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[Event] Challenge Galway 2016

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Comments

  • #332
    iAcesHigh
    Registered Users Posts: 447 ✭✭iAcesHigh


    MojoMaker wrote: »
    How hard would it be to mark out a nice 30k loop and have the half do it 3 times and the full 6 times, and take this inter-county negotiation nightmare out of the equation.

    That has a disaster written all over it - in Barcelona they have a loop of round 80 km or so and with "only" Ironman race doing it at the given day they still have a bunch of issues. Imagine 30 km loop and fast riders vs slow ones (several times in a race - would be reaaaally congested) + how can you maintain drafting rules? Don't see it done like this if they still want to keep the "full tri-weekend" (for Ironman race not even if it was on a separate day)...


  • #333
    RacoonQueen
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 20,364 Mod ✭✭✭✭RacoonQueen


    They did 3 x 60k for Challenge Venice I think.

    They should concentrate on one race, forget the rest, IMO.


  • #334
    mloc123
    Registered Users Posts: 9,454 ✭✭✭mloc123


    RacoonQueen wrote: »
    They did 3 x 60k for Challenge Venice I think.

    They should concentrate on one race, forget the rest, IMO.

    Parallels between this and Eireman.. both started as full distance races. Both ended up adding extra shorter races due to lack of sign ups.. both ended up stretched too thin?


  • #335
    griffin100
    Registered Users Posts: 4,763 ✭✭✭griffin100


    mloc123 wrote: »
    Parallels between this and Eireman.. both started as full distance races. Both ended up adding extra shorter races due to lack of sign ups.. both ended up stretched too thin?

    Eireman........now there's a race I never want to experience again. Point is well made though, too many races can make things difficult, especially if one of them is an IM.


  • #336
    shotgunmcos
    Registered Users Posts: 8,208 ✭✭✭shotgunmcos


    The Challenge Galway course as is is fine if they did 3 things

    1. Scrap the smaller races on Saturday. It leeched volunteers from the longer ones and 2 full days of traffic congestion is not going to get great buy in from locals/Council. The volunteers were excellent but too sparse

    2. Fix the worst parts of road. They were simply not up to Challenge Standard and not a chance of PROs racing the full unless you do that. You need the elite to grow the event

    3. Logistical stuff, mainly the road closure at the most dangerous points. But you need buy in from the Council (might improve if you address 1 & 2).

    I feel that Challenge delegated too much to the local guys who did what they could with the budget and planning they had. The event has got potential certainly but I feel that it will either get an Injection from the Brand next year or it will be pulled. Hoepfully the lessons learned from this year is the former outcome..


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  • #337
    mossym
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    shotgunmcos wrote: »
    2. Fix the worst parts of road. They were simply not up to Challenge Standard and not a chance of PROs racing the full unless you do that. You need the elite to grow the event


    .

    agree, but i think there isn't a hope of the pro's doing the full here anyway. any of them looking at a challenge full is going to roth. only reasons someone like skipper even did this was as a run out prior to roth, he's already said so, he's going after the fastest british IM tag at roth
    shotgunmcos wrote: »

    3. Logistical stuff, mainly the road closure at the most dangerous points. But you need buy in from the Council (might improve if you address 1 & 2).

    if closed roads are to happen needs to move the bike course. Challenge galway, advertised as a galway race, with swim in galway, run in galway, all athletes staying in galway before and after the race, spending all their money in galway, is never going to be enticing enough for clare county council to close the roads (not without a significant contribution anyway i'd guess). surely galway county council would be much more supportive of road closures given the potential revenue a popular race would bring in


  • #338
    frazzledazzle
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭frazzledazzle


    mossym wrote: »
    agree, but i think there isn't a hope of the pro's doing the full here anyway. any of them looking at a challenge full is going to roth. only reasons someone like skipper even did this was as a run out prior to roth, he's already said so, he's going after the fastest british IM tag at roth



    if closed roads are to happen needs to move the bike course. Challenge galway, advertised as a galway race, with swim in galway, run in galway, all athletes staying in galway before and after the race, spending all their money in galway, is never going to be enticing enough for clare county council to close the roads (not without a significant contribution anyway i'd guess). surely galway county council would be much more supportive of road closures given the potential revenue a popular race would bring in

    Just wondering what was wrong with the 70.3 course that was used in 2011 / 12 ............ great bike course and a profile pretty similar to that of last week ............ roads were resurfaced in Moycullen I seem to remember and the surface was excellent .........


  • #339
    shotgunmcos
    Registered Users Posts: 8,208 ✭✭✭shotgunmcos


    Fair points.

    The most dangerous part of road was in Galway. The parts most in need of repair in Clare. Even if you closed the roads in the Burren you would still have lads coming off their bikes in those conditions. Road access/quality is the key thing.

    Everythying else is just logistical and greed.

    I was happy that the HOTW trucked on successfully regardless and would not discount how important that race is to the Clare CoCo in the greater scheme of things.


  • #340
    mossym
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    shotgunmcos wrote: »

    I was happy that the HOTW trucked on successfully regardless and would not discount how important that race is to the Clare CoCo in the greater scheme of things.

    100% agree. i thought it was a daft decision to put it on same weekend as Hotw. may have thought the big company rolling in would attract people away. says a lot for HotW that it still drew it's normal crowd even with the competition not too far away


  • #341
    joeKel73
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭joeKel73


    Did the leading female pros get sent the wrong way?

    Noticed this exchange on Twitter...

    Lucy Gossage - Congrats @emmabilham on a brilliant win today! Thoroughly deserved,outstanding performance and you smashed me regardless of my 'diversions'

    Emma Bilham - @lucygoss only champs react like that after such a frustrating race! Maybe next time we get to thrash it out properly!

    Lucy Gossage - @emmabilham Nah. You beat me fair and square.


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  • #342
    BTH
    Registered Users Posts: 3,075 Mod ✭✭✭✭BTH


    J o e wrote: »
    Did the leading female pro get sent the wrong way?

    Once on the bike and once on the run, apparently.


  • #343
    BTH
    Registered Users Posts: 3,075 Mod ✭✭✭✭BTH


    frazzledazzle wrote: »
    Just wondering what was wrong with the 70.3 course that was used in 2011 / 12 ............ great bike course and a profile pretty similar to that of last week ............ roads were resurfaced in Moycullen I seem to remember and the surface was excellent .........

    There's been roadworks in and around Moycullen for well over a year now. It's carnage at the best of times.


  • #344
    frazzledazzle
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭frazzledazzle


    BTH wrote: »
    There's been roadworks in and around Moycullen for well over a year now. It's carnage at the best of times.

    sorry meant 2011 / 12 roads were resurfaced in time for the race - best atmosphere ever in a race in 2011 coming back through on the return leg in the pissing rain ......... well supported by locals !


  • #345
    BTH
    Registered Users Posts: 3,075 Mod ✭✭✭✭BTH


    frazzledazzle wrote: »
    sorry meant 2011 / 12 roads were resurfaced in time for the race - best atmosphere ever in a race in 2011 coming back through on the return leg in the pissing rain ......... well supported by locals !

    Oh, I know, I'm just pointing out the problem with that route at the minute. :)


  • #346
    bopperr
    Registered Users Posts: 96 ✭✭bopperr


    Am I missing something or is only the total time available for each athlete. Where are the splits?


  • #347
    frazzledazzle
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭frazzledazzle


    bopperr wrote: »
    Am I missing something or is only the total time available for each athlete. Where are the splits?

    you need to highlight all and then drag the mouse down to see the splits ...... I had issues on the ipad so used the laptop ........... you should then see everything ..........


  • #348
    Shedite27
    Registered Users Posts: 9,359 ✭✭✭Shedite27


    bopperr wrote: »
    Am I missing something or is only the total time available for each athlete. Where are the splits?
    Clinck into the athlete you want on this list

    Doesn't seem to be a way of getting the splits for everyone, on one list if that's what youre after


  • #349
    peter kern
    Registered Users Posts: 3,359 ✭✭✭peter kern


    Shedite27 wrote: »
    Clinck into the athlete you want on this list

    Doesn't seem to be a way of getting the splits for everyone, on one list if that's what youre after

    that's annoying not to see the splits on the result list but their breakdown of splits is one of the best I have seen.


    shotgumcos i take it you did not talk to pros before you made your statement. Many of them would have wanted to do the full but the half was the pro race. and i think its fair to say this was the best long distance field by a long shot ireland has ever seen.
    the only two races this year so far that had a real good pro field both deep and and quite a few world class atheltes were ocean side and st geroge
    i think when you have two guys that were in the top 15 in kona last year a race does pretty well and i think there was in total 8 atheltes that have won ironman or challenge races.
    the reality is with so many races around its hard to get a decent field in one race. and if you want to get really good guys to race an full challenge race you have to pay a decent appearance fee for which you have to have a good sponsor (and how likely this is in Ireland ? )


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