Race Around Ireland 2011 - Start: 5pm Sunday 11th September in Navan

emtroche

RACE AROUND IRELAND 2011

September 11th 2011 is set to be the date that the Race Around Ireland Challenge will kick off for its third year. This 2,100 km Non-Stop cycling event has proven to be a great success over the previous two years of its existence. It is now regarded as the toughest cycling event in Europe and 2nd in the world after the legendary Race Across America.

The Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA) has sanctioned the event and has included it as part of their World Cup series where it is the 2nd highest ranked race in the world. The Race is also a qualifying event for the Race Across America. It is the only event of its kind in Ireland or Britain. The Race Around Ireland will again loop around the entire country passing some of Ireland’s most famous landmarks, taking in magnificent scenery and crossing the countries highest mountains.

The race format is essentially a time trial where solo racers cover the entire distance by themselves and team racers travel the route in relay. In The Race Around Ireland, once the clock starts in Navan, Co. Meath, it won’t stop until each rider reaches the finish line at the end of the 2,100 km circuit. This is designed to be one of the most gruelling bike races in the World.

The 2010 men’s solo race was won by German rider Bernd Paul. The winning 2-person team was Wheels of destiny with Team Renegades and Team Cadbury winning the 4-person and 8-person events respectively.

As well as passing through countless towns and villages the race will also pass through a number of major cities and national parks. From rolling farmland to steep mountain climbs to rugged coastlines, the route will prove to be just as spectacular as the previous two years. As well as the terrain the racers will have to contend with the weather, energy sapping road surfaces, livestock on unfenced roads, sleep deprivation and nutritional issues. All the racers will have a number of crew members and vehicles supporting them. These crew members will also have to deal with issues of fatigue and navigation as well as taking care of the Racers.

The 2011 event sees entries from all over Ireland but also from Belgium, England, Switzerland, Spain, Monaco and the USA. Included in this number is Valerio Zamboni from Monaco who currently lies 2nd in the World Cup series and his hoping that his ride in Ireland will see him take overall victory.

Teams will cycle in a relay format day and night to finish the event in less than 4 days. Solo riders will spend up to 22hours at a time on the bike to be competitive. Some teams will be extremely competitive in this event and for others it will be an opportunity to take part in an adventure and an amazing experience to raise funds for charities that they have chosen. The Race begins in the Market Square in Navan Co. Meath with the Teams and Solo racers starting at 5pm. The racers will leave at 5 minute intervals. There will be music and entertainment starting from 4pm.

This year we will have a Race launch night on Saturday 10th September in the Castle Arch Hotel in Trim. The evening will kick off at 6pm and is open to anybody. It should be a fun evening and it will give people an opportunity to learn more about the Race, meet the racers and crew and visit our sponsor’s stands.

This year we have worked very hard to bring the Race up a notch. We will have real-time gps tracking of all solo racers and teams and daily video updates from the course featuring US presenter Allison Otto and TV3 presenter Michael Hayes. The Race will also be featured as part of an epic film which is being made by award winning film-makers, Groox Productions. They have undertaken the ambitious project of following 6 racers over 6 races around the world to create what will be the definitive film on Ultra distance cycling. The Race Around Ireland will be their last race of the year and the film.

Route
The Route will pass through 20 counties with some of the highlights being, Newgrange, Giants Causeway, Malin Head, Connemara, The Burren, Ring of Kerry, Mizen Head, St. Patricks Hill and the Wicklow Mountains.

As the race is run in a one stage format a number of Time Stations will be positioned around the course. Time Stations are a critical link between Race Around Ireland, the racers and crews, and the communities on the route. The team crew must phone in to headquarters from the Time Station to report the arrival of their racer. This is used to track the racers, whose position will be regularly relayed to the public through media and our website.

Time Stations for the Race are:

TS01 Ballymascanlan Service Station, Ballymascanlan, Co. Louth
TS02 Star Service Station, Moira, Co. Down
TS03 Causeway Hotel, Giants Causeway, Co. Antrim
TS04 Malin Head, Co. Donegal
TS05 Esso Service Station, Newtown Cunningham, Co. Donegal
TS06 Innisfree Service Station, Pearse Rd. Sligo, Co. Sligo
TS07 Caseys Topaz Service Station, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
TS08 Clifden Station House Hotel, Clifden, Co. Galway
TS09 Westwood Hotel, Clifden Road, Galway City
TS10 Armada Hotel, Spanish Point, Co. Clare
TS11 Caseys Centra Quickstop, Dock Rd, Limerick City
TS12 Topaz Service Station, Park Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry
TS13 Sneem Hotel, Sneem, Co. Kerry
TS14 Mizen Head, Co. Cork
TS15 Actons Hotel, Kinsale, Co. Cork
TS16 Walter Raleigh Hotel, Youghal, Co. Cork
TS17 Topaz Service Station, Cork Rd, Waterford City
TS18 Drinagh Service Station, Drinagh, Co. Wexford
TS19 Lynhams Hotel, Laragh, Co. Wicklow
A full schedule of estimated arrival times and detailed route maps are available on the website.

Entrants
The racers will start from the Market Square in Navan at 5pm and will leave at 5 minute intervals.

4-Person Teams

401: Team Microsoft Base 2 Race IRELAND
• Ray Snowdon
• Ray O'Neill
• Jules Cantwell
• Noel Boyle

402: The Flandriens BELGIUM/IRELAND
• Mark Kiely (Wexford)
• Fabrice Pattyn (Belgium)
• Dino Bernaerdt (Belgium)
• Paul McCorry (Cavan)
The team features 2 Belgian and 2 Irish racers. It is led by Mark Kiely who has ridden the Ras 7 times and has been a very successful cycling coach for a number of years. Fabrice Pattyn and Dino Bernaerdt both take part in road and mountain bike races in Belgium. The team is completed by Paul McCorry, a recovering cancer patient from Cavan.

403: Team Pocket Rockets IRELAND (Meath)
• Tricia Tobin
• Sheila Browne
• Imelda Tully
• Hazel Hall
All the members of the team hail from the Navan area and are the only ladies in this years Race. They are managed by Ciaran Crehan who is a two time finisher of the Race Around Ireland.

8-Person Teams

801: Team Youghal IRELAND (Cork)
• Ger Flanagan
• Christy McCarthy
• Brian Hehir
• Michael McCarthy
• Stephen McGovern
• Paul Hayes
• John Tormey
Team Youghal have taken part in the 2 previous editions of the Race Around Ireland and this year made history by being the first Irish 8-person team to take part in the Race Across America. They will be looking to improve on their 2nd place of last year.

802: Team Sunflower Pedal Power IRELAND
• Ian McCormack
• John Hynes
• Duncan McKenzie
• Justin Hunter
• Dan Ferrari
• Tom Murray
• Fergus Caverly
The team features some of the racers who took part in last years Race as part of Team Cadbury who were victorious in the 8-person category. Once again they will be aiming to raise the winner’s trophy at the end in Navan.

Solos

101: John MacCormaic IRELAND (Dublin)
John is the son of the late J.J. McCormack and has competed in the Ras Tailteann and Tour of Ireland as well as on the American circuit.

102: Jim Doyle NORTHERN IRELAND (Derry)
Before taking up cycling Jim was an amateur boxer, he Studied Lau Gar style kung fu and completed 25 marathons

103: Seamus Harding IRELAND (Wexford)

104: Wyatt Van Wendels UK
Wyatt took part in the 2010 Race Around Ireland and previously cycled from Lands End to John O`Groats in 6 days

105: Dick Crispyn BELGIUM
As well as taking 1st Place in the 24 hours cycle race in Zolder, Belgium and 7th Place in the Radmarathon Switzerland, Dick has also completed 3 Ironman Traithlons and 5 Marathons

106: Stephen Bugbee USA
Stephen is a very experienced Ultra cyclist and is currently 2nd overall in the 50 to 59 category of the World Cup.

107: Philip Field SWITZERELAND
Philip was originally registered to take part in the 2011 Race as part of a 2-person team however his team-mate was forced to pull-out, so Philip decided to give the solo event a go.

108: Julián Sanz Garciá SPAIN
Julián is another very experienced Ultra Cyclist who in previous years has finished 8th and 10th in the Race Across America. He will be hoping to improve his standing in the World Cup Series.

109: Valerio Zamboni MONACO
Valerio is a true Ultra Cyclist. Last year he took part in the Race around Ireland and this year he has participated in almost every event of the World Cup Series including the Race Across America. He currently lies 2nd in the World Cup and is looking to take overall victory.

110: Ricky Geoghegan IRELAND (Trim)
Ricky has been racing and riding sportives for 20 years. He was unfortunately forced to abandon the Race Around Ireland last year with tendon damage and is hoping to

The time limit for solo racers is 132hours and 96 for the teams. The Market Square in Navan will be closed to traffic from 4pm and people are invited to come along and enjoy the music and the fun. The Race will start at 5pm.

The Race is a registered Cycling Ireland event and is being organised in association with Navan Road Club, Meath Local Sports Partnership, Navan Town Council and yourcyclingacademy.com. The race is also supported by Ordnance Survey Ireland, Planet X, Carvalho Custom, Andalucian Cycling Experience, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Blackblox and the Castle Arch Hotel.

The Official Charity Partner of the race is the Aisling Group International Charity. Aisling Group was established as a direct response to the need for information and help for the public, relating to the negative effects from drugs and alcohol misuse. Many of the racers are also raising money for various charities. More details on these charities, the racers and the route can be found on our website.

Contact Details:
Website: www.racearoundireland.com
Email: info@racearoundireland.com

Caroline_ie

GPS should be great! If I am correct FrankGrimes is on one if teams, so Go boardsies go!

emtroche

Caroline_ie wrote: »

GPS should be great!

Yeah we've tested it out over the last 2 days and the accuracy is pretty astounding!

Heres the link http://race.blackblox.si/

Caroline_ie

Bump - NAVAN - SUNDAY - BE THERE -

coolhandspan

good luck to all involved.......................

Lumen

FFS! Not again!

http://www.rte.ie/weather/

3 Day Outlook
Sunday night and Monday will be extremely windy countrywide with stormy conditions through parts of Connaught and Ulster. Gale force South to southwest winds will gust 100 to 130km/hr in exposed places, especially in coastal counties of Connacht and Ulster. Widespread rain for a time on Sunday night will give way to squally showers for Monday and winds will veer southwest to west. There will also be very high waves on western and northern coasts, possibly reaching 6 to 9 metres in height. Winds won't be as strong on Tuesday. But it will still be a blustery day with a mixture of sunshine and showers, some heavy. Wednesday will be bright with sunny spells, well scattered showers and light to moderate southwest breezes.

Raam

Lumen, I think they plan it that way

Caroline_ie

The forecast is supposed to very very bad just as the riders reach Northern Ireland.

I was at launch today and it was madness! This race looks pretty exciting. I spent the afternoon trying to speak Spanish. I am extremely rusty. The Basque Spanish rider Julian Sanz seems to be in great shape ahead of his solo attempt.

If tomorrow's start Navan ( be there from 3:30 ) is as exciting as the launch, it's going to be Epic.

emtroche

Unfortunately our gps tracking isn't working in the North of Ireland. This is a problem we overlooked but the riders will be back in the repubic early in the morning! The leaders are currently Making their way to Ballyclare, Co. Down. The rain has started and the wind is picking up. Looks like its going to be another epic battle this year!

Don't forget to join our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/RaceAroundIreland for updates

PeadarCo

The solo race is really close at the moment with Valerio Zamboni just ahead of Dick Crispyn and Stephen Bugbee.

Caroline_ie

Currrent standings: http://www.racearoundireland.com/standings.asp

Looks like the weather is getting worse according to reports and Mamore gap is absolutely horrendous.

https://www.facebook.com/RaceAroundIreland

Raam

It wouldn't be the Race Around Ireland without a bit of a breeze and some moisture in the air.

ednwireland

MALIN HEAD(A) SW 38 Gust 51

wouldnt want to be cycling in that

Caroline_ie

Due to storms and weather warnings we have decided to extend the cut off time for solo riders by 12 hours. This is a safety measure to allow the athletes to take more time off the bike as the dangerous winds blow through.

Hermy

PeadarCo wrote: »

The solo race is really close at the moment with Valerio Zamboni just ahead of Dick Crispyn and Stephen Bugbee.

I should probably know the answer to this but are riders allowed to draft each other?

PeadarCo

Hermy wrote: »

I should probably know the answer to this but are riders allowed to draft each other?

No this event is one massive time trial.

100Suns

The GPS tracking system is fantastic. It looks like some of the contenders/participants walked up Mamore Gap (and maybe down it?). Average speeds were between 1 and 3 kph. Must be breezy up there too.

Congratulations and well done to the organisers again this year. The time, effort and dedication is superb and is reflected in the quality and safety of the event.

Hermy

PeadarCo wrote: »

No this event is one massive time trial.

That's cruel given the conditions!

Caroline_ie

Julian Sanz's team are already putting edited vids online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dal6eK1dL64

ednwireland

fair play to anyone out in this

100Suns

No. 2's follow vehicle is going to have fun negotiation the Gap of Dunloe.:eek:

Raam

PeadarCo wrote: »

No this event is one massive time trial.

People on the same team can do so, but with restrictions on length of time and how often.

ednwireland

actually at least its not bucketing rain although team pocket rockets might disagree after coming across the gap in a squall

100Suns wrote: »

No. 2's follow vehicle is going to have fun negotiation the Gap of Dunloe.:eek:

actually his vehicle obviously got fed up with following him as they drove off in front of him !

FrankGrimes

That's me in the first one,thanks for posting it! Not sure how i managed even a forced smile as that 3 hour stint from donegal to sligo into those winds was a different kind of hell to anything i've experienced on a bike...got through it eventually though!

So far so good for Team Microsoft Base2Race,will post details afterwards but for now: Go Team 401!

ednwireland wrote: »

fair play to anyone out in this

Technique

I saw Julian Sanz on the road between Derry and Letterkenny yesterday. It was an exposed part of the road, and the wind was so strong that I had trouble keeping the car in a straight line. He was giving it everything but was hardly moving. Checked out the GPS a few hours later to see his progress, and he was nearly in Sligo!

Much respect to all the participants.

karltimber

Team leaders - 802 - team sunflower - just heading out of killarney and into the mountains for the night - difficult enough during the day.

Hope they all have a safe night's riding.

K

deckie27

How do the teams race this?
Are they all on the road at once or does one have to cycle while the rest of the team can be in the back of the van having a kip

Raam

deckie27 wrote: »

How do the teams race this?
Are they all on the road at once or does one have to cycle while the rest of the team can be in the back of the van having a kip

You can all be on the road, but there are restrictions on how often and for how long. When I did it, we alternated with two teams of two riders. Me and NiceOneTom would do a 4 to 6 hour shift where we would alternate every 30 to 40 minutes. The other two guys would be off trying to kip in the campervan.

Daithi BC

FrankGrimes wrote: »

So far so good for Team Microsoft Base2Race,will post details afterwards but for now: Go Team 401!

Looking good for second in your category, and only 668km to go! Please say hi to Ray Snowdon for me - I used to work with him in PwC back in the last century.

emtroche

Team Sunflower Pedal Power were the 1st team to finish this morning in Navan at 7.47 with a time of 86 hours and 27 minutes!

The rest of the teams will be finishing over the course of the day and it looks like the solo racers will start finishing tomorrow evening.

I would really urge anybody who can, to try and make and effort to get out on the road and cheer on these guys. The really have been to hell and back with the weather this year and they could surely do with some encouragement and recognition of the effort they're putting in. The film crew travelling with the Race this year have been to all the major ultra-marathon races around the world and they've said that this is easily the hardest race around!

Keep an eye on our gps tracker which will show you exactly where people are and give you a good idea of what times they might be passing through your area.

http://race.blackblox.si/

http://www.facebook.com/RaceAroundIreland

decrrrrrr

Well done to Team Microsoft on making it to the finish..!!

Big congrats to FrankGrimes and the rest of the team. I wonder can we get a Microsoft EDC team to compete against them next year

100Suns

Congratulations to FrankGrimes on entering the rather exclusive club of RAI team finishers. Looking forward to the race report, welts n all.

Raam

100Suns wrote: »

Congratulations to FrankGrimes on entering the rather exclusive club of RAI team finishers. Looking forward to the race report, welts n all.

Yes indeed, chapeau!

karltimber

The ladies team - Team Pocket Rockets just arrived back too.

great spin had by all.

K

deckie27

do you think the Solo's may make it on Saturday

was out about 8pm but couldn't wait the hourish for the last team to make it in

karltimber

deckie27 wrote: »

do you think the Solo's may make it on Saturday

was out about 8pm but couldn't wait the hourish for the last team to make it in

I think the first solo rider - Valerio Zamboni could make it in about 10-11pm tonight.
321km to do at 28kn/hr odd.

with a small tea break

K

TheBlaaMan

I saw RAI solo-leader 109 Valerio Zamboni as he hit rush hour in Waterford this morning.



and then I went out to Mahon Falls to see 105 Dick Crispyn. Weather was atrocious. While awaiting 105, one of Valerio's support cars was in the area and I got talking to one of the crew. He was telling me that in the first 30hours, Valerio slept for 10 minutes,:eek: that the longest he has slept was just under 90 minutes and that he regarded this RAI as tougher than the RAAM which they recently finished :eek: He went up Patricks Hill yesterday morning and because of confusion with commuting traffic on of the crew cars lost him for a few minutes and only got back to him at the top, only to realise that he's tackled the hill in the big ring.........

Apparently, Valerio is coached by non other than a certain Leonardo Piepoli, and they are in regular touch with Piepoli regarding his progress. Zamboni is 4.5 hours in the lead, so he could afford a decent kip, I guess, but wants to go on..... they expect him to reach Navan around midnight tonight. He must have crossed Mahon Falls around 5am in the dark, sheep sleeping on the road, crappy surface, torrential rain at that stage too...Seriously hardcore stuff!


Anyway, Dick Crispyn was soon on the scene so I got a few pics......heavy mist and then heavy rain at the top of the FAlls (which they climb in reverse compared to the SKT160 route - fortunately with the following wind today)


Approaching in the gloom...


Tough spot in the middle...


Nearly at the top...!

keizer

Team Youghal have had a team in this for three years running now. Was seriously hard work for the first two days this year.

FrankGrimes

Thanks folks, just chilling out today reflecting on and recovering from what was a truly epic challenge and an unforgettable experience that will give us all great memories to look back on for many years to come. We have some cash donations to add to our online total but we're still a bit short of our fundraising target and the Society of St. Vincent De Paul do great work for those in need so any small or large donations here would still be gladly welcomed! (Mods: hope the plug is ok, happy to remove if not).

We had a fantastic crew running the show for us and had some great banter along the way - I couldn't imagine doing this if you didn't have a great team atmosphere and support to help you along the way, and we sure had that.

I plan to capture my thoughts on it soon before I forget them but for now am just relaxing and enjoying some well earned beers. So many highlights but some that jump straight to mind are the gruelling 3 hours of being beaten up by the storm in Donegal and spending about 20% of it out of the saddle in sprint mode just to keep moving such was the force of the wind, my 2-5am shift involving 4 big climbs in Kerry under an amazing full moon which was just surreal, and my 2-5am shift on the last night in which I was trying to hunt down the team in front in the hope of getting a dual going on Mount Leinster (alas, we got the gap down to 20mins at the summit but it wasn't to be - was a great buzz from the chase though!) and rolling along for the last 20km with my 3 teammates having a laugh and reflecting on the twists and turns of the challenge.

ednwireland

FrankGrimes wrote: »

I plan to capture my thoughts on it soon before I forget them but for now am just relaxing and enjoying some well earned beers. So many highlights but some that jump straight to mind are the gruelling 3 hours of being beaten up by the storm in Donegal and spending about 20% of it out of the saddle in sprint mode just to keep moving such was the force of the wind, my 2-5am shift involving 4 big climbs in Kerry under an amazing full moon which was just surreal, and my 2-5am shift on the last night in which I was trying to hunt down the team in front in the hope of getting a dual going on Mount Leinster (alas, we got the gap down to 20mins at the summit but it wasn't to be - was a great buzz from the chase though!) and rolling along for the last 20km with my 3 teammates having a laugh and reflecting on the twists and turns of the challenge.

storm - what storm its always like that up here

well done btw
ed

MichealD

Mucho respect & admiration for all participants. I can't imagine the pain & suffering involved in this event!

I've been tracking the riders and brought my 2 kids on a drive at 9pm to intercept solo rider Dick Crispyn from Belgium as he headed for Mt Leinster. It was a bit surreal driving the pitch black country roads, on the phone to my wife with the iPad at home who was using the tracking GPS website to follow him.

As we arrived with the rider they were pulling in for a food & massage stop. Had a great chat with Dick and his crew. 6 days riding without a puncture! Was able to give him some info on the Mount Leinster climb. He was aware of the damage to the cattle grids and was concerned that he'd have to dismount and would have trouble getting going again. Seem to be well in control with about 10 hours sleep since last Sunday! Only 200 odd k to go. Plan is to ride through to the finish now with a short stop every 30/40kms for food and massage.

Hopefully catch up with a few more tomorrow.

TheBlaaMan

These ultracyclists are a breed apart, alright. I see from the tracking that Valerio Zamboni is approaching Aughavanagh at present, with the Shay Elliot climb from Drumgoff Bridge awaiting him in the next few hours.......at night, after 6 days, and little sleep, and 2000km.
:eek:

emtroche

For anybody thats a loose end this evening, Valerio Zamboni has passed through Laragh and will be hitting the Sally Gap in about an hour and a half! I'm sure he'd appreciate some shouts of encouragement!

He's expected to finish in Navan about 7am tomorrow morning.

2nd place rider Dick Crispyn is about 4 hours behind Valerio.

Caroline_ie

Valerio's at the top of SG at the moment. It should be all downhill from now on.

karltimber

Amazing event and amazing cyclists.

Team boards 2012 ????

would they allow 100 team members and we do 20km each ??

K

TheBlaaMan

Following the GPS tracks today, it looks like once the first two finishers crossed the line, the other guys have abandoned - perhaps this is the norm? I was looking forward to cheering on the 3rd and 4th place guys as they came thru, but can fully understand that they might see continuing for the next few days as somewhat futile. Anyone know the latest?

carthoris

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Following the GPS tracks today, it looks like once the first two finishers crossed the line, the other guys have abandoned - perhaps this is the norm? I was looking forward to cheering on the 3rd and 4th place guys as they came thru, but can fully understand that they might see continuing for the next few days as somewhat futile. Anyone know the latest?

There is a cutoff time of 132 hours for solo riders and two person teams but this was extended by 12 hours due to the weather. Still this would have meant there was not enough time for the rest of the competitors to complete the course.

The GPS was exceptional. I went out to shout (nice things) at Dick Crispyn this morning and could tell within seconds when to expect him. It did however feel a little odd to be standing at the side of the road for 15-20 minutes and then shout and clap for 10 seconds for a single cyclist He looked to be in good form with a wave and a smile. Admirable after more than 2,000Km, little sleep and a storm.

carthoris

karltimber wrote: »

Amazing event and amazing cyclists.

Team boards 2012 ????

They do have form:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=68100780#post68100780

emtroche

Heres a report on this years race http://www.irishcycling.com/publish/news/art_5924.shtml

Apologies if it comes across a bit boring! It'll take a while for stuff to start coming back to me!

It was an extrememly tough Race this year, with the weather being at the root of most of the damage. We said this year that the weather couldn't be any worse than last year and it turned out to be a lot worse! So for that reason the weather DEFINITELY can't be any worse next year! :rolleyes:

Registration for next years Race will open soon.

WHO'S IN???

We feel we really took the Race up a notch this year for a number of reasons, with the gps tracking being the most prominent. We're already busy planning next years Race and we hope to take it up another notch or 3!

I was wondering could people give their points of view on what might stop them from entering the Race?

Is it the cost of entering / cost of overall participation / event is too hard / can't get time for it / can't get crew?

Or any other reasons?

We'd really love to get feedback on this subject and also any feedback on the actual event itself would be greatly apprectiated.

People can PM me if they wish.

Thanks!

Emmet Roche

Lumen

emtroche wrote: »

I was wondering could people give their points of view on what might stop them from entering the Race?

Sanity.

100Suns

Lumen wrote: »

Sanity.

I'm told there's no cure for masochism, unfortunately.

@emmet. IMO The timing might be an issue affecting participation. The largest pool from which you are likely to draw participants is the active racing brigade. Specific endurance training is required over the preceding 6+ months to be competitive in a team/able to finish the solo. This type of training is not compatible with being competitive in open/stage races. Having the race in September means sacrificing a year's competitive racing. If it were earlier in the year, like the RAAM in June or preferably earlier, it would allow the competitive cyclist focus on open/stages races for at least the second half of the season.

If it were in March/April you might also get a bigger international field preparing for RAAM.