Sportives 2022

Johnners1878

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119067101#Comment_119067101

Glad you enjoyed it BB - the feedback was good, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. See if you can spot yourself - lots of pics on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057546845598

a_shed

I have a ticket for sale for the Ring of Beara - Saturday 28th May at 08:00, Kenmare start/finish - 60 euro.

no word on the Great Dublin Bike Ride this year, it's on the cycling Ireland calander, but nothing on the website.

While, it was far from perfect, one of the few I could cycle to and home from. I think the route needed work, but it's a pity all the same, especially considering there was talk of a Great Belfast Bike Ride a few years ago

If there is anyone going down to Kenmare for the ring of Beara this weekend and is stuck for a place to stay, DM me. One of our group has dropped out so I’ve a spare room in a lovely Airbnb about 2km outside kenmare.

hesker

Weather forecast for ROB. Life doesn’t get any better than this. (In Ireland anyway 😊)

Seth Brundle

It is a similar forecast for Conamara on Sat 😀

dinneenp

Hi all,

1 ticket for https://ringofclare.ie/

Value €50, selling for €40, transferred are permitted.

A beautiful, scenic ride with option of 160km or 120km.

16TH JULY 2022, ENNIS, CO. CLARE

I was in the first 1,000 to register so you get a FREE LARGE JERSEY

Cheers,

Pa.

2lazytogetup

are there rules, or even good manners on the type of bike you can ride in the sportives? im wondering if i can get away with wide handlebars and lack of mudguards. i recall antedotally that some of the sportives are ridden so tight that a wide handlebars and no mud guards is heavily frowned upon.

finally, what would the average speed be. if i ride at 15km/h over 100km would i be so far behind the group that i might as well go cycling on my own.

any views appreciated.

hesker

I’ve seen lads on high nellies and recumbents so don’t worry about what you ride. Some do have restrictions such as no ebikes.

There won’t be one big group either. Ride at your own pace. It’s not a race

Seth Brundle

I did the Blanch Wheelies Sportive last year (good craic and all!) but one lad was on a mountain bike and was keeping a decent pace

heraldo

If anyone is stuck for an entry for the Tour de Conamara this weekend, drop me a DM.

grouchyman

I'm booked to do the 80km route for conamara on saturday, just wondering if I'd be allowed switch to the 140km. Has anybody ever done this and were there any issues. Can't find anything about it on the website.

beggars_bush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116086#Comment_119116086

gearing up for the Tour de Connemara this weekend myself.

afaik they give different coloured wristbands to the 8km or 140km cyclists. and then they have separate food areas at the food stops.

Seth Brundle

The TdC website's FAQs state:

Transfers are now closed.

Transfers between cyclists are now closed. This was an option open to cyclilsts between January 1st 2022 and May 19th 2022. We can no longer facilitate any more transfers. As per the event terms and conditons when you registered, we do not provide refunds or allow deferrals to next years event.

Furthermore, as @beggars_bush said, there are different coloured wristbands which allow or deny you access to the food stops...

Event ID – Wear your wristband

Cyclists will receive a colour coded wristband based on the event they signed up to do. You must wear this to gain entry to the feed stations. This is also your voucher forth ene dof event BBQ back in Clifden.

grouchyman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116157#Comment_119116157

The use of the different coloured wristbands probably means that you can't just rock up on Saturday morning and decide then. I'll probably be registering in Monaghans on Friday evening so I'll ask when I'm in there. It might be just a case of them giving me the wristbands for the 140km.

AxleAddict

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116086#Comment_119116086

I did this when I took part for the first time in 2016 - I signed up for the event before I'd really started cycling regularly and opted for the smaller route, but by the time the big day came around, I was fit enough to do the longer route (and I was so glad I did!). I just let them know when I called in to sign on at registration and it wasn't an issue. I've done it a few times since then and I can't recall anyone ever checking at foodstops whether you're on the 'right' route or not. From what I recall there was no difference in the price of the ticket regardless of what route you were doing so its not like they're losing out financially - I guess they only need reasonably accurate numbers to ensure they have allocated enough food to each of the routes. The only time I found that wristbands were checked were when getting a burger at the end - they didn't care which band you were wearing, as long as you had one.

DeepBlue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116086#Comment_119116086

I sent Eventmaster an email enquiring about this a couple of weeks ago and got no response back. My experience is the same as that already mentioned above in that there isn't any real checking done on wrist bands etc. I recall one year where I did the 80k and food was scarce at the food stop as it had already been cleared out by the 140k cyclists (even though it was only supposed to be for the 80K crowd).

DeepBlue

I have two tickets for the 80K Tour de Connemara still available if anyone wants. It's a glorious cycle in good weather which is forecast for this weekend. To my mind it's the more scenic of the two routes.

If interested you can message me by going to https://www.boards.ie/messages/add and type in DeepBlue in the grey Recipients box

fat bloke

In all the sportives I've ever done here or abroad I've never seen any "security" enforced at a foodstop or en route. Nobody has ever checked wristband / entry / number / chip. Lots of people bail out for shorter routes so I'd be surprised if you were stopped (how could they anyway, on public roads) from doing a longer route. Similarly I'd be astonished if some jobsworth refused you a cup of tea a sandwich based on the colour of your wrist band.

Paul_Mc1988

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119117341#Comment_119117341

I second this, do the 140km route anyway and say ye got mixed up along the way😅

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119117341#Comment_119117341

Not at the food stop, but I saw people stopped going up Molls Gap on my 1 and done RoK!

keane2097

They definitely checked at a pinch point somewhere early enough on the last time I did Beara.

AxleAddict

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119118244#Comment_119118244

Yep - I remember that also - it may work fine when cyclists are coming through in dribs and drabs, but my recollection from a few years ago was that it was quite chaotic - lots of cyclists arriving at the pinch point at the same time, trying to keep moving whilst waving their wrists in the air at a few people stood either side of the road. I don't know how they would actually manage to stop someone in the middle of the group if they felt they needed to. It still says the following in the route notes for this years event, so it sounds like it will be in action again:

Warning

1. You cannot complete this cycle unless full registered

2. Bike Plate and Wristband will be checked to gain access to all food stops,

3. Garda checkpoint within the first 20km of the cycle, you will not be able to proceed if you fail to show wristband and bike plate

I don't recall any Gardai at this checkpoint when I did it - just volunteers. I can't recall anyone checking wristbands at the (pretty decent) foodstops either.

UPDATE: I went back and checked my GoPro footage - there was actually a Guard at the side of the road :) Still think you'd have trouble getting someone stopped if they were determined to keep going though...

fat bloke

ROK is a bit a special case there cos they close the road for the final Molls gap section which I guess allows them to restrict access to paid up participants. Though again, I've done it myself a number of times and the yella jackets' attitudes at the road barrier could best be described as... casual.

Anyway, it doesn't apply to the Beara sportive referred to above.

grouchyman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116250#Comment_119116250

My reading of Transfers when I looked at it was that it referred to transferring tickets between people rather than a person transferring routes. Fiddlers if I took it up wrong.

grouchyman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116262#Comment_119116262

Registered for tomorrows spin in Monaghans garage earlier today. I asked about changing routes and changing from 80 to 140 would be no problem. I got the impression from the way they said "changing from 80 to 140 would be no problem" that changing the other way mightn't be so straight forward

So doing 140km tomorrow and have the right 140km wristband for the foodstops and right event id.

Really looking forward to it.

Fann Linn

Was up there myself and appeared to be a steady stream going in and out. Weather to be good also tomorrow with light winds so really looking forward to it.

beggars_bush

Cracking day yesterday out around Connemara. Well organised food stops, though the first was very busy. Wanted to buy some Skoda cycling gear after the event but they must have been tight for staff to man it

Bit of a headwind for the first 80km or so along the coast and the open countryside towards Maam cross. then once heading for Maam it was lovely. Long drag at the end but we got there.

31kph average with 1000m climbing

Surprisingly felt good today.

mamax

A new pilot Leisure National Series is launched for 2022 featuring five leisure events located around Ireland.

Specially selected participants will be awarded special achievement awards and prizes at the end of the series.

For information contact the Leisure Commission at leisure@cyclingireland.ie.

https://www.cyclingireland.ie/events/national-series/leisure-national-series/

Mercian Pro

Good to see CI showing some interest in sportives. I've been on to them a few times about all their Facebook posts featuring the road series, paracycling, BMX, track and CX with nothing on the super sportives that have been run already this year. I even sent them a link to the excellent video of the Ride Dingle event and suggested it deserved further distribution but no joy. Do they not realise that the majority of their members are involved in non-competitive cycling and that most of the major sportives attract far greated numbers than any of the races?

Maybe the new board with its more diverse membership will change the focus a bit?