Velo Club Balrothery Inaugural Sportive: 14 April

koutoubia

So Velo Club Balrothery are having our first sportive on Sunday 14 April.
Starting at Balbriggan Rugby Club ,just across the road from The Balrothery Inn
https://goo.gl/maps/MTo2ZpFbnFA2
at 09.30.
Entry fee will be E20 payable on the day.

There will be 2 routes.
Long Route will be 81km with 733 mtrs of climbing according to Ride with GPS.

Short Route will be 53km with 367 mtrs of climbing according to Ride with GPS.

Both routes will the same route until 41km mark where the short route will head back to Balrothery and the long route will head uphill.

I will link routes in the next few days.

Any questions fire away.

Thanks.

Wishbone Ash

koutoubia wrote: »

....Any questions fire away...

Why is the 'long' route only 81k?

If I'm not working, I'll be there. Good luck with it.

koutoubia

Long route is only 81km because we don't believe we have the manpower to run a longer route.
We are still a small club and even getting this off the ground is a challenge due to many obstacles both foreseen and unforseen to date.
Thanks for your wishes.

koutoubia

We actually had to tone it back..we were touching 900 at one point but safety and marshalling had to take priority.

billyhead

Count me in. Looking forward to it.

triggermortis

I’ll be there if I’m not working or away

Wishbone Ash

Just realised it's the day after the Donegal Bay Sportive but I'll try to fit it in.

koutoubia

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Just realised it's the day after the Donegal Bay Sportive but I'll try to fit it in.

Sure cycle up and back. No bother to ya...that new bike needs to be broken in anyway.

detones

Is it true VCB has some of Ireland's best looking and modest lads in the club?

koutoubia

Holy Jaysus...... No wonder you have a man cave...The missus just cant listen to you anymore.

Corker1

Excellent! I have put this in my diary. Looking forward to a nice loop around NCD. I haven't cycled out that way in a while. I hope to bring along a few friends from West Wicklow too.

Wishbone Ash

Corker1 wrote: »

... Looking forward to a nice loop around NCD. .

I'd imagine to find 750m in 80k, there will be an incursion into south Co Meath for the joys of Bellewstown, Snowtown etc.

koutoubia

We have avoided Snowtown and approaching Bellewstown a different way.
Hopefully I will be getting to do the full route tomorrow and then link it here.

magicbastarder

There's an outside chance I can make this. Do you need CI membership to take part?

koutoubia

magicbastarder wrote: »

There's an outside chance I can make this. Do you need CI membership to take part?

One day licences should be available on the day!

Harrybelafonte

Awesome! I’m in.

koutoubia

Long Route.
We changed it to include some extra climbing.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2172154248/segments/54792402976

koutoubia

Short Route:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2143384337

Beasty

Presumably mudguards are compulsory?



:P

koutoubia

Cheeky.








By mid April the mudguards should well and truly put away!

Beasty

Methinks you may have just jinxed your event!!

koutoubia

We are harder then that over here. None of this soft Yorkshire cricket nonsense for us.

Mercian Pro

koutoubia wrote: »

Long Route.
We changed it to include some extra climbing.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2172154248/segments/54792402976

I presume you considered heading out by Man O'War rather than the R132. It's a much quieter road and would add a bit more climbing.



Great to have another early season sportif in NCD. Looking forward to it.

magicbastarder

i see you're taking in the mall climb; it's one of the climbs i really enjoy out that direction, and weirdly, have just noticed that i'm #2 on the boards leaderboard on.

was filthy today though.

Beasty

koutoubia wrote: »

We are harder then that over here. None of this soft Yorkshire cricket nonsense for us.

Try saying that to Brian Close or Freddie Trueman…..

koutoubia

Beasty wrote: »

Try saying that to Brian Close or Freddie Trueman…..

Are they cyclist from Skerries?
Havent heard of them.

koutoubia

magicbastarder wrote: »

i see you're taking in the mall climb; it's one of the climbs i really enjoy out that direction, and weirdly, have just noticed that i'm #2 on the boards leaderboard on.

was filthy today though.

Its a nasty little kicker as is Carnes Hill to Bellewstown. My Garmin gave a reading of 14% at one stage on it.

We are thinking that for those doing any major climbing in the summer (WW200 etc) its a perfect Spring tester!

koutoubia

Mercian Pro wrote: »

I presume you considered heading out by Man O'War rather than the R132. It's a much quieter road and would add a bit more climbing.

It was another jct or 3 that we would have had to worry about with an already stretched marshalling qouta.

rollingscone

I'll be away sadly. Would like to have been around to support a new club/make up for all the curse related suffering inflicted on Koutoubia.

Would be a solid 140km for me too.

koutoubia

linky to routes....
https://www.facebook.com/events/2249161558676257/permalink/2264396963819383/?notif_t=page_post_reaction&notif_id=1552920817341959

koutoubia

Dont forget this is happening this Sunday!

koutoubia

...oh and sign on is form 08.30!

Mercian Pro

Great event despite that wind and an early puncture. Thanks and well done to all involved in organising, marshalling, food etc. Looking forward to seeing the photos.

magicbastarder

Yeah, that was a windy day for it. Didn't make it myself unfortunately but passed a few people on it out near Garristown.

Wishbone Ash

Really enjoyed that. Excellent route full of twists and turns with no long boring segments. Whoever planned it certainly managed to get plenty of climbing into a relatively short route. Thanks to all involved.

triggermortis

Fairly tough day given the wind. Missed a turn somewhere around Stamullem but got back on track easily enough. Had a group of 4 that worked fairly well most of the way round. Had to head off soon after finishing, but my legs are feeling it now....

koutoubia

Thanks lads.
It was a learning curve for us and it only means that we can learn from it and make it better next year.
Route wise : we wanted to make it interesting rather then making it lenghty ie trying to make it 100km for the sake of it. Hopefully we got somewhere near that.

Thanks to everyone who showed up and for your support.
Myself and detones and the other organisers deffo appreiated it.
A special thanks to Harry Belafonte form this parish for going out of his way to come up and help out. Every helping hand counted yesterday.
Thanks again.

Harrybelafonte

Glad to help out, K.

Congrats to all who undertook that day. I was on what I think was the first corner off the main road and everyone looked to have already had enough of the wind by then. Glad everyone enjoyed it.

triggermortis

Is there anywhere to view the photos taken on the day?

koutoubia

I will ask tomorrow when they are going up.

koutoubia

Pics up......
https://www.facebook.com/veloclubbalrothery/posts/1069281756529063?notif_id=1555419878614072&notif_t=page_post_reaction

lledlledlled

Hi all, sounds like a great event. Any details on the 2020 plan?

koutoubia

Yep.
Same routes as they seemed to go down well.
Just need to nail down a date.We were looking at a similar date but wont confirm it!