Mountainbiking Association of Dublin

Isn’t It Time for a Recreational Plan for the Dublin Hills?’ asks the DMRI

Following a presentation to South Dublin Strategic Policy Committee on Sport, Recreation, Community & Parks today, the recently formed Dublin Mountains Recreational Initiative (DMRI)* are calling for the radical development of the leisure and recreational facilities of the Dublin Mountains.

Chairman of the DMRI, Mark d’Alton, said ”We represent all those who utilise the Dublin Mountains for recreational purposes – both those who are members of our affiliated groups and the many non-specialised users of the Dublin Mountains who, not being members of any particular grouping, have no means of conveying what the mountains mean to them and how they would like to see them developed.

“The central aim of the DMRI is the formulaton of a unified development and management policy for the Dublin Mountains. There are few capital cities in the world where the inhabitants and visitors alike have such ready access to the hills. Our vision is that ultimately there would be a Regional Park in the state owned portion of the mountains with greatly upgraded facilities, a ranger programme and sustainable multi-use way marked trails.

“With some imagination there is no reason why there could not be a Dublin Way linking to the Wicklow Way. The Dublin Mountains could become a major attraction that would benefit both the people who live here and those who visit us - there are huge social, health and economic benefits to be gained from proper development of upland trails.

“Despite its’ large and increasing population currently only about 10% of the trails in Ireland are in the greater Dublin Area. We should look to the examples of cities such as Adelaide in Australia and Vancouver in Canada to see how to properly develop the mountains on our doorstep. A swimming pool and associated facilities costs in the order of 12 million euro to build - by comparison trails cost only 20 to 30,000 euro per kilometer to develop.

“The DMRI intend to establish dialogue with the major landowners in the Dublin Mountains – we have already met with Coillte who have been very receptive. We also intend to work with local and national politicians to engender policy change and to secure proper funding.“ he concluded

* The DMRI was brought together to represent the interests of those who use the Dublin Mountains for leisure and recreation. Its’ members are:
i) The Mountaineering Council of Ireland
ii) The Scout Association of Ireland
iii) The Irish Mountain Running Association
iv) Mountain Biking Ireland
v) The Irish Orienteering Association
vi) Slí na Slaínte (Irish Heart Foundation)

Stay tuned………….

Sean

The MAD Beginners course continues this week with a ride around the Leadmines where we have some nice challenges lined up for you. With the way people are progressing I think everyone will manage just fine. The tech session will cover headset and V-brake adjustments. We’ll meet at the Barnaslingan car park at 10am and ride for about two hours. Everyone is welcome to come along.

Underage rider information

Directions to Leadmines
———————–
Take the Enniskerry Road south through Stepaside
Continue through Kilternan
Pass Ambrose Glass motors on the left
Continue through the next area of roadworks
Take the left turn immediately after the roadworks (opposite a phone box)
Barnaslingan Lane climbs steeply until it reaches Barnaslingan car park on the right.

Map Link

Hi all,
With the Winter and cold and wet weather rapidly approching, the fine folks at MADmtb have been looking into some proper club winter cycling gear to keep you all warm, dry and looking great.

We’ll have an exciting new range of:
-Water/windproof jerseys
-Bibshorts
-Thermal bibtights
-Windproof Gilets
-Arm and leg warmers

We should have items to try for sizing in a couple of weeks, but sizing is roughly the same your existing MAD jerseys, if anything a little bit larger. Both myself and Morgan tested Medium jerseys and they fitted fine, the tights are a little shorter.

In another exciting twist, we can confirm that women’s specific versions of the club gear can be arranged, please just specify on the email.

In order to get some accurate pricing, we need you to give us an idea of what you’re interested in and how many you’d like to order. The likely pricing is about €75 for the Jerseys, €35 for bibshorts, €45 for bibtights, €30 for Gilets and as usual, the more we order, the cheaper it gets.

Note that the Thermal bibtights are designed without a chamois, but are specially designed to fit perfectly with a standard cycling short/bibshort underneath.

We’ve checked out some samples and can confirm that the gear is good quality and is far better value than any similarly priced items you will find in the shops.

Please send an email stating what you’d like get along with your name, email, phone number and probable size to Sean as soon as possible so that we can get ordering before winter really sets in.

Sean

Hi,
Christian will lead this week’s regular club spin, note that its on Saturday, the day before Sunday and after Friday.
This will be an all-comers spin for anybody not leading the beginners in Kindlestown, and will be on a route/destination of Christian’s choosing.
It’s Christian’s first time to lead a spin, so I ask you all to be nice to him, remember that he also provides the nicest cake in MAD and has the most retro looking bike.
Meeting at the Yellow House at 10am.

Happy biking,
Sean

Fourteen new riders braved extreme weather conditions for our first beginners ride last Saturday. The rain didn’t stop for the entire spin but that didn’t prevent them tackling everything in their path - uphill and down - with smiles and enthusiasm. Instruction was proved on tackling various obstacles and Sean showed how to check your bike over before a ride.

Our destination this week is Kindlestown forest in Co. Wicklow (forest car park, 10am). There’s a great loop there which we’ll have you flying around in no time. We’ll also show you how to repair a puncture - fast. It’s not essential to attend all the rides (although we’d recommend it) so even if you missed last week you can still come along.

Riders under 18 and their parents must read this.

Directions to Kindlestown
————————————-
Take the M11/N11 south to Kilmacanogue
Two miles or so after Kilmacanogue you’ll pass the “Eco Shop” on your left
Take the next exit signposted “Glenview Hotel”
Take the next right turn (do not cross the flyover bridge)
You’ll pass the Glen of the Downs golf club on your left, then take a right
The entrance to Kindlestown car park is on your left.

The 2006 NPS came to an end last Sunday with MAD finishing the season in some style. Melanie took first place in Sports Women while Ryan took Gold in Experts with Noel Carr coming in third.

The IMBRC hosted a great race in Slade Valley after putting in huge effort building new sections of trail. Torrential rain on Saturday and early Sunday resulted in seriously muddy conditions. This slowed the pace a good bit but was enjoyable once you got into the swing of things. The organisastion was top-notch with computerised timing providing instant results, tea, sandwiches and cakes galore (although I think we contributed some of those). Unfortunately the race took us past a logging vehicle which was poised to clear fell the whole area the next day. It may be gone already.

Although the XC NPS is now over there are still several MTB events coming up. The EPIC Blast and the Marathon Champs will be held later in September. The downhill series continues into October and there are also plans to run an XC winter league. We’ll post more details as they’re available.

Full race results

Ryan’s Photos
Dave’s Photos
Gareth’s Photos
Andy Pott’s Photos

Hi all,

This may or may not have been sent around before, but it’s worth saying again:
If any riders under the age of 16 are planning on doing the beginner’s ride, they’ll need to download our “Underage rider form” here: Underage rider consent form

Both they and their parent must sign the form, and the parent must accompany the rider to the meeting place to meet us and hand over the form. The Parent must also return to collect the rider at the appointed time, to be agreed with the ride leader on the day.

If anybody has any trouble downloading the form, email me and I’ll email it on to you.
If you have any other queries, just drop me a mail or a call to 086 3354576.

See you all on Saturday,
Sean

The MAD MTB Beginners Course kicks off on Saturday September 2nd. We’ll meet up in the Hellfire Club car park at 10am (directions below). Sean and Morgan will show you how to check your bike over before the ride and how to set it up properly. We’ll then have an easy ride around Masseys Wood for about two hours.

Helmets are compulsory on these rides - no exceptions under any circumstances. Check here for a list of what else to bring.

There is no cost for attending these rides but anyone continuing to ride with MAD afterwards must join the club (€20, +€35 Cycling Ireland membership). Sean also likes Jaffa Cakes.

Hellfire Club Directions
From the Yellow House in Rathfarnham take Willbrook Road south
Continue along Ballyboden road until you reach the Ballyboden Roundabout
(you can also get to the roundabout from Grange Road to the east, or the Ballycullen exit of the M50)
Go straight through the roundabout and take the first right
Take the first left, up Stocking Lane
The Hellfire Car park is 2km along, on the right.

Map Link

Hi,

After much debate over where and how much we’ll do this weekend, I’ve made a decision…..though whether or not I’ll be there depends on me getting a lift ooop north for a race.
The original plan was to do the Wicklow way to Ballinastoe, taking in the Sally Gap and Kippure on the return leg. Now, our Commander in Chief (Morgan) is the only one I know of to know the trails down off Kippure (cliff paths by Lough Bray) and seeing as he is off inspecting airport security in Heathrow this weekend, we’ll be putting the Kippure part on ice for the moment.
So, the route will be as follows……the Wicklow Way to Djouce, at which stage we’ll evaluate energy levels and time factors and decide to either (1) return home via Enniskerry or (2) go to Luggala for the POG course and return home via the Sally Gap.
Meeting at the Yellow House at 10am.
This is the longest spin that we’ve done in a long while, so you’ll need fit legs, lots of food and water and if possible, a good sense of direction. As there’s a reasonable distance involved, stopping and faffing will need to be kept to a minimum.
There are various opt out points along the way, most returning home via the Enniskerry road, should they be required.

Also, the Ulster XC champs are on this weekend, should be a good event. Both myself and Ryan are willing to trade petrol money for a seat in a car if there’s any going spare.

We may also have a club meeting at some stage next week, keep your eyes peeled for details.

Happy biking,
Sean
086 3354576

email me!