Midlands 300- 29th March 2015

Following on from the Orwell 200 the next in the series is the Midlands 300, in 3 weeks time. There was a good bit of interest in this at the finish yesterday, and I've had a handful of entries in already so it is likely to be another big field. For most people completing a 200 will be as far as they will ever hope to go in a day, but for the few who are tempted to try go one step further there will probably be no better opportunity to give it a go. Details are below:

Midlands 300, AKA Orwell 'One lump' 300

Date: Sunday March 29th 2015;
Organiser: Dave McLoughlin, Orwell Wheelers;
Contact details: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 087 9908528, 11 Morning Star Road, Maryland, Dublin 8;
Entry fee: €5;
Closing date: Friday March 27th;
Venue: Joe Daly Cycles, Dundrum, Dublin 14, 6:00am start;
Facilities: Parking, toilets, bag storage and changing room available in venue, open from5:30am;
Cycling Ireland licence required, One day licences will be available for €2 if required.

Map: www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/617854526 ;

Despite passing over the Slieve Bloom mountains on the approach to the second control this is still by some way the flattest 300 in the country. Aimed at first-timers and PBP hopefuls alike, navigation is straightforward and towns offering shops, cafes and garages for refuelling can be found at regular intervals along the route.

Hi Dave,

many thanks again to Jenny, Dave T and yourself for organising the Orwell 200 which will go down as highlight for 2015, great event and well done to all who took on the challenge.

I never thought I would say this but the allure of a Audax 300 medal is very tempting, can you tell me what is the time limit for the 300?

Stephen wrote:

can you tell me what is the time limit for the 300?

20 hours (300 @ 15km/h), so with a 6:00 start it allows for finishing up to 2:00am.

Going by your 200 time I would see you doing it in around the 12-12:30 mark, give or take a little depending on how groups form and the weather, so getting home between 6 and 7pm.

I'm in Dave - great show on Sunday - appreciate everyone's input.

Just a reminder that this is on this Sunday. I have just over 30 entries in so far, of whom 5 or 6 Orwell.

The weather is unlikely to be quite as nice as it was for the 200, but at this stage it's looking promising enough.

Good luck tomorrow.

Well 'ouch' kind of sums that one up. Twelve and a half hours for me, and I'm expecting to be here til the wee small hours waiting for the last of the stragglers.

Of the six Orwell registered I had three DNS, one early DNF, so all my hopes are currently pinned on Danny Moriarty who is still out there slogging away (I hope!)

Well done Dave, hopefully Danny has company and making his way home. A very tough day, we were thinking of you all during the day.

Well done Dave and thanks for organising it! I am very impressed with anyone who finished that today.
I was the early DNF. I got as far as Naas, and even with Dave Mc’s encouragement and positivity that it was going to get warmer in the next hour, I couldn’t make myself go any further. I stopped at a petrol station in Naas to try and warm up before heading home. As I stood and drank a cup of tea, the man working there put yellow signs around me so that others wouldn’t slip (true story).
I was very happy to get home to a warm shower, although also slightly envious of those that had continued! Well done to all.

Dick wrote:

Fair play to anyone who finished this yesterday. They were tough conditions for a 300. I passed a good few particpants while going the other way between Birr and the top of the Wolftrap. It must have been a long old slog before turning away from the wind. Serious achievement to finish.

I passed you going the other way on the road from Birr to Ferbane. I was the one all the way out on the centre line hanging on to the back of the first echelon for dear life!

With everybody safely home there were 23 finishers including our own Danny Moriarty.
There were 5 DNFs (remarkably low), and 18 DNSs (about right given the weather forecast).

The first man back arrived in just outside 12 hours, and the last pair got back just after midnight for a total time of 18 hours.

Congratulations to everyone and well done Dave a very successful Orwell 200 and equally successful Midlands 300. I hope Danny has enough energy left to put pen to paper for us and write a little account of his day on the bike.

Having slogged through a 300 a couple of years ago in bad weather (although not as bad as yesterday's), I have great admiration for those who went out yesterday, whether or not they finished. Well done!

Fair play to the two men I saw from the warmth of my car around midnight on the N81 at Tallaght.

Character building stuff yesterday - much more a test of conditions than distance. Finished smiling and with petrol in the tank so roll on the 400's in May!

Got to acknowledge and appreciate Dave Mc for organising this AND cycling it - it is truly mind boggling how he juggled both roles.

A special thanks on behalf of the Club is due Dave Mc for organising this event.

Pity about the weather but even on a good day this would be a grueling event.

Chapeau to two great Orwellian athletes David Mc and Danny Moriarty.