Etape Ras Mumhan Sportive

lescol

Entry is now open for this years Etape on April 7th!

http://www.etaperasmumhan.com/

Nice piece about last years event in Cycling Weekly:- http://www.etaperasmumhan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Etape-CyclingWeekly.pdf

El Vino

Anyone else planning on doing this? looks like a great early season sportive

vistafinder

Done this last year its one of the best around hope to do it again this year. great course.

Dubba

Just signed up, looks good!

Reasonably price too at €35. Now to find some accommodation.

ROK ON

Dubba wrote: »

Just signed up, looks good!

Reasonably price too at €35. Now to find some accommodation.[/
I have stayed here in the past when in Dingle:
http://www.heatonsdingle.com/

Very very nice, with absolutely fantastic breakfast (pancakes, Belgian waffles - just what you need for a day in the saddle).

I did this last year and thoroughly enjoyed it - weather was great. Showers and dinner (a very good beef stew with lots of veg) at the finish were absolutely spot on.

I am in two minds whether to do this or another event that w/e.
Slea Head is a stunning cycle and while the timing chip for the event is probably OTT, it is good to motivate you going up Conor Pass.

Dubba

Cheers ROK ON that place looks nice alright.

Perhaps the OP should be edited as if I'm reading it correctly the race is on over the weekend but the sportive is on the Thursday 5th.

Scratch that I read it wrong. It just a bit confusing when registering online the date is off

lescol

From the website:-
At 9:30am, the first lead car will lead out the riders that wish to ride as hard and fast as they can.
At 9:31am, a second lead car will lead out cyclists wishing to ride in a group at a controlled pace*.

*The lead car will endeavour to keep the pace to 20mph This is a sportive and the organisers will require riders’ cooperation in relation to maintaining the 20mph speed applicable to the group in order to make the day enjoyable for everyone. Please note this is not a race. There will be a timing mat at the start of the ascent of the Conor Pass so if you want to beat your friends this is the place to increase the pace.

The first group will no doubt hammer around the course, not racing;)

johnk123

Looks fantastic, going to double check the dates tonight and most likely go ahead and book! Looks great. Fingers crossed for nice weather!

ROK ON

lescol wrote: »

From the website:-
At 9:30am, the first lead car will lead out the riders that wish to ride as hard and fast as they can.
At 9:31am, a second lead car will lead out cyclists wishing to ride in a group at a controlled pace*.

*The lead car will endeavour to keep the pace to 20mph This is a sportive and the organisers will require riders’ cooperation in relation to maintaining the 20mph speed applicable to the group in order to make the day enjoyable for everyone. Please note this is not a race. There will be a timing mat at the start of the ascent of the Conor Pass so if you want to beat your friends this is the place to increase the pace.

The first group will no doubt hammer around the course, not racing;)

Is the controlled pace of 20mph (32kmph) not a tad excessive for a controlled event?
I did this last year and the the average to the bottom of the Conor Pass was 29kmph on a sunny windless day. I was fairly wrecked after that.

lescol

20mph average should be interesting alright:D it's the thought of increasing the pace on the ascent of the Conor Pass which frightens me! Looking forward to the event all the same.

Morrisseeee

Signed up, I've driven around that route & on a sunny day it's superb

Cape Clear

Tempted. But not sure I have the miles in the legs for this.

fat bloke

Planning to do this now with the missus. Sounds great. Deadly idea to have a lead car and a pelothon all the way around. Plenty of shelter all the way around then if you're tired, and if you're strong, off to the front with you!

boege

fat bloke wrote: »

Planning to do this now with the missus. Sounds great. Deadly idea to have a lead car and a pelothon all the way around. Plenty of shelter all the way around then if you're tired, and if you're strong, off to the front with you!

Had a chuckle at this.....I thought this myself last year. Alright if your fairly fit but many were dropped last year and the two groups got very mixed up as the met at a stop. I lasted until the hill beyond Anascaul. Did the run frome there to base of the Conor Pass mostly on my own. Had managed to save a bit and caught a few on the pass.

Still rate it as one of the best sportives I did last year and if the weather is good the loop around the head is utterly stunning.

Even a decent meal at the end last year so the entry fee is deceptively good value.

buffalo

Damn, was thinking of doing this, but I'll be on the wrong peninsula in Kerry!

harringtonp

ROK ON wrote: »

Is the controlled pace of 20mph (32kmph) not a tad excessive for a controlled event?
I did this last year and the the average to the bottom of the Conor Pass was 29kmph on a sunny windless day. I was fairly wrecked after that.

Site now says

Option 1 Etape Rás Mumhan 126.6km

Massed Start at 9:30am

Etape Rás Mumhan arrangements are as follows:

At 9:30am, the first lead car will lead out the riders that wish to ride as hard and fast as they can. It is expected that they will average approximately 32kmph/20mph.
At 9:31am, a second lead car will lead out cyclists wishing to ride in a group at a controlled pace*. It is expected that they will average approximately 24kmph/15mph.
A service car and a Broom wagon will follow the cyclists
An ambulance with a first aid crew will follow the cyclists
Motor cycle outriders will accompany the cyclists

dafman

lads ,anyone know when on line entries close and can event be entered on the day .

lescol

Yes, you can still register on-line or you can register at Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne on the day between 7.30 and 9.15.

See:- http://www.etaperasmumhan.com/?page_id=166

dafman

thanks lescol ,

Chips Lovell

buffalo wrote: »

Damn, was thinking of doing this, but I'll be on the wrong peninsula in Kerry!

G'way out of that. You should be doing the race itself.

buffalo

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

G'way out of that. You should be doing the race itself.

It's definitely an aspiration for next year, but I have plans for the Easter weekend already. Which happen to be in Kerry. Could get away for one day, but not for three.

ROK ON

buffalo wrote: »

It's definitely an aspiration for next year, but I have plans for the Easter weekend already. Which happen to be in Kerry. Could get away for one day, but not for three.

If you have one day, the do the etape on the Saturday. The lead group (of about 20 or so) last year went off at race pace, and they pretty much stayed that way all day.

buffalo

ROK ON wrote: »

If you have one day, the do the etape on the Saturday. The lead group (of about 20 or so) last year went off at race pace, and they pretty much stayed that way all day.

I'd love to, but I'll be all the way out in Caherciveen, and it'd be nigh on impossible to get around to the course in Dingle (if I read everything correctly earlier) without a car. We'll have two with us, but I imagine the other seven people in the group might object to being stuck in one.

Rev

Attempted this last year, it was a great day but my knee gave in at about the 90km mark so I dnf. Thinking about doing it and finishing this year.

glennbhoy

was going to do this as in dingle that weekend

are there very few who go off in the 9 30 group

How do they contol decents in the 9.31 group

Morrisseeee

Well I hope that Northerly wind reaches it's max at the base of the climb !!

Dubba

glennbhoy wrote: »

was going to do this as in dingle that weekend

are there very few who go off in the 9 30 group

How do they contol decents in the 9.31 group

I presume the descents aren't controlled, that would be crap and dangerous I would have thought.

dafman

Lads heading down to Dingle tomorrow for this spin and looking forward to it . Anyone know what kinda number are expected and wondering what kinda pace to expect .

harringtonp

ROK ON wrote: »

buffalo wrote: »

It's definitely an aspiration for next year, but I have plans for the Easter weekend already. Which happen to be in Kerry. Could get away for one day, but not for three.

If you have one day, the do the etape on the Saturday. The lead group (of about 20 or so) last year went off at race pace, and they pretty much stayed that way all day.

good weather today although quite windy. Was race pace for first 60k or so after that it eased until final climb up to pass. No stops in front group. Very enjoyable event.

G200

Was checking out the times this morning, looks like a lot of them missing. More to come?

fixie fox

G200 wrote: »

Was checking out the times this morning, looks like a lot of them missing. More to come?

There was no steward or marking at the junction for the second loop into the dingle peninsula. Evev the motorbike marshall missed it at first. Some behind rode straight on and were at the finish well ahead of the lead car. Looks like they didn't put in their times.
Last year it was the lead group that was led on a short cut.

boege

Tough day at the office, the wind played hell out on the peninsula and I made the mistake of trying to keep with the lead group. Very fast pace and this was my undoing and as a result recorded my first DNF on a sportive.

While the route is a classic I was disappointed with the organisation of this years sportif. There was an air of 'tack-on' about it and for €40 it was not good value this year - oragnanisers pelease take note as I like this one.

Enjoyed the race finish, hats off to to the riders for sprinting at the end of a tough climb:eek:

Muckers

Did this myself yesterday. First time up the Conor pass. I didn't find it as hard as many people said it was. While the route was great the food stops were crap. Bananas, Lidl choc bars, and water was what was on offer. Not a tea or coffee anywhere along the route. Also the organisers advertised that entrants would be timed on the ascent of the pass, but it doesn't show up on their results page. It's a good event but those in charge need to sort out the food stops for next years event. On the positive side' the bowl of beef stew at the finish was a great idea and it went down a treat.

ROK ON

Positives
A stunning and challenging route. I love Slea Head but it hurt my yday. Still stunning.
Conor Pass is a great test.
Was nice to finish in front of a crowd.
Food at end was great.
Showers are always welcome at a finish of any endeavour.
The race meant that there was good road signage.
Bidon was a nice touch.


Negatives
Marshalling - was there any? There was definitely more last year.
Wind - but that is hardly the organisers fault. That's life.
Queue at sign in. Too long.
Maybe start Etape 30mins earlier or race 30 mins later. A lot of folks got caught on Conor Pass - not sure this happened last year.
As with last year there wasn't really two groups more of a hammerhead that splintered to pieces in the winds around Slea Head.
I know of folks that wanted to go with the slower group. There didn't seem to be one.



I thought foodstops were fine. A few sambos and water. It was a refill zone as opposed to a sit down foodstop.

Price may seem high, but at least you get showers and good hot food. So I can understand it.

ROK ON

PS - ditch the timing. I can't see what it adds other than cost. In an era of bike computers, smart phone apps, Strava etc etc it is unnecessary.

lescol

Enjoyed the cycle this year, apart from the grind from Camp to the 10k sign where I was wondering if the road would ever end!

Didn't see any marshals, but then, I know the route. There were people getting roadside assistance from mechanics which was good to see.

Fee was €30 with a CI licence.

The food stops included brack and sandwiches

gearoidkerry

enjoyed the etap on sat yes it was tough and trying to stick with the front bunch was never going to work for me but enjoyed it,had to slow up and cought another bunch to just outside dingle where i had to leve them go,ave speed to then 70 k was 32kpa.after that cycled with albert from cork county cycling club and happy to c the end on the connor pass.very good day had no problem with food stops and the irish stew at the end was very nice.the etap being held on the same day as the ras is class act and i hope they keep it up is a tough one but puts it into persective wat they do in the ras.if yea would like to give it another go not exactly the same the dingle peninsula cycle challange is on sat 5th may 110 k which includes all the best bits connor pass and around slay head,sighn on on the morning between 8 and 9 at the marina in dingle.all info can be found on dingle cycling web sight

Quigs Snr

Muckers wrote: »

First time up the Conor pass. I didn't find it as hard as many people said it was.

......well it all depends how hard you ride it. The hardest climb of my life was 1km of a 4% gradient whilst fighting to stay in a race.
On the Conor pass there were still 120 riders together on the stage at the bottom there, with some Irish cycling royalty losing between 3 and 10 minutes on the ascent.. admittedly, many of them sat up to save themselves including my own teammates, but the yellow jersey and former winners lost around 5 mins.. more than some of them have lost in all the stages put together. In fact all the stages for the past 3 editions of this race combined.

Tough stage. Scenery made it worth it though.

Rev

ROK ON wrote: »

Positives
A stunning and challenging route. I love Slea Head but it hurt my yday. Still stunning.
Conor Pass is a great test.
Was nice to finish in front of a crowd.
Food at end was great.
Showers are always welcome at a finish of any endeavour.
The race meant that there was good road signage.
Bidon was a nice touch.

This was my first time going up Connor Pass and it was a lot harder than I thought.. Managed to trundle up it at 10km/h. The croud was great, just a shame they were so hard to see. That low lying cloud put a bit of a downer on the atmosphere up at the top. Last year there was a great buzz up there. This year it was almost a case of "I got to the top.. Now I just wanna get down out of here"
The signage was great for the most part, but when travelling through Dingle it got a bit confusing as the signs were small, and with the traffic around was a little difficult. The bidon is great because I lost one of mine on the descent of the pass.

ROK ON wrote: »

Negatives
Marshalling - was there any? There was definitely more last year.
Wind - but that is hardly the organisers fault. That's life.
Queue at sign in. Too long.
Maybe start Etape 30mins earlier or race 30 mins later. A lot of folks got caught on Conor Pass - not sure this happened last year.
As with last year there wasn't really two groups more of a hammerhead that splintered to pieces in the winds around Slea Head.
I know of folks that wanted to go with the slower group. There didn't seem to be one.

I thought foodstops were fine. A few sambos and water. It was a refill zone as opposed to a sit down foodstop.

Price may seem high, but at least you get showers and good hot food. So I can understand it.

I think there was only 1 or 2 marshalls around. Don't remember seeing more than that.
That wind really was a killer.
I was one of those caught on the Pass, I think if it had started on time, I would have made it before the Ras. Last year everyone who finished got up before the Ras did.
I was one of those who wanted to go in the slower group because I just wanted to finish this time round, but there wasn't one so it was a case of be in the front group or go it alone...

Overall, I think it is a great day out, but it seems the organisers slipped a little this year with the marshalling, and the different groups.

glennbhoy

ROK ON wrote: »

Positives
A stunning and challenging route. I love Slea Head but it hurt my yday. Still stunning.
Conor Pass is a great test.
Was nice to finish in front of a crowd.
Food at end was great.
Showers are always welcome at a finish of any endeavour.
The race meant that there was good road signage.
Bidon was a nice touch.


Negatives
Marshalling - was there any? There was definitely more last year.
Wind - but that is hardly the organisers fault. That's life.
Queue at sign in. Too long.
Maybe start Etape 30mins earlier or race 30 mins later. A lot of folks got caught on Conor Pass - not sure this happened last year.
As with last year there wasn't really two groups more of a hammerhead that splintered to pieces in the winds around Slea Head.
I know of folks that wanted to go with the slower group. There didn't seem to be one.



I thought foodstops were fine. A few sambos and water. It was a refill zone as opposed to a sit down foodstop.

Price may seem high, but at least you get showers and good hot food. So I can understand it.

100% agree with everthing said here

still enjoyed it, very tough and very fast initial 10km and had to drop off to second group

harringtonp

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/166636723

Rev

Might as well throw mine up too
http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/Rev/1l4su6anmft7a4sm

youtheman

Rev wrote: »

Might as well throw mine up too
http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/Rev/1l4su6anmft7a4sm

If it's any consolation Rev, I actually took longer than yourself (5hrs and 55 minutes). I reckon I was one of the last up Conor Pass. At one stage I was cycling on the flat, on my own, at about 50% of the speed I normally do 'cause of the wind. I did manage to hit 71 km/hr coming down into Dingle, with the wind at my back and no cars on the road (about the only time I could relax during the whole day).

vistafinder

Is anyone else not on the finishing list or is it just me.

harringtonp

vistafinder wrote: »

Is anyone else not on the finishing list or is it just me.

did you go into the matted area on the left after you crossed the line ?

vistafinder

yep I rember that part alright the rest of the climb is a bit blurrie but I did go over the matt.