The winning team, Colm McGarvey of EpicMTB and Rudolf Brinkman.
Well done to Rudolf and his pal Colm McGarvey of Epic MTB Club who won the team race in Mad Mac’s 6 hour XC in Omagh last weekend. Here’s a few words from the man himself
“Well that was a nice day at the office. This adventure started last thursday when one of the Epic mtb lads didnt fancy doing the full 6 hrs on his own. So I said ok, I’ll come along and we do the team option. The race was in Gortin Glens forest park in Co Tyrone. We arrived in the mornimg to set up in the pits with food, spare wheels, coffee etc.
There was no plan made and there was no time for a practice lap so we went with a few other riders on a warm up half lap. The down hill section through the forest was deadly. Drop offs and jumps followed by rooty single track. 11.00 am was the start. With no idea what to expect I was off first and went for it on the first lap.
First it was the “waterfall ” climb which was super steep but short. After that a long fire road climb to the middle section which was called ” no mans land”. This was a boggy open mountain singletrack section. More climbing to come after that which brought you to the “Hells Ally” a super fast narrow gravel swooping decent. A short fire road brought you into the forest single track which I described earlier. Back over the finish line and into the pits to swap the timing chip to my team mate Colm McGarvey. He then went off and did the same lap again.
I was waiting in the pits area and getting ready for my next lap. Towards the 4 hrs it became harder to push the gears on the climbs. We still managed to keep consistent laptimes although they became a bit slower towards the end. From the beginning of the race we were in the lead in the team race. There were two teams behind us looking for a chance to take the lead. With no mechanicals and a steady ride toward the end we manged to do 13 laps in 5.40hrs. The 2 teams chasing us were on 12 laps towards the 6hr mark and did not have enough time to complete another lap. 1st place for Colm and myself. This was a great event and well organized. Also great craic in the pits and food after the finish for all the competitors which was needed.”
Filed under: MTB Race Reports, News |
Racing 795 
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