Mountainbiking Association of Dublin

Round 1 of the XC Development Series was a huge success with 165 riders turning up to give it a shot in the snow at Ballinastoe. Round 2 takes place on March 7th in Ballyhoura, Co. Cork. You can find full details at www.irishxcmtb.com.

As part of his continuing support of the XC Development race series, Niall Davis from Biking.ie will be taking two groups of five riders out for a pre-lap (or part thereof, due to the length of the lap) of the Ballyhoura race circuit on the morning of the race. The aim of the pre-lap is to help the riders get through their first race with some hints and tips. The prizes go to the first 10 riders to contact them via the form on www.biking.ie. And don’t forget there is also a prize for the winner of the Sports B race to receive a private training day with Biking.ie!

A three-race series of XC races, sponsored by WheelWorx, is being organised this spring by Richie Byrne and the Offroad Commssion. This will be a great way for new riders to get an introduction to XC racing and they’re open to Sports, Women and Youth riders. The three rounds are:

• February 21st – Ballinastoe, Co. Wicklow
• March 7th – Ballyhoura, Co. Limerick
• March 21st – Derroura, Co. Galway

For further information check out http://www.irishxcmtb.com

Entry Criteria
There has been some recent discussion about licence requirements for this race. We would like to assure riders that both 2009 and 2010 licences will be accepted at sign-on. You can see the full entry requrements here.

Online Sign-On
An Online Sign-On form for the event is now available. We encourage all participating riders to pre-register for the event here. Please enter your details and pay your entry fee on the day. This will greatly speed-up sign on before the race.
Online Registration Form

Short Track XC
In addition to the championship race there will also be a Short Track XC race earlier in the day.
This race will be on a modified course (no dismounts required!) providing an exciting race for riders and spectators alike.
It will be suitable for mountainbikers of all abilities, and cyclocross riders who do not qualify for the Championship event are also welcome to enter.

Event Website
For all event details, please visit:
http://sites.google.com/site/irishcxchamps

The Irish Cyclocross National Championship has been rescheduled for the 7th of February 2010. The original event was postponed due to extreme weather conditions.

Check out the new event information website for further details of the race.

Registration is now open for the 2010 European MTB Masters Championship in Praloup, France.

The event website is now online, providing all the rules, news and a list of all the riders who have registered so far.

European and French Championships MTB Masters

Event: St Anne’s Cyclocross Race

Hosted by: Dublin City University Cycling Club & Team WORC

Sponsors: Bike-Pure (http://bikepure.org/),

Schlamm Clothing (http://www.schlamm.uk.com/schlamm/)

Date: January 10th, Course open from 11am.

Sign on: From 10:30am.

The Irish National Cyclocross Championships 2009 will take part in the scenic St Anne’s park in Raheny. The Park, the second largest municipal park in Dublin, is part of a former 500 acre estate assembled by members of the Guinness family, beginning with Benjamin Lee Guinness in 1835. But on the 10th of January will see fast racing to decide who will become the National Champion of Ireland. (more…)

MAD presents round four of the 2009 Supercross Cup cyclocross series in Corcaigh Park, Dublin on Sunday the 6th of December.

This event is generously supported by Cycleways and FD K-Capital Source.

Corcaigh Park provides a scenic backdrop to a fast and final round for the Supercross Series. The challenging course promises an exciting day for racers and spectators alike. There’s even a pet-zoo to keep the kids entertained.

All proceeds from this race will be donated to Mountain Rescue Ireland.

Sign-on opens at 10:30am.
Entry Fee: Main race €15/£15; MTB/fun race €10/£10; Underage €2/£2

Start times:
Underage & MTB – 11:30am
Main Race – 1pm

Refreshments will be served after the race.

Driving directions from M50

The 2009 Super-Cross Cup cyclocross series kicks off this Sunday in Lurgan Park. This year the four-race series will have two rounds in Northen Ireland and two in the South. Apollo CT, IMBRC and XMTB will run the first three races while MAD will run the league final on December 6th. You can follow the progress of the league on the Supercross Cup website.

Apollo CT are hosting the first round in the same location as last years National Championships on one of the countrys fastest cyclocross courses. This race is also the first round of the Ulster Cyclocross League.

• Sign-on 11am-12.45pm
• Youth and MTB race 12pm
• Main cyclocross race 1pm

Apollo CT web page

Google map of the venue

You can find the full 2009 Irish cyclocross calendar here.

100-mile endurance mtb races have been running in the USA for a number of years but this is the first year one was held in the UK. The Kielder 100 brought riders on a single lap through the Kielder forest spanning England and Scotland. MAD’s hard-man Cormac Ahern was up to the challenge, completing the course in under 13 hours and climbing over 3000m. He was one of 130 finishers out of over 200 entrants.

See him here as he skirts the famous Wall O’Logs of Scotland’s border or here, his face locked in a fierce grimace for hours on end.

Detailed race report on Bikemagic.com

Official Kielder 100 website.