Great Dublin Bike Ride 2022

07-09-2022 9:34am #1

Great Dublin Bike Ride 2022 (thegreatirelandbikeride.ie)

I think Cycling Ireland, have lost the plot on this.

the numbers have dropped doing this, and they said they wanted to increase it, but a really poor route, doesn't go anywhere near the city centre.

65e for the 100k, if you are a member of cycling Ireland, seems very expensive.

the last 2 times I did it, I didn't stop at the food stop, because the queue was too long.

Very disappointing, as I have done each one of these so far, paid a lot less money, and even got a nice cycling jersey in 2015/2016

retalivity · 07-09-2022 9:50am

I did it in 2016 or 2017 and it was a joke, it was expensive at the time compared to other sportives (40 i think?), the first food stop was a disaster with massive queues, then they inexplicably had a second in blanchardstown about 10k from the finish that everyone was coralled through. Haven't done it since, that route seems even worse, most of it appears to be in Meath? While it avoids the city centre, the time I did it the roads were closed and there was a garda escort as far as baldoyle, so was cool to just ride through the city without the lights. That's all gone now starting from DCU

07-09-2022 10:01am

I'd be fairly certain that the Garda blocked the City Centre start.

Weepsie · 07-09-2022 10:10am

They've somehow managed to make an unappealing route even less so. I hope there are Gardai for when there are people coming from Cappagh through Finglas and then Glasnevin Avenue as it's shite at the best of times, plenty of lights, stops, there's a tiny roundabout just as you come to finglas that's going to catch someone too I bet.

You could design a far more interesting route without leaving north county dublin if there was any will. Going to Howth without actually going to Howth too is all a bit pointless. Would have most people through early enough for it to be not too chaotic and less so than the finglas portion imo.

07-09-2022 12:25pm

I was going to say the entry fee seemed on the high side until I remembered how much it costs to enter the marathon, thats €110 this year.

Weepsie · 07-09-2022 12:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584114#Comment_119584114

And the marathon sells out and gets run on closed roads pretty much in the heart of the city centre. They're completely different.

MyDarkArts · 07-09-2022 2:58pm

Did it a couple of times previously, was actually a great motivation in '17 to go from zero cycling at the start of the year to be able to complete a 100km route by the end of the summer.

Always found it well organised, but some of the route choices have been questionable, especially for the last 20 or so km in West Dublin.

I understand that they need to get a route that a casual cyclist, for a lot of whom this will be the only event they do all year, can complete. Which isn't going to necessarily appeal to the hardcore, so it's always going to be unsatisfactory in that regard.

That said, I'm going not going to be doing it this year, price is expensive for what you get, and I spent my money on making my debut at the Reservoir Dog instead.

Weepsie · 07-09-2022 3:30pm

If they want a casual cyclist, bringing it through cappagh finglas village and up glasnevin avenue on a Sunday afternoon is the wrong way to go about it

There's about 12 sets of lights between cappagh and ballymun road, and ther s another 2 on Collins avenue too. That's 14-15 in the last 5km stretch. some of the sequences take an age.

They're hardly going to have gardai or Marshalls stopping traffic at all them I'd say.

conkennedy · 07-09-2022 3:39pm

Its a no from me. You effectively get nothing for the entry fee other than the closed route at the start. Initially you got a jersey and they've whittled away at the value over the years. Lets face it, ye could ride the route any day of the week!

Don't get me wrong, its well organised, but there's no value in it any more.

lochdara · 07-09-2022 4:40pm

Last time I did it we got a bar of chocolate and a bottle of water at the break. The hall where we stopped was locked and it was raining. It was badly marshalled. On the other end of the scale we got Skoda Series, Reservoir cogs and even small local events beats it hands down.

triggermortis · 08-09-2022 12:40pm

I considered doing it when I saw the date as I actually wasn't working on that date, but when I saw the route and the cost, I decided against going. I've done it once before anyway

Squidgy Black · 10-09-2022 10:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119585336#Comment_119585336

The route they’ve chosen looks like it was autogenerated on strava or something.

They’ve chosen to go down Collins avenue down to killester and up the howth road through raheny village out to kilbarrack, instead of swinging a right down the malahide road at the end of Collins avenue and using the 6-7km of coast road cycle path to get out to howth.

Weepsie · 10-09-2022 12:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119583365#Comment_119583365

The gardai escorted the cycle against suiced up pearse street today. Or another charity cycle.

There can't be that much disruption to the city centre given the time of day it starts plus it was the only vaguely unique thing about it

token56 · 19-09-2022 9:22am

I've signed up to do this for the first time and I'm already pretty unimpressed with the organisation and lack of communication. It appears that you have to collect your number on Friday or Saturday before the event on Sunday. Absolutely insane in my opinion with people travelling from all of the country to do this. There was no mention of this at all when registering and purchasing the ticket and no mention at all on their website still that you have to actually do this. Only a post on facebook which I'm not actually on. Luckily someone I'm doing it with is and mentioned it to me. Otherwise I would have been turning up Sunday without a number and no option to collect it. But I've a feeling there are going to be quite a lot of people turning up without a number.

Tombo2001 · 21-09-2022 3:01pm

Likewise

Just signed up for this, dont know what I was thinking.

Advertised at 55 euro but before you know it there's another 14 euro in add ons; so almost 70 euro.

And then to make it worse, you can only collect the number at Cycle Superstore in Tallaght on Friday and Saturday.

The money I can (just) about get over, but to ask me to pay good money to be inconvenienced in this way....really.

FOr sure - to your point - I will be turning up registered but without a number. There is just no way, lifes too short.

Squidgy Black · 21-09-2022 3:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119646913#Comment_119646913

Having to collect your numbers from Tallaght for an event that starts over the other side of the city in DCU is absolutely daft.

10-10-20 · 25-09-2022 5:10pm

Christ, that was hard work. Anybody else or was I dreaming that the return from Skreen like was pedaling for two?

token56 · 25-09-2022 5:27pm

There were certainly parts on the return part that were tough enough but I think the wind had a bit to do with that.

Overall I think it was very well marshalled on the day apart from one of the steep downhills with a sharp turn at the end of it. Could definitely done with a bit more advanced warning of it. Saw someone on the ground that got caught out who seemed to be in a bad way, luckily being attended to. Hope he was ok afterwards.

The last point I will make is about the number collection again, it was pretty much pointless given that there was no checking of them whatsoever. A complete wasted effort to go get them which is frustrating. I did enjoy it but this was just annoying.

magicbastarder · 25-09-2022 6:28pm

which descent was that?

spudpicker2022 · 25-09-2022 6:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663727#Comment_119663727

in some events your number is used to connect you to pictures taken throughout the route. a possible reason (but not a great one!)

lochdara · 25-09-2022 6:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663727#Comment_119663727

I remember 2019 that downhill with a sharp left at the end and a guy in the ditch with his head imobilizied. i think it was a tandem. No warning what so ever from the marshals. How was the food stop this time. A bar of chocolate in the rain was the stop last time.

Weepsie · 25-09-2022 7:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663927#Comment_119663927

I presume after naul, near stamullen

Mercian Pro · 25-09-2022 7:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663927#Comment_119663927

A clubmate on Strava mentioned "carnage on the descent off Snowtown" so I presume it was that bend where straight on leads to the Happy Valley. Very easy to overcook it there if you're not used to it.

Smokeyskelton · 25-09-2022 8:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663927#Comment_119663927

It was Snowtown, as some have suggested. I did see a Great Dublin Bike Ride warning sign towards the top of the ascent, along the lines of "Caution Steep Descent", but very easy to get caught out due to the sharp left. There was a marshall signalling riders to slow down when I was there, as there had been an accident. A rider was down, and was being attended to, hopefully he is ok.

In general the event was very well run with an astounding number of marshalls, fair play to all of them they did a great job.

The water stop had plenty of water and bananas. It also had plenty of Carb Killa protein bars. A strange choice for carb loving cyclists, but tasty nonetheless. Again, an unbelieveable number of volunteers keeping the show on the road.

Having to collect numbers from Tallaght was annoying, and primarily an excuse to get people into Cycle Superstore in the hope they might buy something I think. And the €20 Cyclesuperstore voucher in the goodybag at the end of the event is on a spend over €50, to be used before the end of 2022.

I think it was strange that at the end of the ride they suggested that people leave their bike, usually worth a fair bit of money, in the pen area with no security and get their pasta and tea / coffee in the event village, which was a long way from the pens. I brought mine with me, as the free pasta is not worth getting my bike stolen.

However, overall a great ride, very well run and again chapeau to all the volunteers.

Wildly Boaring · 25-09-2022 8:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119663675#Comment_119663675

Ha. Just looked at the route. Walterstown to Finglas is a pretty straight, boring road for a return leg on a windy day.

Way out looked good. Few nice hills and bit of scenery. Much better ways back to Dublin from Duleek.......

25-09-2022 11:31pm

From what I was told this evening there is a good chance the person involved in the crash is known to us in this parish :(

CramCycle · 26-09-2022 6:58am

Hope they are OK

token56 · 26-09-2022 8:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664016#Comment_119664016

The food stop was pretty basic, some water, bananas and a protein bar. It was my first time doing something like this so not sure what would be standard.

Roberto_gas · 26-09-2022 8:31am

Wont participate again ! Did the 100k route

1)Wrong route in website(gpx link was old one)

2)Poorly planned stops

3)Food was not good enough

Only good thing was the marshals!

Roberto_gas · 26-09-2022 8:38am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664389#Comment_119664389

I almost collided with garda vehicle on that bend covering the person who fell…saw the guy down

Seth Brundle · 26-09-2022 8:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665471#Comment_119665471

What freebies did you get (if any)? When I did it in 2019 I got a water bidon (600ml?) and a bag. I'm just wondering if people felt it was worth the price given that other sportives are cheaper and the food stops, etc seem to be better.

Great Dublin Bike Ride 2022

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