Traders Cup - Dundalk, Sunday February 26th 2012

CuchulainnCC

Cuchulainn Cycling Club are promoting the Annual Dundalk Cycle Trader's Cup race this coming Sunday. This is the 70th Anniversary of the race, with the first edition held back in 1942 with local rider Jim Curran proving to be the fastest in the 25 Mile "Paced Race".

All races will roll out from Dowdallshill GFC at 12:55 on Sunday February 26th 2012. Sign On will be open from 11am – 12.45pm.

The circuit is the same new 17km circuit that was used for the 2011 event. The circuit has a good mix of fast road and drags but with no major climbs

Post-Race Showers and Refreshments are Available.

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The club are promoting 3 Races

Race 1 – A1, A2 & A3 Riders (Handicap Race with 3 Groups)

85km (5 Laps) Cash Prizes for 1st 6, First A1, First A2, First A3 & First Clubman


Race 2 – A4 Riders

68km (4 Laps) Non-Cash Prizes for 1st 6


Race 3 – Women & A4 Men Over 50 (Riders can compete in this event with a club competition licence)

51km (3 Laps) Non-Cash Prizes for 1st 6

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Further details and directions can be found here: http://www.cuchulainncc.com/?page_id=153

Caroline_ie

http://www.cuchulainncc.com/?page_id=153
This is the course from last year.
Who is going?

Race 1 – A1, A2 & A3 Riders (Handicap Race with 3 Groups)

85km (5 Laps) Cash Prizes for 1st 6, First A1, First A2, First A3 & First Clubman

Race 2 – A4 Riders

68km (4 Laps) Non-Cash Prizes for 1st 6

Race 3 – Women & Men Over 50

51km (3 Laps) Non-Cash Prizes for 1st 6

Chips Lovell

Threads merged

Beasty

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Race 3 – Women & Men Over 50

51km (3 Laps) Non-Cash Prizes for 1st 6

Not even ridden the new bike yet - this could be it's debut, family commitments permitting ...

Caroline_ie

Could the ladies have their own race ...? There are lots of A2/A3 over 50years old.

Beasty

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Could the ladies have their own race ...? There are lots of A2/A3 over 50years old.

Only A4s or those riding with Club Competition licences are allowed in the over 50's races

Caroline_ie

Beasty wrote: »

Only A4s or those riding with Club Competition licences are allowed in the over 50's races

Ah ok - Thanks Beasty

Please girls Boardsies, do take part, it's a great opportunity to test yourself before the upcoming Women National League.

manwithaplan

I'm not a girl but I think I will give the new bike its debut here too.

Excuse alert: Hope this smothering headcold clears up by then or my competitors can look forward to a Cape Canaveral of snot rockets.

Eamonnator

Beasty wrote: »

Only A4s or those riding with Club Competition licences are allowed in the over 50's races

I have not yet received my licence for 2012. On C.I. website, my licence is described as "Non competition Member". Would I be able to compete in this race, with this licence. I am over 50.

Beasty

Eamonnator wrote: »

I have not yet received my licence for 2012. On C.I. website, my licence is described as "Non competition Member". Would I be able to compete in this race, with this licence. I am over 50.

That in itself does not allow you to race - you need a Club Competition licence as a minimum. I'm not sure, but you may be able to get a day licence, but as this is not an "Open Race" (unlike the A4 race) the rules may well be different. Morana may be able to help out with this one

RobFowl

Eamonnator wrote: »

I have not yet received my licence for 2012. On C.I. website, my licence is described as "Non competition Member". Would I be able to compete in this race, with this licence. I am over 50.

No
You'd need at least a club competition licence for the over 50's race.

Beasty

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Ah ok - Thanks Beasty

Please girls Boardsies, do take part, it's a great opportunity to test yourself before the upcoming Women National League.

It may be worthy of a separate thread in due course, but I'd certainly be interested to hear any feedback from ladies taking part against the "over 50 A4s"

Provided you don't get a large group of men who simply try and get up the road asap (and that's not the intention with this category, as I understand it), it may be a great opportunity for the ladies to mix it with the men without feeling intimidated by the sheer numbers of them. I think a few more experienced male riders may help bring some of the ladies on to bigger and better things.

Lumen

Beasty wrote: »

it may be a great opportunity for the ladies to mix it with the men without feeling intimidated by the sheer numbers of them. I think a few more experienced male riders may help bring some of the ladies on to bigger and better things.

Smoooooth.

Chips Lovell

It's an interesting question. One of the dilemmas faced by race organisers is trying to please every category whilst working with the resources they have.

For example, you can only have a certain number of races running simultaneously on a circuit in order to avoid one one race bumping into another.

You could always run off some races earlier in the day, but then you have to ask marshals, police, ambulance etc. to effectively double the time they give up for a race. And put up with the occasional bitching you'll get from the categories who have an early start.

Several of the women racers I know have said that if the number of women's-only weekend races increase, they'd be concerned that the fields get too small. Accordingly they've expressed a preference for a short-ish national league schedule.

If you're a woman and your looking for a race on a non-national league weekend, the only option until now was riding with the A3s or A4s. For some that's grand but others might find it a bit much.

I've no idea how putting the women in with the slower vets will work out, but it's worthy trying at least.

RobFowl

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

I've no idea how putting the women in with the slower vets will work out, but it's worthy trying at least.

And thats a fellow Mod slagging off poor Beasty......

Chips Lovell

RobFowl wrote: »

And thats a fellow Mod slagging off poor Beasty......

Ah janey. And I actually struggled with the wording of that. I'd initially written "weaker" and decided that might be taken up the wrong way, while "A4/Club Competition Over 50s vets" was a bit of a mouthful.

Beasty

Depending on who turns up, I may even try the A4 race, although I thought the new bike may be a bit safer amongst the ladies rather than in the A4 race where I might risk some 110kg or so bloke crashing into me;)

Eamonnator

Beasty wrote: »

Depending on who turns up, I may even try the A4 race, although I thought the new bike may be a bit safer amongst the ladies rather than in the A4 race where I might risk some 110kg or so bloke crashing into me;)

When you see the size of me, it might encourage you to go for the A4 race!
Plus, it's 17 years, since I last road raced. You have been warned!
Although, you'll only have to worry about me for the first 100 yards or so, I imagine, I'll be
out the back by then.

Chips Lovell

I'm doing our club league race on Sunday, so you'll be safe from me Beasty. I think Shaungil is in A3 these days too, so you might be alright with the A4s.

shaungil

Shaungil is injured it's Keithgil who you should want. He's been spanking me recently. Hope to make Harry Reynolds all going well.

Beasty

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

I think Shaungil is in A3 these days too

I think he's just about retired from competitive sport - talking about doing triathlons or Sumo or something last time I saw him ...

killalanerr

you have to ride the a4 beasty to give your self a proper test . Plus MWP will need you as part of his lead out train

Beasty

killalanerr wrote: »

you have to ride the a4 beasty to give your self a proper test . Plus MWP will need you as part of his lead out train

You mean you want MWAP and Beasty to provide you with a lead-out train ...;)

budgie001

I remember you racing Eamonnator, what you didn't have in power to weight ratios yuo made up for in grinta, may the roads roll downhill for you -)

petethedrummer

I'll be there if this cold clears.

manwithaplan

What time does the lead-out train leave at? Does it stop at Skerries?

shaungil

Beasty wrote: »

I think he's just about retired from competitive sport - talking about doing triathlons or Sumo or something last time I saw him ...

Defo looking like a sumo wrestler

shaungil

Last year this was v messy. The finish was back up the road you had raced down. so down to the roundabout and back up the same road. There was a crash in the earlier race which took up a lot of the road so a call went to neutralise in the bunch (A1 2 &3's) Some heeded it and some didn't)

Would have thought prudent to change the finish this year not sure if it has been......

See last years thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056215486

Beasty

RobFowl wrote: »

And thats a fellow Mod slagging off poor Beasty......

Slow I may be, but I suspect any claims I make of poverty are likely to be ignored ...

levitronix

beasty id stand around with the new bike around registration and then swap bikes before the racing starts haha, its too nice for feb racing

Beasty

I'll be seeing what the weather's like anyway, but one of my concerns is that if I look too "serious" they may not let me ride with the old codgers/young ladies

C3PO

I'm very tempted to have a go with the "Old Codgers/Ladies"! I regularly get beaten by the girls in the MTB races so I'm well used to it!

Beasty

Plenty of Boardsie representation across the three races today. They let us off last, with about 20 or so in the group, only 3 of us were "over 50 A4s" though.

The first lap was at a reasonable pace, with no breaks of note. We averaged 33.5kph. On the second lap 3 ladies broke away on the drag round the back of the course. I started closing them down and then LDB came up to me and suggested we bridge, which we managed to do. Some time later we were joined by about 5 others, but importantly one of the other vets, Hugh Byrne was not one of them. Hugh is a renowned sprinter and I didn't fancy my chances if he was still in the group at the end. I therefore decided to keep the pace up and led for most of the next lap. We averaged 35.1kph on the second lap, and I heard from Hugh after the race that he and about 4 others had been close to rejoining on a couple of occasions, so the pace I put in probably kept them at bay

On the final lap it was basically the 10 of us, with some of the others pushing it a bit up the drag. Some of the girls tried to slow it down a bit, but I took up the pace whenever that happened. I basically led for all but about 20m of the last 6 or 7km (unfortunatley the most critical 20m). I had thought about trying to break with half a lap to go, but felt better of it given all the work I had done, but I was happy to just control the pace from the front, gradually upping it during the last km, and then pushing hard with 500m to go. Then I head a clatter from behind - I presumed someone had fallen (and t was subsequenly confirmed that one of the girls had a nasty fall after her front wheel was clipped)

I pushed hard, but had provided the ideal lead out for Mel Spath who came past me with another girl in the final few metres to take the win. Still, I managed 3rd, which is my best ever road race result, so I'm not complaining:D

Strava record here

C3PO

Intended to sign up for the Over 50s but with only 3 guys entered I went for the A4 option instead! The abuse on the club forum if I'd "entered the Ladies race" would have been unbearable! Very well run race and the hot showers and the tea and sambos were great! Shame the weather didn't "play ball" too!

P.S. well done Beasty - I'd like to have introduced myself!

Beasty

Full results and a few pictures here

manwithaplan

I did the A4 race. I didn't rate my chances in a sprint so I had a few unsuccessful goes at getting away on the drags. In the end, I surprised myself by getting 5th.

killalanerr

A4 race for me well run event thanks to club,the plan was to push it on up the drag to try and take the sting out of the sprinters legs which is how it went more of less we had a few digs of the front but typical A4 race nothing was geting very far,with about 3km to go i was feeling good i started to think about the finish i moved to the inside to stay out of the wind and their it was the only pothole on the circuit i seen it late so my attempt to bunny was to no avail my back wheel went flat within 200 metres race over for me,im very disappointed but thats the sort of week i have been having
well done all the boardies that got up some very aggressive rideing on show

ryan_sherlock

Beasty wrote: »

I pushed hard, but had provided the ideal lead out for Mel Spath who came past me with another girl in the final few metres to take the win. Still, I managed 3rd, which is my best ever road race result, so I'm not complaining:D

Don't worry - Mel beats me in sprints too!

RobFowl

Respect to the Beast



Well done

mc2000

Good man Beasty, great result, you're on your way to being a leg-end.

I shall file the necessary paperwork with the Vets Green Group uber-komittee and ensure that you're up in scratch for the first vets race in 4 weeks time :pac:

feck sake lads

so point out the beast in that photo thanks.;)

Beasty

feck sake lads wrote: »

so point out the beast in that photo thanks.;)

The Beast is the bike with the Beasty on top;)

feck sake lads

so is that you in first place.
well done. btw i see one of our lads got 6th place in the cat 4 great result for him in his first race.
paddy from drogheda wheelers.;)

manwithaplan

feck sake lads wrote: »

so is that you in first place.
well done. btw i see one of our lads got 6th place in the cat 4 great result for him in his first race.
paddy from drogheda wheelers.;)

I was sure he beat me to the line. There must have been less that a tyre's width in it. He let a big female tennis player-like grunt in trying to get up which alerted me to his presence.

Beasty

I was hoping we could start a debate over combined ladies and "less able mens" races, so have moved the relevant posts to a separate thread