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Mountain 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

www.connachtcycling.com

See the trail map on www.coillteoutdoors.ie

We’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.

Cycling 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!

Irish XC Mtb (www.irishxcmtb.com) are conducting a survey on the cross country racing scene in Ireland. This is your chance to express your opinion, whether you’re a sports rider or a seasoned Vet. Even if you don’t race at all your response is still important.

You can complete the survey here:

Irishxcmtb Survey