Orwell/IRC/Lucan/Tiernans/UCD League - R17

buffalo

I'll kick off the thread on tonight's race. DMS, same course as 30th June, three times across the bridge, and then turn right up to Ballysmuttan or Ballynasculloge.

Legs were a little stiff from a hard run, but I was hoping my Ras de Cymru experience might help me out tonight. Off with semi-scratch, and then I realised this was my first DMS. The atmosphere of the group was a lot different - little digs off the front, no discipline - I kept finding myself getting boxed in on the inside. I moved to the outside, even if it meant more work in the wind, at least I could move up.

There were three guys off the front - I discovered later they were one LCRC, Orwell and an Usher (in blue). First lap I closed down some moves, and then through Manor Kilbride I realised I was leaving the bunch behind. One other Orwell (white boots) and a Lucan came with me, and we caught the breakaway about halfway down the N81. An Usher (in green) also managed to catch us.

We went around like that for the rest of the laps, white boots taking more turns than he should, and Lucan hanging at the back. Realised at the finish line they weren't bluffing or saving themselves. When we hit the climb, one Lucan and one Orwell were dropped straightaway. Leaving two Usher, white boots Orwell, and one Lucan. I was yo-yoing off the back at first, then Lucan started to blow. Unfortunately I was on his wheel, and had to push hard to get around him.

Coming up to the line, white boots was out in front, blue Usher behind, then green Usher, and me. Blue Usher put in a good dig though, and pipped white boots on the line. I tottered over in 4th, and regretted taking the Ballinascorney route home - so many hills! edit: but dead happy with that - first club placing, and on a course that I DNF'ed on a month ago.

Saw kenmc at the side of the road afterwards, how'd everyone else get on?

Idleater

Sat at the back (very back) of semi limit for the whole race. Attacked the hill and got to 50-100 meters of the lead group. Not bad for 3 weeks off the bike bar my stretching of legs for the tt last week.

kenmc

I've been off the bike for 3 weeks basically after twisting my ankle badly the day after the greensheds circuit; only cycled to work on Monday and Tuesday this week, and 20km on Sunday. Had my ankle strapped up and on painkillers too. Wasn't sure how well it would last, considering I'm still limping on it, but fingers xxd

Went off in SL, my first start after getting "promoted". Fairly good pace, a couple of digs went in early and were let dangle out there before getting reeled in every so often. I stayed comfortably in the top 20ish most of the race, tested my ankle out by jumping into a wee break on the 2nd lap on red lane but it was never going to survive, I was just testing, it seemed fine, painkillers working well. The pace noticeably ramped on the last lap, I think Paul Tansey went on about 5 200m sprints :pac:.

Coming up to the turn for ballysmutten there was a close call ahead of me when 2 lads (UCD/Steve Hayden-Orwell) tangled handlebars but thankfully everything was ok and all stayed upright. Turned for BallyS and found myself passing riders out :eek: what's going on here? Climbing is not my forte, especially after essentially 3 weeks off the bike.... After the hairpin I found myself in 4th place, a couple of whippets off up the road ahead of me, a couple of loose bodies around but no pack about to swallow me up like I expected. I drifted back down to 5th, 6th, eventually finished up 8th I think, 2nd loser
Still, I really can't complain considering I've been injured for a while, it was my first SL start *and* it was a climbing finish. I've also never finished up there, so I didn't know how far up we had to go.
Oh for it to have been a sprint finish. How come we never get to race *down* hills eh?

Bloody tired though heading back down to Brittas to the car.

Anyway, I think it's fair to say I've earned this :

and I'd highly recommend it if you like hoppy beers!

gav07

One other Orwell (white boots) and a Lucan came with me

White-boots here! Great to get a break staying away to the end. First time finishing up at Ballysmuttan for me and what a lung-buster.

I thought I had it on the finishing drag but fair play to the Usher lad who came past me - he delayed and timed his move better on the hill and I couldn't respond as he came past. Happy with 2nd - like buffalo my first club league placing.

The group was working well only for short stretches. Conscious the bunch were closing (they were only about 10s at one point), it was a case of breaking up the pattern and taking a turn out of turn when it just wasn't moving fast enough to stay away. Pleased that the eventual winner played his part on the front too.

DMS again in 2 weeks. Not enough of them in the calendar IMHO.

100Suns

Thanks buffalo. Now I know who you are. I was the LCRC who went with Declan B from Orwell from the off (not the one sitting on the back). After one lap on our own I wasn't sure it would stick. Glad ye came to help. The Usher rider who came across first out in a great ride.

I attacked on the first kick up Ballysmutten, not all out but I was surprised there were still 5 of us at the bottom of the second kick up. I decided to feign blowing up and then struggled to get the 808 rolling again on the kick up . Threw it back in the big ring but it was too late to get into the back of ye. Points is points though.

The break didn't work as smoothly as it could/should but we stayed away. It seemed a bit Orwellian third time over the bridge. Ye seemed to pull it very hard for while, as if maybe ye were working for someone well placed In the league perhaps?:D

Well done on a good ride. Always nice to make a break stick, especially from the gun.

oflahero

Sedate old pace round the first lap, I was sitting in for most of it. Got bored on lap 2 so tried getting off the front a couple of times - no dice. Nobody really wanted to organise proper up'n'overs so discipline was pretty lax - especially as no-one was quite sure who was up ahead and didn't want to lead out a chase on their own teammate.

Stayed up the front of the pack on the drag and really felt it piling up the hill. Usual hillclimb story - loads of people passed me initially, and then I managed to grind them back after halfway up. Chased joker77's wheel - was hoping to sprint past him at the end but he put on a final turbo performance and fair play to him, he stayed away for 5th. So happy enough with my first semi-limit placing of 6th. DMS FTW!

Special mention of the day: velo.2010 back from the dead, in full bike gear on the Red Lane corner. Had to do a double take, thought I was hallucinating. A smashed femur, and 6 weeks later, back on the bike? Has he been suspended in Bacta fluid all this time??

100Suns

Meant to say well done to tawfeeredux. Getting boring :pac:

I think I'm back in scratch now so the party's over dux boy

buffalo

gav07 wrote: »

White-boots here!

I had you christened that from the start of the second lap. Great ride out there - I was just afraid you'd tire yourself out taking too many turns, and then we'd all be caught. I'll know in future not to worry!

100Suns wrote: »

The break didn't work as smoothly as it could/should but we stayed away. It seemed a bit Orwellian third time over the bridge. Ye seemed to pull it very hard for while, as if maybe ye were working for someone well placed In the league perhaps?:D

heh, none of that from me, just wanted to stay away! Green Usher had been upping the pace, but I eased off once I realised nobody was on my wheel.

Yeah, it was nice to be in the winning break. I must try that more often! Our rhythm was a bit off - I think half were doing up and overs, and others were doing TTT style. But sure it's all a learning experience!

tawfeeredux

100Suns wrote: »

Meant to say well done to tawfeeredux. Getting boring :pac:

I think I'm back in scratch now so the party's over dux boy

Ha, ha! Bring it on Sunny baby:D.

doozerie

I was marshaling tonight so purely an observer. It was cold standing around but it looked like a tough race so I really got the easy stint. Saw an Orwell guy (red and white bike, a Specialised maybe, can't quite remember) about 1 minute up the road ahead of Semi-Limit on the last lap just before the bridge, wonder if he stayed away until the finish?

Did manage to get in some exercise despite not racing though. Was rushing to get there in time only to notice that my speedo had fallen off somewhere on the first section of embankment (curse you Cateye - all this modern technology at your disposal and how do you secure your speedos to their mounts? With a tiny and unreliable lump of feckin' plastic!). Turned back down, thankfully found it and bust a gut getting to the start on time. Then had to tear off down the road to get to marshal point before the first riders were set off. Got there in time, yayyy, then managed to somehow shove my speedo sensor into my spokes, boo. Where it caught on the magnet and rotated the spoke. Oh the drama. On the plus side I now know that a well attached magnet on a flat bladed spoke is capable of turning the spoke without having to dig out a spoke key. Unfortunately I also now know for certain that vague concerns about mounting the speedo sensor behind the fork, facing the spokes as the wheel rotates towards it, were well justified.

kenmc

doozerie wrote: »

I was marshaling tonight so purely an observer. It was cold standing around but it looked like a tough race so I really got the easy stint. Saw an Orwell guy (red and white bike, a Specialised maybe, can't quite remember) about 1 minute up the road ahead of Semi-Limit on the last lap just before the bridge, wonder if he stayed away until the finish?

Nah we let him dangle Don't think he placed. He was moaning about getting caught on the climb
3 weeks of watching Le Tour increases the accuracy of the peleton in chasing down breaks

tawfeeredux

Plenty of boardsies scoring points this evening - well done to all. Picked up my first club league win this evening, so happy days . And welcome back to velo.2010, thought i saw him at one point but didn't have time to do a double-take.

Scratch race was nice & hard this evening, breaks going off the first lap or two, before a group of 6 made a clean break on the 2nd or 3rd lap, can't remember. Worked well together before it started getting a bit cagey on the flat section before the drag up to the normal finish line. Decided to up the pace as we hit the start of the drag, 2 guys fell away & it was down to myself & 3 Orwell lads. At the turn off for Ballysmutten, put another hard dig in, but the 3 Orwells were still there. On the second part of the climb, put another effort in, & Diarmuid was on my wheel on his own. Found it harder going up the hill this time than in the club champs the weekend before last. Tried a few more digs to try & shake D, but it was only with the finish line in sight & one last desperate effort that i opened a small gap. Knew he'd sprint around me if he got back on, so had to keep pushing on hard to the line. Good race, nice prep for Suir Valley this weekend.

Edit: Brittas circuit again next Thurs!!

CramCycle

Reading a few of these threads I have to ask the stupid question, do you have to be a member of one of the title clubs to take part? and if you don't how do you sign up?

blorg

Yes, you have to be a member of one of the five clubs. If over five clubs take part in a race it is an open race, I believe. You can join by contacting the secretary of whichever club you want to join- or any of the members on here I am sure would help you out. Some clubs, including Orwell, don't like to take members on half-way through a season- they prefer to take them on in the autumn and get them up to speed with group riding and so forth over the winter period.

Diarmuid

Scratch was a jump-fest on lap one and a war of attrition then until the end. I hung on until the last corner when tawfeeredux's final push broke me. It's a nice feeling as you count down the competition the closer you get to the finish line .. 9 .. 6 .. 4 .. 3 .. 2.. DOH!

JacksonHeightsOwn

CramCycle wrote: »

Reading a few of these threads I have to ask the stupid question, do you have to be a member of one of the title clubs to take part? and if you don't how do you sign up?

Cram, you can always pop along to a St Tiernans club spin, you'd be more than welcome to come out

Same location basically as Orwell, we usually meet at Park Vale in dundrum on Saturday's at 9.30, but we change the meet up points to Tallaght, town, the Phoenix park, all different places,

Plus we're a small club, so you won't be overrawed by the amount of members there

Drop us a pm if you're interested, we don't mind taking chaps mid season

And besides, we need members to battle the Goliath that is Orwell :-p

joker77

Same as olfahero - I had to do a double take when I came off the N81 for the last time and saw velo.2010 with his bike at the side of the road! That's some going - scary to be back so quick after a crash like that!

Went off with Semi-Limit, heard we were going up Ballysmutten again, none too impressed as climbing wouldn't be my strong point. Seeing it was a DMS I was determined to try to do the tactical thing, i.e. sit in and wait - stay relaxed. I hung round the back of the bunch for the first 2.5 laps, found it very nice - Sunday spin type of pace. Before coming off the N81 for the last time I had a caffeine gel yoke, and decided it was time to get involved. I moved up towards the front, and after the bridge the last time went round the outside up into the top 10. 2 riders ahead of my on the inside looked like they very nearly came off on the approach to the usual finish line, was hairy enough with everyone fighting for position.

As we turned the corner and went up the hill I was feeling ok - got up to about 4th, then the really young Orwell rider (not sure if he's on here? not the winner - young guy who looks like the bike is too big for him?) - anyway he went past me so I grabbed his wheel. Hung on there for a while, when we got over the first bit and went downhill again I tried going into the big ring again but missed it on the first try, a few riders passed me out then and I was really struggling at this point. Coming onto the next bit of hill I was blowing, at the point where I was nearly saying f*ck it, there's 10+ riders ahead of me and I'm not going to place. It was hard at that point to dig in again, but I put the head down and tried to get back into a rhythm on the climb. I wasn't expecting it to happen, but it did, I found my rhythm again and started going past people. On the third last bend I worked my way round the few people in front, up to 5th position. The 4 ahead had a good gap, I tried closing it but I was really at my limit and they were getting away. On the 2nd last bend I thought we were coming round to the finish - I looked around and saw I had a bit of road on olfahero, but the not seeing the finish line was demoralising and I really thought that was it, I was going to be caught.

Head down again, really on the limit and hoped that it was one last corner. Went round it and there was the finish line ahead, took a look around to see where olfahero was, still a bit of road between us, head down and that was it, sprint. Came home in 5th, really happy as it was a big group and climbing isn't my strong suit.

Congrats to the winner - Luke are you on here?

velo.2010

I was out for some top secret training but my cover was blown last night!;) I thought the race was on over in Batterstown so I headed out around the back of Blessngton/Naas and came back via the N81. To my surprise I see a high-viz jacked at the RedLane corner, its El Presidente Eddie. So I end up doing a little marshalling! And in return froze my titanium pins off doing so!

The groups passed me twice. Looked a mixed bag of performances, thats DMS I suppose!. Well done to those who scored points on the night. Tawfeeredux looked like he was dragging round those scratchers. Looked he was peddalling through that corner too - just how short are those cranks?

Anyway, bye for now.

Caroline_ie

velo.2010 wrote: »

I was out for some top secret training but my cover was blown last night!

Are you all repaired? I hope you're keeping well, great to hear you're back on the bike.

lalorm

joker77 wrote: »

I hung round the back of the bunch for the first 2.5 laps, found it very nice - Sunday spin type of pace.

Didn't feel like that up the front Joker! Climbing isn't my strong point so I made a few jumps to try and get away but got pulled back each time. My big mistake was not chasing the one person that got away!