THE BETTY D'ARCY MEMORIAL RACE tomorrow.

mumfordandsons

HI,

Bit late at this stage but was thinking maybe of doing this. would anyone know anything about route. is it very hilly ect, thanks for for info.

columbus_66

It's a rolly 15ml circuit, 4 laps I believe, the same as the one used in the Gorey 3-day Sunday afternoon stage. There is a hill in Craanford that is ok for the big ring, overall it's a good racing circuit.

giannip

Sign on from 10am. No details about start time but would think 12.

3 laps for A4 & 4 laps for A3/A2

King Kelly

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056019739

mumfordandsons

didnt manage to get there in end. will try next sunday instead. thanks info
lads.

DirkVoodoo

Did I see the Crunch placed in this race? Report report report!

fondriest

Boardsie 1/2/3 I got the win,the Crunch was second and Shaungil was third.

shaungil

Javan Nulty of Stamullen won the A3 race which from what I gather was well broken up.

Crunch was 2nd in A4 won by Patsy of Wexfors Wheelers, yours truly was 3rd and Navan 4th and Another Wex in 5th.

Odd race and was a bunch sprint. Group was about 30/40 so small enough and no breaks really seemed to stick as has happened a lot in the A4 this year. Instead of bridging to gaps folks work to pull the bunch back.

I rode v conservatively as I needed 2 points for an upgrade but think this would have been a decent course to get breakaway working. Screwed up my finish and missed specific landmark so was coming from deep and thru traffic on sprint nearly got the Crunch but Patsy timed it well. The hill didn't break up the groups and though I tried a few attacks I wasn't fully committed as I really wanted those upgrade points. Ave speed 36km speed up hill was v do-able even for a big lump like me. Hope to do Gorey next year but a different story in a group of 200 I guess.

Season over for me as Shaungilliy number 4 due in 3 weeks. Loved the A4 grade this year but A3 and Gorey for me next year hopefully.

The Crunch

Well that's it. Finally upgraded from A4. Finished second. Patsy, the winner, shouted at me to let him through on the inside with 300 to go and I thought about blocking him for a second or two but decided to play fair and left him a bike width. He was gone like a shot. I guess I'm not Renshaw... To be honest, and despite recceing the finish about four times as well as two further views during the race, the finish kind of snuck up on me a little. Silly, really. I had to check my wind up a little as Patsy blasted past and had to go again but managed to get around Simon O'Dea and just held off Shaun both of whom expressed great frustration afterwards at being pipped by a non sprinter.
Otherwise the race was the usual A4 fare. It was great to have a massive 45 mile spin to get our teeth into after a series of 25-35 mile races but the regular pattern of solo attacks chased down by the bunch domestiques prevailed and no one was willing to counter, jump across or whatever, knowing that there was a willing band of chasers who were less willing to have a punt themselves.
There were a few noble efforts, not least from Orwell clubmates Patrick Santini who held off about seven keen chasers for about ten km on lap two, and Dave Tansey who snuck across to a lad in blue with about ten km to go.
It really looked like they might hang on and they may well have done had Dave's rear mech not started acting up leaving him with just 53x12 or 39x12 to work with.
They were swallowed up in the last kilometre leaving the way clear for Patsy to take his first win. I'd say he's still feeling the glow this morning. I was happy to earn my upgrade rather than just choosing to race A3 next year and it came in the very last race I can do this year so I had a very pleasant beer last night.
A4 racing has been a really excellent development in Irish cycling this year and it's been fun to be competitive in races for once. I've been meaning to post my thoughts on it on the other thread. I'll put together a few lines on it later and send on a letter to Cycling Ireland. Hopeully the Sport category proposal is not set in stone.

shaungil

Best non sprinting sprinter in A4 by a long shot!!!!!

mumfordandsons

The Crunch wrote: »

Well that's it. Finally upgraded from A4. Finished second. Patsy, the winner, shouted at me to let him through on the inside with 300 to go and I thought about blocking him for a second or two but decided to play fair and left him a bike width. He was gone like a shot. I guess I'm not Renshaw... To be honest, and despite recceing the finish about four times as well as two further views during the race, the finish kind of snuck up on me a little. Silly, really. I had to check my wind up a little as Patsy blasted past and had to go again but managed to get around Simon O'Dea and just held off Shaun both of whom expressed great frustration afterwards at being pipped by a non sprinter.
Otherwise the race was the usual A4 fare. It was great to have a massive 45 mile spin to get our teeth into after a series of 25-35 mile races but the regular pattern of solo attacks chased down by the bunch domestiques prevailed and no one was willing to counter, jump across or whatever, knowing that there was a willing band of chasers who were less willing to have a punt themselves.
There were a few noble efforts, not least from Orwell clubmates Patrick Santini who held off about seven keen chasers for about ten km on lap two, and Dave Tansey who snuck across to a lad in blue with about ten km to go.
It really looked like they might hang on and they may well have done had Dave's rear mech not started acting up leaving him with just 53x12 or 39x12 to work with.
They were swallowed up in the last kilometre leaving the way clear for Patsy to take his first win. I'd say he's still feeling the glow this morning. I was happy to earn my upgrade rather than just choosing to race A3 next year and it came in the very last race I can do this year so I had a very pleasant beer last night.
A4 racing has been a really excellent development in Irish cycling this year and it's been fun to be competitive in races for once. I've been meaning to post my thoughts on it on the other thread. I'll put together a few lines on it later and send on a letter to Cycling Ireland. Hopeully the Sport category proposal is not set in stone.

Very good idea , did so myself last week also. also anyone else that wants a4 racing to stay as is also please email grading@cyclingireland.ie

The Crunch

mumfordandsons wrote: »

Very good idea , did so myself last week also. also anyone else that wants a4 racing to stay as is also please email grading@cyclingireland.ie

Done.

fondriest

Race basically went as the lads said above and you could feel the extra few miles in the legs by the end. But it definetly pays to keep going no matter how bad you feel because going up the last drag about 4km from the finish i felt crap and had to spin the 39 because i could'nt turn the 53. However i knew i would recover on the down hill before the finish and rode hard to get up to the front and as the Crunch says i let a shout at him to get by and he moved about 3mm to the right .I was'nt gonna give him a chance to change his mind and jumped as hard as i could,got a gap quickly and came in with about 4 bike lengths to spare.From looking at the pictures 2nd ,3rd and 4th were very close. Great circuit though and hope to ride it in the gorey 3day next year.