Racing 795

Eireman X – Courtown, 10th May 2009

Posted on May 10, 2009 by racing795

Four 795’ers (James, Jim, Barry and David) made the short trip to Courtown for the first ever Eireman X Offroad Triathlon. The challenge ahead was a 750m sea swim followed by 10km mountain bike course with a 5km cross country run to finish.

Weather conditions were kind, and whilst the water was nippy, thankfully there was no rain or wind.

The swim was a long one, and Jim was first out of the water, followed by Barry, David and James. Quickly on to the bike, and the fun started with a waist deep river crossing. Barry and David quickly made inroads into Jim’s lead, with Barry taking the lead amongst the 795’ers at the end of the first lap. The bike course played into the lads hands, and to the tune of ‘rider up’ all made up lots of places. First out of transition was Barry, with Jim and David exiting together, and James bringing up the rear, maybe the effects of the previous weekends Marathon taking their toll.

On to the run, and starting with three river crossings in quick succession it was time to get down’n’dirty. An undulating course followed with five river crossings in total and lots of muck and slop. Barry forged ahead and Jim finally shook of the attentions of the Younger Furlong with about 2km to go.

First across the line was Barry in 26^th place overall, followed by Jim in 38^th, David in 39^th and James in 95^th. A fantastic display by the club, especially to have three in the top forty.

Onwards and upwards for the 795’ers!

PS: Thanks also to the support crew of Martin and his gang, Lorraine,Saoirse and Caoimhe, Joy and the junior Furlongs and David, Helen and Robyn and of course last but not least Supporter and Technical Assistant No.1 Paddy Furlong.

Full Results:

http://eireman-x.eireman.org/sites/eireman-x.eireman.org/files/Eireman-X_Results2009.xls

Total field: 104

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XC NPS RD 3, Carlingford, Co Louth. 3rd May 2009

Posted on May 3, 2009 by racing795

3rd May 2009

All roads led to the North East for the third round of the XC MTB National Points Series, and four 795’ers made the long journey; David Conway, Jim, Paddy and David Furlong.

First up was Paddy, and having moved up to Under 12s this year, faced a tough lap on part of the big boys’ course. This technically demanding lap was handled admirably by Paddy, who finished in 6^th place.

Next up was Jim, competing in the 3 lap Vets race for the first time, and the two David’s lining up in Masters for a 4 lap race. The race started at a furious pace up a tarmac road, and by the first technical section the field was already strung out. This didn’t bother Conway though as to roars of “Rider Up” (and some not-so-polite utterings) he carved his way through the back end of the field. In hot pursuit was DF with JF getting to grips with his new steed close behind. DC and DF proceeded to have their now customary two- man battle with DC pulling away towards the end of a tough + 2:30 race.

The race was a real lung-busting, energy sapping 30k marathon. JF finished at +1 lap with DC in 28^th place and DF in 29^th on his NPS and Master’s debut. The course itself was very enjoyable, with some cracking singletrack and of course the compulsory heart-breaking fireroad climb. There were also apparently some very nice views!

Thanks to Helen and Robyn and Paddy for manning the feed station – much appreciated!

Results

Paddy Furlong 6^th (Under 12’s)

Jim Furlong +1 lap (Vets)

David Conway 28^th (Masters) 2:35:07

David Furlong 29^th (Masters) 2:39:46

Full results here: http://www.mtbireland.com/news.php?readmore=72

Pics here: http://www.imbrc.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=26&g2_itemId=19889

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NORTH TIPP SPRINT TRIATHLON, NENAGH 18TH APRIL 2009

Posted on April 18, 2009 by racing795

Five Racing 795’ers (plus one junior member/supporter/photographer) made the Trip to Tipp for the North Tipp Sprint Tr (500m swim, 20k bike, 5.2k run) – James, Tony, Jim, David F and Barry.

The day dawned bright and sunny, with conditions perfect for racing. Tony was first into the pool in Wave 1 and despite some ‘traffic’ swam well. Judging by his time though we think the Hand of God may have been pushing him along. Next in Wave 3 was James, who sporting his 795 tri-suit had a powerful swim, coming in at 10:44. David and Barry followed in Wave 4, with Barry just over the 9 min mark and David just over 11 mins – all those Tuesday sessions doing the trick. Jim was away in Wave 5 and had a good swim in 10:03.

T1 proved a bit of a calamity for Barry and David, both having technical problems with garments. The result was Barry donning a rain jacket for the hottest day of the year and David baring his chest Adonis style for the remainder of the race. No such issues for the old pro’s of course. Tony and James finished the bike leg around the 45 minute mark. Remarkably, Barry, Jim and David all finished the bike within 15 seconds of each other, with Jim showing he is still the one to beat on two wheels.

No problems in T2, and an enjoyable, undulating run course followed. Barry led the 795’ers home with good run of just over 25 mins for a total time of 1:18:57. Next in was David at 1:22:04 following a 26 min run, followed just 36 seconds later by Jim at 1:22:40 following a cramp affected 29 min run. Next was Tony at 1:28:42 – all that marathon training paying off, with James home at 1:39:15 following a good steady run.

Well done to all, especially Barry on his triathlon debut. It’s gonna be hard to keep up with these young lads, but I’m sure we’ll find a way…..

Final positions

79     Barry Byrne        1:18:57
105     David Furlong     1:22:04
108     Jim Furlong         1:22:40
140     Tony Redmond 1:28:42
176     James Bodels      1:39:15

Total Field: 203
Full Results here
Photos here

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DJOUCE TRAIL CHALLENGE 15TH MARCH 2009

Posted on March 15, 2009 by racing795

A travelling contingent of five 795-ers, with one supporter, lined out in Djouce today for the Djouce “not a race” Trail Challenge organised by Team WORC.

The sun was shining, you could almost hear the trails drying out. It was going to be great. And it was!

Paddy Furlong added to his growing collection of silverware with 2nd place in the under 12 race. The underage course took in some pretty serious switchbacking singletrack, including the famous Ecstacy. He was presented with his medal by Robin Seymour, Ireland’s XC Olympian. Great stuff Paddy. Make sure your auld fella gets you a jersey for the next day!

The elder lemons had a mixed day. Yours truly got swept up in the frenzy at the start and was quickly fooled into believing it was a race. Judging by their sedate pace, the other 795-ers were under no such illusion.

Oddly, despite my commanding lead, D Furlong was first home. Turns out he was led astray by a herd of poor sign-readers. Others less charitable than I would call this a short cut, but it appears to have been a genuine mistake.

Later, much later, James was gravely insulted when he was invited to take the easy route home because the organisers wanted to take the marking tape down. Should we seek redress for this affront. Perhaps a duel of some sort? Perhaps not. James wasn’t too worried anyway as he broke out the Irish(?) stew and vino.

The course was nothing short of superb, hats off to WORC. Our own recent trailbuilding efforts really paid off as we put into practice skills honed on Rock’n’Roll and Courtown. Some savage climbs too. We need to work on climbing, but where’s the fun in that?

All told this was a good day for the club which has really whetted appetites for a summer of racing in all disciplines.

Video and Results from mtbireland.com

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