Dying Light 200, 27/10/2012

rottenhat

The dust is still settling from the Dying Sow/Cow this weekend, but I am now taking entries for the Dying Light. For those of you who have not done this ride before, it's intended as a relaxing, social end to the season: a flat-as-you-like 200 with drinks and home-cooked food in my flat afterwards. Hopefully all controls will be manned. In order to maintain the standard set over the last couple of years, and because my flat is pretty small, I'm limiting entries to a maximum of 40 so if you want to ride, get your entry to me as soon as possible. Last year I had around fifty entries and I'm already getting enquiries about this year so I don't expect to have any trouble filling that number.

More details: http://www.audaxireland.org/calendar/gazetteer/dying-light-200/

Previous years threads: 2011, 2010

smacl

Entry sent and looking forward to it already! In terms of lights, I currently have one B&M Ixon IQ on the bike, and am guessing a 2nd / backup is in order. Outside of warm clothes and spare batteries, anything else advisable for a spin liable to end in the dark?

rottenhat

It's a good idea to have a head torch as a secondary light - makes it easier to read the routesheet, GPS, road signs etc, and it's invaluable if you have to do any roadside repairs. Other than that and something reflective, you probably don't need anything other than what you'd normally carry for a 200 in cold weather.

ROK ON

Did this last year and loved it. Great route and excellent support.

Iirc I only put my lights on around the Outskirts of Dublin 15. Was a cracking day.

rflynnr

Sunset isn't till 18.02 in Dublin on October 2012 so if you're finished by then, the question of lights becomes less important (though not irrelevant).

LCD

Paid on paypal, entry in post. Looking forward to it!

tunney

Also paid on pay pal and posted application, looking forward to it!!

rottenhat

rflynnr wrote: »

Sunset isn't till 18.02 in Dublin on October 2012 so if you're finished by then, the question of lights becomes less important (though not irrelevant).

Yes, just to be clear on this, lights are mandatory even if you can reasonably expect to be done by 4pm. Depending on weather conditions, visibility can drop significantly before sunset, and a mechanical, or an injury can easily have you out on the road after dark. It's better to play it safe.

CramCycle

One of my favorite spins of the year, love the hot port at the end.

cdaly_

My entry just sent. Yee haw!...

Planet X

In.

rflynnr

Just curious - does the Dying Light have a "history"? Something Rottenhat said in passing after the Dying Cow seemed to suggest the route might go back a bit...

Limestone1

paypal done , entry form to follow

smcclaw

Payment made! Training to start...

CramCycle

rflynnr wrote: »

Just curious - does the Dying Light have a "history"? Something Rottenhat said in passing after the Dying Cow seemed to suggest the route might go back a bit...

Used to be the Phibsboro 200 from talking to others, before RottenHat resurrected it, the routesheet consisted of just the names of the stops and the order to get to them in, no instructions or any of that raz ma taz.

AstraMonti

In.. Need to do some cycling now

rottenhat

Thanks for all the interest, chaps. Half the entries are gone already.

I'll be on holiday for the next ten days. I'll acknowledge any entries that arrive during that time on my return.

Sr. Assumpta

Ok, I've signed up to do The Dying Light. I haven't done 200km on one day before (I tried once, but some attention seeking from DirkVooDoo put an untimely end to that Audax ), I have survived several 180km, and 160km events though, so am not overly concerned about the distance. It's more the getting lost really......

So, a quick check of this thread tells me that, other than rottenhat himself, I can look forward to an escort from:
smcl
LCD
tunney
cdaly
Planet X
Limestone1
smcclaw
Astramonti,
and maybe .... CramCycle?..... ROK ON?

any other volunteers/participants ??

CramCycle

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

Ok, I've signed up to do The Dying Light. I haven't done 200km on one day before (I tried once, but some attention seeking from DirkVooDoo put an untimely end to that Audax ), I have survived several 180km, and 160km events though, so am not overly concerned about the distance. It's more the getting lost really......

So, a quick check of this thread tells me that, other than rottenhat himself, I can look forward to an escort from:
smcl
LCD
tunney
cdaly
Planet X
Limestone1
smcclaw
Astramonti,
and maybe .... CramCycle?..... ROK ON?

any other volunteers/participants ??

I can't partake but I can volunteer to help at the start and the first control, sending an e-mail to RottenHat now.

manwithaplan

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

I've signed up. See you on the road (and in chateau rottenhat).

Seweryn

I would love to do it, as I never cycled an Event as long as this one. The only problem I have is the location / getting into the Event, but I will see if this can be managed.

ROK ON

Sister
I won't make this one unfortunately. Enjoy. It's a lovely route.

Planet X

Picking up my Brooks Swift tomorrow. Might give it a ride what with all the mysticism about breaking a Brooks in etc etc.
It'll be going on my new Steel Chariot aswell......

Must have joined the Argyle knee length brigade now. :eek:

rottenhat

OK, thanks for all the entries. The Dying Light is now full.

I will be operating a waiting list as there are always a few dropouts - if you would like to be on the list, email me an entry form but no payment and I'll let you know where you are on the list.

oflahero

A smashing day out. Miffed I can't make it this year. Already miss the smell of hot port drowning out the salty lycra.

Planet X

Unfortunately a good chance I'll miss this as am travelling next Saturday but am trying to wrangle out of this.

rflynnr

Rottenhat - do we need to bring locks with us or does your home accommodate 40-plus bicycles?

cdaly_

rflynnr wrote: »

Rottenhat - do we need to bring locks with us or does your home accommodate 40-plus bicycles?

There's a big garden out the back where we all dumped our bikes last year. I don't remember any locks in use...

Planet X

Planet X wrote: »

Unfortunately good chance I'll miss this as am travelling next Saturday but am trying to wrangle out of this.

Apologies. Thought it was this weekend. It's 27th.

cdaly_

Weather's looking good.

Dry, bright and cold. Moderate Northeast winds backing Northwest and easing later but maybe picking up again towards evening. A nice tailwind to bring us home.

Lowest road temperatures around zero degrees Celsius so maybe a risk of frosty roads to start. Staying cold all day, max temperatures only around 7 degrees Celsius. Winter gloves and overshoes for me.

Staying dry though there are some showers in the north. There's a slight risk of meeting one of these.

Onwards and upwards...

Mefistofelino

cdaly_ wrote: »

Weather's looking good.

Dry, bright and cold. Moderate Northeast winds backing Northwest and easing later but maybe picking up again towards evening. A nice tailwind to bring us home.

Lowest road temperatures around zero degrees Celsius so maybe a risk of frosty roads to start. Staying cold all day, max temperatures only around 7 degrees Celsius. Winter gloves and overshoes for me.

Staying dry though there are some showers in the north. There's a slight risk of meeting one of these.

Onwards and upwards...

Maybe we could get the hot port before we start?

Sr. Assumpta

Looking forward to this spin tomorrow!

And to spending 200km drafting....
rottenhat
smcl
LCD
tunney
cdaly
Planet X
Limestone1
smcclaw
Astramonti
rflynnr
manwithaplan
Mefistofelino
and possibly Seweryn.

(and at least 25 others! Cause that's how these Audax thingys work, isn't it....)

smacl

Won't be able to make it myself tomorrow, enjoy it all who do.

seamus

I will do this some year.

Have fun tomorrow guys. Forecast is dry and bright, gentle wind but cold. So remember your winter gear and maybe a light jacket. And nag rottenhat into bringing a few extra flasks of tea and soup out.

Seweryn

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

...
and possibly Seweryn.

I would love to do it, but late decision from my side did not help, as the event is fully booked as far as I know.

Have a fantastic day tomorrow, I will miss it for sure.

cdaly_

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

Looking forward to this spin tomorrow!

And to spending 200km drafting....
rottenhat
smcl
LCD
tunney
cdaly
Planet X
Limestone1
smcclaw
Astramonti
rflynnr
manwithaplan
Mefistofelino
and possibly Seweryn.

(and at least 25 others! Cause that's how these Audax thingys work, isn't it....)

Hope you've got a real low gear for drafting off me. I proudly carried the Lanterne Rouge for the second 150k of the Dying Sow last month...

manwithaplan

Thanks a million to rottenhat and everyone else that made it happen today. The countryside was at its prettiest in the glorious weather and I enjoyed the chat and banter with the seven lads I span around with. The hot port and spicy soup topped everything off nicely. A very civilised end to the season all round.

Radial

+1 on the cheers to Rottenhat and all the other organisers. Smashing day all round. My first Audax and first time I've done 200 in a day so many thanks to all the lads who helped me out on road and at the check points with advice and encouragement, especially Niall and Conor (hope the names are right) for the chat from Athboy back towards Dublin.

Enjoyed the soup and hot port enormously. Hopefully back for more next year

Planet X

+1.

Had a tough day humping 16 kilos of Surly Steel riding on 1.75" Schwalbe rubbers. Isn't that just stupid! Got dropped about 8k. out of Ardee, the first stop. The small drags were killing me. On the run in to Ardee I considered packing. Getting dropped after 60 odd k was grating on me. Got to the food stop and everybody was there, well the group that I dropped off was. Slammed 6 French Bread & Hoummus down the red tunnel. Two cups of coffee and took off after about 5 guys who'd left about a minute before. Left about 10 odd people there at the food stop. Didn't want to get dropped again. Didn't manage to latch on so solo to Kingscourt. Slight head wind but not too bad, Big regroup at Kingscourt and off to Athboy for more scran.
Headed off with two guys for home (70k to go) and we caught Lastgasp's group of three at 180K. Made it easier having 6 of us. Weather was brilliant is a little cold at the start.

Met Sr. Assumpta, charming lady. pdaly, manwithone and various other Boardsies knockin about.

Thanks to rottenhat again for a well organised day. Cadex at Athboy and Andreas? at both stops. Loved the food. Still haven't had my Coke chef.

About 9hrs. 10 mins.


Brooks Saddles:
Previous spin was 5 miles from the shop where I bought it in town. Did 200+k today and not a bother. I can confidently say that Brooks Saddles are the Dogs Back Wheels. Converted.


.......where was my Wing Man today...........?

Mefistofelino

Great spin - worth the 500km round trip. Big thanks to rottenhat for organising and to the lads for manning the food stops and letting us get biscuit crumbs and banana residue over their shiny cars.

cdaly_

Great day indeed. Gorgeous, crisp weather and quiet roads. Good company, met a bunch of lovely folks and failed to recognise various boardsies due to the lack of jerseys...

Thank you kindly to Rottenhat et al for everything.

rflynnr

The whole day was pretty much a highlight for me: 40 cyclists moving en masse through the city at the beginning, the touch of frost on the ground as we passed St. Margaret's and Oldtown before the pack split a bit and I found myself in a group of first five then seven others proceeding at a brisk but manageable pace. Thanks to all the guys in the pack for a day of banter and in particular to manwithaplan who offered me a proper insight into the politics of the UCI, McQuaid et al. There were several other boardsies in our group but with the exception of Tunney I don't think I established their online identity.

Major kudos to Andreas, Aidan and the blonde lady (who's name I missed) who operated the controls for giving up their Saturdays for little reward beyond our gratitude. And, of course, to Rottenhat for so generously not only organising the whole event but also throwing open his home and providing food and drink at the conclusion. A fantastic day and I look forward to meeting the guys again when next year's audax season kicks off.

LastGasp

Nice day out, Thanks to Rottenhat, Andreas & Sharon, and Cadex for organising. It was great to see a record-breaking turnout of 10 ladies on an Audax event - well done Celeste and Orwell. The spicy soup and Hot Port afterwards was just the job to soothe my sore throat, which hadn't been helped by a day of breathing in cold air.
That was the final Audax event for this year, but don't hang up your bike for the next few months, or you'll never be able for a 200 in February to kick off next season, which in case anyone's interested is an LEL (London-Edinburgh-London) year !
http://www.londonedinburghlondon.com/
http://www.audaxireland.org/

Cheers, LastGasp.

Sr. Assumpta

Am a little frustrated that, other than rottenhat and Planet X (both of whom it was a pleasure to finally meet!), I didn't actually get around to matching more names with more faces...... blame the cold, the biting cold.

It was a great day out, the weather was clement if chilly (did I mention the cold?? did I??), the golden countryside was glorious, and the kms flew by.

I echo all previous gratitude to rottenhat, and the kind folk at both controls. I also wrote a little piece about my first ever Audax, it's here, enjoy (I hope)

cdaly_

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

Am a little frustrated that, other than rottenhat and Planet X (both of whom it was a pleasure to finally meet!), I didn't actually get around to matching more names with more faces...... blame the cold, the biting cold.

Yep, I failed to recognise anybody either.

I also wrote a little piece about my first ever Audax, it's here, enjoy (I hope)

Lovely write-up.

MediaMan

Another vote of thanks to Eoghan, Celeste and the folks at the food stops, and to all the great people I met on the way around. Fantastic bunch and a great day!

tunney

Great spin, very enjoyable. Nice roads, good company, great food stops, super soup afterwards.

Top notch day out.

Thanks to all that made it possible. (and to rflynnr cause we didn't get horribly horribly lost thanks to him!!)

LCD

Great day out & really enjoyed my first Audax. Thanks again to Rottenhat & to those at the excellent food stops for giving up their Saturdays to feed a bunch of hungry & very grateful cyclists. Hummus is the stuff of legends & I will be petitioning Powerbar to bring out a hummus gel for ease of use!

Limestone1

+ 1 to all the thanks and praise for those manning the food & water stops. The organisation was top notch ,topped off by rottenhat's catering at the finish.

Had a very enjoyable spin once my toes thawed out after the sun came up. I had decided to travel light and voted against base layers and overshoes, the former a good call but the latter definitely a bad one for the first couple of hours. The pace was quite relaxed and the company was good - I clocked 81/2 hours for 220K and we were back in Dublin well before any worries about dying light ....

Sr. Assumpta wrote: »

Am a little frustrated that, other than rottenhat and Planet X (both of whom it was a pleasure to finally meet!), I didn't actually get around to matching more names with more faces...... blame the cold, the biting cold.

+1 more , that was me on navigation duties. Twas a pleasure to meet you Sr and read your poetic write up.