Not much mention of Etape Cymru...

rodgers73

It's on Sunday and no mention of it on here all week. Is anyone doing it???

I'm a bit annoyed by the stupid registration requirements. Why they couldnt post the stuff out or let you collect at the start I dont know. Surely a racecourse is a big enough venue to house a registration desk and everything else??

ck99

Staying with friends nearby so for me the pre registration is no big deal, but otherwise it would be. I did the Dragon Ride a few months ago in South Wales and that looks much harder (or so I hope)?? At least the weather forecast looks good..,

speshsteve

I complained and they emailed me back straight away saying I could pick up and register pre ride at the start and I think a few are doing this (I would confirm this with them though).

Looking forward to it, last sportive of the season for me although the 7.00am start will be a struggle...eeek

speshsteve

ck99 wrote:

Staying with friends nearby so for me the pre registration is no big deal, but otherwise it would be. I did the Dragon Ride a few months ago in South Wales and that looks much harder (or so I hope)?? At least the weather forecast looks good..,

Notice they say hardest UK "closed road" sportive and as there are only 3 closed road sportive I know in the UK then I guess it is!

rodgers73

Yes, I saw that rather amusing bit of semantics too!

gozarch

speshsteve wrote:

I complained and they emailed me back straight away saying I could pick up and register pre ride at the start and I think a few are doing this (I would confirm this with them though).

Steve, do you mind me asking if they asked you to do anything special to register on the day, or was it more of a "that's fine" kind of thing? We're coming from Aberystwyth and left accommodation-hunting a bit late and everyting's booked up. We emailed the organisers yeterday but got an out of office.

The plan was for me to drive up there this evening to register my husband, then to drive up on the day, but if I can avoid an unnecessary 4-hour round trip, that would be great!

speshsteve

The response I got was:

'Hi Stephen,

Thank you for emailing, sorry the message wasn’t made clearer. Given your circumstances we can add you to the list for registration on Sunday morning.

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

Many thanks,'

Steve

gozarch

Hmm. The question is, do we risk it and just turn up on Sunday morning? I doubt that they would really turn him away - after all, the event handbook just said "email us and we'll see what we can do", not "email us by Thursday".
*sigh*
It's too late in the week to have to think.

dodgy

How was the ride? I was out that way and inadvertently got caught up in the event for a just a few miles along the A525.

I was just searching in Twitter and found a few saying things like "that was a hard race" or "wow, my first road race, I smashed it". :roll:

mustgettaller

Great ride. Excellent organisation, well marshalled, good feed stops (but NO FLAPJACK!), and good weather. OK, they can't organise the weather.

Managed 5hrs 44 which we're really pleased with as a 48yr old and 50+ yr old. Definitely worth the 4 hours drive each way from the south coast!

rodgers73

Best organised ride I've been on! I think the registration requirements must have been part of a deal with the local authority to get more money spent in the area. Cant have been a coincidence that the guy on the registration desk asked me to complete a form saying how many nights I was spending in the area and where I was staying.

The ride was lovely though - not too many hills, which makes sense for a closed road event where the opportunity to really put your foot down on the flats/corners/descents is worth more than climbing a load of hills on either side of the road.

Couple of little details I liked - music at the feed stops helped lift me up a bit when I was feeling tired, and the text message with your time on the way home too. This company seems pretty slick so I felt I got my money's worth for this one!

TheCloud

Best organised ride I've been on

Thought this was worth mentioning. I didn't compete this year due to a fair amount of negative feedback regarding organisation last year, with many locals saying the Etape Eryri couldn't be topped. As I was free my brother had asked if I could lend a hand on his farm which is just outside Corwen (decent weather= second cut hay harvest for most). However, it was not to be. The route went past his farm, the organisers had forgotten to put up the road closure signs and public notices along the Bryneglwys to Llandegla section until the evening before and morning of the event. All of the farms along this part of the route are set quite far (about half a mile in my brother's case) off the road, the organisers had not been to see a single one of them to tell them the road was closed, and the person that was supposed to flyer the area hadn't done the job either (a fact now admitted by the organisers). As a result they were oblivious to the fact the event was going on until they started working, at which point an officious 'Safety Official' turned up and stopped their tractors in the road. He then stopped them from even returning to their respective farms, forcing them to leave their vehicles off the road, in the case of my brother 200yds from the entrance to his land, and threatened to have them all arrested for breaching road closures (needless to say the police never turned up). In the end they all had to drive across several neighbours' land just to get home. I couldn't even get to the place all day, as their was no alternative route possible (£20 in diesel), a great deal of time and money wasted by one and all, including one local contractor who was baling the hay.
It was raining by early evening, my brother's hay was all wrapped but his neighbour had a big delay before he could carry his hay his in (hopefully he finished before the rain). The few competitors that passed were very understanding and friendly, but the arrogance of the organisers and marshalls did our sport no favours at all. It also didn't go unnoticed that some possibly unregistered (a motorcross bike and quad) vehicles were being used by the marshalls on the road. As a result a formal complaint will be lodged, and compensation would not be unreasonable. My brother used to race himself, and has helped with routes for the Merida Enduros (which were always organised with the minimum of disruption) when they came through the area, and can't believe that in a recession a race that cost £55 to enter was organised by someone who never thought that farmers work 7 days a week, and need to make the best of what little good weather there is, especially after such a disasterously wet year.
Hopefully this wasn't an incident that was repeated in other places along the route. The organisers said they were based in the south of England, maybe they should consult with the local councillors in future to ensure that residents are considered when the route is planned. Personally I think it unfair to effectively cut off half a dozen businesses for such an event. I live in the heart of Snowdonia, the local response to the Etape Eryri and Blaenau 360 was very positive, the fact that the closure signs were up for over a month in advance helped everyone to at least plan in advance.

rodgers73

That's annoying. Still, some of those descents were fantastic!

mustgettaller

As someone who took part and really enjoyed what I thought was very a well organised event - from the participant's point of view, this is disappointing.

As I rode through the countryside I was acutely aware of the disruption the event was capable of causing for local residents and businesses all for my pleasure. I hoped/assumed that they'd been communicated with effectively, tactfully, and with enough forewarning.

Events like this do bring income into the area - I imagine a significant amount of money was spent on accommodation and food (especially at pasta restaurants!) the night before. Of course, to the farmer whose business is disrupted, is it enough to know that guest houses in Wrexham have benefitted?

I didn't do last year's event, but have read of the chaos it seemed to be. This year's looks like it was better by an order of magnitude for both participants and locals. I hope that lessons will be learned (there are always lessons to be learned!) and next year's will be even better for all.

TheCloud wrote:

Best organised ride I've been on

Thought this was worth mentioning. I didn't compete this year due to a fair amount of negative feedback regarding organisation last year, with many locals saying the Etape Eryri couldn't be topped. As I was free my brother had asked if I could lend a hand on his farm which is just outside Corwen (decent weather= second cut hay harvest for most). However, it was not to be. The route went past his farm, the organisers had forgotten to put up the road closure signs and public notices along the Bryneglwys to Llandegla section until the evening before and morning of the event. All of the farms along this part of the route are set quite far (about half a mile in my brother's case) off the road, the organisers had not been to see a single one of them to tell them the road was closed, and the person that was supposed to flyer the area hadn't done the job either (a fact now admitted by the organisers). As a result they were oblivious to the fact the event was going on until they started working, at which point an officious 'Safety Official' turned up and stopped their tractors in the road. He then stopped them from even returning to their respective farms, forcing them to leave their vehicles off the road, in the case of my brother 200yds from the entrance to his land, and threatened to have them all arrested for breaching road closures (needless to say the police never turned up). In the end they all had to drive across several neighbours' land just to get home. I couldn't even get to the place all day, as their was no alternative route possible (£20 in diesel), a great deal of time and money wasted by one and all, including one local contractor who was baling the hay.
It was raining by early evening, my brother's hay was all wrapped but his neighbour had a big delay before he could carry his hay his in (hopefully he finished before the rain). The few competitors that passed were very understanding and friendly, but the arrogance of the organisers and marshalls did our sport no favours at all. It also didn't go unnoticed that some possibly unregistered (a motorcross bike and quad) vehicles were being used by the marshalls on the road. As a result a formal complaint will be lodged, and compensation would not be unreasonable. My brother used to race himself, and has helped with routes for the Merida Enduros (which were always organised with the minimum of disruption) when they came through the area, and can't believe that in a recession a race that cost £55 to enter was organised by someone who never thought that farmers work 7 days a week, and need to make the best of what little good weather there is, especially after such a disasterously wet year.
Hopefully this wasn't an incident that was repeated in other places along the route. The organisers said they were based in the south of England, maybe they should consult with the local councillors in future to ensure that residents are considered when the route is planned. Personally I think it unfair to effectively cut off half a dozen businesses for such an event. I live in the heart of Snowdonia, the local response to the Etape Eryri and Blaenau 360 was very positive, the fact that the closure signs were up for over a month in advance helped everyone to at least plan in advance.

TheCloud

I'm not sure if this is part of the trouble, but the event crossed two counties, with most of the attention being centred around Wrexham, the trouble seems to have been confined to Denbighshire, so there was possibly a communication error. From past experience at the Merida enduros (I've helped out with 4x4 support in the past for the timing and Raynet lads) it's the organiser's responsibility to make sure everyone affected knows about the event. As someone who does a lot of enduros and sportives one would hope that organisers in general don't rely on public notices in local newspapers etc to notify people if roads are to be shut. With the increasing popularity of the sport which can bring great financial benefits let's hope the standard of organisation remains considerate and integrates all concerned. It's not impossible to imagine organisers either lacking the necessary experience or biting off more than they can chew in an effort to capitalise on cycling's recent popularity.

rodgers73

I think this years organisers had bought the event off the company who did last years poorly run version.

Not looking to gloss over the hassle you suffered as a result but that stretch of road you mentioned shows up as 5 miles long. That's a pretty small stretch of a 92 mile route so not a bad performance overall. Especially when you consider that part of the reason it was made worse was due to an individual not doing his job right, rather than overall disorganisation.

And if it had been raining then this wouldnt have been an issue at all ;-)

speshsteve

I thought it was fantastic, this should be on everyone's list of must do's in mind and was certainly the best sportive in the UK i have ever done.

It deserves to grow and hopefully the benefits such an event could bring to the area will outweigh the negatives. The local people who cheered me on around the course were fantastic, I have come away with a view

1. stunning countryside
2. Great people

When you add up all the effort of a closed road sportive, 55 quid was an absolute bargain (they'd charge you 100 at least down here!)

rls

If anyone fancies putting their words down a bit more formerly then I'd quite happily give them a guest post spot over at www.bikerunswim.co.uk. Full credit will of course go to the author, so if you can provide a small paragraph about yourself e.g. Name, Age, Bike, Previous sportive experience, day job and whatever other info you are happy to divulge.

I couldn't make the event this year, despite buying an entry, due to other family commitments that cropped up. It would be great to have a review of the event from the participants perspective. If you are interested get in touch richard@bikerunswim.co.uk

I did last years event and threw in the towel after 50 miles because I'd had enough of the poor signage and traffic on the "closed" roads. From the feedback on here it sounds like this years event was much better.

Richard

Bobbinogs

Not all good news though:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... ision.html

Anyone see anything??

ck99

I really enjoyed the event. Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse was a great choice to start & finish. The route was well signed and the feed stations were run very efficiently. The scenery was lovely and having clear roads was a great experience. The route was not as hard as expected, far less difficult than either the Dragon or the White Rose. My Garmin clocked 91 miles & just 2115 metres of climbing, much less than the 3000m advertised. The race results show 902 entrants, so it was not that busy.

It would have been helpful had somebody put an old carpet into the ford at World's End as it was an ice rink to get across even when I dismounted and walked across. Having to pre register was a pain, I think they need to go postal and/or on the day. That said, I would recommend it as an excellent event.

Philip Whiteman

I cannot believe the vitriol and hatred expressed by some of readers of the local newspaper.

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/115950 ... crash.aspx

rodgers73

I'd be interested to see what the guy whose motorbike is classed as a bicycle but he "still has to pay tax on" it looks like!

deadhead1971

Great event this year, the organisers did us proud. I'm local to the area, and would hope that visitors enjoyed our region and had a great day.
I'm working on a video of some ride footage, but couldn't resist making this short film of the horseshoe pass ascent.

http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/2012/09/et ... ass-video/

perhaps you're in the film?
I've already had a tweet from number 58!
enjoy

TheCloud

A quick update, my brother's two neighbours, one of whom is a local councillor, have both been charged with breeching a road closure, despite not knowing that the event was on (both in tractors carrying hay from field to farm). The all of the residents in that area have lodged formal complaints with the council, judging by some of the feedback and articles the organisers have a lot of explaining to do.

sleavesley

I live locally and being a cyclist was well aware of the etape and road closures.
I had a friend up who was doing it, although I didn't cycle myself as was otherwise committed and have more essential things to spend my money on (like some new bib shorts!).
Anyway, my friend had a great time, really impressed with the food stops and the variety of food on offer as well as the route itself being on closed roads.
In contrast to that was my partners social media feeds, which were a mixture of either, people getting in the spirit of the event due to beng stuck in their garden in the middle of nowhere due to the closures, or aggrieved people wanting to know when the road closures would finish, due to the need to get to work, having not been notified directly about the road closures.
So two perspectives, one successful and one not so. the successful one being someone who lives miles away and the not so from locals whom it is essential that you get onside to ensure a great event for all (I know you wont please them all, but better awareness other than putting it in the local paper and putting a few signs put may help!).
Well done to all who completed it anyhow.
I also send my best wishes to the guy from London who was hit around the finish line and was transferred to Walton with serious spinal injuries.

rodgers73

Was there nothing on local radio or TV about closures etc?

deadhead1971

Finally finished my movie of the Etape Cymru

http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/2012/09/et ... the-movie/

Cleat Eastwood

really good - i miss the sun - looked like good grub at the foodstop.

What was that section where a few were carrying the bikes?

deadhead1971

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

What was that section where a few were carrying the bikes?

It's the ford at World's End
Notoriously slippy!


from http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1739506