Comments on: New event on the 2006 MTB race calendar

By: Morgan

Morgan — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 09:28:00 +0000

Those are pretty respectable times. Keep that up and you’ll be doing well on Sunday.

Yes, we need to secure those logs. That can be your job for Saturday morning.

By: Nigel

Nigel — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 21:50:00 +0000

Myself, Oisin and Mark Cosgrove were out there tonight. Met 3 others out there. Went for a steady lap to show everyone the way. Myself and Oisin then did a fast lap. 26.40 and 27.20 ish. absolutely wrecked after it!

couple of little things for saturday - the two big logs on the never ending trail - we need some way of securing the ramp-logs as they moved pretty easily. maybe some stakes to hold them in place. other than that there were just a couple of low lying branches around the place. course has bedded in really nicely. well done lads. top job

By: Shane C

Shane C — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 18:36:00 +0000

Sounds like a new opportunity for me to crash. See y’all at the weekend!

By: Ryan Sherlock

Ryan Sherlock — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:20:00 +0000

Hmmm - by the sounds of it. I really should pre ride the course before I’m hammering* doing it during the race.

* hopefully

By: Paddy

Paddy — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:28:00 +0000

no you won’t .. you’ll be marshallnig along wiht the rest of us … or alternatively crashing on it yourself (along wiht the rest of us) during the sports race.

Personalyl i hate that moment just before you go over the edge … when you can’t see to where / over what you’re going!

By: Nigel

Nigel — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:20:00 +0000

i’ll be there waiting for the falls

By: Fergal

Fergal — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 15:32:00 +0000

The Happy Valley still makes me hold my breath all the way to the bottom (and I’ve done it over 5 times!) so I’m really interested in seeing the expressions of racers who tackle it for the first time - there will be many a funky face made I reckon - great photo opportunity!!

By: Ryan Sherlock

Ryan Sherlock — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:37:00 +0000

Sounds class! I’m looking forward to getting home and doing a couple of runs on it!

By: Sean

Sean — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 21:09:00 +0000

News from the course:
Its looking great. I did a 29 min lap today, with the potential for another small shaving off that once the last few snags have been sorted. This will mean roughly a 20 min lap for Elites…
Start off up a climb, then another challenging singletrack climb, then a fast singletrack descent flowing into a wider, swooping section through the trees - loads of speed through here!
Break out onto a fireroad and fly up until you hit a rough double/singletrack section gradually going upwards all the time, cross the fireroad and turn onto a short sharp singletrack climb to a summit - big ring and out of the saddle, enjoy the view from the top before heading left and down a drop, then down the swoopiest, flowiest track ever - leave the line at your peril! Through a gap in a wall and rail the berm, keep your speed up across a flat section, drop a gear to get over the wall and drop into a channel - use the bank on the far side to keep your speed. Drop another gear to get up a steep off-camber step up, accelerate through the trees, down a bank, berm off the far side and step up over a root on a corner and onto The Neverending Trail!
Get the log hop right to keep the flow; pedal through the trees but watch for the roots. 4 mins later you’re still on the Neverending Trail with a sting in its tail - a sharp climb back to the fireroad, catch your breath before rejoining the singletrack into MICKsymatosis Corner and doubling back to the Happy Valley. 2 options here - the Valley descent or a chicken run - both are spectacular - but keep your speed up around the left hander and carry your momentum into the Long and Winding Road, a tough climb with some tech bits that meanders through the trees.
Back onto the fireroad and a sprint up to the spooky Area 51 - down a swoopy track as fast as you can before the aliens get you!; and sprint along the fireroad, drop a gear or seven and hit the last short climb with everything you’ve got before turning onto PC89 - the best descent on the course. Cross the fireroad and onto Damo Duggan’s Descent of Deadliness - a fast, sweeping singletrack challenge which culminates in a final bombhole.
Then you go and do it all again….

Can you tell I’m excited about it???

By: shane g

shane g — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 16:22:00 +0000

on behalf of judith please make the directions a bit better as there is a sign at the fork going to saggart saying slade valley c c