Balbriggan Race Weekend

Inquitus

Good racing today, nice to be racing that course again, really is a great circuit. Decent performance, bunch of PR's on the Nags Head climb so defo coming into some good form now, roll on next week.

Thanks to Balbriggan CC for a well organised event, had to leave right after due to Mothers day duties, so didn't get to check out the cake selection!

Harrybelafonte

Great marshalling. Some A4s acting the twats as usual on oitside of white line. Beeping from comms, which seemed to bring it around. I drifted off the back on nags head and fought to get on again, which I did by blake's cross with a few others. Drifted off more seriously the second time around, but managed to catch a small group who I finally managed to sort out my pace with and struggled on and lost it on the climb again. Not sure I could have dug any deeper on the climb. Couldn't string a sentence together at the end.

maloner

Punctured. Boo.

07Lapierre

Pity about all the gel wrappers strewn along the circuit!! Grrrrr!

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Couldn't string a sentence together at the end.

Excellent - that's what the circuit is deigned for - glad you made the most of it:pac:

Harrybelafonte

Beasty wrote: »

Excellent - that's what the circuit is deigned for - glad you made the most of it:pac:

Well, I fell off the back and bonked last year, so something has changed anyway.

Beasty

07Lapierre wrote: »

Pity about all the gel wrappers strewn along the circuit!! Grrrrr!

That's a shame - couldn't see any on the circuit yesterday (and there was a clear warning handed out pre-race) - possibly something to do with my eyesight at present, although I would presume there were many more racing today and the longer races may encourage more of it

MarkG1975

Great weekend racing, Two good fast and tough races in a3, well organised and marshalled cheers to all concerned

greenmat

Many thanks Balbriggan CC for a great race weekend. Actually had a word with comms before the A4 race to mention about the gel wrappers as I know my club have a bit of a battle at present to offer races in NCD so every little bit helps. Excellent marshaling on a great circuit, great to be back on it. Just missed out on the placing, about 12th, not too far off, happy enough on a tough course.

Also very poignant moment as all the racers passing Joe McNally's home on way to start, a day he would have very much enjoyed and been part of. Had a quick word with his brother who was doing his usual great job as motorbike outrider.

Arthurdaly

A tough day on the bike, its a great course and on each lap you get that feeling in your stomach about how hard the previous nags was, just hoping it will be a bit easier, alas no its actually tougher! No fear of a dangerous bunch sprint today.

Thanks to Balbriggan CC - Great race and incident free as far as I saw.

07Lapierre

Beasty wrote: »

That's a shame - couldn't see any on the circuit yesterday (and there was a clear warning handed out pre-race) - possibly something to do with my eyesight at present, although I would presume there were many more racing today and the longer races may encourage more of it

I saw a few lads chuck their gel wrappers into the ditch. As a local myself, it was very disappointing to see. Great race though.

wav1

Well done Balbriggan.Great job done under duress

duffyshuffle

Great race and course, really well run, lasted a bit longer with the A3s but there seemed to be a good few bunches on the road every time we went up the Nags!
Lots to learn every time you race!

Plastik

Great course, well marshalled, fine weather. Can't ask for much more than that. It's always disappointing to see someone toss a gel wrapper. I went one better and deposited a full bottle between Ballyboughal and Corduff :pac:

Enjoyed the A3 race. There was a bit of action towards the end when there were rumours through the bunch that we were catching the break ... but in the end all we caught was a group of A2 guys!

Koobcam

Good racing today, very nice circuit, I particularly liked the last bit after the right turn, very sadistic.

Beasty

Koobcam wrote: »

very sadistic.

Welcome to racing in Fingal:pac:

doozerie

I felt reasonably well organised ahead of today's race, I was going to get to bed early ahead of the hour change (didn't happen), I was going to get a decent night's sleep (didn't happen), I was going to leave home with plenty of time to spare (didn't happen), I wasn't going to get lost while driving out to it (did happen - "take junction 5 off the M1" I told myself repeatedly on the way, even as I took junction 5 off the M50. Two different motorways with a junction of the same number, who could have foreseen that?!...). If I say "I am a responsible adult" enough times in a row, that makes it true, right?

Anyway, I set off in the A4 group. First time up the climb I questioned whether my heart was going to exit my body in protest, whether I'd be blown out the back at any moment, why I was doing this race instead of sitting at home eating a comforting bucket of lard, etc. A UCD rider rode off the front early on in the climb. By the time we crested the climb a small group of us got a gap but not enough of us were willing to push the advantage so the bunch caught us very quickly. We then spent quite a while trying to catch the UCD rider, I think he was out there on his own for over a lap though I'm not entirely sure as I lost track. Very impressive riding though.

After the second time up the climb the bunch was still largely together it seemed, though perhaps with that sole rider up the road. We were all together as we hit the climb for the 3rd and final time. A number of people started flagging and I found myself in a group of 6 at the front, which was down to 5 as we crested the top and took the right turn for the 150m or so climb to the finish line. I was in 5th spot going into that last turn but managed to get past 2 of the others to take 3rd. I imagine I was pulling some ridiculous faces for those last few metres, if I scared any small children near the finish line then I apologise. It was won by the same UCD guy that had been away earlier, he really deserved the win.

Well done to the race organisers and those helping on the day, it was a very well run event and the cheers from lots of the marshals were a welcome encouragement on each lap. And thanks to smurphy29 for what must be the most informative post I've seen ahead of any race - it gave all the details needed to know where the race would be, when, what the route was like, and how to get there (even if that last bit was ultimately wasted on me!).

doozerie

For me there was only one notable issue today and it had nothing whatsoever to do with the race itself or any aspect of the organisation, it was the actions of a single rider. Not far into the 3rd lap we passed out a few riders that had been dropped from the A3 race. One of those riders was God's Gift to irish cycling (that's a very long post, short version is that this guy has ably demonstrated himself to be an utterly egotistical, obnoxious, and aggressive git on a bike). I got a bit of a childish chuckle from seeing him dropped and being passed by "mere" A4's. I promptly forgot about him until, as we neared the turn for the final climb I saw him in the middle of our bunch. He was actively participating in the race, moving through the bunch and following wheels so basically taking wheels away from A4 riders. Why? I can think of various reasons but they all reflect poorly on him, boiling down to a fragile ego that can't accept being passed out by A4's.

Anyway, I rolled up beside him and told him he was in the wrong race. I've no idea what it was that he said in response, I really don't care, he was interfering with the race and he knew it and I simply wanted him to know that others were aware of it too. I'd like to think that might make him think twice the next time, but experience suggests it won't. It turns out he was being his usual aggressive self too, I learned later that he had shoved one of my club mates and then made contact with his front wheel, so not only was he interfering with the race he was also deliberately riding dangerously. Par for the course with God's Gift, it seems. I reported him at the end but I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done. Unless he can magically be made to grow up I can't see him behaving any differently in the future. Sad.

Inquitus

Well done Doozerie, I was at the front the first two times over the climb, feeling great, but tried to bridge to the 2 lads up the road coming into the climb the final time, got stuck in no mans land and burned all my matches, and rolled home 30th odd, live and learn.

smurphy29

Great race, fantastic circuit, well done to Balbriggan CC. Breakaway carried the day again in A3 and went very early, after one lap. Chase worked in fits and starts, don't think the break ever had a huge gap but they managed to hold it. It looked like we'd caught them at the foot of the last climb, but turned out to be a bunch of dropped A2s.

I was close to the front of the bunch to try and compete for the remaining places, probably a bit too far back, maybe 12th wheel and just couldn't accelerate up the final awful section. It's becoming clearer and clearer that outside of A4, bike racing is about managing the handful of explosive efforts required to make the difference between rolling over in 20th and getting in the places. More short, sharp interval sessions needed.

That circuit just feels really... fast! The Ballyboughal section is really, really fast, the road across to the main road is fast and then the main road is, well, pretty fast. 40kph average for our race, which is the fastest so far by a distance, and on a hilly route too.

Green&Red

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Great marshalling. Some A4s acting the twats as usual on oitside of white line. Beeping from comms, which seemed to bring it around. I drifted off the back on nags head and fought to get on again, which I did by blake's cross with a few others. Drifted off more seriously the second time around, but managed to catch a small group who I finally managed to sort out my pace with and struggled on and lost it on the climb again. Not sure I could have dug any deeper on the climb. Couldn't string a sentence together at the end.

I'd say I was in both those groups with you Harry, I was one of the Orwells, i struggled on the third lap and let the group go after the roundabout. We had used a lot getting back to the main group on the 2nd lap.

Harrybelafonte

Green&Red wrote: »

I'd say I was in both those groups with you Harry, I was one of the Orwells, i struggled on the third lap and let the group go after the roundabout. We had used a lot getting back to the main group on the 2nd lap.

Being honest with you I was suffering like crazy on the third lap and was barely holding on and kept losing the wheel in front which made it harder. The second lap wasn't too bad as we could see the bunch get closer and closer and I managed to move up near the front again, but third lap initial chase and then trying to stay with you guys, then the climb had me braindead by the finish. I was glad the Lucan guys controlled the bunch tbh cos I could barely think straight.

2Cando

Race report I wrote on the Ben McKenna Memorial A3 Race if anybody's interested!

http://markdonnellyorr.blogspot.ie/2014/03/ben-mckenna-memorial-race-a3-race.html

wav1

2Cando wrote: »

Race report I wrote on the Ben McKenna Memorial A3 Race if anybody's interested!

http://markdonnellyorr.blogspot.ie/2014/03/ben-mckenna-memorial-race-a3-race.html

Enjoyed the read but if you were ''caught'' with your arms in the position they are in pulling along the peleton there would have been problems.Comms on the lookout for that kind of stuff this yr.

2Cando

I didn't realise you weren't allowed to get into that aero position. Is it in the technical rules handbook?

Harrybelafonte

2Cando wrote: »

I didn't realise you weren't allowed to get into that aero position. Is it in the technical rules handbook?

We had it specifically mentioned before the A4 start, don't know if A3's got the same speech.

Beasty

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

We had it specifically mentioned before the A4 start, don't know if A3's got the same speech.

Everyone got it

lennymc

2Cando wrote: »

I didn't realise you weren't allowed to get into that aero position. Is it in the technical rules handbook?

Its a position in which you are a lot more likely to loose control of the bike should you hit a pot hole or be unable to react should the need arise. They recommend hand on the hoods, or gripping the bars with a good solid grip. Either should be just as aero but a hell of a lot safer for you and the riders around you

well done on the blog and the race.

Harrybelafonte

Just saw the photos on Sticky Bottle. Glad that little hill looks as steep as it felt on the Saturday.

ht9zni1gs28crp

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Just saw the photos on Sticky Bottle. Glad that little hill looks as steep as it felt on the Saturday.

I thought exactly the same!! Glad it wasn't just me! What cat where you in? I was in the A4 bunch. Went off at pace allright!