Irish National XC Champs – 18th July 2010

Well, I went for a top 3, hovered around there for a while, legs went and I got 4th……bit of a disaster really, I gave it a go, I just wasn’t good enough!

The EPIC team put on a great show at Djouce woods. On the Saturday, I did a coaching session with 15 riders. It was a great experience and something I hope to do more of. Some of the riders were a little intimidated by some of steeper the descents and climbs, but a few minutes on each was enough to get most of them through it comfortably.

The venue is stunning, incredible views and mature forests with some great trails. The course, however, was a mixed bag. The descents were the straight down type, hold on a blow through all your elevation in a few seconds. This really does lend itself to a climbers course, I’d say only 15% of time was actually descending, on a normal course, it would be about 30%. Billed as a DHers course, but it was the opposite IMO ....howandever, it was still enjoyable, and definitely worthy of a champs course, just a bit of a shame.

We lined up on the field, I was on the 2nd row due to not have world ranking points, but I knew my starts are good so I wasn’t too worried. BANG, around the field, and 2nd in the first ST on Evans wheel. With robin behind. Around Evan, and Robin overtook me just before XTC…..already we were about 8secs ahead of everyone…SORT YOUR STARTS OUT LADS FFS.

About 1/3 way through the 1st lap I backed off Robins wheel and settled in. Ryan caught and passed me on sneaky line that I had missed a little later, and I finished the first lap about 10 sec off, no worries….Peter was about 30 sec back and riding ok. Robin was gone!

Ryan had a shunt on lap 2 and burped his tyre, and he had to stop a couple of times to give his tyre blast, so I was able to pass him and he only caught me at the end of the 3rd…..this is where it started to go wrong, the legs went, disaster. I had to switch into get home mode, Peter passed, and I keep moving slowly until the end…..pity, I would have liked a medal! Robin cruised to victory, # 16 for him. Too easy really, riding real well even though he has ‘retired’. Ryan came in a well deserved 2nd, a bit battered but a good result. Peter 3rd, mega congrats, not bad for a 47 year old!!!! Like I said earlier, good/bad day whatever, I just wasn’t good enough, but I gave it a go. Richi came in 5th, with Philip travelling from Belgium to finish a fine 6th. As always, the Focus was perfect, didnt miss a beat!

I did get on the podium though, 5 of us, 5 bottles of champagne, we all got soaked. Great day out, and well done to Richi, Luke and all the EPIC guys for a awesome show.

Round the outside at the start!


Down GC, what a descent!

Grinding up the climbs

Robin out on this own

Railing it on XTC

Followed by me :-)

Ryan and I do battle!

Aidan cruised to victory in the Vets

Ray had a solid race in the Vets

Sideways

Ryan catching me at the end of lap 3!

Sufferin!

The podium!

New team gear

Took delivery of the new team gear, finally. Very colour coordinated!

NPS # 7 – Three Rock, Dublin. 4th July 2010

The final NPS. A finish would guarantee the overall win, so I was looking forward to this one. Three rock is a classic MTB location, right in my back garden and my home race.

The course was pretty good, the MAD team spent a lot of time building and draining, back breaking stuff. However, the start/finish was frustrating, a 20min walk from the main car park field, a shame.

Off we went, along “Stradia Biancia”, the long flat fireroad. I got the holeshot in the long singletrack descent. I was brutal, the sun shining through the trees made spoting lines impossible. Onto the purple road climb and it was me and Peter, the long climb awaits. I was not feeling good, tired legs and not going as fast as I should have. I contimuned to lead for the rest of the lap, a couple more good descents, a climb, long flat dbl trail and singletrack to the finish. Lap 2, and I continued to lead back to the long fireroad, really slow again, I was just waiting for Peter to jump, and he did, with a mighty kick, I could not respond.

I struggled throught the rest of the race, coming in 2^nd. My worst performance in a long time, jez I was like a bull at the end! Congrats to Peter, flying on the day. James and Richi came in sprinting for 3^rd, with James taking the podium spot. Evan was next, good enough for 2^nd in the league.

The prizegiving was great, the field was superb. Thanks MAD!

2010 NPS champion, nice one. 2 weeks to sort myself out and get ready for the big one, the Nationals!!

Stunning views!

Booting it!

Evan and Richi chasing hard

Vinny took the win in the Vets

Ray on the tough climb

Mega roots

Multiple lines allowed overtaking

A tough day for me

Peter and I on lap 1

Evan yumping the rocks

NPS # 6 - Dromara - 27th June 2010

Up to the north again, this time to last years Nationals venue in Dromara. I didn’t race the nationals last year, so I didn’t know what to expect. The course description was a bit loose, farm land, grassy hills, would this be another repeat of the cow trodden course of Killarney? Thankfully no! I actually enjoyed the course, great staged kicker climbs, dusty trails through high ferns and bushes, wonderful flowey corners…..a real test. Oh, and sunshine too.

The Elite field was missing a couple of key riders from round 5, Robin, Evan and Ryan, but Peter was there so this was not going to be easy. I lead the first lap, then Peter put the hammer down and really made me suffer on laps 2 and 3. Just 15-20 seconds away and couldn’t get back on! Then on the 5^th lap, I rode up to him on the climb and passed him straight away. He then punctured and that was that! Win number 3 in the series, back to leading too, good stuffoooooooooo. The Raven was excellent, didn’t miss a beat, and I was able to stay in the big ring for the whole race (XX is class).

Well done to my chauffeur for the day, Vinny. He took an easy win in the Vets, should be a good nationals for him.

Southern XC - Crow Hill - 13th June 2010

A flying trip to the UK, quite why, we don’t know! Adrian invited us over to round 3 of the Southern XC series in the new forest. Bob has raced there last year and promised a great course with great racing. Bob picked me up 30 mins late, on Saturday afternoon, let the stress begin. Loading Evan into the back was easy (30kg), and off we go to the airport.

Jez, getting to the UK is so easy now. We were off the plane and in the car so quick! A little scare on the way to the rent-a-car when Bob decided to take a short cut down a bank and ended up over the bars on an airport trolley, a worlds first surely! All carbon intact, we load the car and 1.5 hours in the Skoda and we checked into the ‘Swan Inn’ for good food, beer, and just in time to watch the Engerland goalie fumble the ball to end up 1:1 with the USA in the world cup….would they lose to the Irish tomorrow?

A fine breakfast and sunny weather and a short hop in the car we were at the race venue. Stunning countryside and uber dry trails awaited us. I really was a super casual day. Sign-on, unloaded and build the bikes, pre lap and relax in the sun. The course was great, a 20min loop on singletrack, kickers, corners, dip, yumps, lumps the lot.

Probably 600 riders in total, but less than 20 in the elite field meant not much traffic. At 2pm we line up, 2^nd row grid beside legend Nick Craig, gulp. Bang, off we go, into the SPuDs and I’m away, fast fast fast, up the first kick, a couple of elbows and I’m on Bobs wheel…..in the first ST and I’m 3^rd, deadly…..kicks and sprints ahoy and its real fast. After ¼ lap I decide its job done regarding the start and I settle in to the race….a couple of guys pass, Stu Bowers, Nick and Chris Minter, I stick with Chris and hope for the best….

4 laps pass and I am still with Chris, good racing. I dig a little more and I pull about 15 secs, but I am suffering, real hard! I hold it going into the last lap but ½ way around, Chris digs and passes me, I have no response, the back is gone, the legs are gone…..real hard. 7^th it was then, not too shabby at all. The icing on the cake, Robin makes it to losses in a row for England, taking 1^st place, an easy win for him on a course that has his name written all over it! Adrian 2^nd, good on ya. Evan came home in a fine 10^th, not too bad at all. Load the bikes, drive back to the airport, a couple of hours later I am in my bed, nice one!

Thanks to Adrian for the invite and Amber for doing the bottles, I hope to come back for more SXC races, great setup and atmosphere.

Good video of the race

Bob goes over the bars in the airport, not a good start!

Robin, Evan and I on a practive lap

Robin leads Adrian

Great singletrack

Tough kicker climbs

Packing the bikes just after the finish, grief!

NPS # 5 - Limerick - 6th June 2010

Good racing on Sunday, a long climb followed by a long single track descent awaited us. A good NPS turnout too, Robin, Peter returning from his broken foot, Ryan fresh from his RAS success. visiting candian pro Mike Garrigan and all the usual heads. Off from the gun the pace was steady and controlled. Evan put a dig in near the top and I dug too to get ito the singletrack ahead. Slippin n slidin on the I was a bit all over the shop, but still pulling away from the pack! I let Robin past and we finished lap 1 with just a few seconds between us, the rest were about 15 seconds down.....race on.

Ryan and Peter passed me on the 2nd lap and I made a mess of the descent on this lap and the 3rd, but I got my head around it o the forth and started to reel them in. I caugth ryan on the descent on the 4th and passed him on the climb on the fifth, and cauth Peter on the descent too! I led our group on the last lap up the climb, but near the top Peter and Ryan started attacking and I had no response.....4th it was! Mike came in 5th, after suffering a puncture on the 1st lap, a shame we may have had another rider in the group dicing for 2nd. Well done to Bob, too easy. New bike was excellent, climbed like a dream!

Next day Bob and I took Mike on some trails around Djouce, happy days......

Off to Southampton this weekend for a Southern XC race, should be fun.

Joe

Up the fireroad from the start

Robin took the win

Ryan roed well to take 2nd

Me in 4th

Booting it on the last descent!

Over from Canada, Mike garrigan took 5th. Sound bloke!

New (upgraded) Race Hartail, Raven Extreme

Just built the new Raven Extreme, wow, what a bike. Full XX group, XX forks with hydraulic lockout and carbon steerer, carbon DT 1350 wheels, FSA carbon bits.....all the fancy frame tech from the Raven Pro, but this is the 'A' frame with a few unseen mods. Rides real fast, goes like a road bike. I'll put it through its paces this weekend in NPS # 5 and the following weekend in Southern UK XC serries race.....deadly. Again, big shout out to Aidan in Eurocycles.