Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

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DavidS
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby DavidS » Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:27 pm

Just did it for the first time. It is a good ride, very long. That wind was relentless on the way from Sorrento to Melbourne, quite difficult. Stronger wind than I usually encounter on Beach Rd riding to work every day. Quite an achievement to finish really.

I have a one comment: could they not get some roads closed at 5.30 on a Sunday morning, at least from Alexandra Gardens to the Westgate? This is a big event, 10,000 riders, surely they could give us some help, so congested at the start. All the way along Beach Rd from Frankston there are signs indicating that Beach Rd will be closed for the Melbourne Marathon next week, surely Around the Bay has more participants and they can close some roads at 5.30 on a Sunday morning. Apart from that aspect, which I'm not sure the organisers have any control over, it was a good event.

I'll probably do it again, but I am quite sore tonight, still, will ride to work tomorrow as usual. Might just be a bit slow.

DS
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Arbuckle23
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Arbuckle23 » Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:48 pm

Had fun, that is that is the main prerequisite.
That was my first one. Will be back :)
210 this time, reckon 250 will be the next one.

JamesT10
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby JamesT10 » Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:42 am

My first time yesterday, did the 250. It wasn't as tough as I was expecting given my longest ride prior was ~135km, still was definitely feeling it into the headwinds after Frankston.

I don't really get people calling for the date to change to try to avoid the wind, surely that's part of it. Some rides are tough due to the elevation, or the distance, and ATB has the wind. If it was in December I probably would've added a couple of hours to my time as I'd have to stop every ten minutes to reapply sunscreen to my pasty white skin. :roll:
DavidS wrote:This is a big event, 10,000 riders, surely they could give us some help, so congested at the start. All the way along Beach Rd from Frankston there are signs indicating that Beach Rd will be closed for the Melbourne Marathon next week, surely Around the Bay has more participants and they can close some roads at 5.30 on a Sunday morning.
I'd heard horror stories from people in previous years taking an age to get over the bridge, I didn't find it too bad, assume it gets worse the further back into the group you start though. Far from ideal of course, but at least they had lane closures. The most annoying bit I found was the incredibly brief green cycle on the lights off the freeway on the other side of the bridge. By the time the riders at the front had clipped in, it was back to red again, made for some big bottlenecks. That should be easy to change for a couple of hours to give a longer cycle.

Melbourne Marathon typically has ~3.5x the number of participants of ATB.

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby HenryCharlie » Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:46 am

Did my second 210 yesterday, 2016 was extremely windy and yesterday was bloody windy, especially the Frankston to Sorrento part. The event was well run and it was mostly enjoyable, but I won't be doing it again, not at that time of the year...I've had enough of head winds for a while. :)
I overtook some people going uphill once.

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tomee
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby tomee » Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:48 am

3 mates went on and did 300 and 400km after ATB yesterday.
crazy...

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cyclotaur
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby cyclotaur » Mon Oct 09, 2017 11:27 am

Stuck to the Sorrento Return as mentioned previously. Rode to the start and home again. Roaring tailwind down - nightmare coming back. :shock: :D But survived and rode 220kms all up. :wink: I enjoyed the section of coast from Safety Beach to Mornington - much better than slogging back around the back way.

I've now ridden back up the Sorrento side 6 years in a row and had horrible headwinds at least 4 times. Frankston to Mordialloc is a nightmare with a stiff northerly blowing and 150+kms already done, and the last 30 kms is not much better except it's more familiar terrain I suppose and easy enough to push on to the end. But catching every red light along the final stretch is a real drag as well. It really takes the fizz out of finishing in my view.

I'd also like BN to re-think the event wrt to calendar and also the Start/Finish location so that riders get a cleaner run home.
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby HenryCharlie » Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:05 pm

I did the Melb > Sorrento > Melb and only had 197km on my Garmin. I did take a shortcut at the start to avoid the crowds, but I certainly didn't cut 13kms out. Anyone else who did the same route, what KMs did you get?
I overtook some people going uphill once.

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Arbuckle23 » Mon Oct 09, 2017 12:32 pm

Mate did that ride and had 196 km recorded. I think I have read before that route route is around that distance.
I did the the 210 loop and had 208.4 km on my Garmin using GPS mode. Bloke I rode with had 217 km on his device (can't remember what type it was).

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cyclotaur
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby cyclotaur » Mon Oct 09, 2017 2:33 pm

Melb-Sorrento return was 195.2km in 2015 when I logged that ride only on Strava.

That's one reason I rode to the start and home again - wanted to get 220kms and make it my longest ride. :wink:
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DavidS
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby DavidS » Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:26 pm

Still reckon they could close some roads at 5.30am on a Sunday. Don't really get why we around the bridges on the freeway following the Westgate, makes no sense to me at all. They don't need to increase the length of the light cycles, they just need to allow us to ride along the freeway.

As for timing, well, the wind blows most of the year in Melbourne. Wouldn't want December because of the heat, maybe March?

On my speedo (Cateye Digital Wireless) I clocked 232KMs including the ride there and back so I reckon the 210 really is around 210.

I enjoyed it, I will likely do the 210 a few more times. Not sure about the 250, I'd have to learn to sit better on the bike so I don't get sore shoulders and neck to go for that long.

DS
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby djw47 » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:47 pm

DavidS wrote:Still reckon they could close some roads at 5.30am on a Sunday. Don't really get why we around the bridges on the freeway following the Westgate, makes no sense to me at all. They don't need to increase the length of the light cycles, they just need to allow us to ride along the freeway.

As for timing, well, the wind blows most of the year in Melbourne. Wouldn't want December because of the heat, maybe March?

On my speedo (Cateye Digital Wireless) I clocked 232KMs including the ride there and back so I reckon the 210 really is around 210.

I enjoyed it, I will likely do the 210 a few more times. Not sure about the 250, I'd have to learn to sit better on the bike so I don't get sore shoulders and neck to go for that long.

DS
You go around the bridges so that you don't have thousands of cyclists crossing the slip roads on and off the freeway, holding up the traffic trying to enter and exit the freeway and more importantly, you don't put thousands of cyclists in the firing line of cars exiting the freeway at 100km/h. A minor inconvenience given the alternative.

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby djw47 » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:52 pm

defy1 wrote:Never done and don't think ever will. Why would I pay for something that I can ride for free every single day?
I'd imagine most people can raise their game for an organised event that they might not be motivated to do on any other weekend. It's a target for training, there's a degree of safety in numbers in a large event, there's support teams there, rest stops, and a feeling of accomplishment at the end. If you've never done a big ride and don't have the confidence to go off and do it independently, and are willing to pay for it, these rides are a great opportunity to test your ability.

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Arbuckle23 » Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:08 pm

A question for those experienced folk on this event.
I noted a few photographers setup around the route taking photos of riders.
Is there a way to view proofs and checkout any photos I might want to buy, of myself that is.

In motorsport (my other pastime), the photographers put a few low res versions on forums or Facebook pages and you can ask them for sample shots and you can then purchase high res versions.

Just something for memories when I am too old and to look back on and smile :)

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DavidS
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby DavidS » Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:55 pm

Arbuckle23 wrote:A question for those experienced folk on this event.
I noted a few photographers setup around the route taking photos of riders.
Is there a way to view proofs and checkout any photos I might want to buy, of myself that is.

In motorsport (my other pastime), the photographers put a few low res versions on forums or Facebook pages and you can ask them for sample shots and you can then purchase high res versions.

Just something for memories when I am too old and to look back on and smile :)
You should get an email with a link to photos which include you and you can purchase them. I got mine today but I doubt I will purchase them. Also had larger photos from Amy's Gran Fondo.

The photos are reasonable and can be a good souvenier.

DS
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Arbuckle23 » Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:17 am

Thanks David.
I'll look forward to that email.

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kb
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby kb » Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:42 pm

DavidS wrote: As for timing, well, the wind blows most of the year in Melbourne. Wouldn't want December because of the heat, maybe March?
December but overnight :-)
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rooftop
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby rooftop » Wed Oct 11, 2017 3:50 pm

kb wrote:December but overnight :-)
There is always the Salute To Irene Plowman ride which goes from Brighton to Portsea and return - overnight in early March :wink:

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby rodneycc » Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:25 pm

Arbuckle23 wrote:Thanks David.
I'll look forward to that email.
If you don't get an email try this link...

https://photos.raceatlas.com/?event=around-the-bay

(or from the ATB website)
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Arbuckle23 » Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:57 pm

Found them thanks.
Framing etc not great :(

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kb
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby kb » Thu Oct 12, 2017 3:06 pm

rooftop wrote:
kb wrote:December but overnight :-)
There is always the Salute To Irene Plowman ride which goes from Brighton to Portsea and return - overnight in early March :wink:
That sounds pretty cool, I’ll look into that.
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Calvin27 » Thu Oct 12, 2017 4:40 pm

djw47 wrote:
defy1 wrote:there's a degree of safety in numbers in a large event
ATB has pretty bad crashes. Generally around 5 spotted collecting a few individuals at a time. However they don't really publish these stats and keep quite mum about it without even upping the safety part of the rider briefing.
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Duck! » Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:25 pm

I saw three crashes the year I did it; one within the first km or so after the start, one near Werribee just before entering the freeway, and the third at the start of the climb up the back of Mt Martha. The last was a real Say What one, had me wondering how the hell one manages to crash on an uphill corner!

I also fluked the year with sublime conditions, and the only real headwind riding back home after the "proper" finish. :-P
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Arbuckle23 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 7:50 am

I saw the one bloke on Geelong road being attended to, presume as result of a crash.
Also noted a rider being attended to by others at safety beach with blood on his face, also presume a crash.

I also noted there were a lot of punctures. Thank goodness none in my little group had any.

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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Calvin27 » Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:33 pm

Duck! wrote:I also fluked the year with sublime conditions, and the only real headwind riding back home after the "proper" finish. :-P
Was that 2015? I did it that year - tail winds both ways. One girl fully connected to a sign at full speed (about 35kph) and it was a real horrible crash.
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Re: Around the Bay 2017 is on Sunday 8 October.

Postby Duck! » Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:47 pm

Nah, '05 was the year I did it. Nice weather must be a 10-year thing. :-P
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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