Swords League Race 5 May 11th 2010

shaungil

Right folks,

Any predictions for tonight?

Nice big hill twice so for me hope Scratch don't catch us or I'm going to get a hammering.

historically I've always hated this course cos of the hill and normally if I go well at the weekend I get brought down to earth with a bang at the following league race! How's that for a positive mental attitude?

Beasty

Anyone know for certain the course?

Presumably we turn left before the motorway flyover to avoid the R132 (Old N1) roadworks - do we then join the R132 further up and leave at the 5 Roads, or cut across the R132, and go up the (very badly potholed) Man 'O War road before taking a left to the 5 Roads?

Also where's the finish - is it outside the GAA Club, and do we do exactly 2 laps (in which case MMR suggests it will be just under 40km in total)?

In terms of predictions - there's less climbing in total than either the Garristown or Bog courses - it just comes all at once - you can do it Shaun!

RobFowl

It's the hardest course as a result of the Hill (IMO) and scratch almost always catch the limit groups.

It's really 2 1/2 laps as we finish at the "hanging baskets" on the road between Balyboughal and the N1 (just on the Flyover).

jimbo28

Directions/sign on location anybody!!!

RobFowl

Sign on at the GAA club balyboughal 6:30-7:00 race start 7:15

shaungil

Unusually the first time you cross the finish line will be the finish line as the roadworks require a left turn by Tully nurseries and a right turn up over flyover towards Murtaghs of Ballough. Really bad strech of road here btw.
Then back onto N1 and left up the Nags head.

RobFowl

shaungil wrote: »

Unusually the first time you cross the finish line will be the finish line as the roadworks require a left turn by Tully nurseries and a right turn up over flyover towards Murtaghs of Ballough. Really bad stretch of road here btw.
Then back onto N1 and left up the Nags head.

Went over it last Thurs and it's fairly poor all right. The only thing is it's very quiet traffic wise.

Interestingly went up the climb twice to see how I was going and to check gearing. First time did in in the big ring and ground up agonisingly slowly. Second time used the small ring and tried to spin up (ground up even more agonisingly slowly ).

Beasty

shaungil wrote: »

Nice big hill twice so for me hope Scratch don't catch us or I'm going to get a hammering.

historically I've always hated this course cos of the hill

RobFowl wrote: »

Interestingly went up the climb twice to see how I was going and to check gearing. First time did in in the big ring and ground up agonisingly slowly. Second time used the small ring and tried to spin up (ground up even more agonisingly slowly ).

And there was me trying to feel positive about it, hoping to complete my first race without getting dropped - thanks for cheering me up guys:D

shaungil

Yeah trying to discourage people from turning up. Is it working?;)

Seriously though this is the hardest climb on the league but you only improve by doing the things you are weak at.

It's actually not as bad as I'm making out. The first part of the hill has a slight downhill into a sharp unphill and if you go hard at this it takes you through the sharp bit and is more draggy up to the cross roads.

Then the real climbing begins I'd guess a km with some sharp stuff but Beast probably has the exact stats.

Hungrycol

Makes Mt Ventoux look flat.

Beasty

shaungil wrote: »

but Beast probably has the exact stats.

Yep ...

kennyb3

Be interested to see how long it takes each group to go up and over this in a race situation, so if anyone is playing around with their gadgets after the race tonight id be grateful if you could give some info.Ta

Beasty

kennyb3 wrote: »

Be interested to see how long it takes each group to go up and over this in a race situation, so if anyone is playing around with their gadgets after the race tonight id be grateful if you could give some info.Ta

Wasn't it used for the hill climb last August (race 21)? Don't know where they started (at the roundabout off the old N1 I would guess?) and ended though. Total distance from the roundabout to the the top of the hill is 2.3km with 107m climbing

shaungil

hhhmmm Ardgillen is 80m climbing in a lot less so I guess I should be less wary unless of course you're hanging on for dear life and of course the worstof the climbing is right at the end.

Staro

Just a quick note to anybody driving to the race tonight to park on the main street and not in the Gaa club as there is a match on tonight.

Beasty

A win for Staro - congratulations!

This was by far my best race, although I did make a couple of very basic errors.

Group 2 had about 20 in it this week, and during the first lap (at least until the hill) everyone worked, and we were averaging 37.8 kph until we hit the hill.

Our group broke up while going up the hill. I managed to keep close to the front, but when we were on the downward slope I saw about 4 riders perhaps a couple of hundred metres ahead. This was where I made my first mistake - I thought they were from our group when they were actually the first group. I chased them down, bringing another 5 or so from Group 2 with me, averaging 54 kph for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately this prevented 4 riders from our own group joining up with us, and we were left with 6 from Group 2 pulling along the 4 or 5 from Group 1 until we hit the hill the second time. Again the Group 2 members worked very well together and we were still averaging 36.4 kph by the time we started the hill the second time

This time round we dropped the remaining Group 1 members, but a couple of us were tailed off by 4 better climbers from Group 2. However this course is different from the others we have done so far, and I knew I would have a chance to catch up on the downward slope. The problem was I was also overtaken by jimbo28, and looked back to see Group 3 perhaps a hundred meters or so behind, and closing rapidly on the hill. However I managed to stay away over the hill and started making inroads into the leaders. I managed to keep away from Group 3 for about 5 minutes, averaging 46 kph in the meantime

I was caught just before entering Ballyboughal, and we soon chased down the remnants of Group 2 and jimbo28

This left us with another 4-5km to go, and I was happy to stay towards the back. I felt the pace was quite comfortable. With about 1,500m to go someone made a break, and this is where I made my second mistake - I thought the bend coming up was the final bend, and it was actually the penultimate one. I quickly found myself at the front, realising there was no way I would stay out from for the km or so we had to go - I was hitting 800w, and eased back, but no-one came through, leaving me sat at the front with no idea what to do. The attacks eventually came, and I knew I had nothing to match them, so I simply eased through the line, in the knowledge I had adopted the perfect tactics ..... for Staro;)

Total distance - 43km, at an average speed of 36.4 kph

I'll put more detailed stats in the training log

shaungil

Staro's new leadout man eh?

Pretty much as I expected worked well to bottom of hill with semi scratch held my own up hill first time better than I thought losing a few lads. Scratch r soem of scratch caught us at top. Buried myself for the rest of the lap worked hard did a few good stints. Some top guys in scratch so very happy to hold my own with them on the flat.
Got dropped by the skinny lads going up hill second time buried myself again to catch grupetta ahead and then worked home. Cycled there and back so 2 &1/2 hr cycle Weds night and dreamt of sore leg last night. Seriously my legs were incorporated into my dreams.......
Well done Staro.

Staro

Cheers lads and especially Beasty for the perfect lead out :-) A win at last I don't know how many second places I have had in the league. A good nights racing with a few sitting on but each to their own I suppose. Quite a fast race dispite the hill with an average of 38kph. Looking forward to next week but I may be hanging onto the back of group 4 but I guess that is progress!

Hungrycol

6th place for me, I think. Will know for definite when the results get posted up. Top 10 make Hungrycol happy long time.

Was in group 3 which looked the biggest group. Pace started off good, nice and quick and not too painful but I know the route and knew the climb ahead and how zapping it would be. Up and overs worked well and no one really ever being left at the front for too long but the pot hole calls were rare which was a little disconcerting at times. Sure enough the Nags Head climb didn’t disappoint and my God did I suffer. I’m a gentleman of larger proportions and lugging my XL frame up hill is not the prettiest of sights. Trying to hold the wheel in front of me on the first lap almost made me cry but I’m a stubborn mo-fo and managed to hang in there. I know there was a fast down section that I could recover on. I thought if I’m feeling half that bad the second time round I’m toast. I made the mistake at last years club c’ships letting the group go on the climb and told myself that I’d catch them on the down hill section. I never did catch them. So this time I put the pain in on the climb. The straight sections were fine and managed to keep up with the pace.

Somehow we managed to stay away from group 4 and scratch as I had expected them to thunder by any moment on the second lap. Either it takes me ages to warm up, my body just gets used to the pain or the pace eased up Nags Head but the climb didn’t feel as bad the second time. I looked down at my gearing and was even in a harder gear! Very strange. Coming into the final few km’s I was sitting in maybe 9th or 10th and a few made a go for the line. In the last 100 or so meters the guy in front of me sat up and I though what the ‘ell are you doing, I went around him and thought Jaysus there’s life in these legs still and hoofed it for the line. I thought I got the guy in the full Columbia gear at the line when I stretched for it but the marshals disagreed. Think he got 5th so that’d make me 6th but we’ll see if I even got that.

Well done Staro on your win.

mc2000

This is a tough, tough course, in the years i've been doing this league [more recently as a visitor] it just doesn't get any easier. i had been bumped [in a downward fashion] from grp3 to grp2, and as said already above we worked really well and smoothly until the hill. Then there was a split, with about 6 or 7 going ahead and leaving 4 of us to chase them. We were chasing them from the descent on the nag's all the way thru ballyboughil and out on the old main rd again, and were working our nuts off, but just seemed to be holding them at a distance but not making any inroads into catching them.

So we were caught then by grp3 on the main road at around the murtagh's pub - sat in ok with them and was even doing ok up the hill, held it almost to 100yards from the top but just couldn't hold it over the top [cue: dry-wretching trick -- i'm a gonna puke :eek:] - got to the corner at the nags and grp 4 went by and managed to cling onto them until the finish.

all in all, hard course, happy with effort though - well done rob on the win [if it is rob - i'm guessing that's who staro is]

Beasty

I'm claiming 15th place!

This should also sort out any debate between Hungrycol and Jimbo28 over who got 5th (looks like jim to me)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRzcscGPwLI

Hungrycol

Yeah you're right Beasty. Think it also confirms my 6th so well chuffed

jimbo28

well done to all, good race alright, fair play and thanks to the marshalls, they always have the corners well covered. some of these lads are very strong on the flat............more hills please . was that a video of the finish u posted beasty? any chance you could email it on to me as i cant open it at work?

shaungil

some scrubbers placing there too. Think words were had last night.

Cue compalaints about slagging off scrubbers.

jimbo28

thats cycling for u.......i remember lads that were scrubbing at under 12............and the divils are still at it .......league racing is all about training, about trying things that u might not normally do in open competition, the best thing to do is try and do some work at the front if ur able, but some of these guys are still coming to fitness so give them a few weeks. i thoght group 3 worked fairly well last night! its amazing how some guys complain about us skinny lads on the climbs..........all we do is complain about the big strong boyos an the flat............u cant win wither way ladss. just go out and enjoy it.......thats what cycling is all about!

Beasty

jimbo28 wrote: »

more hills please

err .... no thanks:D. You skinned me up that hill second time round. I actually thought that course was good for me - although the hill was hard, and I did lose touch second time round, I had the opportunity to power down the other side, and make significant inroads into the leading group before Group 3 caught me. On the Garristown course you do a lot of the downhill bit before the hill, which certainly seems to work against me

jimbo28 wrote: »

was that a video of the finish u posted beasty? any chance you could email it on to me as i cant open it at work?

It was - it's available on the Swordscc website or Youtube. I don't have the underlying footage, but presumably you have a home internet connection you can watch it on?

shaungil

[thats what cycling is all about![/QUOTE]

Eh and complaining of course;) and we're enjoying it when we're compalining was was establishing scientifically last week.

mc2000

nice pics on the forum as well >>
http://pub45.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=3833813606&frmid=74&msgid=0

jimbo28

oh yea i forgot that they said last week about the complaining!!...........but if ther is any thing worse than the complainers then it has to be them begrudgers.......:D....only jokin boys only jokin.

shaungil

And the begrugers shall inherit the earth god bless the begrudgers. At least that's how I remember it.

English Bob

Enjoyed last nights circuit although felt cramp in my calf like Ive never felt before coming into the final straight!
Didnt have the legs to stay with group 2 on the first hill climb but maybe couldve tried harder as found myself getting up it the second time quicker!?!
Not sure at the moment about how to 'pace' myself or whether I should even bother 'pacing' as Im enjoying the 'hell for leather' moments (well they are for me anyway!).
Nearly had a cardiac when their wasnt a finish line in ballyboughal where we started and thought we had another lap!
Thanks to all marshalls and everyone involved for making things run smoothly.
Well done to the top 10. One day (maybe)!!

Beasty

kennyb3 wrote: »

Be interested to see how long it takes each group to go up and over this in a race situation, so if anyone is playing around with their gadgets after the race tonight id be grateful if you could give some info.Ta

First time I did 2.6km in 6m 29s, average 24 kph, average power 330w, average HR 169 (about 4 or 5 in Group 2 were a few seconds faster)
Second time 6m 57s, 22.2 kph, 314w, HR 169 (some were probably 20s+ faster this time round)