Cycling Ireland 2024 road calendar

Morris Garren

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916049#Comment_121916049

That's a surprise-- the 'Des' is one of the major early season events for years. I'm one of the surivors of the 2015 A3 race, I think there were 230 riders in it, give or take! I was stone last in the bunch at km0 and I will probably never see an event field like that ever again. I got round safely in the end- always liked the race even though I got walloped in A4, and A3 over the years. One of my favourite ever photos was the freezing cold 2013 race and I'm near the front, being followed by a near-midget in a blue kit (he must have been cold) - Dunbar was his name I think.

Anyway, let's hope the numbers pick up for the Des once again.

dahat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916279#Comment_121916279

Castlebar GP on this weekend as well.

it seems alot of clubs went for early season races this year.

wav1

Why

Summerhill and navan 2 weeks ago

Lucan and carrick last weekend plus races in North both weekends

Nothing in North this weekend so riders get options and choices.simple

lizzylad84

Anything on Easter weekend? Other than gorey 3 day

this.lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916645#Comment_121916645

CI shouldn't have scheduled two Leinster races in the same weekend, the clubs have no sight of each others calendars.

Hopefully numbers will come up a bit for it. I'm entered for the A4, will probably end up in a handicap like Navan. Depending on the handicap there could be nothing in it for an A4.

I cant understand this reluctance to enter until a day or 2 before. I don't see cycling Ireland doing any promotion of either event either. Its like they're trying to kill off road cycling altogether.

I wouldn't trust them to run a velodrome so putting all their eggs in the track basket doesn't see wise to me.

Reality_Check1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121916905#Comment_121916905

Ras Mumhan is the big one

wav1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917176#Comment_121917176

There's lots of weekends throughout the season with both Saturday and Sunday races in the same province so I don't honestly see what the issues are.

Chips Lovell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917618#Comment_121917618

Agree. The problem is numbers, not the calendar. You can't blame Cycling Ireland for scheduling the same amount of races as worked before.

If anything, there's less weekends now with two races compared to a few years back. There were even some weekends, e.g. Stamullen, where there was three races: Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday.

dahat

Just be grateful that Leinster have an exceptional calender all season from open races to league races. For lads like me it’s a blessing although expensive on diesel.

Munster on the other hand is dying slowly with races disappearing each year & very few league races well in the south of Munster at least.

Reality_Check1

I said it before but the road season ends very early compared to other countries and it leaves a very long off season. Lads last year were crying out for races in September and even October. Spreading out the season May take some pressure off individual weekends

Chips Lovell

It's a chicken and egg situation. Organisers tend to pick weekends early in the year because that's when demand is highest. But if you think the demand is there late in the year, you should run one or two. Plenty of spots on the calendar by the looks of it.

wav1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121919104#Comment_121919104

Absolutely

We run 5 open races per season

1 in March 1 in Apr 1 in May and 2 in July .Spread out over the season but always take a hit with July ones but that's swings and roundabouts. Previous post said there was a demand for races in September. Perhaps but not nearly enough to make it doable.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121918972#Comment_121918972

Couldn't get 5 sign ups in each group for a race in September, other than A3 which had a few. Had to pull the race which was at half price of other races and had a Leinster medal up for grabs.

dahat

You will always get the few riders who will race 10 months of the year but generally most are done by mid August.

this.lad

Triathlon and duathlon seem to have people falling over themselves to enter and sign up for races at €40+ a pop.

Spend a fortune on equipment across 3 sports...

Then you have 'Ride like a pro' events like the gran fondo and the etape where participants get rinsed with entry fees.

For a finish then you have sportives that are essentially races at the front and not just racers racing.

In spite of all of this then the number of racing cyclists seems to be in decline. Entry fees are not ott, clubs can't be making money. What's the cause? What's the solution?

Plastik

Triathlon, Duathlon, sportive and other etape or whatever events are participatory racing events, where you are largely racing against your own PRs and just out to complete the course for a lot of people. A very small minority of any of those fields are actually there to "race".

Bike racing is not that, and it's a lot more dangerous on top.

Macy0161

Triathlon is also age group racing, in some races in 5 year brackets. But even then, a lot are completers rather than competitors* (same as sportives/ gran fondos).

*not being dismissive, as I was that person for a couple of years in triathlon, and still am in sportives or gravel grinders

dahat

Boyne GP on Saturday, this will be a savage days racing looking the forecast.

burger1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121921294#Comment_121921294

lovely circuit that, hope it goes well for them over the weekend....

wav1

Thanks to everyone for today both on and off the bikes.Horribly cold morning early on but improved somewhat.

lizzylad84

Disaster of a morning for me. No time for a warm up then just before race started/at the bottom of the first hill, the bolt on the top cap somehow snapped. One lap done off the back then climbed off. Better luck next time. Cheers to Drogheda wheelers for putting the race on

seamusk84

Bit confused on the Des tomorrow for A4.

Is it just the large outer ring? Or one outer and one inner?

Reality_Check1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121930860#Comment_121930860

Super course and a really well run event! fair play - something there for everyone

I’m not sure if enjoy is the correct word but I really enjoyed it 😂

this.lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121931509#Comment_121931509

Just the outer, its in the roadbook emailed today.

wav1

Just seen it now

Congrats dahat on a good result

dahat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121931995#Comment_121931995

Thanks, happy to justify a long return journey.

A great team effort by all & results posted in full which is great to see.

Really tough day on a savage course for racing, loved every hard yard of it. Will see ye all in two weeks again.

dahat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121931718#Comment_121931718

Nice to meet you yesterday & again a good days work for you.

seamusk84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121931877#Comment_121931877

Cheers, just arrived. Decent crowd here.

Bambaata

Well done dahat, the new boyne circuit is an attritional ba$tard! and thanks again Ger for another great event. Weather was fairly miserable starting but wasnt too bad once we got going

this.lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121933419#Comment_121933419

How did you get on?

I missed the split up the yellow road, spent too much time in the wind down to Castlecomer, story of my life. I really need to sit in but obviously something seriously wrong with me.

It's a tough course but great race today.