So what’s it all about????
Each year the club runs a Strava league for club members from April to September.
Basically the committee select 4 local segments each month. A sprint, a climb, a longer time trial effort and another somewhere in between.
Members upload their efforts from the month to Strava ( they must join the Strava Crossgar CC group ). At the end of the month points are awarded e.g. 20 points for first place, 19 for second … down to 1 point for 20th place for each segment. Therefore a maximum of 80 points is available each month if a rider was to come first in all of them.
Scores are recorded each month and added up. At the end of the league prizes are awarded for each of the disciplines and for overall.
The aim of the league is to encourage a bit of friendly competition and to help bring riders on. More importantly it is meant to be a bit of craic. The rides should be solo efforts with no help or drafting from other riders. It is essentially a gentleman’s agreement to do an honest effort.
April Segments
Here are the segments for the first month of the 2018 league – Good Luck everybody!!
louis detour
https://www.strava.com/segments/17282535?filter=overall
Get over it, its Easy
https://www.strava.com/segments/12986489?filter=overall
Jude’s near home
https://www.strava.com/segments/17282499?filter=overall
Jordans climb
https://www.strava.com/segments/17284034?filter=overall
April Results
1st Kieran 79 points
2nd Siv. 74 points
Gary 74 points
4th Gerard 67 points
May Segments
Sprint Segment:
Crossgar CC Church Road Sprint
https://www.strava.com/segments/15228642
Hill Climb Segment:
Scaddy Road Step
https://www.strava.com/segments/2813787
TT Segment:
Killyleagh road 10TT Outward Bound 5
https://www.strava.com/segments/1435749
The Other One:
Crossgar speedway
https://www.strava.com/segments/3610488
May Results
It was all action on the Strava segments for May:
Kieran maintains his 5 point lead overall. It would have been more only for a 31st May last ditch effort at the TT by Siv to take full points.
Gary wasn’t so lucky having lost Barra Bests number and forced to do the TT into a massive head wind – this resulted in a big points loss with Gerard now breathing down his neck for 3rd spot overall.
Great to see Ted and Jake making the leaderboards this month. It’s early days and still plenty of points to be won over the summer months.
If anybody spots any errors with the results let me know.
Overall standings at end of May:
1st Kieran 151 points
2nd Siv 146 points
3rd Gary 141 points
4th Gerard 139 points
June Segments
Sprint: Crossgar CC Ballynahinch Road Sprint
https://www.strava.com/segments/15228610
Climb: Up Shrigley Hill
https://www.strava.com/segments/12122163
TT: Crossgar Cycling Club – 10 mile
https://www.strava.com/segments/14593555
Other: Crossroads to Crossgar 30
https://www.strava.com/segments/3689290
The TT is longer than usual and an opportunity to get a baseline time for a ‘Ten’ and hopefully reap the benefits of the hard training done so far this year. Just beware the left turn onto the main roads at the Derryboye crossroads and at the end of Carsonstown.
Happy segment hunting folks!!!
June Results
No change position wise after June’s Segments although the gaps have narrowed significantly with last years overall winner Siv making his intent to retain the crown known.
Story of the month was Gary leaving the 10 mile TT to the last afternoon of the last day and ending up stranded on the Belfast road with a slashed tyre due to sharp gravel. Rather than see him stuck and lose out potentially on 20 points I quickly got a spare wheel and drove up to meet him. Had I paid any attention to the message I would have known it was a back tyre he needed.. so back to the house again and put him on my TT bike instead. Wrong pedals. Wheels off the TT bike and back onto Gary’s. Good to go. The adrenaline was obviously pumping after all the faffing about – so he goes and knocks out a 26:31 10 mile TT to take full points. Great Wheels….
Overall standings at end of June:
1st Kieran 224 points
2nd Siv 223 points
3rd Gary 219 points
4th Gerard 207 points
July Segments
Bishops Brae, Downpatrick
https://www.strava.com/segments/4320867
down past Phills
https://www.strava.com/segments/16852309
Crossgar Cycling Club – Time Trial
https://www.strava.com/segments/13035701
Creevy Road S2N
https://www.strava.com/segments/12583625
July Results
All change at the top of the leaderboard after the July segments with Gary ‘The Machine’ O’Connor almost making a complete sweep. He took maximum points on 3 segments and joint first on the other one picking up 2 KOM’s on the way. Reigning champ Siv is still hard on his wheel with only a half point in it. The League will be running for 2 months more so still plenty of time.
Truth be told Gary is only in the lead because I was away most of July and am still hung over. Gerard has put up a set of tasty segments for August that I’m going to destroy. The gloves are off….
*** as usual if anybody spots any errors give me a shout ***
Standings at the end of July:
1st Gary 298 points
2nd Siv 297.5 points
3rd Kieran 295 points
4th Gerard 270.5 points
5th Ted 225 points
August Segments
The Hill (Creevy To Church)
https://www.strava.com/segments/12112532
The Sprint (Crossgar CC – Kilmore Drag)
https://www.strava.com/segments/17344907
The Long One (Crossgar to saintfield lights)
https://www.strava.com/segments/5031507
The other One(To the bucks head)
https://www.strava.com/segments/8243662
August Results
At the end of August the standings at the top of the table are the same as July although some might say that the league is over and that Gary has an unassailable lead!
He now has a 6.5 point lead over reigning champ Siv who will surely not relinquish his title without a fight.
It was a funny month really with the wind coming from the west until pretty much the last night. This accounted for a flurry of activity on the evening of the last day of the month when the wind was helping on some of the segments.
September will be last month in the league and the segments will be up shortly, I’m sure we’ll see an exciting finale. Good luck everybody and stay safe.
Standings at the end of August:
1st Gary 377 points
2nd Siv 370.5 points
3rd Kieran 366 points
4th Gerard 343.5 points
September Segments
Final segments of the year below. Many thanks to Philip for sorting them out.
The long one finishes near the Cuan so you are allowed a pint afterwards if you do well. (Other pubs are available)
The Long One (Quoile to Castleward)
https://www.strava.com/segments/5317955
The Sprint (D SPRINT)
https://www.strava.com/segments/5593885
The climb (Bayview Rd Climb)
https://www.strava.com/segments/5109895
The other one (Crossgar CC – Scaddy Road Return)
https://www.strava.com/segments/18623823
n.b. this one is longer than usual but was a special requst from the ‘Rocket’.
We’ll be expecting great things. No pressure……..
Good Luck!!
Crossgar Cycling Club 