had to come to a practical stop. That’s not to mention the buses and cars on the road. Enough said.

The run was beautiful. Stunning sunshine, with clears skies, blue sea and a good wind to keep you ventilated. The turnaround 2.5km out involved swinging around the trunk of a tree and then back to the beach. Once the Martello tower was in view, you were on the homeward 1km stretch. The finish on the beach was great.

Overall this was a very well run event. I sincerely hope it becomes an annual fixture; but with closed roads and a faster registration.

kennyb3

dario28 wrote: »

Also have to remember one guy could be on a 4,000eur bike with zipps and properly fitted V a entry level road bike ....

Its the one part of Tri's that I dont like , running and swimming everyone is on par but biking , money talks

I have to issue with this for a number of reasons

- firstly if you tip over to the cycling forum they will tell you that many an A1 or A2 has finished well up the field on a defy 4 or similar against lads on expensive carbon rigs. its way more about the riders ability than the bike they own. i do recognise that a good bike is a small advantage but only very small and that brings me onto my next point

- Of the 50 or so TT bikes i seen on sunday a significant portion of their riders were out of the aero bars on the straights and it was clear that others had spent little or no time riding in the position and where having problems. Having a TT bike is one thing knowing how to use it is another.

- Top TT bikes will make a difference slightly but people that dont have them can work to offset this in a few ways - getting transitions and cyling shoes on and clipped in right, the amount of people getting this wrong and making a mess was staggering. I wouldnt be spending a couple of k's on a TT bike until I could make up thsi time.

- Nextly if you are on a regular bike use the drops - I cant actually recall one person doing this on sunday despite the roads being flat and straight enough in long parts. its worth 1kmph id say.

- If someone has an expensive TT rig in the most case id bet they ve earned it - by spending their friday and saturday nights in for training the next day saving money from not drinking etc. They then use this money to invest in the equipment they need and want for their passion. again there will always be exceptions to this whereby some rich newbie will buy a TT bike without having a clue but id bet in most cases the ones you see week in week out at tri's are rode by lads who have worked their way up and saved and scrounged and earned the bike.

Lastly, I am not one of these people that owns a fancy bike and im not taking a pop at you dario, if you are one rung off the top and have difficult circumstances where you cant buy a nice TT bike to reach the next level im sorry but in 99% of cases there are so many ways time can be gained elsewhere.

billy.fish

Its not always just about the bike as KennyB points out.

I've been racing a few years, have a TT bike with a pretty big drop on the front and the only reason i can ride in it is time in the saddle, stretching, and more time in the saddle.

You can have as expensive a bike as you want, but if you aren't actually aerodynamic with your body you may as well just ride on the base bar. Most triathlete's out there who use clip on bars, or TT rigs, do not put the time or effort into getting aero.

Its actually one of those things where throwing money at it is the most expensive way to get little 1% gains, as opposed to 5% gains from simple adjustments.*

I find nothing more laughable than a person being forced to ride on their hoods instead of extensions on a flat road due to the fact that they have not put the time into a)setting the position right for themselves b)getting flexible enough to do this c)just stepping back and asking 'what am i trying to do here'

As for the clipping in and out at the transition lane. I'll put my hands up and say that i was a major fail at that race. Ran from the water (first OW swim of the year, as for many) dizzy as a kid playing dizzy sticks. Wetsuit off while trying to keep my breaky in. Lid on, grab bike, run. Hop on bike and look down to stick feet in shoes. Nearly fall over. Repeat. Have to pull over, stop, take two breaths and look straight ahead until world rights itself.

it happens. Sometimes its lack of practice, sometimes its wax in the ear. Only way about it, practice it so you can deal with it!

Anyone who did see me do this feel free to point and say 'ha ha you nearly puked'


*just throwing out random numbers

Raging_Hull

Some good photo of the event here:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/irishtriathlon/VelvetStrandPortmarnack952010?feat=directlink#