WCA 12 hours - 21.06.15

[Teresa]

Message from Ritchie Tout

Hi everyone

The WCA is organising the Welsh 12 hour TT championship on Sunday 21 June.  The event requires around 50 helpers in total and I am therefore contacting club secretaries and everyone who has turned out to help in recent 12s to see if people are available and willing to help out this year.

The main help will be with marshalling and time recording.  We will need a small number of people from 6am but the main body of marshals will only be needed from 8:45am when the riders start the Chainbridge circuit.  As far as possible, we are trying to allocate people for a maximum of 3 hours as we know that asking you to commit a full day/half day is a big ask (although I know that many regulars do like to be out all day to watch the event unfold).

If you are able to help, could you please drop me a line.

For planning, please confirm when and for how long you would be available and also if you have any preference for job or location.

As in all aspects of the sport, helpers are in short supply so if you can round up any other willing “volunteers”, the WCA will be very grateful.  We would appreciate it if club secretaries could circulate this request to their members (particularly where your club regularly enters riders for the 12 hour it would be good if your members could turn out to help).

Kind regards

On behalf of the Committee of the Welsh Cycling Association

Ritchie Tout
 
Office: 0117 928 1118 | Mobile: 07809 552 246
Email: ritchie.t.tout@uk.pwc.com
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

[Teresa]

Follow up message from Ritchie Tout

Hi everyone

Just a reminder that the Welsh Cycling Association 12 Hour is taking place on 21 June and we could really do with some extra helpers.  We’re relying on the same small group of individuals turning up year after year and this is not sustainable. 

I appreciate I have already emailed about this but with a nil response rate to the last request for help, I thought I would try again. 

It would therefore be much appreciated if you could circulate a note to your members encouraging them to offer a couple of hours to the event to marshal or record times.  Particularly if your club will be fielding riders for the event, it would be nice if other members could turn out to give us a hand.  Helpers should not need to do more than a couple of hours at most on the day.

We have been offered the chance to run the UK national championship 12 in 2016 but, if we can’t field enough helpers to run a safe event, it won’t be practical to do this.  We’ll make the decision at the end of the 2015 event.

Kind regards

Ritchie

Ritchie Tout
 
PwC | Senior Manager
Office: 0117 928 1118 | Mobile: 07809 552 246
Email: ritchie.t.tout@uk.pwc.com
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

[Andy H]

Anybody spare a couple of hours?

I'd normally volunteer but I'm one of the people stupid enough to enter! 

[Teresa]

Three hardy Oggies on the start sheet.  Very best of luck to you all 

https://create-cdn.net/sitefiles/13/3/1/133127/WCA_12_Start_150621.pdf

[Tom]

Yes good luck Mark,Andy and Steve L(and Joe B)-harder than the hardest Sportif imho!!

[Rob Jones]

What is the hardest sportive? This is the event I would least want to do (based on a handful of 50 mile TTs and a single 100) - I would much rather (or less not want to) do an Iron Man for example. Maybe marshalling the 12hr would be almost as bad as riding it (based on carl roach) but presumably no-one marshals for the full 12 hours. Good luck, hope its not too hot, wet or windy. And hope Mark enjoys his Sunday pub lunch!

[Tom]

It's not 12 hours marshalling-more like  a15-18 day I can tell you from experience!!(much of it spent on your own at the side of the road!!)
The Etape de Tour are generally pretty tough

[Rob Jones]

Wow I forgot everyone don't ride at the same time lol.  That is more worthy of a prize than the fastest ride. Heroes!

[Teresa]

All the very best to the Oggie 12hour 'ers

We don't expect a blow by blow race report straight away 

[Andy H]

Abandoned after 6 hours (118 miles), Mark and Steve still going when I left and Joe Beech also seeming to be going well.

Combination of knee pain, (which I didn't fancy carrying for 6 hours) and a lack of mental fortitude when they had to change the course, means I'm home with my feet up and a cold cider 6 hours earlier than planned.

There were roadworks and 3 way lights in Usk, so after one loop of Usk/Raglan circuit they had to send us out on the road to Hereford and back, (repeatedly for those still going) , having to drop the loop in the lanes to Usk and Raglan, which was much better riding!

The section up to Hereford was hard going with the wind seeming to be against in both directions and too much traffic, psychologically it 'did my head in' so now have 12 months to prepare for the next 12 hour!   

[Tom]

Hard luck Andy-that's a much harder loop as you don't need me to confirm!

[Rob Jones]

Only 118 miles then Andy!! Still a big ride. Maybe you should of had a break, may or may not of helped physically and/ or mentally.

[Andy H]

Possibly Rob, think the main thing was being under prepared, physically and mentally.

No rides over 90 miles this year, compared to 4 or 5 last year and wasn't that focused. 

'Banked it' as a decent training ride!

[Rob Jones]

Unlike you to be unprepared Andy. I'd want to have done a couple of 100s at TT pace and some longer steady rides too. Don't think I could have done 118 or 6 hours myself today. The wind was pretty relentless and my 4 hours in saddle today felt more like 6+

The Levels were were almost unbearable at end of the ride!

[Jason T]

I wouldn't have fancied that wind for anything over five hours or so, I think you made the right decision to go with the cider and you'll save the legs for next sunday.