Bobby Powers Sportive

marcofan

The 3rd annual Bobby Power sportive will be hosted by Carrick Wheelers this Sunday at 9 am in Carrick on Suir. Entry this year has being reduced to €20, you can enter online up to 6pm on Saturday @ http://carrickwheelers.com/?page_id=625. Entry will also be taken on the day from 7:30am. The route this year is the same as previous years but there is an option to skip the "strada bianca" section if you are worried about your bike. The weather is even looking good for Sunday. Please come along and spread the word, you will be well looked after in Carrick, please see below some of the comments from people who have previously rode the sportive. Any questions let me know
John

http://carrickwheelers.com/?p=1301

Seweryn

marcofan wrote: »

The 3rd annual Bobby Power sportive will be hosted by Carrick Wheelers this Sunday at 9 am in Carrick on Suir.

Hi John,

The Challenge looks like a real torture, but I may give it a go anyway.
Can you please confirm the start time, as it says 8 AM here.

marcofan

its definately a 9 o'clock start thanks for pointing out the error on the facebook page but show up early for a cup of tea!

fondriest

Hope you get better weather than last year , it was bloody miserable . I only did about 80km because I'm a wimp .

marcofan

it couldnt be worse than last year!!!! they are giving 17 degrees so the sunny souith east should look well

kayaksurfbum

Would be great to get good weather.

Looking forward to it.

ford2600

kayaksurfbum wrote: »

Would be great to get good weather.

Looking forward to it.

Did this last year. Fantastic event. Carrick know how to run a cycling event.

Doing kingdom alliance sportive so missing it this year.

Great route, very friendly club. Do it you won't regret it.

As an aside I just turned up on morning last year without registering. In spite of that organisers went to the bother of posting me event t shirt/baselayer.

michael196

third time lucky with the weather hopefully. A great event .

marcofan

ford2600 wrote: »

Did this last year. Fantastic event. Carrick know how to run a cycling event.

Doing kingdom alliance sportive so missing it this year.

Great route, very friendly club. Do it you won't regret it.

As an aside I just turned up on morning last year without registering. In spite of that organisers went to the bother of posting me event t shirt/baselayer.

thanks for the kind words, we were so gratefull to anyone who showed up in the weather we had last year that providing an extra t shirt was the least we could do, we have got rid of the t-shirts this year to keep the costs down hence the reduction of the entry fee to €20 hopefully this will help draw bigger numbers

kevd2000

Despite the dreadful weather I thought this was a great event last year. Very tough route but extremely rewarding. Well organised with a good food stop in the middle!

Captain Havoc

Signed up for this, reading the comments here, I'm not looking forward to it and I am now afraid, still once we get around, that's the main thing.

marcofan

no fear of you captain havoc, if you get into trouble you will know the short cuts!!!

Seweryn

FFFFS, I got some flu yesterday and may not be able to do it . And I was really looking forward to this sportive. Any tips on how to recover very quickly?

ford2600

You'd want to be in full of your health tackling ticincor followed quickly by Glendalough and bog road climb, not to mind with a flu.

Captain Havoc

I always go for spicy food.

Seweryn

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I always go for spicy food.

That is on my every day menu regardless of the health situation .

marcofan

i would get plenty of lempsips, neuofens etc into me (dont worry there is no drug testing) and a few extra hours in bed if possible would do wonders for the recovery

Seweryn

marcofan wrote: »

I would get plenty of lempsips, neuofens etc into me (dont worry there is no drug testing) and a few extra hours in bed if possible would do wonders for the recovery

Thanks John, sound advice :cool:.

Daithi BC

Pity I didn't find out about this earlier - looks like a great route, but I'm not able to go down on Sunday. One for the diary for 2014!

How bianca is the strada bianca?

marcofan

have a look here for a view of the strada
http://carrickwheelers.com/?p=1126
to be honest its not that bad its gradually dragging upwards so there is limited chance of getting a puncture or doing damage as you would not be flying at this stage

if people want to avoid the strada there is a road at the entrance to the estate that leads around the strada and will bring you out at the same spot

the strada is cool as its in Lord Waterfords private estate we are very lucky to have access to it

Daithi BC

That looks great! Uphill makes it fine; I'm just not keen on too much gravel when I'm descending.

ford2600

Be careful on Nire descent, cattle grid before Powers the Pot, and also Mahon Falls. Nasty fall on Mahon Falls last Sunday.
Had wheel trouble last year and avoided Curraghmore by going up Scrouthea road(Clashroe) out of Portlaw

cantalach

I did this event in its first two years - 2011 and 2012 - and it really is one of the best sportives in the country for sure. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a genuinely tough challenge. The Wicklow 200 doesn't come close, and even the Sean Kelly Tour is not comparable. The weather was cold and wet for the last two years but the forecast is looking great for this year. Anyone thinking of doing it should just do it, and for God's sake don't skip the Curraghmore 'Strada Bianca' section! It is the highlight of the day and will bring a smile to your face that will last all the way down the last hill back to Carrick. You won't regret it. I can't make it myself because I've a race the same day...but I honestly think I'd rather be in Carrick.

marcofan

cantalach wrote: »

I did this event in its first two years - 2011 and 2012 - and it really is one of the best sportives in the country for sure. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a genuinely tough challenge. The Wicklow 200 doesn't come close, and even the Sean Kelly Tour is not comparable. The weather was cold and wet for the last two years but the forecast is looking great for this year. Anyone thinking of doing it should just do it, and for God's sake don't skip the Curraghmore 'Strada Bianca' section! It is the highlight of the day and will bring a smile to your face that will last all the way down the last hill back to Carrick. You won't regret it. I can't make it myself because I've a race the same day...but I honestly think I'd rather be in Carrick.

thanks for the kind words it was bobbys goal to create the hardest sportive in the country, i actually think we scared people off over the last few years but it certainly achievable for those who are cycling with a while i would not recommend it for anyone new to the sport. i have rode wicklow myself and would agree carrick is harder as there are more climbs but by in large the climbs apart from tickenor and mahon falls are not too long. looking forward to seeing everyone in the morning i will be doing sign on for the pre registered riders please say hello so i can put faces to the names

Seweryn

marcofan wrote: »

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the morning i will be doing sign on for the pre registered riders please say hello so i can put faces to the names

John, could you please confirm that tomorrow morning registration is no problem, as I would love to come (still not sure due to illness).
And where in Carrick is the start?

marcofan

ya entry in the morning is no problem sign on is the swan gaa centre which is behind the garda station which is situated at the traffic lights on the main clonmel waterford road. entry opens at 7:30 till 8:45

Seweryn

First of all I would like to thank everybody involved in this very special Event. Absolutely top notch work. The food, marshaling, the atmosphere and friendliness of local people was really at its best through the Sportive. You could really feel a touch of someone who care about every single aspect of the Event. At every junction through the cycle I always new which way to go. And could proceed through safely .

The Paris - Roubaix stretch was a challenge on its own :pac:. *%&$...beep*

And the weather could not be any better .

Regarding the route in general, it was really tough. A proper challenge in the full meaning of the word, especially for an amateur like me (and on drugs, sorry - I hope I sweated all the illness away).

And thank you all that I have had the pleasure of meeting today. Hope to see you again!

seve65

Great event and great weather. I had done the route before minus the Strada; so Curraghmore was a first for me. I will proably do the event next year, I might take the alternate finish as the Strada is just too rough for me and the bike to enjoy ! Still have done it the once. By the way the alternate climb to Strada is very tough in its own right and harder than two climbs at the start !

marcofan

many many thanks to all who showed up on the day
http://www.luccasports.com/bobby-power-sportive/

Captain Havoc

Didn't go so well for myself due to a really bad pain in my foot and I made my own way back to Carrick after the food stop. How as ever, the marshals and everyone else involved in the sportive couldn't have been more helpful. Best marshaling I've ever seen at a sportive. This is a sportive I fully plan on conquering next year, it's gruesome.

ashleey

Captain Havoc wrote: »

Didn't go so well for myself due to a really bad pain in my foot and I made my own way back to Carrick after the food stop. How as ever, the marshals and everyone else involved in the sportive couldn't have been more helpful. Best marshaling I've ever seen at a sportive. This is a sportive I fully plan on conquering next year, it's gruesome.

There is only 1 solution: 120k Saturday morning from Wandesforde. See you there

Captain Havoc

ashleey wrote: »

There is only 1 solution: 120k Saturday morning from Wandesforde. See you there

You should see me there, my rota is changing on a daily basis.

ashleey

I saw on the news. Hope they make a decision on stores soon and they keep yours!

marcofan

Captain Havoc wrote: »

Didn't go so well for myself due to a really bad pain in my foot and I made my own way back to Carrick after the food stop. How as ever, the marshals and everyone else involved in the sportive couldn't have been more helpful. Best marshaling I've ever seen at a sportive. This is a sportive I fully plan on conquering next year, it's gruesome.

i was wondering where you got to as i didnt spot you later on. thanks for the compliments on the marshaling.

Everyone please let me know you thoughts on the event in particular anything that could be changed/improved as I wont be happy till we have 300 riding it.

Would you change the route? (i think we are scaring people off as its too hard)
Would you change the date? (dont know is a bank holiday a good thing and wicklow following a week later does not help I am guessing)

any thoughts suggestions please let me know

ford2600

marcofan wrote: »

i was wondering where you got to as i didnt spot you later on. thanks for the compliments on the marshaling.

Everyone please let me know you thoughts on the event in particular anything that could be changed/improved as I wont be happy till we have 300 riding it.

Would you change the route? (i think we are scaring people off as its too hard)
Would you change the date? (dont know is a bank holiday a good thing and wicklow following a week later does not help I am guessing)

any thoughts suggestions please let me know

I would not change anything about route. It is a good challenge.

Most guys want hammerfests on bike, same weekend your event was on, Tour of Louth had big numbers, your event and Kingdom alliance sportive had modest numbers.

To attract more numbers later in year might help, when sportive riders have more miles/confidence in legs.

A Saturday in mid late July. You might even get a few guys finished racing for year looking for something different. Just a few thoughts

derealbadger

I would let people know about it sooner I would have done it if I had known about it earlier but this thread only popped up a few days beforehand

Seweryn

marcofan wrote: »

Everyone please let me know you thoughts on the event in particular anything that could be changed/improved as I wont be happy till we have 300 riding it.

any thoughts suggestions please let me know

Hi John,

I enjoyed the ride and I would not change the route in general. The hill up Tullahought could be replaced with similar one that is located just outside Owning and is at least as tough or slightly tougher, but I see no reason for it, maybe if you want to give the route a new re-touch next year.
The Paris-Roubaix road through the Estate is rough as hell, not exactly a road bike track, but I heard it can be bypassed, so no issue there.

The date of the Event is perfect for me personally, as the next day is off anyway, so I can relax instead of riding to work next morning (can be taken easy anyway). Events next weekend would never bother me, as it is a whole week away plus you have proven than this Challenge is as good as a Sportive gets, so I would always choose the Bobby over anything .

Can you improve anything? I am sure there is always something, but it is excellent the way it is, however if anything comes to mind I will let you know .

Daithi BC

derealbadger wrote: »

I would let people know about it sooner I would have done it if I had known about it earlier but this thread only popped up a few days beforehand

+1 on this. I would have been there if I'd known about it a month in advance.

Seweryn

derealbadger wrote: »

I would let people know about it sooner I would have done it if I had known about it earlier but this thread only popped up a few days beforehand

Good idea. Not sure how many people rode it on Sunday, but the key thing to increase the numbers of participants would be to spread the message around as early as possible (here on Boards and elsewhere also). .

cunavalos

marcofan wrote: »

Everyone please let me know you thoughts on the event in particular anything that could be changed/improved as I wont be happy till we have 300 riding it.

Having ridden it, in each of the 3 years previously i thought i would share my opinions.

Marshalling: Perfect. No need for any changes. I think at this stage i know which marshalls will be in which location.

Food: Fine with me. No need for anything fancy i.e gels and sports drink. Sandwiches,tea, cake, biscuits and water is all I need. I think the distance is about right to and there is no need for a second full food stop, just a water stop later on.

Goody-Bag: No need for it. i have two t-shirts from before but seriously the prospect of getting a t-shirt was not a reason for doing the cycle. Goody bag/ t-shirts are just something else to have to worry about from an organisers point of view and if not having them keeps the cost down then i see no reason to reintroduce them.

Price: €20 is absolutely brilliant value. if it isn't running at that much of a loss keep it at that but probably would still pay €25-30 if it increased.

Date: The date suits me and having a day off afterwards is fine for me. Also you have to ask yourself how does the date work for the volunteers/ marshals. i have gotten the impression that a lot like to come out and have a chat about the ras as it is the first chance they have had to see each other since the ras.

Route: Personally I love the route and it is the biggest reason for doing it for me. I just have a couple of comments.

If you plan on getting more entries it might be an idea to increase the distance travelled before the first climb as it becomes a bottleneck towards the back and you run the risk of coming to a standstill. This was avoided this year by some of the racers lining it out from the start spreading the group out a bit.

The second climb (Rathcarlish) needs to be locked at again. the climb itself is fine but if the descent gets any worse it will become almost unrideable especially because the fast descent from tullahought through to faugheen allows groups on the road to merge and usually a big bunch regroups before the base of the climb.
Is there a possibility of using the climb to Ahenny by turning off just before faugheen. I haven't been up this road recently to confirm if the surface is any better than the descent off rathcarlish. This road will still bring you out at the same junction as before so not a major change of route.

Slievenamon is fine but the road is cutting up on the last bit of the descent through the cross roads about 2k before grangemockler maybe the council could be approached to do a bit of sweeping/repair.

No problems with the climbs from tickincor and the nire . it was a shame that part had to be knocked off this year but i hope the road will be repaired and this section reinstated next year.

Through rathgormack and seskin hill and on to mahon falls are fine. At this stage everyone knows to be careful on the descent. Some people may suggest to do mahon falls in reverse but i would not agree. In that instance you are going against the traditional flow of traffic and the descending down past the car park would encourage greater speeds and you run the risk of meeting traffic head on increasing the risk of injury.

Personally i like the curraghmore estate part of the route and the surface is actually improving. The first km or so till the turn is much better now than in previous years. the next km or so is bad but on a dry day like last sunday if you ride in the gutter (roubaix style) is quite manageable and the last 500m or so use the path in the field:D

General Observations:
I suppose to increase numbers you need to target the general cycling population more. I was a bit surprised not to see more locals there so perhaps there is a feeling that it is too tough or not publicised enough.

I know you were personally involved in the ras and didn't have the time to do pr but the thread here on boards probably came a bit too late to inform cyclists about the event.

The great thing about the route is that you are never more than 20km from HQ and there are loads of opportunities to make the route more manageable for all abilities without creating a second shorter route which could spread marshalling cover too thin.
One possible option would be divert some cyclist up kearneys road in kilsheelan past the picnic area and onto rathgormack bypassing tickincor and the nire loop that would knock a sizeable chunk off the route for those looking for a slightly easier route and leave them fresher for the second half.
Alternatively for those wishing to avoid seskin hill there is an option to head straight for mahon falls from the food stop.

Apologies for the length of the post but i would like to congratulate carrick wheelers on an excellently run event and hope that the cycling community in ireland continue to support the event in greater numbers in the future.

marcofan

thanks for the suggestions greatly appreciated keep them coming.
I take the point on board about publicity we really fell down on that one (ras kinda distracted me, but should have being more on the ball)
please keep the comments coming they will be invaluable to us

jimzy

Have to say, the best sportive I've done so far. For me it beats the Sean Kelly in that the smaller numbers make it a much more relaxed and enjoyable spin, you're not battling for road space! The marshalling on every junction made the entire route very safe, best marshalling I've seen on any event. Food stops perfect, again the small numbers a benefit. Nice work on the weather too, you got that almost perfect, maybe a little too hot going up mahon falls... the route is great I wouldn't change it too much, part of the appeal is the challenge!

I'm sure the numbers will keep jumping upward every year as word spreads and people know when it's on, etc. I guess if you are looking to boost numbers you could look at doing a second smaller route option, maybe 100k or 110k, exact same route up to the foodstop and then loop home somehow? That would still be the toughest 100k around I think! Just a thought really, although I think it's great at the moment with everyone battling through the same 160k route.

First time doing it and ill definitely be back next year!