Mountainbiking Association of Dublin

It was a beautiful day as our brave riders set out to race around 3rock for the sake of glory and physical fitness…

…and here ladies and gentlemen are the results (which I’ll leave to someone else to add to the google doc):

Pics from the day can be seen here.

-Dave “cant cycle” Carroll

The 2008 Mountain Mayhem 24-hour race takes place this weekend in the grounds of Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire. MAD riders Mel Spath and Ryan Sherlock will be competing in the team event for BMC and TorQ respectively while Brian Linton is representing us in the Jaffa Cake Appreciation Sociey. Good luck to everyone taking part (hope to see some podium finishes) and here’s hoping for a dry weekend.

The 2008 MAD Summer League begins this Wednesday. Details in the forum (members area).

Hi Folks,

Now that nearly all of the previous order of gear has been distributed, as promised, the second order is getting under way.
We’ll have a short ordering period this time (2 weeks) in order to get the gear rushed through.

The order form can be downloaded here:

Please return it to me at this address in a timely fashion (as in, now!)

As you can see, we’ve added some new items to the list, namely the much requested skinsuits, cycling caps and Lycra shoe covers. We hope these will be popular items.

Sizes:
There are now 115 individual items of gear from this supplier in circulation, so you should all be able to find different sizes to try by asking your friends. We found that the jerseys are sized 1 size larger than the jackets and other things, so order a smaller jersey than you think you’ll need. IF IN DOUBT, ASK TO TRY SOMEONE ELSE’S!
SHOE COVER SIZES: (S - EU33-36) (M - EU37-39) (L - 40-42) (XL - 42-44) (XXL - 45+)

Prices:
We don’t know for sure what the price of each item will be, as it depends on the total amount ordered. Any items that there is less than 10 of incurr a surcharge, so order early, order often. Also, there will be a difference in pricing between this order and the last as the supplier has rearranged their pricing structure. I think the jerseys will get a bit cheaper and the other bits a little dearer, but the net cost will be about the same.

Any queries, please email me.

Sean
Email

EPIC MTB presents round four of the 2008 XC NPS series in Djouce Woods on Sunday June 15th. Richie Byrne (EPIC Kingpin) writes:

Its an amazing course. The downhill sections are clean, technical lines with some amazing new additions.
The climbs to compliment the descents are savage. Serious amount of work has gone into the design and construction, in a huge effort to make everything rideable even in the wet.
Its a real mtb course. So start polishing your skills up.
We have designed it in such a way that the lap is something you really want to do, its not just an xc race, its a big sexy 25 to 45 minutes of offroad cycling.

There’s already talk of this being the best XC circuit of the year - the turnout is sure to be huge. See you all there.

This Saturday we’ll have the last day of our MTB Beginners Course. This time we’ll be venturing to Ballinastoe - the country’s first “official” mtb trail. The terrain will be quite different to the last two weeks - no roots and a lot more gravel, you might even think you’re in Wales. You can read more about the trail on the Coillte Outdoors site and even download a trail map.

The technical talk this week will be all about chains and how to fix them, presented by the elusive Mr. Sean Downey. Sean will also have vast stocks of 2008 club gear with him, for anyone who needs to collect it.

As usual we’ll meet at 9.45 and start riding at 10am. You can find directions here.

Anyone who wants to continue riding with the club after the beginners course should join-up without delay. Membership forms will be available on Saturday or you can download and fill-in one here. If you have any questions you should email the committee.

The third round of the 2008 Cross Country NPS takes place this Sunday in Magheramorne Quarry, near Larne Co. Antrim. This venue was used for the first time last year and we recieved some good reports. It’s part of the Magheramorne Works redevelopment which you can read about here www.magworks.info.

Sign-on is at the Blue Circle Sailing Club (directions). Full facilities will be available (toilets! showers!) and there should be sandwiches after the race too (sandwiches!). It’s a bit of a drive to get up there but should be well worth the effort - especially as the new MAD 2008 club gear will be on display for the first time (and hopefully on the podium too).

We had a great turn-out for the first day of the MAD Beginners Couse last weekend with 18 new people turning up in the rain. Nice to see such a good turn-out of ladies too. The forecast is good for this weekend so the trails should be a bit drier this time around.
The destination this week is Kindlestown. There’s a nice forest loop which everyone will by flying around by the end of the day. We may also head into Glen of the Downs for a quick spin. Here’s a map and driving directions.  Once again we’ll meet at 9.45 and hit the trails at 10.

I hope to see most of last week’s riders back again and if you missed that one you can still come along.

Folks,

Just been talking to Sean to discover he got taken out by a car while out on the bike today, but thankfully has nothing more serious than bruised ribs and a whole lotta cuts, grazes, bruises and interesting patterns.

I know from personal experience how quickly this can happen and how painful it can be, so be careful out there and keep those helmets no matter how short a trip you’re doing.

Just think we should all join in wishing him a speedy recovery cos hes had a long time off the bike already, and we were hoping to finally having him back on the bike at races rather than randomly flinging water bottles from the sidelines.

Paddy

Our first MTB beginners course of 2008 begins on May 10th. This will be an easy introduction to mountainbiking for first-timers or a chance for people to return to the sport. Please ensure your bike is in good working order and don’t forget your helmet. Check out our Beginners Page for more details on what to wear and bring.

If you have any questions, or if you just want to tell us you’re coming along, drop an email to the committee. The course is open to riders over 16 years of age. Riders under 18 must present a parental consent form to the club committee. Riders under 16 may attend on the condition that a parent also takes part and stays with the group at all times - please discuss this with the committee beforehand.

The first day will be around the Hellfire Club and Masseys Wood on Saturday May 10th. Meet at the Merry Ploughboy Pub at 9.45am, departure at 10am. We’ll aim to finish about 1pm or so.

Dates and locations