Swords Grand Prix 8th August

Diarmuid

Leinster Sun 08-Aug RR A1, A2, A3, A4 Swords Grand Prix (2 races) Swords Cycling Club Sam McArdle 087 6092 756 2 races A1, A2 (150km) A3, A4 (90km) 13:00 & 13:10 Ballyboughal GAA

Anyone from Swords CC know anything else about these races? Route?

Beasty

Diarmuid wrote: »

Anyone from Swords CC know anything else about these races? Route?

Route is here

We're racing this course in the club league tomorrow

One long hill - the Nags Head, then a long descent into Ballyboughal. I am not sure whether it finishes on the flyover over the M1 (where the Swords League races finish) or on the Nags Head

I'll be marshalling

RobFowl

Beasty wrote: »

Route is here

We're racing this course in the club league tomorrow

One long hill - the Nags Head, then a long descent into Ballyboughal. I am not sure whether it finishes on the flyover over the M1 (where the Swords League races finish) or on the Nags Head

I'll be marshalling

Finishes on the Nags head.

Won't be there as have to visit the in-laws (or risk the certainty of a slow and painful death)

shaungil

Diarmuid,

This will suit you the finish is on the hill and A4's will be getting a decent handicap. Good long hill will break things up nicely.

I'm away too and after Dunlavin couldn't face it anyway.

Ryaner

So who is doing this?

Anyone from Swords confirm where the finish is going to be? Definitely on the hill?

Beasty

Ryaner wrote: »

Anyone from Swords confirm where the finish is going to be? Definitely on the hill?

RobFowl says so, and it's the sort of masochistic thing Swords would do - it will suit you down to the ground - starting where we started on Wednesday, neutralised out of Ballyboughal, then 3 and a half laps (5 and a half for the main race), with 4 (6) times up the hill, so it will be 1 and a half laps more than Wednesday

Diarmuid

MODS: I'd suggest a merge

Ryaner

Beasty wrote: »

RobFowl says so, and it's the sort of masochistic thing Swords would do - it will suit you down to the ground - starting where we started on Wednesday, neutralised out of Ballyboughal, then 3 and a half laps (5 and a half for the main race), with 4 (6) times up the hill, so it will be 1 and a half laps more than Wednesday

Three and a half laps is only around 70km, not the 90km listed. I assume the 90km was a typo?

Beasty

Ryaner wrote: »

Three and a half laps is only around 70km, not the 90km listed. I assume the 90km was a typo?

Swords website shows 3 and 5 laps (there is an extra half a lap on each though), 70k and 106k

Esroh

Swords Jersey finished first on Day1 in Ballinrobe just outside my gate sorry dont know more at the moment

sammca

Can confirm the following
1. a1/a2 race is 5 & 1/2 laps finishing on the hill at the nags head on the sixth ascent.

2. a3/a4 race is 3 & 1/2 laps, finishing on the hill.

A4's get a handicapp to get them to the hill.

asked to reduce the a1/a2 race as it was considered too long for this time of year.

Beasty

Main race won by Martyn Irvine - seen here about 50m before the finishing line (only 13 riders completed the A1/A2 race):



At least 4 boardsies in this picture:



More pictures including a few of boardsies here

Diarmuid

Who won the A3/A4?

RobFowl

Diarmuid wrote: »

Who won the A3/A4?

Don't know but he was wearing a Mellow Johnny jersey and an post shorts. Sooooooo non Euro.......

PS if Martyn Irvine wasn't riding a Planet X he'd have won by 100m.........

Slideshowbob

Anto Doyle from Wexford won 3/4 race by looks of it

Beasty

Diarmuid wrote: »

Who won the A3/A4?

Don't know - as soon as I finished my marshalling stint I rushed to the end to get the photos.

More photos here for the A1/A2 race, and here for the A3/A4 race, but result is not up yet

... and I've got my picture on the Irish cycling website front page! (OK it's just a picture of me taking a picture of the winner crossing the line:D)

Ryaner

Results up on the CI website. They did the top 10 in the A3/A4 race at the end which was nice. The pace went up and down quite a bit during it too. First lap was relaxed, second was very fast, third was ok and then on the last run to the main road it slowed right down until the A3 caught us. Left me with an average speed just slightly higher than Wednesday Club Race.

Overall it was very well run. Few cars on the main road did seem to misjudge the speed we were travelling and left it late overtaking. Actually one seemed to completely ignore the Marshalls and flew by just as we were taking the corner on the first lap. Can honestly say I never want to be *that* close to a car while cornering ever again

shaungil

I arrived late after cycling from Wicklow. Did have a slight feeling of jeaousy until I rode up the Nags head to watch the finish.

Plenty of Swords and Boardsies racing and A4's seemed to be working well. Hard one to stay away on though and the finish was a toughie fair play. A1/2 was savage looking Irvine so strong.

Michelin

RobFowl wrote: »

Don't know but he was wearing a Mellow Johnny jersey and an post shorts. Sooooooo non Euro.......

PS if Martyn Irvine wasn't riding a Planet X he'd have won by 100m.........

Why is this guy let away with wearing a trade team shorts and that jersey in an irish race! even if hes unattached he shoudnt be wearing anything other then plain jersey, shorts and another guy wearing columbia jersey. Comms used to really clamp down on this one time.

RobFowl

Michelin wrote: »

Why is this guy let away with wearing a trade team shorts and that jersey in an irish race! even if hes unattached he shoudnt be wearing anything other then plain jersey, shorts and another guy wearing columbia jersey. Comms used to really clamp down on this one time.

Do you remember Julian Dalby almost getting thrown out of the RAS for wearing coloured socks ...........

And Comms trying to pull tubs off to see if they were properly glued on.

Agree the Columbia and mellow Johnny jerseys are out of place, especially when even a small local sponsor has to pay a fee to CI to allow the name appear on the jersey....

Hungrycol

Jeeze how long has it been since Staro discovered Immac? I've been away from the sport for too long.

shaungil

Staro , Immac? Never thought I'd hear those words in the same sentence....

Next thing he'll be at the front of the bunch doing a stint. Oh wait the camera never lies.

Did you really lose the fur Staro?

RobFowl

shaungil wrote: »

Staro , Immac? Never thought I'd hear those words in the same sentence....

Next thing he'll be at the front of the bunch doing a stint. Oh wait the camera never lies.

Did you really lose the fur Staro?

Looks de-fuzzed all right !

Lumen

Michelin wrote: »

Why is this guy let away with wearing a trade team shorts and that jersey in an irish race! even if hes unattached he shoudnt be wearing anything other then plain jersey, shorts and another guy wearing columbia jersey. Comms used to really clamp down on this one time.

They do give out but I guess they don't want to stop someone racing.

The obvious solution is for the comms to carry a couple of sets of unbranded pink unitards and allow the offenders to race if they wear them.

niceonetom

Not naming names, but there are some for whom wearing a pink unitard would be an incentive, not a punishment.

Michelin

Lumen wrote: »

They do give out but I guess they don't want to stop someone racing.

The obvious solution is for the comms to carry a couple of sets of unbranded pink unitards and allow the offenders to race if they wear them.

Well when i was u16 way back in the day, i was wearing a shorts with the previous years sponsers name on it that had changed but as a kid i had no money to update the shorts, the commisare wouldnt let the race start with me in it till I either changed or rolled the shorts all the way up so the name couldnt be seen!! lol i rolled them up!

Lumen

niceonetom wrote: »

Not naming names, but there are some for whom wearing a pink unitard would be an incentive, not a punishment.

I think even TinyExplosions would draw the line somewhere.

(yes, that is a saddle, so it's SFW)

shaungil

and where can I buy these unitards. It's for a friend...... ahem

cipo

The kit rule is stupid at cat 3/4 level!!

If some fred wants wear pro kit.. Go for it!
Be prepared to be abused by losers who think we re way cooler cos we follow euro pro rules!!!

you can't stop a dude getting his teeth stuck into a race just cos he s wearing pro kit! At 1/2 level, should know better and should be told to sort it out!

Right, I'm off to put on my 6inch White socks & pimp White spesh shoes to ride to the coffe shop!

......Nearly forgot to baby oil the legs!!!!!

GlennaMaddy

worse than wearing pro-gear when unattached is wearing plain gear when attached, makes it impossible to read a race, which is one of the things most of us at this level don't have much experience with

cipo

Fair point by glennamaddy...

Clubs & club members should encourage riders to wear club kit and especially when racing!

Although I ve seen many a fellow team mate chase down his own club man!!

shaungil

Although I ve seen many a fellow team mate chase down his own club man!![/QUOTE]

Obligiatory in Swords.