ras an laois Ossory CC

FrankGrimes

The Cycling Ireland race calendar lists Ros On Laois for next Sunday 31st March at 1pm, and I hope to do it as it's the only A4 race in Leinster next weekend with the Gorey 3 Day taking place.

I've tried the Laois Cycling & Touring Club website and Facebook page but can't find any info on the race: sign-on location & time, distance, route etc. - does anyone know where to find this info?

Daithi BC

It's being organised by Ossary CC rather than Laois CTC. I think the start point is in Rathdowney. Should be more details on their facebook page.

bcmf

Nothing on their FB page. Though a 1pm start on Easter Sunday may put an end to my hope s of doing it

Daithi BC

There's a very short mention of it on their website (http://www.ossorycc.com/):

"MENS A4 ROAD RACE AND LADIES A3 & A4 ROAD RACE: Ossory Cycling Club are proud to host a 55km race on Sunday, March 31st 2013. Sign on at 12 Noon in time for the Race starting at 1pm at Rathdowney GAA Centre."

bcmf

Jayus info on it is thin on the ground.

theholyghost

Ask on their FB page for details.

It starts in Rathdowney and is two approximately 27km flat laps. Pretty straightforward course as races go I would think.

Sign on location here with parking http://maps.google.ie/maps?q=Rathdowney,+Laois&hl=en&ll=52.852729,-7.585534&spn=0.003239,0.010568&sll=53.3834,-8.21775&sspn=6.55577,21.643066&oq=rahtdowney+laois&hnear=Rathdowney,+County+Laois&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=52.852772,-7.58546&panoid=ZBmgUfRMpoPA16j60DLOSA&cbp=12,345.21,,0,-0.55

bcmf

I sent a text to a number on the website looking for details. They rang me back and told me that its an A4 race only with a €10 entry fee with 2 laps of a 26km lap with a drag of approx 2km and most importantly tae and sambo's afterwards..
He said there was a map my ride up on their facebook page

Caroline_ie

here is the course http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/182031766

SNOOKEY

we are aLso on facebook

dermabrasion

Pity this is on Easter Sunday. It'll be chocolate eggs and bunnies for me. Monday or Saturday would have been do-able. I bet I'm not the only Fred in this situation.

couerdelion

Probably going to do this as my first race if I can get my license upgraded by CI - Don't want to pay for a day license and then have to pay on top to upgrade.

FrankGrimes

(Didn't get a chance to post back before now): Thanks folks for posting the info, and Caroline in particular for the route. I'll be aiming to do this race and hopefully the fact it's the last chance to get one-day licenses and the only A4 race in Leinster this weekend offsets the reduction in numbers there might be otherwise with it being Easter Sunday and results in a good bunch.

If I'm reading the route right, it's about as flat as you can get with the two drags rising 45/50m over the course of 4km so really look like drags rather than hills. Looks like the finish would be downhill but I'm guessing they might put it on a slightly uphill section if that's deemed safer.

Anywho, hope to see plenty of you there to burn off some Easter egg goodness.

Slo_Rida

Anybody got any info on this race? Just wondering what the story is with it since I can't find a crumb of info on the net. Route, profile etc...

couerdelion

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056910321

maddness

Looking forward to this, first race this year and only second ever!
Lets hope it warms up a bit before Sunday.

Chips Lovell

If the finish is in the town, then there's a bit of a drag there, with a pub at the top of it and I suspect they'd use that.

I rode the circuit last weekend. It's flat with the exception of one drag just after your turn left off the road to Borris.

Slo_Rida

couerdelion wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056910321

I was searching for rAs instead of rOs hence it didn't come up. Thanks.

SNOOKEY

Slo_Rida wrote: »

Anybody got any info on this race? Just wondering what the story is with it since I can't find a crumb of info on the net. Route, profile etc...

alll info on ossory cycling club facebook any further questions either ring or pm

De Bhál

I'm looking for a lift to this from glasnevin if anyone's got room. One way, don't need a lift back.
I'll cover petrol expenses.

couerdelion

De Bhál wrote: »

I'm looking for a lift to this from glasnevin if anyone's got room. One way, don't need a lift back.
I'll cover petrol expenses.

I've space. Drop me a PM with your details.

De Bhál

couerdelion wrote: »

I've space. Drop me a PM with your details.

Sound

michael196

Slo_Rida wrote: »

I was searching for rAs instead of rOs hence it didn't come up. Thanks.

thinking of heading up, wexford wheelers A4 no. 1066

bcmf

I was going. Then I wasnt going. Now I am going. Getting dizzy.
And sorry De Bhal. If your lift doesnt work out then drop me a text and I will sort ya out.

foxd3

I'm looking for a lift from Dublin (I'm north county but I can ride to wherever). I'll cover petrol. My lift just fell through and I'm dying to get racing. cheers

bcmf

foxd3 wrote: »

I'm looking for a lift from Dublin (I'm north county but I can ride to wherever). I'll cover petrol. My lift just fell through and I'm dying to get racing. cheers

I am heading from North County.
Will send ya a pm.

Slo_Rida

michael196 wrote: »

thinking of heading up, wexford wheelers A4 no. 1066

Limerick 324, see you at the back

lennymc

Slo_Rida wrote: »

Limerick 324, see you at the back

ye will in yer hole be at the back!! LOL. get up the front ye boy ye!

Slo_Rida

lennymc wrote: »

ye will in yer hole be at the back!! LOL. get up the front ye boy ye!

I'll be where you're not...you're a liability, a loose canon.

"You really are a cowboy. Every time you go out on your bike you're unsafe, I don't like you because you're dangerous."

Name the film :cool:

bcmf

Will have room for 2 others if anyone is looking for a lift between M1 Balbriggan along M50 to Red Cow.

lennymc

Slo_Rida wrote: »

I'll be where you're not...you're a liability, a loose canon.

"You really are a cowboy. Every time you go out on your bike you're unsafe, I don't like you because you're dangerous."

Name the film :cool:

topgun?

De Bhál

Remember clocks go forward tonight

couerdelion

De Bhál wrote: »

Remember clocks go forward tonight

Just set the van's clock so I turn up an hour early late! :cool:

moch

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

If the finish is in the town, then there's a bit of a drag there, with a pub at the top of it and I suspect they'd use that.

I rode the circuit last weekend. It's flat with the exception of one drag just after your turn left off the road to Borris.

Does the race finish on a drag?

Pawlie

Good race,came 3rd,good bye A4 hello A3 :-)

lennymc

well done pawlie. good riddance if you ask me

Someone put a hill in the middle of that flat race, decimated the bunch. I ended up in the second group, then punctured about 2km from the end. Many thanks to the boardsie from lucan on here (not sure of his user name) who rides the lovely storck for the loan of a tube and a pump!!

Hopefully thats my run of bad luck over for a while - 2 punctures and a frame in a week. These things come in threes dont they?

michael196

it was artic / baltic .

Didnt realsie that SLo was recovering from a broken nose and broken finger from last week.

nice circuit, good roads, virtually pot hole free,

incredible to see two frames written off from the circuit.

couerdelion

My first race (and report)

After trying to get in touch with CI all week to upgrade my licence I decided to just go down and use the final opportunity to get a day licence.
Picked up De Bhál and left his around 9:20 so got down early enough, parked up and got the day licence and registered pretty quickly. I'm sure the hall was actually colder than outside but the ladies made me a cup of tea to warm me up. We sat around talking for a bit then got changed and did around 10 mins warm-up just to raise the heart rate and get the blood flowing a bit. We were then back to the club for a rider briefing and we were ready to go. It was a rolling start into town and then we were away.

I positioned myself pretty badly at the start and ended up near the back. Once I was there it was pretty hard to move up. Straight away the pace was pretty high - but still manageable and I was slowly working my way up. There was one loud shout and the guy in front of me locked up his bike and somehow I managed to prevent myself running into the back of him. The problem with being at the back even early on was that through corners the front of the peleton would gallop off and for those of us further back it was then a sprint just to stay in touch. First few corners were fine but as we hit the hill on the first lap at around 13km the elastic snapped and a good group of us were off the back. Somewhat surprisingly I managed to work my way up the group climbing the hill (I'm not built for climbing!) and eventually a bigger group formed but the front group had gone by then so it was a case of just making it a good workout and making sure I pushed myself - I didn't want to be back in the van thinking I could have ridden harder.

The group was trying to get up and overs going but it was a little slow so I kept jumping out and tried to lift the pace - I did it a few times and on the third or fourth no one came past me so I sat up and waited ( i think they were teaching me a lesson for pushing the pace). Eventually a few came past and I just sat in the group then for a while. Eventually lap 1 was over and we seemed to be working pretty well with another group just in front which we should have been able to catch. A couple of lads jumped off the front going over the start/finish line and although we caught them once they were gone again shortly after. As a group there wasn't much going on and no one was in any kind of mood to take it on so I went to the front again and started to increase the pace. Another lad on a Storck came through but that was it - the rest were just sitting there. I said to the lad on the Storck that no one was going to help so we ended up doing 30s or so each on the front to try and keep the pace up - I think we lost some of the group around this time but we kept it going till the left hand turn for the second time over the hills. A few of us got shelled off the back here and although I barely managed to keep in touch I just couldn't get back towards the group and once the headwind hit I was gone. Decided to use it as time trial practice and just hammered as hard as I could the rest of the way round. I saw a sign that said 6km to go and then one 2 km later that said 2km to go. I had entered the twighlight zone...

With about 4km to go I saw a cyclist walking so I pulled up and asked if he was ok he had a puncture so I gave him (lennymc) a tube and my pump so he could get back. I then took it handy the rest of the way and put a spurt on to finish. No idea how far behind I ended up and don't care really - I had a good day out, enjoyed the cycling and feel better for doing it - I also felt like I put a decent effort in albeit in vain. Looking forward to doing the next one.

michael196

were u a lucan rider, fairly big lad ?


we had an off the back group going and a tall lucan rider came through, driving the pace somewhat,


only as this lucan rider was coming through, he was outpacing the group and creating a gap almost immediatly once on front, twas hard to hold that wheel.

think thats why there was no consistant up and over.

lennymc

@couerdelion thank you so much for the tube and pump. I probably should have brought my own

couerdelion

michael196 wrote: »

were u a lucan rider, fairly big lad ?


we had an off the back group going and a tall lucan rider came through, driving the pace somewhat,


only as this lucan rider was coming through, he was outpacing the group and creating a gap almost immediatly once on front, twas hard to hold that wheel.

think thats why there was no consistant up and over.

Yep that was me. I did learn eventually that no one was going to push the pace up with me and i'll know for next time

I think 5-6 of the group were fine but every now and again someone was losing a wheel and we were slowing down. I tried giving it time to get going again but I'm not the most patient person.

michael196

twas dissppointng to see the pace going to a crawl going into the town on the first lap. but at that stage two or three goups had come together, with no one getting a rest.

i was in wexford gear and i know at one stage i couldnt hold ur wheel. was at front to gap that last group before rathdownly the first time around.

I was towards the ack at the start but I felt that it could easily shatter early, so i made my way to the front before exiting the town


I had driven around and thought the wind would be on our backs going up the drag. did i get that wrong !!!

foxd3

My first race today, big thanks to bcmf for getting me down there. Similar situation to couerdelion.
Didn't head off with the front group when they started getting away. spent the rest of the race a minute behind them, some of it on my own, but mostly with two or three other guys. not exactly the 'flat' course i was expecting, but i didn't crash and made it around at a reasonable pace so it was a good days training at least. already looking forward to the next one

foxer3640

Pawlie wrote: »

Good race,came 3rd,good bye A4 hello A3 :-)

Well done on the result pawlie. I'm in the same boat as yourself in that i got 5 points in Meath a few weeks ago and another 5 will get me into a3. I'm a bit reluctant to go up early though it seems to be a good bit tougher in a3. Best of luck though you'll probably be a2 before too long!

lennymc

also, massive thanks to ossary cc and the residents of rathdowney. well marshalled, junctions signposted, coffee and sambos afterwards!!

Pawlie

foxer3640 wrote: »

Well done on the result pawlie. I'm in the same boat as yourself in that i got 5 points in Meath a few weeks ago and another 5 will get me into a3. I'm a bit reluctant to go up early though it seems to be a good bit tougher in a3. Best of luck though you'll probably be a2 before too long!

Cheers man,no point waiting on racing a3,only one way to get used to it go straight at it,personally I cannot wait to ride against the NRPT and try and get some points on the board for hopefully a future upgarde to A2

Pawlie

lennymc wrote: »

also, massive thanks to ossary cc and the residents of rathdowney. well marshalled, junctions signposted, coffee and sambos afterwards!!

2nd the above also,well run race today.

plumber77

lennymc wrote: »

also, massive thanks to ossary cc and the residents of rathdowney. well marshalled, junctions signposted, coffee and sambos afterwards!!

Did someone let a car up the street as the race was finishing?

couerdelion

I was way behind but I heard about the accident. Lad hitting windscreen of a car but he was alright - paramedics were looking to talk to him afterwards but he'd gone off.

Not sure of the facts but which side of the road was the cyclist on?

lennymc

plumber77 wrote: »

Did someone let a car up the street as the race was finishing?

Allegedly the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road going for a gap that wasnt there. I thought it was well marshalled at the junctions, and the route was well signed. YMMV

Slo_Rida

couerdelion wrote: »

With about 4km to go I saw a cyclist walking so I pulled up and asked if he was ok he had a puncture so I gave him (lennymc) a tube and my pump so he could get back. .

That's the last you'll see of that pump and tube
PS I think he was just tired of cycling so decided to walk....no puncture at all!

Yes Lenny, this is gonna go on!

Solobally8

Any word on how the womens race went? I had planned on going but life got in the way. It would have been my first race so I'm disappointed I missed it. Any women here race it?