We want as many of you as possible to make it along to the club champs and AGM this year. The champs will take place in the morning and everyone will have a chance of winning - it’s not just about speed. We’ll have the AGM and prizegiving that evening. Vote for your preferred date below.
Cúchulainn C.C. presents Irelands second ever MTB Marathon Champs in Carlingford Co. Louth this Saturday (23rd September 2006). This 50km race begins and ends in Carlingford Village and will bring you up, over, around and down the mountains by Carlingford Lough (route map). Changing and shower facilities will be available at the start. This will be a great day out whether you’re racing or taking your time.
Contact: Johnny McCabe 087-8105919
Aidan McDonald 087-6262998
Sign on: 9am, Foy Community Centre, Carlingford
Entry: €20
Mass start: 11am
Race licences are required, day licences will be available.
Overnight accommodation is also available
Carlingford Beds, Dundalk Street, Carlingford, Co. Louth.
Telephone: +353 (0) 42 93 83624, Email: info@carlingfordbeds.com
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.
A long spin to get to Castlewellan but we were rewarded with a really great course and sunny weather. 
Big well done to all who raced especially the huge effort by Nigel Mel and Ryan who had literally tortured themselves adventure racing the previous day!
Don’t know how they did it - these fit people huh?!
Fergal and Steve got the first practice lap in at about 9:30am - yeah, we arrived a ‘little’ early - it was cool - no-one else around!
Official results yet to be posted, but as far as I remember;
Morgan narrowly eluded mechanical problems by puncturing AFTER the finish line - nice timing Morgan!
Steve fresh outta French prison raced really well & got a 5th.
Nigel was pushing hard and finished very close to Steve in 6th. Fergal got an 8th, Ryan had a great race just missing podium with a 4th.
Mel won Sports ladies (Mel - you can give an account of your ‘opposition’!) and finished strongly in overall Sports.
Not so lucky was Geoff whose derailleur decided to mortally injure itself by snapping-off on the first lap -aagghhh! and he looked so good in those gloves!
EDIT>> As we were sitting back after the race, Geoff’s face was not that of a happy man, but just then…when all appeared lost…a change!
Geoff’s expression went from one of disappointment to contemplation, from contemplation to firm resolve, then finally to an unmistakable look of steely determination!
The fire of competitive commitment burned in his eyes, like hot aviation-fuel poured onto flaming lava, as he uttered the immortal words:
“That’s it lads, next year is gonna be the year-MY YEAR, I’m gonna take Sports by the neck and shake it - mark my words!”
A deathly silence fell at the back of the Almera, my mouth was agape, Nigel stopped complaining about his sore legs, Steve even stopped munching his lump of choc-biscuit cake, we all looked at Geoff, we saw THE LOOK, we knew he meant business:
Rapid Rooney 2007 – prepare for the power!
Christian had a few nasty impacts (big aaaggghhhh!!!) that left him battered, bruised & bloody but still able to finish and keep smiling - that’s the spirit Christian-unbreakable!
Shane had shaken-off any remaining ghosts of his crash and had a fun few laps with those big forks of his in Sports.
Sean was heroically trying to shake-off sickness during the week but it continued to plague him and he retired early (not that you’d think he wasn’t well when you see this video clip I have of him & Morgan hammering it along a singletrack section!).
Nigel spent a long time getting tips on action photography from some pro camera guy, so expect to see some great camera work from him soon!
The Eurospar was the venue for sambos and chips before hitting the LONNNGGGG road home - man that traffic jam in Newry was a killer! Newry is no longer myself & Steve’s most favourite northern town (as if it ever was….) 
Final XC on this years calendar is IMBRCs hosting at Slade Valley, a venue we are all familiar with, but the IMBRC track-masters are shaping it up to be a very different course to the Dash so all of MAD should put in a few weeks of intense training on the course to finish the season strongly and bag as many podium places as possible!
I’m sure Sean will devise some torturous training schedule over the coming weeks for MAD (he’s nice like that!)
Full official results here
MAD will have two entries in the Outsider Annacurragh Bike Adventure this Saturday. Nigel and Paul will be formidable contenders while our own Team Lurve (Melanie and Ryan) are going to cause mayhem in the mixed category. Good luck to everyone and don’t wear yourselves out because:
On Sunday it’s the penultimate (that’s second last to you) round of the 2006 NPS. We’re heading back to Castlewellan, last visited in April, where XMTB are running a UCI C2 (fancy!) event. The course has changed slightly since the last race so it should be interesting. Let us know if you’re coming so we can bring the necessary deckchairs. As usual - contact Sean to arrange lifts.
All the weeks of work came to an end today as MAD held it’s first open race of recent years in Slade Valley. It was a great success with a strong field of 62 riders braving the damp conditions. The gales of the previous night had taken their toll on the course - we had a fallen tree right across it and things had gotten extremely muddy. The course remained ridabe and fun but we decided to reduce the races by a lap to stop riders getting bogged down.
Thanks to all the riders and spectators for attending, Rachael, Caroline and Aoife for marshalling, Lorna and Judidh for their great work on the sign-on and all the MAD members who helped put the whole event together.
Download the full results (xls) here.
We’re looking forward to an event next year aleady.
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August the 12th brings the Outsider Bike Adventure Challenge. This is an adventure race with a heavy leaning towards mountainbiking. There’s an 18km mtb stage, followed by an 8km hillrun and then another 22km mtb stage. For early (i.e. really fast) finshers there’s an additional 12km bike and run stage. I’ve heard there’s also a 50m wheelbarrow race to the finish but I could have been imagining that. |
Camping and B&B accommodation are available at the finish so you can make a weekend of it.
You can find more details on the race website.
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