Orwell/Lucan/Usher/UCD/Tiernans club league race 9/8/12

fat bloke

Enjoyed last night I must say. I've been away a couple of weeks, and before that it was club league TT season, so it seems like months since I did an actual bunch race. Fair play to everyone in semi-limit, the pace was hot the whole way around. I think the average was 38 or 39 which is most uncharacteristic for a semi limit DMS. I tried a couple of jumps but to no avail, thanks to Team Sky, oops I mean Tiernans .
The new finish was good too, I think there was a crash, I definitely heard some carbon clattering behind me (everyone ok?), but apart from that I thought the finish was very safe - fast, open, wide and lined out pretty much from the left hand turn into Batterstown. The whole race in fact was very disciplined and safe thanks to the relatively higher pace and lower numbers.
Excuse-wise, I went too early for the sprint and then a recalcitrant rear derailleur wouldn't give me my fcukin 11 sprocket, so I kinda had to sit and spin. Thought I could hang on for 3rd but slipped back to 5th in the last 20 or 30 yards.

Mighty craic though. Pity it's all coming to an end soon, and I'm going to miss the team TT as well. Is there any case to be made for extending the league into our traditional September Indian summer?!:pac:

Lumen

Another placing? The promotion hammer beckons.

colm_gti

fat bloke wrote: »

I tried a couple of jumps but to no avail, thanks to Team Sky, oops I mean Tiernans

Hahaha!

Went for the gallop to the finish far too early....BOOOM! Blew up and watched everyone roll past me. Think I kicked off the madness though, one of our lads went down when someone tried to squeeze between him and the ditch sprinting for 20th place (which there is no need for!), and he ended up taking someone else out. Think they'll live fight another day though, bit of bad road rash but no broken bones I don't think.

Very enjoyable race though, lovely evening for it!

oflahero

Very cagey in SS, nothing stuck until I made a dash for it on the hill second time around. Over the top, four guys had got up to me and one more followed a k or so later. Miraculously, we (mostly) worked together to stay away. We were all pretty much bust at sprint time, and could see the chasing bunch behind the cars, so I was basically delighted to see the break over the line first. No sprint myself so just TT'd my damndest to the flag, thrilled to bits with 4th. Only placing this year, so I'll take it!

Lumen

oflahero wrote: »

Very cagey in SS, nothing stuck until I made a dash for it on the hill second time around. Over the top, four guys had got up to me and one more followed a k or so later. Miraculously, we (mostly) worked together to stay away. We were all pretty much bust at sprint time, and could see the chasing bunch behind the cars, so I was basically delighted to see the break over the line first. No sprint myself so just TT'd my damndest to the flag, thrilled to bits with 4th. Only placing this year, so I'll take it!

Not bad considering you were sprinting against an A2. :rolleyes:

fat bloke

Lumen wrote: »

Another placing? The promotion hammer beckons.

Shush you!:mad:

Lumen

fat bloke wrote: »

Shush you!:mad:

You've only managed to miss promotion by tactically skipping races, since apparently the upgrade criteria is based on placing in consecutive races. Well played!

Semi-scratch is definitely more fun. There's slightly more shouting and slightly less moaning.

fat bloke

Lumen wrote: »

You've only managed to miss promotion by tactically skipping races, since apparently the upgrade criteria is based on placing in consecutive races. Well played!

Semi-scratch is definitely more fun. There's slightly more shouting and slightly less moaning.

Ummm....yeah... tactics.. other than that I'd be winning all around me...:o

joker77

oflahero wrote: »

Very cagey in SS, nothing stuck until I made a dash for it on the hill second time around. Over the top, four guys had got up to me and one more followed a k or so later. Miraculously, we (mostly) worked together to stay away. We were all pretty much bust at sprint time, and could see the chasing bunch behind the cars, so I was basically delighted to see the break over the line first. No sprint myself so just TT'd my damndest to the flag, thrilled to bits with 4th. Only placing this year, so I'll take it!

You really deserved that after all the efforts in the other couple of breakaways! I tried bridging across but was fairly spent, decided instead to let the workers at it to try bring you back for the last few k, and just sat in till the finish. Felt good last night though, first time in a while I can say that about a race. Wrong time in the season to be getting some legs back though eh

fat bloke

Just uploaded my Garmin there. Talk about taking the long way way out to Batterstown... :eek:

lalorm

After 2 years trying, I managed to get my first win in SL on Thursday night. Wasn't feeling 100% at the start and sat in for the first couple of km before starting get feel a bit better. Tried to shake things up going the first time over the Mullagh, although a few of us started to work well together, we never really got away. Found myself off the front again heading back towards Batterstown with an Ushers guy but we didn't manage to stay away.

The 2nd time over the Mullagh, I tried to stay away from the front as long as I could but I had to do my bit so I just tried to keep a steady high pace. Seemed to work and no one attacked. Coming around the last corner in Batterstown, I was expecting a surge after the corner, but when I looked around I was off the front so eased up and sat in behind the Tiernans train. One by one they popped off the front until their last man with the Look shorts was left to drive us home but it was still too far out. An Usher moved passed me and so I moved onto his wheel. He increased the pace but I was still relaxed behind him. Wasn't sure where the finish line was but was guessing it was at the cars I could see way up the road. Took a quick glace over my right shoulder and could see a wheel starting to move up. I wanted to be the first to go, so I took my chances and started the sprint. To my surprise I remember feeling that it's very quiet at the front and a completely different feeling than chasing a sprint. Started to feel the HR rising and so dropped to the 11 and settled into a lower cadence. Kept it going until around 20m to the line and then started to suffer and was screaming coming over the line. Great evening, well done to the organisers for the event, the new finish is a lot better. Safer than the old one since it takes away the need for dodgy maneuvers along the narrow road back towards the Church. Heard there was a crash towards the finish, but I heard they are both ok. TTT next week. That'll be a different story I'm sure.

colm_gti

lalorm wrote: »

...but when I looked around I was off the front so eased up and sat in behind the Tiernans train. One by one they popped off the front until their last man with the Look shorts was left to drive us home but it was still too far out.

It's nice to hear it looked that professional from you were, but it wasn't planned at all

It was more a case of me not knowing where the finish line was, and like you, not wanting to miss out on a move, so I made the move, FAR too early and blew up, I wasn't trying to drive anyone home

I was the one in the look shorts by the way, I presume you're the Lucan lad I was chatting to before the race? In any case, t'was nice to meet you, and congrats on the win, surprised it's your first, you seem fairly strong

lalorm

Starting to get some form the last few weeks. I usually either go too early and blow or get caught out and boxed in. So this time it seemed to work out. It looked like you guy's were trying to control things on the front alright. You were preparing for the TTT next week I guess.

lalorm

By the way, the additional couple of marshalls on some of the blind corners on the narrow run in towards Batterstown was a welcome addition. Felt a lot happier and safer getting a heads up from them on what was or wasn't coming in the opposite direction around the corner. Good thinking. Lets hope other organisers keep that going also.

fat bloke

lalorm wrote: »

By the way, the additional couple of marshalls on some of the blind corners on the narrow run in towards Batterstown was a welcome addition. Felt a lot happier and safer getting a heads up from them on what was or wasn't coming in the opposite direction around the corner. Good thinking. Lets hope other organisers keep that going also.

Tee hee hee. That was just a lad fixing a puncture and another lad, it looked like, coming to pick him up! Don't think it was any kind of extra marshalling.:)

Congrats on the win man. Do you owe me a lead out now?

buffalo

First pure scratch race for moi (last week being a combined SS/S start). Can't remember when the break went, but I wasn't in it. Thought it'd come back, it didn't. When a chasing group formed I missed that, betting that Brian Aherne's wheel would be a good one to be on. Wrong choice for this race (would've been ok yesterday though!).

Chasing in our group was stop start. We weren't too far behind when we got to the line. I'd forgotten how many were up the road, but I knew we'd only be sprinting for one spot at the most. Followed a Lucan lad's wheel, tried not to sprint until the last bit, but Baker passed me pretty easily. 9th. ugh.