Lacey Cup Sun Feb 24th 2013

Murph100

Hi guys, full info on next weekends Lacey Cup, hope to see some of you there !

http://www.traleebc.com/lacey-cup-2013-sun-24th-february

Great deals on accommodation for the race and also check out the excellent bike storage facilities which may be of interest to anybody thinking of spending a few days cycling in the Kingdom.

http://www.traleebc.com/archives/978



Murph

CaoimH_in

Who's going down?

fixie fox

CaoimH_in wrote: »

Who's going down?

Or up?

Pawlie

Im going,cannot wait for it,had my first race in the ned flanagan race as an a4 with Waterford Racing club,finished 13th overall and 2nd best a4,so me season couldnt have started any better :-)

Murph100

Well done Pawlie, we'll keep an eye out for you, best of luck on Sun !!

Pawlie wrote: »

Im going,cannot wait for it,had my first race in the ned flanagan race as an a4 with Waterford Racing club,finished 13th overall and 2nd best a4,so me season couldnt have started any better :-)

flying11

im thinking of entering this as my first ever a4 race.
i have a fair bit of experience of riding in groups and have been involved in a good few 'mini-races' at end of group spins over the last 2 years.

im just wondering if people think i would be mad to enter this as my first race?? would it be a major step up?
Looking at other threads, people say i should race club league first, but id love to have a go at this and see how i get on.

Murph100

TBH I would recommend getting a few club races first, race pace is entirely different to the pace of a general group spin, and you'll be riding much closer to others than you perhaps might be used to.

However the Lacey Cup route is not a lap circuit so it is a lot safer for less experienced racers than some other circuits with multiple laps. The first climb of Gleann Na nGealt also thins things out nicely so it tends to limit the size of the various bunches afterwards, again making it a bit safer for the less experienced.


HTH

Murph

flying11 wrote: »

im thinking of entering this as my first ever a4 race.
i have a fair bit of experience of riding in groups and have been involved in a good few 'mini-races' at end of group spins over the last 2 years.

im just wondering if people think i would be mad to enter this as my first race?? would it be a major step up?
Looking at other threads, people say i should race club league first, but id love to have a go at this and see how i get on.

G200

flying11 wrote: »

im thinking of entering this as my first ever a4 race.
i have a fair bit of experience of riding in groups and have been involved in a good few 'mini-races' at end of group spins over the last 2 years.

im just wondering if people think i would be mad to enter this as my first race?? would it be a major step up?
Looking at other threads, people say i should race club league first, but id love to have a go at this and see how i get on.

This was my first open race last year. Same experience level as yourself at the time. Was a big education but nothing too dangerous. The hills in this race definitely stop huge bunches of 100+ riders developing which is where most of the hairy stuff happens in races, what happened last Sunday in Kildare is a case in point.

Pawlie

Go straight into deep end and ride the Lacey Cup :-),tbh Murph is spot on the races are alot faster that club spins and you would need to be training to keep up with the 40kph average over distances over 60/70 km,you could see it it at the ned flanagan last weekend,the minute the a2 & a1 riders got up the pace went from 35kph average to over 40kph average and at times we where hitting 55kph at the front the pelaton and alot of a4 and a3s and even some a2s where put out the back.....

Main thing is to enjoy it and learn from it :-)........

cantalach

Going! Sean Lacey will no doubt be quaking in his Sidis when the news reaches him.

couerdelion

Pawlie wrote: »

,the minute the a2 & a1 riders got up the pace went from 35kph average to over 40kph average and at times we where hitting 55kph at the front the pelaton and alot of a4 and a3s and even some a2s where put out the back.....

Sorry if I'm being naive but would you not expect A4's and A3's to be out of the back at those kind of speeds?

Pawlie

Depends on lads,when it averaged over the 40kph mark the fast majority where out the back,but you will get lads that are very strong and good at racing and go along at them paces,

Morrisseeee

What kind of advantage do the A4's get ?

Pawlie

I think it could be 2 mins on a3's,4 mins on a2's and a1's and then 6 mins a+'s.

Murph100

Lads, just a reminder to anyone entering the Lacey Cup on Sun who hasn't yet received their CI License, please make sure you bring a printout of your license page from the CI website. The Comms are going to be very strict on this.

C3PO

Pawlie wrote: »

Im going,cannot wait for it,had my first race in the ned flanagan race as an a4 with Waterford Racing club,finished 13th overall and 2nd best a4,so me season couldnt have started any better :-)

couerdelion wrote: »

Sorry if I'm being naive but would you not expect A4's and A3's to be out of the back at those kind of speeds?

Not necessarily!

Hmmzis

I could be mistaken but wasn't the lad who won last Sunday an A3?

Diarmuid

Hmmzis wrote: »

I could be mistaken but wasn't the lad who won last Sunday an A3?

He was, but he'll be A1 in a month or two. Every year a few guys come back into the cycling scene who were very talented a few years ago.

couerdelion

Fair enough but the average A4/A3 rider ('packfill'?) would be struggling at thoses speeds I'd have thought - unless I'm way off the pace and shouldn't even be considering rolling up tot he line this year.

Hmmzis

couerdelion wrote: »

Fair enough but the average A4/A3 rider ('packfill'?) would be struggling at thoses speeds I'd have thought - unless I'm way off the pace and shouldn't even be considering rolling up tot he line this year.

Don't underestimate the group drafting effect. Last Sunday when the big bunch reeled us in it didn't feel too bad. In fact, on the flat and downward bits I would have been coasting or even touching the brakes quite regularly while rolling along at 50ish km/h (was on the left of the pack). The problems start if you let a gap go, then you need to have some power left to bridge it.

Morrisseeee

FYP

Hmmzis wrote: »

The problems start if you let a gap go..............here and here :eek:

:pac:

ericzeking

Question, what is one supposed to have with them on the day aside from food.
Let's say in the event of a puncture. Obviously the race will be over for you, do you bring a tube & mini pump or is there a broomwagon which will fix it for you or cart you back to the car park?

colm_gti

Hmmzis wrote: »

I could be mistaken but wasn't the lad who won last Sunday an A3?

Bear in mind that the A1/2 bunch were sent down the wrong road and only a small few of them made it across to us, but yeah your man that won that won that race was a strong junior that took a few years off, from what I've heard...

Murph100

We'll have a neutral service on the day, but bring your own kit, just in case neutral service gets held up with others. You just might be quicker fixing it yourself if they get bogged down. Doesn't normally happen though.

ericzeking wrote: »

Question, what is one supposed to have with them on the day aside from food.
Let's say in the event of a puncture. Obviously the race will be over for you, do you bring a tube & mini pump or is there a broomwagon which will fix it for you or cart you back to the car park?

Murph100

What a great day of racing, perfect conditions and a record field of 224 riders. The new teams and signings for 2013 certainly made sure a lot of tactics were in play, but in the end Sean Lacey denied them all to secure his fifth victory in a row.

A big thanks to all who attended !

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/lacey-cup-photos/

http://www.stickybottle.com/races-results/sean-lacey-too-strong-for-bumper-225-rider-field-takes-fifth-lacey-cup-win/

buffalo

http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2013/02/24/if-carlsberg-did-bike-races-the-lacey-cup-2013/

Barry seems to have really enjoyed himself. If I was a cyclist with a kids and a missus, I'd be sticking this one into the calendar for next year.

marcofan

how my day played out
http://www.thequenchdiaries.blogspot.ie/2013/02/the-lacey-cup.html?m=1

dedocdude

marcofan wrote: »

how my day played out
http://www.thequenchdiaries.blogspot.ie/2013/02/the-lacey-cup.html?m=1

well written piece from an experienced and knowledgable rider - well done.

okane1