Drogheda Race weekend 16/17 April

wav1

Drogheda Wheelers present a huge weekend of road racing for all

Ras na N'og 2 day 3 stage race for youths
HQ Bellewstown Racecourse Pre entry only droghedawheelers.ie
Stage 1 Sat 10.30am
Stage 2 Sat 2.00pm
Stage 3 Sun 10.00am

Peter Bidwell Memorial Race Sat 16th @5.30pm
8 x laps of the usual undulating 6.4km circuit
Sign on Security building Drogheda Retail Pk from 3.30
Handicap race with unplaced prizes for all cats
Presentation Thatch Bar Donore Rd Drogheda

Coombes Connor Memorial Races Sun 17th
Sign on and Hq Bellewstown Racecourse
A4 race sign on from 10am for 11.30 start
14k lap x 4 laps 56km.[prizes for A4 race will be presented at podium at finish line at approx. 1.20pm]

A1 Race sign on from 11am 9xlaps 126k departing racecourse at 1pm neutralised to circuit for 1.15 [rolling]start
A2 Race sign on from 11am 7 x laps 98km departing racecourse at 1.03pm neutralised to circuit [rolling]start
A3/J race sign on from 11am 6 x laps 84km departing racecourse at 1.06 pm neutralised to circuit for [rolling] start
Final presentation in Bellewstown Racecourse

wav1

Following a lot of enquiries just to confirm that a separate A2 race will happen on Sunday.I know we are up against Nenagh but I am confident that we will have enough A1s on the day..Separate races as arranged will go ahead.

aworthycause

Thanks Wav1 - I hope you're right. The racing is best for everyone when the categories are separate. Thanks to all for putting on what looks a great weekend.

manwithaplan

I like a bit of both to be honest. The A2 only racing has been good and it certainly serves the broader purpose of evening out the numbers across the cats and filling in the substantial gap in standard between A3 and A1. It has allowed the likes of me to be competitive (if not hugely successful!). A bit of being thrown in with the big boys is OK too, if only to dampen any illusions we have about ourselves. It's nice to get a taste (however brief) of top class domestic racing.

I think it's really good of wav1 to offer assurances about there being an A2 only race because it's certainly a factor for many in deciding whether to show up, particularly when there is a broader programme of racing being offered by Drogheda Wheelers and others this weekend. People don't like to fetch up and find out they are unexpectedly in with the A1s but it's also about what's realistic on the day. Even if there were to be major problems with numbers (which would only be in the case of really ****e weather or something - this is usually a very well supported race), hopefully they would give us a bit of a lead we could defend for a while - this made for good racing at Clonard a few weeks ago.

killalanerr

I know the vist Nenagh people will be on to me. But no.The package would have to be very impressive to sway me away for this event .

There are a few reasons for this firstly the fact that team wav baby sat me around the Gorey a few weeks ago where I got the full Gorey experience crash and all, Also the fact that the Saturday event remembers one of my old buddies from my first time round in cycling

But seriously always a top event ran by one of the sports stalwarts

easygoing39

Whats the lap like,any hills or drag's??

Inquitus

easygoing39 wrote: »

Whats the lap like,any hills or drag's??

The Sat race takes it's toll it's up and down for most of the lap and a real savage hard mans circuit imo, each lap just takes a bit more out of the legs.

The Sun race is probably the flattest I have raced in Ireland, it's super fast and very enjoyable.

wav1

135 youths signed up for Ras na N'og part of the weekend
Promises to be a great spectacle.Stage 1 Sat morning on a 1.8 k circuit with 60 in the U16 race should be great
Anyway alls in place and we are good to go with the full programme.Unfortunate to be up against Nenagh but I'm confident we will have good size fields all the same.Horses for courses etc.

manwithaplan

If you enjoy Saturday, you can go back later in the year for the Brendan Campbell. 13 laps of the circuit. By the end of it, you won't know your own name.

Inquitus

manwithaplan wrote: »

If you enjoy Saturday, you can go back later in the year for the Brendan Campbell. 13 laps of the circuit. By the end of it, you won't know your own name.

And don't forget the excellent Mark Mullen League in the Summer 6 Laps on a Monday night for 6 weeks, and some real quality racing to be had.

Marq-dublin

Quick one for Wav1 , are the A2's getting a head start tomorrow over the A1 group?

wav1

It is envisaged that each of the 4 senior cats will start on their own [ie 4 x groups]
Time gaps to be determined by the strength in depth and amounts in each category.

Marq-dublin

Thanks wav

wav1

Day 1 down
170 youth riders in the end and a great 2 stages from them today.
100 in Senior race tonight and well done to the 3 A2 riders who took their chance and beat the handicaper

wirelessdude01

Any results?

wav1

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Any results?

www.stickybottle.com

lennymc

Did the a4 race this morning. enjoyed it but got caught up in a crash about 1.5 km to go. No damage to me or bike so all good.

Inquitus

lennymc wrote: »

Did the a4 race this morning. enjoyed it but got caught up in a crash about 1.5 km to go. No damage to me or bike so all good.

You managed to downgrade from A3 to A4 Lenny?

lennymc

Inquitus wrote: »

You managed to downgrade from A3 to A4 Lenny?

Yeah. Applied to grading officer before the change.

Inquitus

lennymc wrote: »

Yeah. Applied to grading officer before the change.

Thanks Lenny, I spend half my life away with work, could do with a downgrade myself.

Eamonnator

lennymc wrote: »

Did the a4 race this morning. enjoyed it but got caught up in a crash about 1.5 km to go. No damage to me or bike so all good.

No need to worry about the Skyways or Swords lads.
As long as you're OK.

lennymc

Eamonnator wrote: »

No need to worry about the Skyways or Swords lads.
As long as you're OK.

I cant comment on them as I am not them. I did hear everyone got up, and I was speaking from my perspective, which is the only perspective I can speak from.

Derrydingle

Was there a large amount in the a4 race today?

easygoing39

Derrydingle wrote: »

Was there a large amount in the a4 race today?

At the racecourse we were told there was 100 and to obey the rules of the road.

Derrydingle

Most of the a4 races this season all seem to be around the 100 mark or over

happyhappy

I was lucky to be on the very front at the time of the crash in the A4, the sound behind me was horrific to be honest.

The flip side to being on the front and missing the crash was that it wrecked my plans for the sprint - I'm still wondering how I managed to mess up that badly, I rolled in behind the sprinting group.

Good race today, fast flat circuit and well marshalled.

The only negative today was the clown who got on the front a few times and started waving his arms around like he was nibali or contador halfway up alpe d' huez

Watching too much television!

manwithaplan

Thanks wav and all the Drogheda Wheelers crew today. Really good job and thought the off-course start worked very well, even though I was cursing it on the climb back up afterwards!

padjo5

manwithaplan wrote: »

Thanks wav and all the Drogheda Wheelers crew today. Really good job and thought the off-course start worked very well, even though I was cursing it on the climb back up afterwards!

Well done today. Would you prefer we moved the finish up the hill.......

manwithaplan

Jesus no!

Zippe

wav1 wrote: »

Drogheda Wheelers present a huge weekend of road racing for all

Ras na N'og 2 day 3 stage race for youths
HQ Bellewstown Racecourse Pre entry only droghedawheelers.ie
Stage 1 Sat 10.30am
Stage 2 Sat 2.00pm
Stage 3 Sun 10.00am

Peter Bidwell Memorial Race Sat 16th @5.30pm
8 x laps of the usual undulating 6.4km circuit
Sign on Security building Drogheda Retail Pk from 3.30
Handicap race with unplaced prizes for all cats
Presentation Thatch Bar Donore Rd Drogheda

Coombes Connor Memorial Races Sun 17th
Sign on and Hq Bellewstown Racecourse
A4 race sign on from 10am for 11.30 start
14k lap x 4 laps 56km.[prizes for A4 race will be presented at podium at finish line at approx. 1.20pm]

A1 Race sign on from 11am 9xlaps 126k departing racecourse at 1pm neutralised to circuit for 1.15 [rolling]start
A2 Race sign on from 11am 7 x laps 98km departing racecourse at 1.03pm neutralised to circuit [rolling]start
A3/J race sign on from 11am 6 x laps 84km departing racecourse at 1.06 pm neutralised to circuit for [rolling] start
Final presentation in Bellewstown Racecourse

Hey,

Well done to Ger and all @ Drogheda Wheelers on a great weekend of racing, very well ran event and very well Marshalled, I was up with the youths for the weekend and they are already talking about going up again next year, see ye all again for Ras Na Nog 2017,

Cheers zip

easygoing39

@ lennymc,any link to hollywood pictures for any more pic's of the 2nd crash??

The Flying Vet

Well run race with good marshalling. Was lucky to just avoid both crashes, can't do much about those. Neutralised start good idea if it was kept properly neutralised....crashes and all the hairiest part of the day was going down that hill towards start!!!

happyhappy

The Flying Vet wrote: »

Well run race with good marshalling. Was lucky to just avoid both crashes, can't do much about those. Neutralised start good idea if it was kept properly neutralised....crashes and all the hairiest part of the day was going down that hill towards start!!!

Was some craic wasn't it! Down a narrow hill going against all the traffic coming up the hill to sign on for the other races!

Vincenzo Nibbly

Thanks to the organisers, marshals & medics for a very, very well run A4 race on Sunday, and the best moto marshalling I've seen. Those lads were slick.

But the way a small % of lads in the A4 pack conduct themselves is a proper let-down. I know this has been said before ad nauseum on this forum, but the message doesn't seem to be reaching enough of them. There needs to be an increase of enforcement of the pre-race threats.

It's a sh1tty move to endanger the rest of the pack because you've decided the best place to move up is over the solid white line approaching a blind feckin bend. Lads flinging gel wrappers all over the place like they're on the limit in a 100km breakaway. Put the thing back in your pocket - you were able to reach in for it. I saw one lad fling his wrapper without looking and hit another rider with it. Gobsh1te!

I hope everyone involved in the two crashes isn't too banjaxed this morning.

killalanerr

padjo5 wrote: »

Well done today. Would you prefer we moved the finish up the hill.......

I don't know Mwp, it would suit you !

Homer1798

That black junior number in the photo is the 16 year old girl from Donegal who got taken down. Shame as I heard she was well able to handle the racing.

manwithaplan

killalanerr wrote: »

I don't know Mwp, it would suit you !

Didn't you know I have reinvented myself as a flat track bully

monstermiler

happyhappy wrote: »

I was lucky to be on the very front at the time of the crash in the A4, the sound behind me was horrific to be honest.

The flip side to being on the front and missing the crash was that it wrecked my plans for the sprint - I'm still wondering how I managed to mess up that badly, I rolled in behind the sprinting group.

Good race today, fast flat circuit and well marshalled.

The only negative today was the clown who got on the front a few times and started waving his arms around like he was nibali or contador halfway up alpe d' huez

Watching too much television!

Yer man wasn't a square wheeler by any chance?

happyhappy

monstermiler wrote: »

Yer man wasn't a square wheeler by any chance?

No not a square wheeler, a Dublin based club. I won't narrow it down, he was told by a few on the road what we thought so its probably unfair to identify him here.

He was very flappy though!

Spokes of Glory

Vincenzo Nibbly wrote: »

Lads flinging gel wrappers all over the place like they're on the limit in a 100km breakaway. Put the thing back in your pocket - you were able to reach in for it. I saw one lad fling his wrapper without looking and hit another rider with it. Gobsh1te!

This is becoming a scourge at all events, including sportives. The local residents of popular circuits and the wider general public are getting (rightly) p1ssed off at the ignorance displayed by such littering, and it doesn't help our public image at all to see a trail of gel wrappers on the roads in the aftermath of an event.

I've already written to one club about their riders' behaviour in this regard, and I'd encourage everybody to note numbers and report abusers to commissars.

Spokes

manwithaplan

Yeah - why should I have congealed sugar all down my leg or in my jersey pocket while others stay fresh.