POLOCINI-The Winter Sprinter- Sunday 6th March 2011

[Polocini]

Hi Beaker,
There are lots of Clarion signed up. I think I have Chris Cullen to thank as he has been very supportive. Thanks for the message of support.

Cheers
AL

 

[Beaker39]

Sorry, I have no idea who Chris Cullen is.

I posted it a couple of weeks ago and I think there are about 6 so far from our section (North Cheshire) doing it. Probably get a few more the closer it gets !!

 

[Polocini]

Beaker- My mistake, Chris is Saddleworth Clarion!!!! I think you guys have the biggest presence so far. Thanks for all the support.

AL

 

[Paul_L]

just got back to Bradford after this event.

First of all it's good to be back in civilisation after having cycled through all those slum villages in Cheshire

Now then.

Good things;

• Brilliant facilities at the start. Loved the porridge and hot drinks
• Great idea to have bike stands.
• Good range of energy drinks, bars and gels at start, but as usual i took far too much and didn't use half of it (Sorry!)
• Just a small thing but it's nice to have your name on the number. Don't know why i like that so much, but i do.
• Very friendly helpers allround. Signing on, time chip, breakfast servers, ride food people all very friendly.
• Didn't stop at the first stop so can't comment on that, but i'm sure less experienced riders would have found a stop after 20miles very welcome.
• Provisions and friendly helpers at second stop top notch. Was tempted by a cream egg (although probably would have been a bad idea in hindsight )
• Great route, through lovely scenary and leafy lanes with plenty of everything; fast and flat sections, winding downhills and some nice climbs.
• I actually enjoyed Swiss Hill, despite my friend falling off right in front of the photographer!!
• I can't remember finishing a bike ride and having a curry within 10mins, which coming from Bradford is unusual. Great refuelling at the end. I'm sure the protein shakes were very good too, but i just stuck with the curry and a cup of tea! Lovely.

Things to think about in the future;

• The toilet with only one "trap" in was probably not quite enough at the start.
• The signage out on the course was plentiful however i almost missed quite a few and were it not for more observant riders around me i could easily have done so. I heard a few people saying they missed some turns. Maybe consider the black on flourescent yellow arrows in future?
• Not sure why the stop time on Swiss Hill was only part way up the climb? Found it quite tricky to cleat back in and carry on climbing on the cobbles.

Bad things;

• None

Mr. Polocini, please take the minor comments above as helpful advice. On the whole, the event was superbly organised and a good demonstration to some of the more established names in the Sportive market out there what can be done with a bit of thought. Take note Torelli!!!

I'll be back.

Thanks.

 

[Polocini]

Thank you for your comments they are really appreciated. The bike racks cost a small fortune but I think they made a nice difference. We actually had a lot more features for the hq but ran out of time to set everything up. Every penny that came in from the sprinter was invested in all the infrastructure. Each event will improve as we gain more experience.

It was very much a sportive of two halves though. The 30mile guys were faced with several Polocini cock ups. I didn't have enough staff to marshall the split and it caused many riders to go of course. I also missed a sign off a junction at the feed station. By the time the 60 miles guys came through we had a marshall there but the 30milers suffered by going off course.

With regards to the signage...................Er, I basically ran out of decent signs. We went out at 2am putting up the arrows and got totally carried away, saturating junctions etc. This is why the first forty odd miles were really well signposted. I then had to get crappy paper photocopies of an arrow and use them on the last section. Again the 30 milers suffered. Totally my fault.

Swiss Hill; I would have been on Swiss Hill making sure things were done properly and to take videos with the motorbike. But because of eight missing/stolen arrows I had to go and sort them. Then after the problems on the 30 I headed back to hq so that I was there in person to answer any criticism. By about half eleven I thought I had done the most piss poor sportive of all time but then the 60 milers came back and the atmosphere changed. The positive comments from the 60 milers have been amazing. The guys on swiss hill deserve a lot of credit as they were thrown in at the deep end. In future I will make sure we are briefing our staff properly.

I will do a free mini-sprinter re run for the 30 milers as I didn't meet my own Polocini Standard. But with manual timing. I was truly gutted that a few people came back unhappy. I always use the tagline 'High quality affordable sportives' but for the 30 guys this wasn't the case.

As for the toilet it's the trade off for using Woodford. It's a very cost effective venue which helped to keep the entry fee down. I looked at hiring two portaloos but logistically it was a nightmare. I would have had to be on site for delivery and collection which is impossible as I am working my day job.

I'm planning on doing plenty of sportives in the future so any feedback on here will be answered.

Thank You
Allen

 

[Paul_L]

Allen,

Appreciate the response, after what sounds like a long a challenging day.

If i'm right in thinking this was your first event, then you have so many positives to take from it, and hopefully the positive feedback will far out weigh the negatives.

My friend and i did comment that we didn't notice where the 30mile route split was.


Things don't always go 100% to plan. The difference between good and bad organisations is the good ones, take action when things don't go so well.

Thanks again.

Hopefully see you for the kegs and legs.

 

[sparty69]

Al, I'm not able to make comparisons as this was my first sportive. I did the 30 miler and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. I was impressed with the organisation at the start which seemed to go very smoothly. Evryone was very friendly and welcoming. Sure, there were a few sign problems out on the course, but hey, we all found our way eventually and everyone I spoke to seemed to take it in good spirits. The fact that the weather was so good meant nobody minded doing a bit of extra mileage .

You've recognised the (minor) problems that occurred and that means that next time you'll ensure they don't happen again. I certainly appreciated your apology when I got to the finish. Don't be too hard on yourself. I don't think I could ever organise an event like this.

All the best for the future. I will certainly attend one of your events again.

 

[boydj]

Thanks, for the great day, Allen.

Having done several sportives, now, I have to agree with all the comments about the event. Well-organised, with friendly, helpful volunteers - all in all, a great experience, apart from one minor signage problem. That's one tough hill, though. I've never seen so many people off their bikes - myself included. That's got to be the target for next year.

Many thanks to you and all the volunteers for making this a memorable event.

 

[deggers]

was also my first sportive so dont have anything to compare it to-but on sheer enjoyment and value for money I'd say it was a winner. Must admit by the end I felt a little guilty-reckon i easily consumed £20 quids worth of porridge,bars,gels,snacks and goulash! (not sure how the whole profit thing is going to work if you keep up this excellent level of support!).

A brilliant day-thank you!

 

[deggers]

was also my first sportive so dont have anything to compare it to-but on sheer enjoyment and value for money I'd say it was a winner. Must admit by the end I felt a little guilty-reckon i easily consumed £20 quids worth of porridge,bars,gels,snacks and goulash! (not sure how the whole profit thing is going to work if you keep up this excellent level of support!).

A brilliant day-thank you!

should add my enjoyment wasnt based entirely on free food!. the roads and route were spot on. Was very impressed that with the exception of a very sport blast down the A6 all the roads picked were lovely and quiet.

 

[Paul_L]

results are up. Not too fussed about the overall time (4hrs 27) as i went round with a friend and we took it very leisurely.

Quite pleased about the hill split though. We went at our own pace up that bad boy and re-grouped at the top.

Joint 31st with 2min 52.

You gotta love a triple

 

[AndyRud]

I'd just like to congratulate and thank Allen for a really splendid day yesterday.. You did yourself proud mate and it was nice having a chat with you after.. The start was well set out with all that free stuff on offer, the route was a nice rolling route with something for everyone. Swiss Hill was a pig but we made it up. And the bonus which in my opinion knocked Torelli into a cocked hat was that you yourself were there at the finish to talk to us and listen to any complaints if there were any, of which I had none before supplying us with yet another free meal.
All in all one of my favourite events so far.. Thanks again mate. We'll see you in the near future...

 

[Polocini]

Here are some pics;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55119780@N06/sets/72157626108491827/with/5512773373/

thanks for all the support!!!!

AL