Swords Race Tonight? Corduff Circuit?

chakattack

Was thinking of doing this race this evening. I did a reconnaissance mission of the Corduff CP route on this page last night and there's road work blocking the entire road roughly where the radio masts are shown on the map.

Do I have the right circuit and is the race on tonight?

kennyb3

fairly sure its this http://ridewithgps.com/routes/80502 but maybe robfowl/lapierre07 or someone else will confirm.

road works will still be in the way tho

Ryaner

How does the racing work? (I've yet to race). Sign on a 7pm, but when does the actual race start? i.e. is there time after 7 to go off and do a warm up?

RobFowl

It's supposed to be that course all right. Are the road works blocking the road completely? or are there temp traffic lights. There are a few contingency courses but they are not ideal for lots of reasons

RobFowl

Ryaner wrote: »

How does the racing work? (I've yet to race). Sign on a 7pm, but when does the actual race start? i.e. is there time after 7 to go off and do a warm up?

Race starts at 7:15 for the limit group and staggered fro the ones after.

kennyb3

Planning on doing this anyway, will be my 2nd race, first was last year and that didnt go too well. going out last night wasnt such a great idea prep wise and also only back from injury after 2 weeks off. enough excuses yet?

Just going to bite the bullet tho and am actually looking forward to it.:)

chakattack

Thanks all,

@ robfowl...yes the road is completely blocked so unless everyone can bunnyhop 0.5m over concrete slabs and then navigate they're way across a huge hole in the road partially covered by metal sheeting there'll be no racing on that road.

There's gravel on the left turn onto the N1 and then loads of big craters potholes along the route.

This racing business must be treacherous!

Any advice?

chakattack

kennyb3 wrote: »

Planning on doing this anyway, will be my 2nd race, first was last year and that didnt go too well. going out last night wasnt such a great idea prep wise and also only back from injury after 2 weeks off. enough excuses yet?

Just going to bite the bullet tho and am actually looking forward to it.:)

I'm the same....pushed a bit too hard last night and the wind was in my face all the way home but I'm going to give it a lash anyway and hope not to get too badly beaten!

Raam

chakattack wrote: »

There's gravel on the left turn onto the N1 and then loads of big craters potholes along the route.

Sounds like a normal race route to me.

kennyb3

Raam wrote: »

Sounds like a normal race route to me.

+1, welcome to north county dublin

07Lapierre

kennyb3 wrote: »

fairly sure its this http://ridewithgps.com/routes/80502 but maybe robfowl/lapierre07 or someone else will confirm.

road works will still be in the way tho

We'll probably use this route instead.

Sign-on 6.30 - 7pm Ballyboughal GAA as usual.

ta

shaungil

have fun everyone can't make it tonight with family stuff and think the body needs a break. Wedding at the weekend and still shattered....

kennyb3

will do a full race report tomorrow to mark the first full race - absolutely delighted to finish (just ahead of the ambulance). hardest thing i ve done ever!! literally crawled up the hill the last time and felt dizzy after. Still great fun and a great sense of satisfaction. surprised how well it went. nearly got taken out of it with someone taking a wrong left, thankfully not though.

chakattack

I was that retard going the wrong way!

It was a fun race up until then.

Sincere apologies Kenny and anyone else affected.....

Beasty

chakattack wrote: »

I was that retard going the wrong way!

It was a fun race up until then.

Sincere apologies Kenny and anyone else affected.....

Was that your first race chakattack?
Either way, if no-one was hurt just put it down to experience

What group were you in?

Was the course changed, or could they run the normal Corduff circuit?

kennyb3

So my completed first race, or real race anyway as last years attempt ended very prematurely, and cant exactly say my preperation was ideal - 2 weeks off (first ride back was only 6 miles on sun day last) with a mystery groin/thigh injury added to a trip to the boozer the night before to meet a mate who was back from England to watch some WC. 5 pints deposited, a s'hit nights sleep and i had plenty of excuses ready for the race or even not to race. However im off on holidays in august so just forced myself to go down and finally bite the bullet and get a few races in beforehand.

I really had zero expectations, before hand i told myself id be happy if i made it around one lap with the group (group 1), given how terrible i felt before and wasnt sure what going up that hill would be like in a race. The addition of a lap was a bit of unwelcome news. going up that hill 3 times is bit cruel and i definitely wasnt finishing now.

RACE

I think there was about 10 or so in group 1 to start, we set off and the pace was grand but still a good bit quicker than i would be use to on the half 8 spin. I took my turn everytime as one of my main objectives was to do some work and not get a rep as a scrubber first night down. was going through way too hard tho, plenty of shouts of steady - over eagerness no doubt. Few lads started skipping their turns when we got out on the main road and trying to grasp what is going on in is difficult - im sure i'll pick it up - with people sitting up at times, others pushing on. the pace was all over the place. I was already starting to feel some of the turns getting harder and was worrying about the hill but kept burying myself.

The hill came as a shock, more so how slow we went up it the first time around. There were lads struggling and think everyone was trying to keep the group together. I just spun an easy gear and actually recovered more on the hill than anywhere else. Half way up the group started to split and one guy attacked, which seemed v. early, so off he went. When we got over the top a group of 5 of us were together. We worked hard and caught the lead rider just before the hill the second time. I was suffering at this stage, still doing my turn but it was getting harder and harder and i was hoping we d go as slow up the hill again for recovery - wishful thinking. This time we went up quite a bit faster and 3/4 of the way up i nearly cracked. The same guy attacked and two more went after him but . I was hanging onto the guy just ahead of me with a gap to the others and one behind me. I had to have a couple of words with myself and let a shout and somehow managed to crest the hill but was feeling pure crap. I wasnt sure if id be able to continue on.

The 3 of us got together and descended as fast as we could to try catch the two ahead, which we did just before ballyboughal. We had to absolutely buried ourselves working to get to them and i spent most of the time out of the saddle sprinting. All 6 of us came back together and then got working again. just after the flyover before you go out onto the n1, scratch (im led to believe) whizzed past us like we werent there. I sprinted full pelt and got on for a bit but last a whole mile or so. I think 3 from our group got on but not sure how long they lasted.

At this point my thoughts just turned to trying to finish, i was deligthed i'd made it so far, done plenty of work, made it away with the top half of group 1 and just about made it over the hill twice, once at race pace. To be honest looking back if i'd realised it would have been quicker and easier to turn the bike around and head back to ballyboughal i would of done that. thankfully i didnt.

The remaining 3 from our group, just kept working along the N1. During this time one of the lads took out a gel and downed it and it totally dawned on me that im an idiot - my legs were starting to cramp for ages, i was thirsty and generally felt s'hit. An hour and 25mins on the bike and i'd had only about 500mls of water - not very bright.

We were caught by another group just before murtagh's pub. We tacked on the back grand and I was thankful of a ride home. Chakattck then did his best to take me out (dont worry dude) by swinging a left and i swerved left too. When i go back on the main road the group was gone so i just cycled down to the hill (more like crawled/freewheeled). The hill the 3rd time was hell - pure hell, not sure i ll ever forget it. another group went by but i was just going to climb this one at my own pace. The ambulance/broomwagon came up behind half way up and i just so badly wanted to finish ahead of it - finish my first race, most unexpectedly. Every pedal stroke was pain, i pushed i pulled. i was getting nowhere fast, dizzy sore and feeling sick . i so badly wanted to walk yet so badly to finish. it felt like i was on that hill for ages. I though about waving the ambulance through but didnt. he waited and waited as i crawled up the hill snails pace. my legs were gone, completely wiped out.

Eventually i made it. Seeing that white line amazing, crossing it even better. I didnt get far over it before i was keeled over the bike, head spinning and feeling sick. I recovered and was secretly delighted. I did no winter training and only started riding again about 2 and half months ago (circa 1500km since then). So its onwards and upwards.

As said above it was the hardest thing i ve ever done but it was unbelievable fun too.

I learned so much for the next day about holding wheels, drafting, concentration, when to make efforts and not. I need to sort out my nutrition and could probably do with being a bit more sly as i think guys could tell i was new and was actually taking too many turns. All that will come. I ve started now anyway which is the main thing.

I also need to improve my endurance, racing nearly 55km is hard, very hard. Increase the number of hill repeats would help too, only doing 2 reps up howth. need to get up to 4 as i struggled the second time on tired legs. The third time i was just dead and had virtually bonked, less said the better.

Today i'm sore, very sore everywhere.

Summary

53km @ 31.7km/ph, with 45km @ 33.6km/ph.

My fastest 45km ever even with that hill twice.


PS I'd like to thank RobFowl for getting me down to swords, and Raam, blorg, lumen and a few others who encouraged me a couple of months ago to give racing another go. Also Mc2000 who was very encouraging while marshalling next week.

Also sorry for the long, no doubt boring race report!

chakattack

Beasty wrote: »

Was that your first race chakattack?
Either way, if no-one was hurt just put it down to experience

What group were you in?

Was the course changed, or could they run the normal Corduff circuit?

Yes first race. I was a bit surprised to be put into group 2 but went with the flow anyway. A little over eager at the start (riding off the front) until I got the hang of how the the up and over was working. Lost contact with the group after the second ascent just as we were caught by group 3 but group 2 seemed to create a gap just as I was on the back of the group who caught us (burnt myself out leading the group up the hill in the wind wondering why no one was coming to the front - good tactic on their part). Was happy to be able to stick with the blistering pace of the 3rd group until I turned off.

Met my objective of not getting dropped or crashing. Hadn't bargained for embarrassing myself by taking a wrong turn! I'll chalk that up to experience.


Did the second group stay away and who won?

Beasty

Well done Kenny - good report

Except for a couple of weeks ago, when they managed to stay away, Group 1 tends to be on a bit of a hiding to nothing, particularly with a hill like the Nags Head which will always split a group like that - it won't help if someone tries to break away. I have a suspicion that one or two in that group tend to conserve energy in anticipation of getting swallowed up (normally sooner rather than later) allowing them to hang on to the faster groups (I'm not criticising by the way - it's probably their best chance of getting round in some cases)

On the hydration/nutrition point, I tend to get some gels and plenty of fluid in me before a race (the failure to do so was one of my problems last week) - I tend to find I can then do 40-50km race with only a few swigs from the water bottle

English Bob

That's a tough circuit. Pleased I could stay in the big ring getting up the nags head though, it's encouraging to begin to notice the race legs are getting there!
Re nutrition - I've found drinking plenty of water during the day of race helps and using gels beforehand and maybe during race is beneficial. Always enjoy the bottle of vino after!!

kennyb3

Beasty wrote: »

Well done Kenny - good report

Except for a couple of weeks ago, when they managed to stay away, Group 1 tends to be on a bit of a hiding to nothing, particularly with a hill like the Nags Head which will always split a group like that - it won't help if someone tries to break away. I have a suspicion that one or two in that group tend to conserve energy in anticipation of getting swallowed up (normally sooner rather than later) allowing them to hang on to the faster groups (I'm not criticising by the way - it's probably their best chance of getting round in some cases)

On the hydration/nutrition point, I tend to get some gels and plenty of fluid in me before a race (the failure to do so was one of my problems last week) - I tend to find I can then do 40-50km race with only a few swigs from the water bottle

Thanks beasty. yeah at times we were pushing hard but at others it felt like we were taking it easy waiting. I think in few weeks and few more races i ll be a bit more savy myself. last night was all about doing work, using it as a good workout as shaungil and yourself have eluded to in the past. having a small group of only 5 after the hill certainly isnt going to see us stay away.

Re the nutrition, i ll defo be eating more than a banana since lunch, drink a good bit more right before the start and maybe get a gel or two and maybe stick something in my second bottle.

Velo Bro

Well done on your first race "Kennyb3" I think we spoke at one point re going through hard. Your riding very strong keep it up.

I'm only getting back into it as I've been carb loading and resting for years and use the race as a workout. I went away on the hill and almost managed a full lap before you shaggers caught me just before the second climb. Had to give it a second go then.

When the scratch caught us I managed to hang on for a few km's but didn't have the kick to stay with them, maybe next time.

Cheers

Velo Bro!

kennyb3

Velo Bro wrote: »

Well done on your first race "Kennyb3" I think we spoke at one point re going through hard. Your riding very strong keep it up.

I'm only getting back into it as I've been carb loading and resting for years and use the race as a workout. I went away on the hill and almost managed a full lap before you shaggers caught me just before the second climb. Had to give it a second go then.

When the scratch caught us I managed to hang on for a few km's but didn't have the kick to stay with them, maybe next time.

Cheers

Velo Bro!

nice to meet you, and have a few words going up the climb when you were slagging us. you rode very very strong to stay away for so long as we werent hanging about. doubt you ll be long in that group anyway. nice bike too

Homme Enigmatique

Good hard race, weather still very warm, have had very good weather this year for the league compare to the previous few years. A lot of the groups were splitting up last night, a lot of pain was inflicted all round.:D