K-cap round 3.. Best bits and worse bits

[Richie]

Here's mine...

Best bit

Up the Foxglove climb (the steep one), I was chasing Gordon Lucas. Kept about 6 inches behind him the whole way up. We got to the top and were coming up to our Ollie just at the turning area before the entrance to Earl's drive. As Gordan went by Ollie, I though feck it, and went around the outside of him and got to the river ahead. Did not see him after that, think he had a mechanical and was out before the end of the first lap.


Worst bit - the bloody puncture. Was going down the drop off after the first new bit of single track and heard lots of air escaping. I stopped - obviously in hindsight I should have kept going and let the sealant do its job. Then I started farting around with the canister and made the problem worse. To cap it all had a fella taking photos of me and I had Diamond hurling abuse at me as he went by!! Still, you live and learn.

[Fergal]

best bit? when the hail started coming down - it looked amazing

worst bit? falling down a hole at the bottom of the foxglove climb and getting passed by 3 Masters,

and then getting a saddle in d'ghoulies before the drop-down to the river,

took a minute of deep breathing, cursed the tree for hooking my bar-end,

walked back 10 yards, then took the exact same line but 1 inch to the left and down & across the river dab-free...actually...that could be one of my best bits too.....

I love this biking lark....I really do :-)

[diamondG]

best bit?

flying through the off camber singletrack after XTC, come out into the open and taking the drop onto the rooty singletrack, great drop.

It was my best bit because I had a whole thirty seconds to abuse Richie as I flew past him (I was sure I was going to crash on the drop, I was putting everything into that abuse), it was 1 down 2 to go ;)


worst bit?

1 of my two crashes..

it was the last lap, same part, no Richie to abuse, and thankfully no spectators there, I took the drop and flew into the rooty singletrack, flew past some imbrc fella (in hindsight he mustn't have been racing :) and something 'funny' happened on a root because I flew mid air 4 metres into the felled area.

not a scratch on me, but I don't like mid air crashes where you've time to think, 'ooooh those tree stumps look well hard'


the second crash was more straight forward, I used both brakes, a tree, my shoulder and head to stop going off a 'cliff', on the single track off earls drive (lots of grunting in that crash)


still.. it is great though ;)

[PeterPolish]

Best was the whole track.. great!! just superb I'd say and very technical....

Worst was my condition, I was third from the end but finished it...

Today in the morning I was barely able to move my hands or legs even a little bit... now I feel "little better"


I will never ever try to race with catarrhal diarrhea (tummy upset)...


That was a savage race and congrats to everyone who was racing there!!

Thanks for the applause as well!


PPeter

[Oisin]

Best bit - all the singletrack was amazing, but I really liked the fast downhill bit approaching the drop down into the river. Really fast swooping around trees with little drifts on the corners. Saw a couple of spectators when I was approaching a natural ramp so got some air to show off!


Worst bit - Lost my position a couple of times when wide climbs turned off into singletrack sections. If there was a slower rider in front I failed to take advantage and the rider behind me burst past to overtake both me and the rider in front which left me stuck behind the slower rider on the singletrack while losing time to the guy who got in front. Managed to pass them each time later on though.

[Morgan]

Best bit - both my grips stayed on the bars!

Worst bit - I am becoming worse and worse


I enjoyed the race overall though - even if I was all over the place on the far side of the river. I can't believe Fergal was getting around the whole course without dabbing - there were hardly any sections where I didn't have at least one foot down. Less turbo-training and more biking needed I think.

Thanks Sean for the race-support - we'll look into arranging a patio-heater for Castlewellan. Well done to all the podium finishers - and those who are getting closer and closer.

[jackieo]

Best Bit - finishing the race!

Worst Bit - the whole race!


Only Joking! Actually for my first race I really enjoyed it.

Best bit had to be riding Grand Canaria only dabbing once(OK I got off and ran!) and realising it was not as hard as I had thought (was still terrified throughout tho!)


Worst bit was dropping off the fire road too early onto what I thought was the trail and after realising my mistake seeing two guys I had just annihilated on the hill climb get in front of me! (><) Grrr!!


Thanks to all again for the support & encouragement. As Ash says we mightn't have acknowledged it but we certainly heard and appreciated it!

[Conor]

First things first, thanks a million to Sean and his team of merry bottlers. I was fit to kill all of yiz each time I passed you, but thats cos what you were telling me was true. I wasnt in enough pain (physically) and I didnt drink enough gogo juice on the laps. Th reason being I crashed about 15 times in the first two laps, and a couple of more times on the last lap for good measure.


Best Bit:

I had a really good start by my standards, felt strong on the climbs and fire roads, and I got accross the river clean each lap. I enjoyed the singletrack on laps two and three, although I came a cropper a bit too often for my liking....


Worst Bits:

The demons got a good hold of me on lap two. Coming up the last fire road I thought " To hell with it, I'm giving up. Sure I can see the van just there." But I didnt, I kept going. At the finish I saw Andy Potts and asked him if he wanted to buy my bike. If he had said yes I would have given it to him in a heartbeat!


Still, every day is a school day, as my Da always says. And that was one hell of a lesson!

[SomeGuy]

Best Bit: Sitting on Oisin´s wheel up the climbs and then sprinting past to get into the singletrack first.

Worst Bit: Riding most of the last lap on the rim and going from a comfortable first place to fifth.

[Sean]

Welcome aboard, Luke.

Grab a cold one from the fridge and put your feet up.

Remote's on the coffee table :-)

[diamondG]

some good photos up on imbrc site


check this one out and the few after it, team gbr and the elite field running after Robin, classic :)


http://imbrc.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=26&g2_itemId=9585

[Fergal]

there was an awful lot of riders cleaning their shoes in that stream.....