Racing 795

Up and over – Rudolf and his new 29er (Photo by Peter O’Toole)

[Report by Rudolf Brinkman]

DC, Brian Mc, Ross and myself headed up to do this round of the XC National Points Series. This time it was in Ticknock Dublin. This trail is well known by a lot of mtb users because its a purpose built trail. The MAD trail builders used very little of this trail so it was a proper XC track. Steep technical climbing, wet and rooty descents followed by some rocky up and down bits.

I was starting in S2 for four laps. DC, Brian and Ross who were in the S3 catogorie were getting ready to do three laps.

To thin out the field there was a horrible road climb in to the first bit of single track. I was way in the back before hitting the first bit of track. With 4 laps in mind and a steep technical climb I was gonna ease into the first lap. That worked I started passing riders and kept my distance from riders in front of me before hitting any single track. Here I could close the gap and annoy them. Then slowly ride away on the climbs. On the third lap it was time for a gel. I only bought these a week ago and hadn’t had a chance to test them. It was disgusting and managed only a 1/4 of the gel, the rest went on the ground (sorry I couldn’t face putting a 3/4 full gel wrapper in my back pocket). On I went on the last lap and managed to pass two more riders getting me into a 15th place.

Brian stayed ahead of the chasing posse and Dave passed Ross on the steep road climb near the top.

Great 1.5 hr racing and a super xc course.

Thanks to Brian Yeates and son Ben for blowing the horn in support, just as we were hitting a fast bit of single track. Brilliant!!!

Results

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Brian in action at Ballinastoe earlier this year

[Brian McElwee has been travelling the country and flying the Racing795 flag in the XC NPS series. Round 1 took place in Cong, Co Mayo a few weeks ago. Round 2 was in Killarney last weekend. Here’s Brian’s report.]

After badly tearing and then binning my rear tyre on Thursday eve’s training spin the only spare I had to hand was a trailraker mud plugger, picking up a new rear in time before the race was not an option so I had to take the gamble..If it rained a lot before Sunday I would be laughing (it is Killarney I thought..).

Got down Saturday eve and the weather was lovely with a great buzz about the place, some light drizzle Sunday morning but that cleared off quickly enough.

The race itself, got a great start and pulled up 5 places on the first lap with some stealthy passing on the climbs which I was delighted with but as soon as I reached the fast bits including the long field section again on the start/finish I lost them, felt like I had the brake on with the drag from the rear, back into the singletrack and I was holding my own with one of Richie Byrne’s big wheelers snapping at my heels, I thought if I can finish ahead of him I will be happy with that. He got past at the start of the 3rd lap on a tech bit but I kept reeling him back in on the climbs. I felt a second wind coming so it was game on, we came up behind another rider who dabbed in front of me on an uphill tech bit, I couldn’t get the feet out in time and ended up falling backwards down a gully with the bike buried in the sceachs, lost more places but then ripped it as hard as I could until the finish. I got one or two back but the big wheeler was well out of sight.

All in a very enjoyable race, I had hoped for a higher place but lots of tit for tat with a couple of lads made it, conditions were perfect with most the track just nice and tacky. Great little course and a well run set up, definitely will be back for that one.

Oh ya, the hotel… Celtic Tiger jobby with as much sound proofing as a tent, full of people on the piss, hen parties etc didn’t get to sleep till around 5 id say, pure disaster of a place, would have been better off just drive down Sunday morning! ah well.

I’ll re group for the next round with a new tyre, rear bearings and tougher training plan and hopefully I will pull up those few places I want.

Results

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Before the off, David T, DavidC and Brian Mc. Fortunately we don’t have the “after” shot, it wouldn’t have been pretty!

[Report by David Conway]

Team Ballyhoura Facebook Status sometime last week: “Due to popular demand the 2012 XC Marathon champs course has been extended from 65km to 75km.”

I nearly spilled my tea. “WTF? Popular demand? Who in their right mind…?”

Damn this was going to be tough, but I had been targeting this race all year and I wasn’t going to be put off. This was going to be my comeback race after many months with a dodgy back. My goal was to at least match and hopefully improve on last year’s performance. Sunday dawned, bright and sunny. The Tullywagon picked me up bang on time and before we knew it we were lined up at the start. We were joined on the line by  Brian McElwee doing the marathon for the first time. David T, like me, was hoping to improve on last year.

The whistle blew and away we went in a mass start. The Ballyhoura MTB trails are Coillte’s finest contribution to Irish outdoor life. So it was something of a surprise when the peloton headed straight out the gate onto the public road! Very odd to be bunch-riding on the road in an MTB race but thankfully it was just a short loop to spread out the field before we headed back into the trail centre and the singletrack.

The first 30-40 minutes were tough, but soon I was up to operating temperature and cruising, loving the descents, and finding some nice rhythm on the climbs. Brian Mac and I rode together for the first 30kms or so  (we lost Tully in the melee at the start) until Brian announced he was feeling a bit ropey, stomach cramps from putting too much electrolyte in his bottle. I thought a little plain water would help so I gave him some. Little did I realise it was magic water! Within minutes he was miraculously cured, upped the pace and left me behind. I tried drinking some plain water but funnily it didn’t work for me.

In fairness I didn’t help my own cause. It started to rain about the same time, and for some reason it never occurred to me to remove my cycling glasses, even though I couldn’t see a thing through them. I rode for about 20 minutes with the glasses perched on the end of my nose looking out over the top of them. I was hitting rocks, misjudging corners, clipping trees and wondering wtf was going on. Was I so tired already? Finally I copped on. The problem was simple, the glasses were blocking my peripheral vision, which you don’t realise you need until it’s taken away.  I pocketed the specs, gave myself a lecture and soon I was back in the groove, but by this time Brian was a speck in the distance and I never caught him again.

The first half of the course had been a nice mix of fire roads and trail centre singletrack, with a few bits of tricky natural singletrack thrown in to keep us on our toes. Things changed a bit as the day wore on. The outer limits of the course were bleak and windswept, with endless rutted muddy lanes and open clearfelled hillsides. The organisers were clearly aware that this could seem depressing, and in an effort to cheer us up (or mess with our heads?)  someone had deposited half a dozen rubber ducks in one of the bigger puddles/lakes. Made me smile anyway.

The rain stopped for the last 15kms or so and I found myself in the thick of some racing drama. The elite women were having a right old battle for the final podium position. I decided to stay out of it but I reckon I could have taken that third slot! I finished bang on target in just over 5 hours, 22^nd in my own Vets category, and 4^th in the Elite Women’s race.

Brian had finished 2 minutes before me but he was a bit glum because he had lost his car key out on the course. He needn’t have worried. In his second miracle of the day someone found his key and handed it in! David T finished soon after in a much improved time from last year.

Team Ballyhoura ran a fantastic event once again, with the nicest friendliest marshals you could ever hope to meet. Thank you one and all. Thanks also to David T for the lift.

Race route on Strava

Results: Vets | Masters | Elite Men | Elite Women

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Ross goes hunting – photo by Ballyhoura MTB Club

[Report by David Conway]

There’s always great banter and camaraderie on the start line of an XC mountain bike race. The riders line up, there’s a little argy bargy over position but it’s all good natured. Everyone is friendly, the craic is good, we’re all in it together. It was probably the same for the gladiators just before they ran out into the Colosseum to fight each other to the death.

The starter calls 10 seconds to go. No more chat. All you hear is the clicking of cleats into pedals and the beeping of Garmins, then BANG! Suddenly it’s all panting and grunting and mashing of gears and tyres crunching gravel. The anaerobic dash to the first singletrack funnel is on. Banter and camaraderie me ar$e, team mates me ar$e, showtime!

That’s just how it was on Sunday when David Furlong, Ross Moorhead and I lined out in Ballyhoura for the 5th and final round of the Munster XC series.

DF did the driving once again. Joy had put the foot down so no fancy new car this week, we had to make do with the elderly Laguna. We made the best of it and it only took us a few minutes to straighten up after the long journey.

Pre-race routine is always pretty much the same. First sign on. (These Munster races have only 2 senior male categories, “Male” and “Elites”. We entered the Elite race. Sounds good doesn’t it?) Then tog out, practice lap, bite to eat, visit the portaloo, head for the start. All went smoothly and before we knew it we were having the craic with all the other gladiators on the start line. Then BANG! The red mist came down.

As always I started way too hard and was under pressure almost immediately. Still, I managed to keep the momentum and put in a decent first lap. The course was a well balanced mix of fire road climbs, trail centre descents and a few stretches of homespun natural singletrack. Nothing too technical on it but you were always flat out.

Ross was well away and out of sight after the first lap. DF was somewhere behind me. I suffered a bit on lap 2 so I wasn’t surprised when DF passed me early in the 3rd and final lap. I managed to stay in touch and then found a second wind towards the end of the last long climb. I decided to attack – if I could make it to the next singletrack section before DF I reckoned I’d have a good chance of staying ahead. As I passed by he muttered something about blowing a gasket. Excellent news I thought so I pushed harder, opened a gap and made it stick. I continued to push hard all the way to the finish line where I was pipped in a sprint for 9th by a cute tactician from Killarney!

Ross was already home in 4th place, I managed 10th with DF not far behind in 11th.

Then it was post race analysis all the way home. Thanks to my fellow travellers for a great day out and well done to organisers ULMTB & LMTB, it was a well organised event, no fuss, no faffing, no hassle, just great racing.

PS. Thanks also to Lynn Hayden who dropped by to spectate and support us!

Results

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