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Cyclocross Nationals Postponed
1From Greg May, Dublin City University Cycling Club:
Folks,
With great regret I have to announce that we will be cancelling the National Cyclocross Championships this coming weekend. A provisional date has been set as the 31st of January in the same location, however this is provisional to the park letting us use their facilities again. A second date of the 7th of February is also being looked at as a fall back.
As we all know weather conditions have deteriorated and it has made it near impossible for public and private transport for many of us throughout the country and the county. Many riders have been in personal contact letting me know that they would not be able to travel to the race due to the weather.
A decision made between the organisation committee, Off Road Commission, and College of Commissars to postpone the event today in light of conditions and a similar decision in the UK, and as we want to promote this race to all CI riders we needed to make this decision.
However the clouds do have a silver lining. If anyone is interested in riding the course in what can only be described as pristine cyclocross conditions, I would invite you to join me at the sign on area at 11am on Sunday morning. Plan is to do a few laps, then retire for coffee and cake. No licence required. I’ll be wearing DCU kit and looking eager.
Yours in sport,
Greg May, Dublin City University Cycling Club
MAD 20th Anniversary Sunday Spin
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| From MAD Photos |
The Mountainbiking Association of Dublin are celebrating our 20th Anniversary with something a bit special. It all started in 1989 with a spin from the Yellow House, and over the years the Sunday Spin has become famous in mountainbiking circles. At one time or another most mountainbikers have been on a M.A.D. Sunday spin, many of whom went on to form clubs of their own. And so to mark our 20th year we are going back to where it all began.
Due to the weather at the moment we’re shortening the spin. On Sunday January 3rd 2010 we’re going to ride to Fairy Castle, meeting at the Yellow House pub in Rathfarnham at 9:45am, leaving at 10:00am. All are welcome, but you must be self sufficient, and a member of a club.
We are meeting up in Lamb Doyles for tea/sambos after the spin, whatever time that may be.
Conor Conneff.
MAD Club Chairman
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| From MAD Photos |
Beginners Spin – Details for this Week
2The second round of our Beginners Course takes place this Sunday at Leadmines, near Kilternan. We’ll meet and park at Palmers Pub at 9:40am and hopefully get going by 10am. See the previous post for details of what you’ll need. See you there.
View Palmers Golden Ball in a larger map
The EPIC Blast – This Weekend!
0This Sunday, the EPIC Blast returns to Ballianstoe. Elite racer Ryan Sherlock calls it “one of the best one day events”. The Daily Mail says “we must ban this cruel and barbaric sport”. We say – if you’re a mountainbiker there’s nowhere else you should be this weekend.
There will be prizes from Saddle Skedaddle, Sony Ericsson and Maxxis and others. There’s also a gnarly Sunline bar/grip combo for the first lady in the main Blast.
Parking will be in a field just down the road on the Enniskerry side of the road.
Sign on will be open at 8.30
Park in the field please don’t park along the road, it upsets the residents.
There will be a mini Blast at 11.00 for the kids that are from Under 14 down (although bigger / more experienced kids can do the normal Blast.)
There will be uplifts on the day – but still a bit of a push/pedal to the very top
Practice is strongly discouraged!
Entry is €20 for seniors and Free for under 16/14/12/10/08 and if you need a one day licence thats another €15 ( that goes to Cycling Ireland)
MAD Presents XC NPS Round 7
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MAD will be hosting round 7 of the 2009 National Points Series on Sunday the 14th of June. Once again we have been granted access to Three Rock mountain to run the event so it promises to be a fun and challenging course.
Full event details can be found in IrishXCMtb.com.
Derroura MTB Challenge
0Mountain bike enthusiasts of all levels will be heading for Connemara on Saturday April 4th to tackle the newly opened Coillte Derroura Trail and test their mettle against Ireland’s best exponent of the sport, Robin Seymour.
The charity cycle is in aid of the Red Cross and proceeds collected at sign in, which starts from 10am for young riders and 10:30am for adults, will go towards this very worthy cause. The trail is situated halfway between Oughterard and Maam Cross and the event is being organised by the Connacht Cycling Federation
Wicklow native and three time Irish Olympian, Seymour will be first out on the 17km specially built trail with 350 metres of climbing. The time he sets will provide all mountain bike enthusiasts a target to see how they compare. As if that wasn’t enough, David O’Loughlin, another Irish Olympian from not far away in Cong, will also race on the day to add to the prestige of this event.
The newly opened Coillte Derroura Trail was specially built and is open to walkers and mountain bike enthusiasts, just like the trail in Ballyhoura Co Limerick, thousands of people have been using it to stretch their legs be it on a bike or walking.
The event is open to riders 16 and over and a specially created shorter course will be in place for younger riders. The Red Cross will have personnel around the course on the day to make sure help is on hand in case of any injuries. Everyone is welcome to ride around the course, all that is needed is a helmet, mountain bike in good working order, the rest will be taken care of at sign on.
This is a day for all the family, as there are plenty of viewing points to see the top riders perform incredible bike control. For more info contact Martin 087 2226260
See the trail map on www.coillteoutdoors.ie
¡Postponed! Winter DH League Round 3
0Unfortunately the weather in Wicklow has worsened many roads are impassable, the track in Cloon, and more importantly the forest road we were to use as a car park, are currently under a foot of snow. It had looked like it was to clear before the weekend, but it is now quite apparent that it is only going to get worse. We have no choice other than to postpone until the weather improves. It is unfortunate but it would be irresponsible of us to try and push on given the circumstances.
We will notify people of the rescheduled date shortly.
Apologies for any inconvenience.
EpicMTB

Winter downill league round 3. Cloon Wood, February 8th.
See Epicmtb.com for details.
Club Membership 2009
1We’ve paid our 2009 club affiliation to Cycling Ireland so you can now start applying for your licences for 2009.
A Cycling Ireland licence is a requirement for all club members, even if you’re not racing. This is because it provides you with third party insurance cover which is essential for taking part in club rides.
To apply for a licence you first need to be a club member. You can read about that here. You can then apply online for your licence on the Cycling Ireland website. Details of the application procedure can be found here.
If you have any questions about the application procedure just ask in the forum or email the committee.
MTB Training Courses
0It’s not every day you get private coaching from a World Cup level cross country and downhill rider but with Niall Davis’ training days you can.
Niall is a top three Irish international cross country rider who has spent the last summer running guided rides with partner Tarja Owens (herself a World Cup level female former pro and multiple Irish national champion) in picturesque Lake Garda.
Their company, All Mountain Experience has been a huge success and Niall and Tarja have
decided to share their knowledge by running training courses in the Winter season in Ireland.
Courses are run every weekend at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels with a maximum group of 8 for the first two groups and 4 for the advanced class.
The emphasis is on fun, this is not school after all but rather it is about furthering your confidence and skills on a mountain bike.
See posters below for details or email Niall or Tarja for details.
For a taste of what these courses are like -
checkout the report on spoke.ie


Make Your Vote Count!
1Cycling Ireland have just announced the final nominations for the CI Member Awards scheme. This gives ordinary CI members (licence holders) the opportunity to recognise peoples outstanding contribution to the sport. There are several mountainbikers in the list of nominees, starting with MAD’s own Fergal J Kilkenny, club secretary and prime-mover in trailbuilding who is up for the “Most valuable volunteer contribution in Leinster” award.

Then there’s Cait Elliot from UCD (nearly as good as being in MAD) nominated as “Best domestic based female Senior rider”

Another nominee deserving your support is Maeve Baxter for “Best Irish performance abroad” for her silver medal in the World Masters MTB Championships.
We’ll forgive the omission of MAD from the candidates for Best Club of the Year – it’s only fair to give someone else a chance in the spotlight now and again. You can see the full list of nominees here.
You can vote by by emailing awards2008@cyclingireland.ie up to November 14th. Each submission must include your name, club, license number and date of birth. Get your votes in and support the mountainbikers!




