Waller Cup 24/04/16

CramCycle

Anyone heading to it? Trying to get out but wondering is anyone here heading up for the A4 race.

Sarz91

CramCycle wrote: »

Anyone heading to it? Trying to get out but wondering is anyone here heading up for the A4 race.

I'll hopefully make it out for the A4 race. Is it the same route as last year's? Seems pan flat. Probably make for dangerous racing.

Derrydingle

I think the route is the same as last year which is very flat

JK.BMC

Yes, long-standing fixture in the calendar, on a famously flat circuit, with a 300 uphill chute to the finish.
It can't be any more dangerous than any other year? With a stiff north wind forecast, it is surely ideal for attack-attack-attack all day, especially for the A4 race, especially on the crosswind rolling twisty road at the north end of the route.
And hands up all ye A4 designated sprinters? If you are not in the top 10 at the final 90 degree left turn, you aint gonna win, so chillax and stop ending up in ditches

Hmmzis

Heading over for this. For people like me who are going to this race for the first time - it's the community centre in Neillstown near Bohermeen itself, not the one in Navan that Google shows as the first result when searching for 'Bohermeen Community Centre'.

wav1

Hmmzis wrote: »

Heading over for this. For people like me who are going to this race for the first time - it's the community centre in Neillstown near Bohermeen itself, not the one in Navan that Google shows as the first result when searching for 'Bohermeen Community Centre'.

Its on the road between main entrance to Tara Mines and Bohermeen..Address known locally as the New Line

eeeee

I'm in too. Never done it before so it'll be interesting!

No club jersey, my sewing machine packed in halfway through putting a new zip in :mad:

lennymc

gadetra wrote: »

I'm in too. Never done it before so it'll be interesting!

No club jersey, my sewing machine packed in halfway through putting a new zip in :mad:

Tub or clincher zip?

Enjoy. I'm saving myself for mondello on Tuesday

Sarz91

Thanks to Bohermeen CC for putting on the event. Punctured twice in the A4 race and called it a day. A whole heap of lads crossing over the white line to move up. It's infuriating. The rest of us who abide by the rules struggle to make up positions while these lads just saunter on up to the front when the group slows due to corners etc....

sullzz

Sarz91 wrote: »

Thanks to Bohermeen CC for putting on the event. Punctured twice in the A4 race and called it a day. A whole heap of lads crossing over the white line to move up. It's infuriating. The rest of us who abide by the rules struggle to make up positions while these lads just saunter on up to the front when the group slows due to corners etc....

Punctured myself in the A4 race at the 30km mark , bit of a walk back to the car as I forgot to bring my spare tube and pump

eeeee

lennymc wrote: »

Tub or clincher zip?

Enjoy. I'm saving myself for mondello on Tuesday

Clincher zip :pac: Gonna have to get it in some sort of order before Tuesday (Corkagh) or Wednesday (Track league).

That was a great race. Fast, fast, fast. The first lap was so quick, from the gun. I thought about going early, tried to, didn't get too far off the front. Second lap was also quick, then it settled in the third lap. The fourth lap was a bit pedestrian, no one wanted to go until the end. Was a slow enough run into the end, two women got a gap and kept it just about ahead of us in the bunch and they got first and second fair play to them. I had a good line to the last corner and came in tenth I think, but was swinging off the back all day being a bit nervous of the bunch which was safe and ended up wasting a hape of energy! No crashes, good hard racing. I was delighted we never got caught by the A1/2/3's, apparently it's not nice!

There were plenty of gel wrappers fcuked onto the road. Why????? It's vile. Absolutely no justification for it, I was shocked by it to be honest, everyone takes their rubbish home with them from track.

dragratchet

gadetra wrote: »

There were plenty of gel wrappers fcuked onto the road. Why????? It's vile. Absolutely no justification for it, I was shocked by it to be honest, everyone takes their rubbish home with them from track.

yep, saw a good few gel wrappers getting chucked by lads in a3. like you said, there's no justification, stick them up your jerseys when you've had em. its not like your not going to wash the thing anyway.

CramCycle

Missed today as I was called in last minute to dehorn calves in Longford. A little disappointed as there are few weekends I am free for racing.

dragratchet wrote: »

yep, saw a good few gel wrappers getting chucked by lads in a3. like you said, there's no justification, stick them up your jerseys when you've had em. its not like your not going to wash the thing anyway.

Probably not the thread for it but it's probably time for a big info drive from CI to how this is ****Ish behaviour. Have heard comms mention it before some races, not sure if it happens at everyone though.

Plastik

First time doing this race. Thanks to Bohermeen for putting it on. Flat, fast and dull A3 race where it was fairly obvious from early on that there was nothing going to be let away because of an utterly featureless parcours. Does this race tend to finish in a sprint finish every year? Not sure I'd mark it into my calendar in future. Must have been the sketchiest riding I've personally seen in an A3 bunch all year too.

Other than that, well marshalled, well signed, no problem with traffic and nice weather

eeeee

Plastik wrote: »

First time doing this race. Thanks to Bohermeen for putting it on. Flat, fast and dull A3 race where it was fairly obvious from early on that there was nothing going to be let away because of an utterly featureless parcours. Does this race tend to finish in a sprint finish every year? Not sure I'd mark it into my calendar in future. Must have been the sketchiest riding I've personally seen in an A3 bunch all year too.

Different strokes for different folks. I loved the parcours. Not everyone's a mountain goat

Agreed the marshalling and organisation was top notch.

07Lapierre

Really enjoyed this race! But I do think the number of riders should be capped. I wonder how many signed on for the A4 race?
( If you were at the back at the very start, it was almost impossible to move up without crossing the centre line)

Well done BohermeenCC! Very well organised race.

Derrydingle

07Lapierre wrote:

Really enjoyed this race! But I do think the number of riders should be capped. I wonder how many signed on for the A4 race? ( If you were at the back at the very start, it was almost impossible to move up without crossing the centre line)

All the a4 races this season so far that I seen had silly and dangerous numbers in them

Green&Red

I signed on 45 mins before the start and there were 120 at that stage apparently.

Great marshalling and set up but a horrible route for so many riders, absolutely nothing to break it up

ht9zni1gs28crp

In the A4 myself, decently behaved bunch, I tried a couple of times off the front but there is always a flat merchant dragging it all back. Great local race for me, yes its flat but a welcome break after the likes of Stamullen etc.. In a good position at end up into the hill but a rider swung across into my patch and had to take to the grass....

I and few others did find ourselves roaring at a Headstrong Club cyclist, 2nd lap, gel out of pocket, sucked and thrown aside in the most 'I watch too much pro cycling on TV' style you ever saw. It is simply disgusting.

Someone from Headstrong if your reading this you really really really need to have words with your 'pros'

and as for the near 'fisticuffs' well that provided as much entertainment as anything

DKmac

Green&Red wrote: »

I signed on 45 mins before the start and there were 120 at that stage apparently.

Great marshalling and set up but a horrible route for so many riders, absolutely nothing to break it up

Not an easy course to marshall as narrow roads made the opportunities to move up limited but in the A4 at one point the moto-marshall who was putting manners on a Lucan rider for crossing the line decided to cross the line into the bunch himself and sat there for a good minute or two. I know he has to lay down the law but actually placing himself in the bunch is just dangerous and irresponsible.

Taxuser1

Green&Red wrote: »

I signed on 45 mins before the start and there were 120 at that stage apparently.

Great marshalling and set up but a horrible route for so many riders, absolutely nothing to break it up

A1s was won from a small break

A2s was won from a small break

Maybe it's the riders not the course.

Hmmzis

Taxuser1 wrote: »

Green&Red wrote: »

I signed on 45 mins before the start and there were 120 at that stage apparently.

Great marshalling and set up but a horrible route for so many riders, absolutely nothing to break it up

A1s was won from a small break

A2s was won from a small break

Maybe it's the riders not the course.

The A1 break was caught with half a lap to go. The gap never went out to more than 50 seconds. UCD were happy to shut everything down as they had Richardson in the break. ASEA were drilling the front in the last two laps and brought the break back. If UCD wouldn't have policed everything that tried to move from the bunch the break would have come back rather quickly.

CramCycle

That is a huge part of racing though, the tactics. Nice to see it.

ragazzo

Taxuser1 wrote: »

A1s was won from a small break

A2s was won from a small break

Maybe it's the riders not the course.

A1 race had 3 riders leading, then 1 rider at about 10 bike lengths followed by a small chasing bunch at about 10 seconds.
A2 race had a break of 8 or 9 riders.

Both A1 and A2 races started with small compact bunches making it easier to race for those inclined to try. A break stayed away in each race although by a very slim margin in A1, our top ranked riders.
A3 and A4 had huge bunches to start. Of course, this is usually necessary to fund the days events and to make sure of an adequate prize fund for the higher category winners.
Unfortunately, this leads to a situation where it is sometimes difficult to see your race efforts paying dividends as the sheer size of the bunch means that there is always a few spare tow trucks available to negate any breakaway attempts. Unless one sits in the first 15 riders all day they may not even see the front of the long snaking bunch as it meanders its way across the bogroads of Bohermeen or other such exotic locations.
Then there are riders who use up much of their energy worrying about the next crash and when it will inevitably happen. One also has to ride very carefully to avoid slipping on the professionally discarded gel wrappers. These are reasonably demanding jobs for many of the A3 and A4 riders sitting in a compact group of 140/150 riders on narrow country roads where you cross the white centre line at risk of extermination.
Oh for the pleasure of a handy A1 or A2 race on a sunny day in Bohermeen with no need to waste nervous energy and the chance of undisturbed free movement within the small bunch.

I am fairly sure that whilst a break did not succeed in the A3 or A4 races in Bohermeen yesterday that it was not due to lack of effort on many riders behalf. There will always be a segment of riders who sit in all day. Some may be merely scrubbers waiting on their chance of a prize whilst others may be hanging on for dear life and just trying to finish.

No doubt that both races finished with bunches far smaller than what had set out from the start area a number of hours earlier.

From the sideline I salute all those who raced yesterday, irrespective of grade or status.
Bravo and thanks for the entertainment.

killalanerr

In spite of the fact that I was going pure **** I still managed to get off the front a few times yesterday I also done my bit in chasing down the brake (A2) I definitely got my €15 worth, point being the riders make the race. Coffee and cake to finish sure where would you get it

joe50

killalanerr wrote: »

point being the riders make the race

completely agree... if you have the legs to finish in the bunch.. then you have the legs to go off the front and blow up... this nonsense with complaining about the course terrain is precisely that... nonsense

wav1

Agree totally that its the riders who make the races,not the parcours.If you remember a year ago guys were talking about the ''flat easy''ras that was coming up.Stage 5 47k in first hour 48k in second hour.Yep easy peasy.Was driving very close to the A1 race all day yesterday and the ASEA tactics or lack of dumbfounded me.They could have closed down that break in half a lap at any stage yesterday and then spring a rider or two up the road but for whatever reason it didn't happen.Their star man spent most of the day sitting at the back looking very uninterested,or maybe with one eye on TOU next week.

07Lapierre

Rider numbers capped at 80. It'll be interesting to hear what people think of this race...

http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=2057590027

happyhappy

07Lapierre wrote: »

Rider numbers capped at 80. It'll be interesting to hear what people think of this race...

http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=2057590027

I presume this is targeted at A4 and to a lesser extent at A3 where breaks generally can stay away more often.

Personally I don't see the need for it. I have done 6 A4 races this year where more than 100 signed on including 136 (I think) in slane.

4 of these were flatish where the bunch 'stayed together'. However over 100 did not finish in the bunch in any of the races, a look back at strava flyby shows up to 25%in some cases have lost contact in the last lap. In one race the bunch spilt with approx 50 left in front. The 2 crashes which have happened in the 6 races occurred in the final 5k and still happened with the bunch reduced down from dropping riders.

My point being that starting with 80 and finishing with 50-60, or starting with 100 and finishing with 65-80 will not stop the potential for crashing at A4.
There are other issues which contribute to that.

ht9zni1gs28crp

happyhappy has a point...

and I think those that are strong in A4 should soon realise that an concerted effort up front should split that group in half. Look at Stamullen, 25 riders away leaving a cull of 100 riders in game over territory on first lap up Snowtown.

Strava fly by does show exactly how many are just hanging on...

anyways, summer is coming soon I think! That will herald a few people giving up, a few people going on holiday and a nicer batch of numbers racing...

sy

Some photos from A4 race on my Facebook page...not sure if I'm linking this correctly. I have photos from all the races so will link to them later..
https://www.facebook.com/seamus.yore/media_set?set=a.10208060134454691.1073741854.1639232094&type=3&pnref=story