Mick Lally race 2014

Bianchi00

Any info guys on mick lally & Cycleways cup races

ragazzo

Bianchi00 wrote: »

Any info guys on mick lally & Cycleways cup races

Plenty of information on the Mick Lally race on the discussion forum on the Dublin Wheelers website.

I think the navan race follows the usual format but you need to be in the know for that.

buffalo

ragazzo wrote: »

Plenty of information on the Mick Lally race on the discussion forum on the Dublin Wheelers website.

For further help: http://www.dublinwheelers.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=747

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2ul98W-dV8QYzZPR18ycFpDWlk/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2ul98W-dV8QUmhWV2JxRlRBTG8/edit

wav1

buffalo wrote: »

For further help: http://www.dublinwheelers.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=747

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2ul98W-dV8QYzZPR18ycFpDWlk/edit

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2ul98W-dV8QUmhWV2JxRlRBTG8/edit

FYI Mick Lally race is an event where you can very easily get beaten by a tyres width in to 2nd place by a rider with one foot attached to the pedals.
Seriously though its usually a very well run race with top grub after in the Summerhill centre

buffalo

wav1 wrote: »

FYI Mick Lally race is an event where you can very easily get beaten by a tyres width in to 2nd place by a rider junior with one foot attached to the pedals.
Seriously though its usually a very well run race with top grub after in the Summerhill centre

Fixed your post.

Agreed - top quality race, very sad to be missing it this year. Never under-estimate Dorey's Forge to kill your sprint stone dead.

Mugser

This might just be my début.

leCycliste

Not looking too bad in Summerhill for Saturday!!

http://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/summerhill

greenmat

Why is the A4 race so short? 42km, only top 3 will score points. Might give it a go anyway, no better training than to race.

Harrybelafonte

greenmat wrote: »

Why is the A4 race so short? 42km, only top 3 will score points. Might give it a go anyway, no better training than to race.

Shorter=Faster=Better

royrogers

What time is sign on and race start??

Inquitus

royrogers wrote: »

What time is sign on and race start??

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2ul98W-dV8QYzZPR18ycFpDWlk/edit

Plastik

That must be some sort of record. Third post of the thread has absolutely all of the detail needed. I reckon more than 99% of races. Yet by post 10 someone is looking for the information again.

DaveR1

Is there definitely only 3 points on offer for the A4 race?? Doesn't really help when trying to upgrade!

lennymc

DaveR1 wrote: »

Is there definitely only 3 points on offer for the A4 race?? Doesn't really help when trying to upgrade!

it does if you only need 3 points.

Inquitus

Personally I think 42km is way too short, I'll be going to Navan on Sunday instead for a more worthwhile 84km, I get twice the distance for the same amount of grief from the missus!

DaveR1

lennymc wrote: »

it does if you only need 3 points.

Points from last year are carried over ya, which means 3 might do?
I'll give both Saturday and Sunday a go and hope for the best!!!

lennymc

DaveR1 wrote: »

Points from last year are carried over ya, which means 3 might do?
I'll give both Saturday and Sunday a go and hope for the best!!!

yeah - points carried over. Best of luck!

ragazzo

Inquitus wrote: »

Personally I think 42km is way too short, I'll be going to Navan on Sunday instead for a more worthwhile 84km, I get twice the distance for the same amount of grief from the missus!

42k is ok in March for a supposedly beginners category.

You could always leave the missus. Then the grief would stop and you could be a miserable barsteward riding A1 races in no time.

greenmat

DaveR1 wrote: »

Is there definitely only 3 points on offer for the A4 race?? Doesn't really help when trying to upgrade!

Nearly sure races have to be over 50km at A4 level for top eight to score, below which only top 3 score.

Chips Lovell

Have they done another amnesty and allowed all points to carry over or do you only get 50 per cent of your total from last year? I can't remember.

greenmat

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Have they done another amnesty and allowed all points to carry over or do you only get 50 per cent of your total from last year? I can't remember.

A4's carry all points over, A3 carry 50% of points.

Slo_Rida

When is this on?
Anyone have the link?

Slo_Rida

Slo_Rida wrote: »

When is this on?
Anyone have the link?

I'm MESSING Jebus keep ye're knickers on :eek:

GoTilUBlow

Can someone please post the pertinent details in the thread. No access to google docs from work.

DaveR1

GoTilUBlow wrote: »

Can someone please post the pertinent details in the thread. No access to google docs from work.

Sat 1st March 2014

Cycle Races in Summerhill, Co. Meath

Promoted by the Dublin Wheelers Cycling Club (founded 1933).

1. Mick Lally Memorial Race (A+, A1, A2) start 10.30 87k

2. Ian Gallahar Memorial Race (A3) start 10.45 65k

3. Dublin Wheelers GP (A4) start 10.55 42k

Sign-on 09:00  10:00

Sign-on takes place at the Race HQ which is the Summerhill Community Centre [ Coordinates:53.479836ºN,6.733993ºW ],

Enfield Road {L6212}, Summerhill Co. Meath.

Prize Presentation & Refreshments

Tea / coffee / biscuits will be served at race HQ after the finish of the Mick Lally Memorial race. The prize presentation for all races will take place at 13:45 in race HQ.

Ken1975

Anyone know how much Sign On is, nothing mentioned on the Dublin Wheelers site: http://www.dublinwheelers.com/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=747

Cheers, Ken.

couerdelion

Anyone got a race report?

Inquitus

Philip Lavery won.

maloner

Survived my first A3 race and observed the bunch sprint from the back of the bunch. A break had about 90 seconds for maybe a lap or lap and a half but was caught before the last turn I think. A spill about 3 or 4 km out on the right hand side resulted in 3 or maybe 4 guys coming down. Hope all are ok. It was hedge to hedge in a lot places and the antics on the last trip down the main road before the turn to Doreys was pretty shocking tbh. One attack in particular being launched up the right hand hard shoulder with plenty of the bunch hopping over to follow the wheels.

Glad to get the first race of the year done.

wirelessdude01

couerdelion wrote: »

Anyone got a race report?

Clubmate of ours got 1st in A3 and another took 4th. Also 1st junior was from us as well.

couerdelion

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Clubmate of ours got 1st in A3 and another took 4th. Also 1st junior was from us as well.

Just saw that on the site, good win for him must be close to A2 now?

wirelessdude01

couerdelion wrote: »

Just saw that on the site, good win for him must be close to A2 now?

Think he is up now with the carryover of points from last season.

doozerie

This was my first A4 race and it was a bit scrappy. The pace was uneven and when it surged there were suddenly many people, me included, scrambling to move up the large bunch to stay in contention. Those were the points where it felt most risky inevitably, as people already on the limit threw caution to the wind to get up, but thankfully there were no crashes that I saw.

There was quite a bit of riding on the wrong side of the road though. I can understand ending up out there unwittingly, you can make a bad choice in the heat of the moment or the bunch sways out when you least expect it and you end up having to move over for a moment, but some people today were actively choosing to ride on the wrong side of the road, and stay there. Thankfully we encountered few cars coming the other way for the most part, but when we did there was the usual panic by people to pull back into the left again, creating risk where it shouldn't have existed to start with. Even on a relatively busy stretch of road though a handful of riders bizarrely kept to the wrong side of the line and if it weren't for the motorists keeping to their left it could have gone very badly for the riders concerned. The danger was amplified by a wizened auld fella driving a taxi who seemed to take it upon himself to do something or other about the situation by, in stark contrast to the other motorists, keeping well over to this right, about a foot from the white line, ensuring that anyone out there had to move over. A stupid situation compounded by stupidity but thankfully there were no collisions. Seriously though, what are people thinking when they ride and drive like that?

Anyway, the first time up Dorey's Forge was ridiculous. The bunch was already taking up much of the road and people rode up on the right and stayed there as they neared the front instead of riding through. So the bunch got wider, and slower, until it took the full width of the road and no-one at all could get through. So we slowed further as we climbed and frustration grew in the bunch, and it felt more risky by the minute with people trying and failing to squeeze through non-existent gaps with the resulting occasional squeal of brakes that you really don't want to hear in a bunch. So the bunch mostly stayed together the first time up and it was still a big group heading into the second lap.

Before the final turn to Dorey's Forge for the finish some people livened it up a bit at the front. It was quite chaotic along that main road so I rode to the front both to avoid the swelling of the group on a busy road and to keep near the front in the hope of avoiding getting caught behind another go-slow up Dorey's. An Usher rider tore past me and rode up the road. I waited for the inevitable push from behind and sure enough several people came through to chase him down. Fair play to Usher, it was a good effort and it shook the bunch out of its complacency which I reckon was the only way to try to avoid a repeat of the first lap. Despite that though, I ended up behind a relatively small group of riders who inexplicably slowed down after the turn. So it was the same again on Dorey's Forge after all, the bunch came back together and ended up spanning the full width of the road with apparently no-one in a position to do so willing to ride through or let others ride through. Cue more shouting, but more enthusiastic shouting this time. And it seemed to work, or maybe it was the entirely the result of fatigue, as small gaps started to appear here and there. I squeezed through a few and found myself with a lot fewer riders ahead of me as the line approached. I gave it what I could but expected to be swamped at any moment.

Surprisingly though, some of the riders ahead faded and I found myself moving up as they moved backwards. I did a quick count of riders remaining in front of me, it looked like 8 but one of those faded in the last few metres and I rolled over the line in what I think was 8th place. Tantalisingly close to a placing, yet still a million miles away given that I was at my limit. Fair play to those who did place.

I stayed to watch the A3 finish, and from a distance it seemed the same as the A4 one as the bunch filled the road and I wondered how anyone could make it past the front line. I didn't really see the sprint start but I certainly saw the winner as he tore over the line, hands in the air. That was a very impressive win.

Raam

More paragraphs or less sentences, please. I get dizzy trying to send my eyes over and back across the screen that many times.

doozerie

Raam wrote: »

More paragraphs or less sentences, please. I get dizzy trying to send my eyes over and back across the screen that many times.

I'll.

See.

What.

I.

Can.

Do.

Raam

doozerie wrote: »

I'll.

See.

What.

I.

Can.

Do.

T
h
a
n
k
s
.

michael196

DaveR1 wrote: »

Sat 1st March 2014

Cycle Races in Summerhill, Co. Meath

Promoted by the Dublin Wheelers Cycling Club (founded 1933).

1. Mick Lally Memorial Race (A+, A1, A2) start 10.30 87k

2. Ian Gallahar Memorial Race (A3) start 10.45 65k

3. Dublin Wheelers GP (A4) start 10.55 42k

Sign-on 09:00  10:00

Sign-on takes place at the Race HQ which is the Summerhill Community Centre [ Coordinates:53.479836ºN,6.733993ºW ],

Enfield Road {L6212}, Summerhill Co. Meath.

Prize Presentation & Refreshments

Tea / coffee / biscuits will be served at race HQ after the finish of the Mick Lally Memorial race. The prize presentation for all races will take place at 13:45 in race HQ.

why A+ in the mick lally ??

michael196

doozerie wrote: »

There was quite a bit of riding on the wrong side of the road though. I can understand ending up out there unwittingly, you can make a bad choice in the heat of the moment or the bunch sways out you least expect it and you end up having to move over for a moment, but some people today were actively choosing to ride on the wrong side of the road, and stay there. .

Break the rules of the road in a race, and you are on your own. The organiser can tell you to go jump.

Hit a car, while on the wrong side of the road, that's your business, You made a conscious decision to break the rules of the road.


A marshal ( not just the commissaire) can identify riders braking the rules of the road. and you can be put out of the race at the end ( organiser decision ).

Its an organisers decision to permit entry to a race. the organiser takes your entry fee. It is not the commissaries decision to permit entry to a race. Marshals on the circuit can identify you through photography, and you can be organiser disqualified at the end of the race.


Have an accident when you are on the wrong side of the road, you are on your own as regards responsibility.

Breaking the rules of the road . followed by a car accident, becomes a garda matter. There is not a thing the organiser can do. You made the decision.

There is a lot of effort put into race organisation, creating safe circuits, minimising risks through route reviews, sign offs on routes, . sufficient marshalling, detailed risk assessments to CI, as evidence of race route reviews for safety, insurance cover , personal, indemnity, third party , road authorities insurance indemnities, safety officers, medical and ambulance cover.

The rider throws away , all safety assurance measures, and can be eliminated from the race, by crossing the white line.

ragazzo

michael196 wrote: »

why A+ in the mick lally ??

Why not?

Should the one or two A+ riders race against each other in a separate event?

A+ always sign on for A1 races when they make themselves available.
Is Brammeier not National RR Champion and were the majority of that field not A1/A2?
Nothing new today!

wav1

ragazzo wrote: »

Why not?

Should the one or two A+ riders race against each other in a separate event?

A+ always sign on for A1 races when they make themselves available.
Is Brammeier not National RR Champion and were the majority of that field not A1/A2?
Nothing new today!

Agreed.If you want to allow the likes of Lavery in your events then you have to allow the A+.Seen a few events in the past where promoters turned them away,and its only ever a couple of them anyway.Saves all the hassle on the day.
Wasn't there myself today but believe it was a well run show.
Personally thrilled for the mini wav who got his first ever top 6 today in his novo nordisk colours.Delighted for him and brilliant for a lad who didnt even make it as far as Hacketstown on stage 1 of Gorey a yr ago.

ragazzo

wav1 wrote: »

Agreed.If you want to allow the likes of Lavery in your events then you have to allow the A+.Seen a few events in the past where promoters turned them away,and its only ever a couple of them anyway.Saves all the hassle on the day.
Wasn't there myself today but believe it was a well run show.
Personally thrilled for the mini wav who got his first ever top 6 today in his novo nordisk colours.Delighted for him and brilliant for a lad who didnt even make it as far as Hacketstown on stage 1 of Gorey a yr ago.

Heard he was going very well today. Attacking and riding hard and still managed to give it a lash at the finish.
Well done lad, keep it going!

Harrybelafonte

As regards the riding on wrong side of road: It was standard A4 fare stupidity for most of the race, but it got a lot more stupid after the last corner. Not a word from conmisaires either, so I'm still waiting for the terrible crash that'll put the whole scene at risk.

As for all the shouting, half the shouting seemed to be coming from guys whose only cause for anger was that they were half-wheeling and it was getting dodgy.

Anyway, bar the complaining, I liked yesterday's course. We were nicely strung out at the beginning. Good and fast, I was glad I'd been warned about the descents.

I don't have much to say about my own race tbh, mistakes made as always, but another bunch finish.

The finish hill was great cos I managed to pass a good few in my little sportive gearing while they were trying to mash up it in the big ring. Compact wimp for the win.

Coffee and biscuits after were best post race standard so far.

Harrybelafonte

Also... any photos?

killalanerr

wav1 wrote: »

Personally thrilled for the mini wav who got his first ever top 6 today in his novo nordisk colours.Delighted for him and brilliant for a lad who didnt even make it as far as Hacketstown on stage 1 of Gorey a yr ago.

It was interesting to see the theory of ageing Vo2max beening proven as
mini skipped past me as i went from 4th to mid pack in the 50mtrs to the line up Dorey's forge,a lot more to come from him me thinks

Homer1798

Doozerie, with regards to the A4 race I thought that it was well behaved in general, yes riders do cross the white line but are also subject to the rules of the road. Races in the past have been stopped by the comm, if they deemed it as to dangerous and riders have been DSQ'ed for riding on the wrong side of the road.

A4 races seem to be slightly slower(or I'm much fitter ) than last year, this may have been due to the amnesty over the winter allowing riders move up a category and to a lesser extent bad/negative tactical racing. Hence you will always get bunches riding up drags/climbs as slowly as they can get away with, this leads to the bunch spreading out as it slows as riders try gain as much advantage as possible and in most cases that means being on or near the front on the climb. There were very few real attacks in yesterday's race which is testimony to the negative riding, but it happens and that's the way it goes.

As the season progresses and riders become fitter, more confident and tactically aware the races will get faster and more interesting. If you are finding the climbing to slow then I suggest you get to the front at the start of the climb and have a go.

As regards shouting, some of those on/near the front could do with some lessons in calling out obstacles as many riders in the bunch are unsighted as they approach them.

Harrybelafonte

Races are just as fast as last year, in fact, I think they're faster tbh. Huge amounts getting dropped. That section from the start to the first corner was pretty fast on both laps, though the Ttim road section was a bit slower. There doesn't, however, seem to be that same pace out of corners like last year.

Agree with the shouting about holes etc. I was caught out by one or two.

doozerie

@Homer1798, It goes without saying that riders are subject to the rules of the road, that's a given. There were some people on Saturday who should have been at least cautioned, and perhaps pulled from the race, by the commissaire and I'd like to think that the fact that they weren't (to the best of my knowledge at least) was pure luck on their part as opposed to an indication that it's not being treated seriously as an issue.

People riding on the wrong side of the road pose a number of problems:
* They don't just put themselves at risk, they usually put others at risk by trying to shove their way back into the bunch when they encounter a car coming the other way - I was taken down as a direct result of exactly that nonsense in a club league race last year and I'd prefer not to have a repeat of that.
* They also threaten to put the entire race for that group at risk as I presume the commissaires could cancel the race for the group if they think it necessary - people go to a lot of trouble and expense to travel to and compete in races and it being cancelled would put out a lot of them I'm sure, me included.
* And worse still, if such behaviour builds up enough ill will amongst locals then there is a risk that this and other events might be in jeopardy in the future - some of the motorists on Saturday must surely have gone home with a dim view of bike races, having encountered riders cycling towards them on the wrong side of the road. And if enough of those people make a formal complaint it won't bode well for any other planned races on roads in that area.

As for the relatively slow speed on Dorey's Forge, yes I believe it was largely down to negative riding. There is no solution to that, as such, but the group would be a safer place to be in those circumstance if the people slowing by the second on the front acknowledge to themselves that their hopes of winning the race from the front are becoming more unrealistic with every increasingly strained pedal stroke. Continuing to block those behind when you are crumbling will not get you the win, it just increases the risk of a crash - it's certainly not always easy to get out of the way of someone behind but a willingness to try would be a good start.

And as for getting to the front at the start of the climb, as I mentioned in my post I went to the front before the turn off for Dorey's Forge with that in mind. I got a bit swamped coming into the turn but the numbers immediately in front of me after the turn were small enough that I hoped we could keep the pace up towards the climb and keep things thinned out a bit as it currently was. But within metres of having taken the turn a number of people on the front eased off completely, the pace dropped, more people swarmed to the front and the bunch was quickly the full width of the road and the only opportunity to get to the front again was to risk going up on the edge of the right-most ditch on a road with many blind bends. Sod that, to be honest, I have a family that I want to get home to in one piece without the front grill of a car stamped on my chest.

There are risks in bike racing, there is little that you can do about some of them, bad stuff sometimes just happens. But choosing to stay on the wrong side of the road is a conscious decision that creates additional risk where it needn't exist. We all have a responsibility towards each other in a race, not just to ourselves, I wish more people would bear that in mind when they are weighing up the benefits to themselves of sticking to the wrong side of the road.

And yes, there was a lack of shouting about potholes and the like from the front too, and there is no good reason for that either. I can understand some riders simply being too knackered to point stuff out but when not one of a dozen or more riders make an effort to shout or point that's a real issue.

Harrybelafonte

Doozerie, your comments re the danger of the ROTR breaking are spot on and exactly what a number of us brought up last year after some bad crashes as a result of swerving to avoid cars. Like I said above, I think we might end up with a ban on road races and be stuck riding crits in industrial estates. (I think the bunch were lucky that Bus Éireann driver pulled in for them too tbh).

As for negative racing, it's A4, we're not all very experienced nor nuanced and those slow bits at the front are going to happen I think. Sometimes it's a tactic sometimes it's a misjudgement. I found myself passing people on that climb which really shouldn't happen, but they were definitely suffering rather than playing a tactical game. The last turn off from the trim road was a bit stupid though, I agree. I'd presume that was a deliberate slow for sprint as usual.

Re shouting, I had more abuse shouted at me than road danger warnings. Such is the way of things this year. The lack of warnings was an issue in Ned Flanagan too.