2009 K-Capital Challenge Round 3

After the Newnham races I officially went into "off-season" mode, or as some like to call it, "non-competitive" season. For me, I guess it is the off-season as the following week I took part in the final round of the K-Capital Challenge series.

Unfortunately, due to other commitments I missed the first two rounds. The events are a little different from the standard XC races as they are mass start for all categories and based on either one or two laps with the winning Elite rider finishing after 1.5-2 hours.


The final event was being held in the beautiful surroundings of Kippure House, home to the 2008 Marathon Championships. Luke Manning (and a bunch of others) put together some amazing new singletrack on the western Dublin mountains, an area of the Dublin and Wicklow mountains that I severely ignore (not any more!).

James McClusky

At 12pm, 140 riders left Kippure house for our 28 kilometer route. We kept the pace neutralized until we finished an initial road section and headed into a fireroad climb. Almost immediately, Matthew Adair attacked - I jumped onto his wheel and towards the top when he started to slow, I jumped onto the front to push the pace. I entered into the virgin singletrack in the lead but made a few mistakes and watched Robin Seymour and shortly afterwards, Joe McCall, ride by. As I rode the singletrack, I forgot I was in a race and simply enjoyed riding my bike in the woods. After lots of amazing trails, Joe and I were riding together and I judged Robin to be about 30 seconds up. After a very steep (but short) climb, I kept the head down to bridge over to Robin - half way up the main road climb I made it to him and we crested the hill together. I let a gap open on a rocky descent and followed that up with a few poor line choices (all new trails to me) and by the time we hit the final long climb, I was again around 30 seconds back. The head went down and I pushed to the top of the climb entering the final singletrack ahead. As soon as I entered though, I made a wrong turn (oh, I wish we had multiple laps of this course) and Robin passed me for the final time. I tried to stay with him but a gap opened. Half way down, I took a wrong turn (in this case, lots of people did - the only ambiguous place on the complete loop). Knowing that Joey was a couple of minutes back I took the time to enjoy the final section and finished a little over a minute behind Robin.


The event was ran to perfection on great trails - I would love to see a marathon even held there over a couple of laps of that course.

Results are available here.

Thinking of the 2010 Cyprus Sunshine Cup

After the amazing experience Mel and I had at the 2009 Sunshine Cup, we have already signed ourselves up for the 2010 edition. This year, the event will be slightly shortened cutting out the inital Point to Point race (a 45km course with 1600m of climb) but running that race a little later in the year. The other events, thankfully, remain the same. So basically, fly over for 2.5 weeks, get two C1 XC races and another S1 Stage Race in the middle.

The thing I'm looking forward to most is the 45 minute single track climb to the clouds that is followed by a 12 minute rollercoaster single track descent back to the start - that is part of the point to point race which is the second stage of the stage race.

A few days ago we also go the following photos from one of our friends from Cyprus - Savvas. Thanks for the pics!

The time trial (part of the stage race) was the only wet race

Mel in good company

60-90 riders in the Elite Male races meant frantic starts

Best of 2009: Schwalbe Tires

Over a couple of posts, I'm going to go through the best things, MTB related, that Mel and I have used over this years season. Due to us being independent racers, we have had the flexibility to go after sponsors that we really like. We do test lots of different gear and are selective over the sponsors we go after - racing costs a hell of a lot more than a set of tires,and I would happily pay for a product that I felt was better (I would pay triple if I knew it was better!).

Last year I ran Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.1s on the front and rear for almost every race. This year, the setup was modified slightly - both Mel and I rode a 2.1 Rocket Ron on the front and 2.1 Racing Ralph on the rear for almost every off-road race. The setup really is that flexible.

First off, the Rocket Ron on the front. Like the rear, it is a standard tubed version that we run tubeless with Stan's NoTubes sealant inside. At a little over 400 grams it is one of the lightest tires around with proper thread patterns (Ireland/UK races + semi slicks don't work so well). Next, various tests on the power required to keep the tire rolling at a certain speed have this as an extremely fast rolling tire - the profile of the tire itself was also nobbly enough for almost all trail conditions, from fast Italian fireroad to the highest quality Irish deep mud. It just loves shredding singletrack, especially muddy, rocky trails.


The only thing I can say against the tire is that it can be a little skittish on lose small rocks over a hard surface (say, a recently resurfaced fireroad) when cornering.

On the rear, the Racing Ralph stayed - it is the fastest nobly rolling tire out there on most terrains (perfect for the rear as most of the weight on a bike and thus, rolling resistance goes through the rear) and the side knobs meant railing corners. Like the Rocket Ron, the only downside is on loose corners over hardpack. Next time you are at a big International race, have a look what tiers people are running - you'll see Schwalbe a lot - see if you can spot the ones with blacked out Schwalbe logos...

Racing Ralph

I'm around 73-74kg and I run about 26psi on the front and 28psi on the rear with Stans ZTR 7000 wheels, Mel, with her Roval Controle SL wheels, runs about the same. If the course is soft with a lot of roots etc, I would run a little less while if it is high speed with pointy rocks, maybe a little more. We make sure to check the sealent every couple of weeks and not leave tires beside a heat source.

2009 British NPS Round 5 - Newnham Park

Newham Park, the home of many UK National Championships, World Cups and Bontrager 24/12 was the venue for the final round of the UK NPS.

I had a pretty chilled out week after the Drumlanrig race and my legs and body were feeling good for the race. The lap was pretty long at a little over 7km with around 200 meters of climb per lap - Elite Men would be doing it 6 times. 3 real climbs in the race with two of them being pretty steep. The course had lots of nice singletrack but unlike last week was pretty tame from a technical point of view. Two river crossings (the second being pretty deep) did spice things up a lot though.


Race morning arrived to clear blue skies and increasing temperatures - is this really the end of September. We had a bad nights sleep in the 2009 winner of worst B&B/Guest house - The Lamplighter in Plymouth (the owner is friendly but STEER CLEAR). I had a pretty good warmup (something that, despite 3 years of racing, still have not nailed to something I'm happy with) and lined up on the first row. (I had a great position due to the world rankings rather than series rankings - I only finished one UK NPS this year).

The race started at a nuts pace into a grassy climb, I lost some places right at the start and tried to make them up on the climb but as I soon realized, moving off the smooth line is a really bad idea and lost some more. As we crested the first climb, I know I was not putting the power I should yet I was feeling bad and my breathing was terrible. A pileup in front of my on the rocky steep climb half way around the lap (I had to dismount and run the climb to get around the bodies) let more gaps open. As I completed the first lap, I wanted to roll over to the car and quit - I really felt terrible. Another lap latter, same feeling. On the third lap I started to pass people who were either blowing up and pulling out, or blowing up and continuing. At the half way point, I started to feel a little better - I was lapping at the same speed but was feeling better and not so laboured. The climbs were comfortable, breathing was normal and I was enjoying myself - glad I didn't stop! The last couple of laps flew by and I caught another couple of riders (Ben and I had a good race with each other for the second half of the race - I attacked him on the longer climb when we passed a badly blowing Anthony O'Boyle) and I finished the race wanting to continue on for another few laps.

Splash!

With that, my last big XC race was completed - I finished in 15th which meant prize money and a solitary UCI world ranking point. Still, the second half of the race and that made up a bit for how sucky my start was.

The following day, Mel and I (and 498 others) rode the Newham 60 off-road Sportif type event. A nice course and a pretty chilled out pace (apart from on the steep climbs, we hammered them) was great for the legs. Afterwards, the sun continued and Mel and I roamed around the venue talking to so many people we wont see until next season. It was great catching up with all the TorQ folks, hearing some of Kate Potters World Cup stories and finding out what ditch Joolze has been sitting in recently.

With a large Irish contingent over for the races, it was like a little bit of Ireland over for the weekend. It also made the long trip home easier sharing beers with Robin, Paddy, Joe and Mel.

2009 Scottish XC Round 7 - UCI C2

This was going to be the second time Mel and I raced in Drumlanrig. Last year we took part in the second round of the British NPS Series. The course is rooty, rocky and technical and both of us really liked it. Unfortunately last year, I crashed on the first lap and tacoed my front brake rotor - I didn't have spare wheels to change so soldiered on with the wheel barely spinning - still, I really enjoyed the race.

This year, like last year, Mel and I took the ferry over to the race - I really love any race that I can drive to (even with a ferry connection) - it is just so much less stress setting up for - pile everything into the car and go.

Saturday was the preride and the course was mostly the same as last year, mostly technical twisty singletrack with the only fireroad being the obligatory climbs. The course was tricker than last year with more roots exposed and a slimy wet coating. There was going to be no more rain before the race and with a race or two held on the course before us, I knew it would dry up.


The race started at the leisurely hour of 2pm. The pace was pretty fast up the start loop that lead us onto the course and I entered 4th wheel. After the first section of singletrack I moved to 3rd. For the next couple of laps Ben Thomas, Oliver Holmes and I rode around in 3rd, 4th and 5th position. There would be slight gaps from time to time but we mostly stayed together. The course had dried out a lot from the previous day and course lap times had dropped a lot.

Midway through the penultimate lap, Oliver dropped off the pace a little and Ben and I upped the pace on one of the climbs to distance him. Happy to use the draft I stayed on the wheel and the gap grew. On the next climb, I attacked myself and put some distance into Ben. For the last lap I gave it everything and a few minutes into it, while lapping another rider he told me that 2nd place was only 20 seconds ahead. I now had a target and pushed at every opportunity. I caught Dave Henderson on the second last climb but it was the last steep switchback climb that I got to make my move. After passing, I kept my speed high with the hope of catching the lead but finished 30 seconds back. I pulled a minute back on first on the last lap.

Both Mel and I enjoyed the race - she won the women's race while I came second in mine - my first podium in a UCI C2 race.

As I mentioned earlier, the race was run on a fantastic course and the organization of the race was exceptional - congrats to SXC for a fine finish to their series - like last year, it was a great end to the season.

My 2009 Season CX bike

The new CX bike for the 09/10 season - my first year doing CycloCross. The setup is basically a 2007 Specialized S-Works Tricross frame, SRAM Force 2010 groupset, TRP EuroX brakes, KCNC finishing kit (not all on yet), crankbrother Eggbeater pedals, Specialized Phenom SL saddle and Tufo wheels/tires.

Bike with the training wheels on - Shimano RS80

Currently there is a 46t big ring on it but I'll probably be dropping to a 42t or 44t for racing.

2009 National Hill Climb Championships

Several weeks ago I took part in the Irish National Hill Climb Championships. Like last years great event, they were being run by the North Pole Cycling Club on the Mamore Gap.

With the previous year in mind, this year I prepared a little differently for it – first off I got myself an 11-28 cassette (with the steepness and headwind last year, a 25 was not low enough) and trained on a few steep hills around the Dublin Mountains – The Devils Elbow being one of them. One of my main problems in 2008 with the climb was that I went out too hard, this year, as I would be doing the climb with a Powermeter I had my max wattages sorted for the first two minutes to make sure I don’t blow too badly by the end. Training went well but the World Marathon Championships 6 days earlier (with lots of traveling) was going to cause some recovery problems before the race.

Like last year, due to the distance to the race, I was not going to get a preride of the course in. I had the profile from my Garmin so I knew what to expect (during the ride last year, it was all just a cloud of pain and suffering!).

I was staying in Monaghan the night before the race (Dad kindly offered to drive me the two and a half hours up to Mamore in the morning) and just as I fell asleep I got a call from Mel – why was she calling me at midnight? She let me know that I forgot my Garmin 705 in Dublin but she offered to leave at 3am and cycle/take the bus to Monaghan with it so that I would have it in the morning for the race. I was really annoyed that I left it in Dublin as a lot of my pacing plan for this short event was based on wattage (it is such a steep hill it is really easy to go out way too hard, especially when the adrenalin is pumping!). But since her making her way up in the middle of the night without a car I told her to relax and I would figure something out.

As Dad and I drove up to Donegal, I stopped in a few places to see if they had any Garmins in stock – no luck, and I arrived at sign-on computerless. I know, I know, I should be able to pace without a computer, bla bla bla, this is true – in an MTB race or road race, I don’t use power as a feedback to my effort – I use it for data recording and to see what I actually do – this race, being a time trial uphill was different and I relied on it – especially on a hill I don’t know well.


Sign-on was smooth and I was soon out on the Saris turbo warming up for my turn. The weather was very different this year, last year's strong headwind and rain was met with a large tailwind – times would be quicker.

During the warmup, I didn’t really feel it – the legs felt heavy and my breathing was not great. I had traveled for almost 5 hours to get here so I tried to get my head into the right place, which for this type of "sufferfest" is almost the most important thing.

With a couple of minutes to go, Dad called me over to the startline and I tried to focus at the task at hand – keep it easy at the start, keep it easy at the start, I repeated to myself. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and I was off. My bike felt really smooth as I started up the hill with the Zipp 404s making that distinctive carbon tubular hum noise on the tarmac. I kept it as steady as I could and about 2 minutes in hit the first 6-7 second descent. Last year, I remember being destroyed at this point, but this time around I felt okay. The middle section, before the second rolling part, I pushed on but felt I was holding back too much – I wasn’t/couldn’t give it everything. Before long (time actually seemed to go by quickly) I hit the last long steep stretch – it was a lot easier this year with the tailwind and I felt I still had good power (that should not have been the case), at least until the final few meters when it took everything just to keep the bike moving.


7:31 after leaving the start gate I crossed the finish line, placed the bike on the side of the road and promptly lay down in severe oxygen dept. My breathing was really labored (I didn’t feel okay for several hours later) but I was glad to be finished – before hearing times or anything I was not too happy with my ride but again, under the conditions, gave it everything I could.

Later, back at race HQ, The Rusty Nail Bar, I found out that I finished 3rd, been beaten by 5 time National Hill Climb Champ and Pro rider, Paul Griffin and Mark Dowling in 2nd place. Paul traveled all the way up from Tralee to take part and sat down an amazing time of 6:49 – a time, even if everything went perfect for me, I don’t think I would have beaten.

Thanks to all the organizers for putting on the race and all the competitors for making it the most attended hill climb championships Ireland has ever run!

I’m not sure where the race will be held next year, but I’ll be ready – there is a green jersey I want to claim.

Full results, reports and photos can be found here.

I want, I want, I want...

The Specialized website (US version) has just been updated with all the 2010 bikes including the new S-Works machines. Below is the Tarmac SL3 Superlight. A beautiful setup but I already know a few ways to drop a couple more grams. Still - at 5.95kg stock - a nuts bike.

I have not seen the black KMC Superlight chains before...

2009 Marathon World Championships

Every time that I have pulled on the green (and this year, really really green) jersey to represent Ireland it has been something special. In my short cycling career I have not done this many times (yet) but each time it means a lot to me. To top all that, heading to a World Championship, with all the big name riders sporting their countries flags is something to cherish. With all that in mind, Mel and I headed to Graz in Austria for the 2009 Marathon World Championships.

Course Profile

With 3810 meters of climb spread over 104 kilometers of fireroads, single track, river beds, grass and tarmac, the course for the 2009 Marathon World Championships looked to be the toughest race of the year. Upon arriving, two days before the big event, the idea that it was a difficult course was backed up by every competitor we met that had ridden the course. An easy way to grasp the course is it think of it as a very technical XC course stretched in both distance and elevation – everything was to the extreme. Even 2007 Marathon World Champion, Christoph Sauser claimed it to be the most difficult marathon course ever – sweet :)

Mel and I arrived at the race venue Friday afternoon (race was Sunday) hoping to get a little easy riding in to help relax our tired bodies from all the travelling. After building the bikes, we decided to ride the first few kilometers of the course. After a couple of kilometers of gentle tarmac climbing we hit the first obstacle, a 1.5 kilometer road climb that averaged 21% and had stretches at 28%. Not exactly easy riding – with the granny gear in use, we tootled up it. After that, we rode the final 2 kilometers of singletrack back to the start/finish – a really fun section of pointy rocks and slippery roots – a section where good balance and the ability to stay away from using the brakes would be key. It was at this point that I knew my S-Works Epic was the perfect bike for the race – indeed, almost all the top riders, male and female rode full suspension bikes for the race.

A flag for every nation there - I was the only Irish

The following day, a Gondola ride (who wants to climb for an hour the day before a marathon race?) took Melanie, Elisabeth Brandau and myself to the highest point in the course, Schockl-Bergstation. From there it was an hour of fun technical riding back to the start.

Mel preps bottles, I prep bikes

Race morning arrived and my legs felt pretty good. A 15 minute warmup had me down for gridding just in time. Unlike last year (dead last), my grid position was amazing – called up 16th. I knew that I would not be beating my number plate (this year) – but to start from the front, rather than the back was nice – especially going into the steep initial climb. The race started at an easy tempo as we rode over to the base of the steep climb and at that point, everyone switched into top gear. Looking around, you would think you were in a 1 hour cyclocross race, not a 5 hour marathon. My heart rate was sky high and I knew that if I pushed too hard, for too long, I would really pay later in the day so I allowed myself to slip back (mistake?). Soon, we were on virgin trails (to me at least) – with the rain the night before some of the sections turned pretty slick and I was having a great time slipping by riders less accustomed to riding in the wet.

One of the really stressful things about racing abroad for Mel and I, especially marathons, is race/feed support – we have none! Mel and I are privateer racers and all expenses are out of our own pocket – getting to these races costs a lot and the support we get from other racers and their supporters means a huge amount to us. At the worlds, thanks to Andy at SportAmed for taking us under his wing. He (obviously) had to support his own team riders first but even taking the bottles to the various locations was a huge help. Andy was helping us, but, as I say, he had his riders to account for which meant that I was either getting a handup from Andy (thanks!) or he left the bottles at the side of the feed zone for us to stop and grab. Now, in a lot of races, the feed zones are pretty civil affairs – not here – it was a chaotic jungle of screams, shouts and bottles flying. It was really amazing but not exactly conducive to finding a bottle at the side of the feed zone! Anyway, during the race, I missed a few bottles, lost contract with riders while I searched for bottles and had to deal with the stress of trying to sort all this out before the start. I said it last year, I'll say it again – WE NEED SUPPORT AT THESE THINGS. A few minutes difference in my race time was quite a few positions. Just having support would have given me this. Anyway...

More big climbs and more super fun descents were on the cards. I had heard a lot about some extreme descents but I didn't find anything too nuts. Sections of off-camber rooty goodness followed by 500 meter long rock gardens straight down the side of a mountain – great fun.


The long climb up to Schockl seemed to take forever but as the climb went on, I actually felt better and better (maybe it was the Guava TorQ gels?). I passed a lot of riders that looked to be paying for their earlier efforts. At the neutral feed at the top I grabbed a Redbull and started the long steep descent. As with all the riding in the day, I cleared all the descents cleanly but there was many a sketchy moment when the front and rear suspension saved me. In training, I would never hit some of the sections so fast, but when you are in a race, especially wearing your countrie's colours, a little go faster bulb seems to go off in my head and I imagine myself riding a downhill bike with full armour (rather than a 9 kilo wippet bike with me in lycra!).


As I entered the final kilometer of the course, I saw a German jersey, a white Specialized Helmet and another Epic – I had caught Mel. She started 15 minutes after me but had a shorter route. I nipped past her on a bend (I had been passing men on the way down the descent and I wasn't finished yet) and told her to hang on to me. A couple of minutes later I crossed the line happy to be finished with Mel following a few seconds later – it was really nice for us to be both over the line at the same time.



My race time was 5:23 which placed be 64th - a little over half way up the field. I had a pretty good race but have a top 40 as a goal for next year (15 minutes faster would have had me there this year).

Many many thanks to our main sponsors, KCNC, Schwalbe, TorQ, Crankbrothers but especially to Cycleways and Specialized for helping us ride the best bikes available.

Results:
Mens Results
1 Roel Paulissen (Belgium) 4:34:37
2 Alban Lakata (Austria)
3 Christoph Sauser (Switzerland)
4 Christoph Soukup (Austria)
5 Wolfram Kurschat (Germany)
6 Alexey Medvedev (Russian Federation)

23 Oli Beckingsale (Great Britain)
64 Ryan Sherlock (Ireland)
72 Paul Oldham (Great Britain)

2009 Suir Valley 3 Day

The weekend after our win at Bontrager TwentyFour 12 I was eager to race again (the broken collerbone meant no racing for a few months so racing still felt very fresh). The only thing of interest in the Irish calendar was the Suir Valley 3 Day Road Race, a four stage race based in Clonmel – about two and a half hours drive from Dublin. All stages (for a mountain biker at least) were reasonably flat but the courses remained challenging due to the winds over the weekend.
do

Stage 1


140 riders lined up for the start of the first stage in the centre of Clonmel, one of the bigger starting peletons I've been in. Riding through the town was a bit of a squeeze but once we got into the open roads, things went well. The first half of the race was reasonably mellow with the attacks off the front never getting very far due to a huge headwind. All this changed however at the half way point when we turned to have the wind on our backs with average speeds over 50kmph. At this point, a group pulled off the front (I was being lazy/stupid too far back in the peleton and it was very difficult to move up on the small roads) and made the break of the day. Finally, we did a few loops of a circuit on the outskirt of the town to call it a day. A nice days racing and I was looking forward to the following mornings stage vowing to concentrate on positioning more.

Stage 2


At 11am the peleton rolled out from Clonmel for another day in the hills. There were a few King of the Mountain climbs today but we had already gone over the first before I noticed it had started. (I noted the distance into the race to the climb but didn't think we were on a climb). A little later in the day, for the bigger Cat 2 climb, 6 or 7 riders including myself broke clear for the points where I eventually crossed the line for 4th. It was a 4% drag so it didn't really fall into my climbing category (we averaged over 30kmph up the hill for 6 minutes) but it was fun. I remained busy at the front for the following hour trying to get away in the days break but after a few almost fruitful attempts another break sunk off and that was that. A quick pace around some picturesque (small) roads meant we were back in Clonmel in no time – another stage down.

Stage 3 – The Criterium

Later the same day, a criterium was going to be held around the tiny streets of Clonmel – unfortuately for the race, after we finished Stage 2 the rain clouds came in and stayed until we were about to start Stage 3. These conditions, with wet man hole covers and cobbles meant that most of the field lined up simply to do a few laps and get pulled (not worth risking broken bones). After 5 laps of rolling around, me and 60 others riders were pulled – 14 minutes of riding. As I went back to the start/finish I counted 23 riders still racing (130+ started on Stage 1) after 18 minutes! If you were not going for the Stage win or were high up in GC, you would basically decide to fall back and get pulled.

Stage 4


Stage 4 was basically an out and back loop with a long gradual climb and then 4 laps of a 12.5km finishing circuit. The finishing cuircuit had a short but steep enough climb so I knew I was going to have a little fun. The group stayed together for the climb but on the very fast descent a group of riders slipped off the front (my packing position was not good on the descent to say the least). After a lap of the finishing circuit a few of us got off the front for about 10 minutes but were reeled back in at the finish of the lap. On the following lap, Robin Kelly attacked (and no one followed) a few km before the climb. As we hit the climb, I wanted to create some havok so I attacked there. I put my head down and bridged up to Robin by the top of the climb. From there, we worked together well for a lap building up a 40 second lead over the group. The next time over the climb, another 2 riders bridged across to make us 4 and on the following lap, fellow mountain biker, Peter Buggle and another rider bridged to make it 6. With 6, we were not working as well as we were when we were a smaller group and some of the guys started to skip pulls and play silly buggers (the group was only 30 seconds back). Peter and I put in extra work to keep things going in the hope of staying away. As we closed in on the finish, with the group only 15 seconds back, more games were being played. With about 700 meters to go, the group was only a couple of seconds back and I saw Robin make a break for it. I followed and pushed as hard as I could but with about 150meters to go, the sprinters finally caught us and accelerated by. I now have a little more appreciation for how the guys in the Tour feel after 150km off the front to get caught with 100 meters to go. Nontheless, I have to admit, I really enjoyed it all and had a lot of fun.

So that was my first stage race – the stages were pretty short and not hard enough for a rider like me, but the event was extremely well run. Traffic control was perfect and the course was beautiful. I highly recommend the race and if it fits my schedule next year, I'll be back.

When down there, I stayed in Brighton House which, being just around the corner from the start, worked out really well.

Results, photos and reports are all available on the Suir Valley website here.

2009 Bontrager TwentyFour12

Like last year, Mel and I took part in Bontrager 24/12 in the 12 hour category as a mixed pair. The event was one of the most fun cycling races we had ever taken part in so we had high expectations for the 2009 edition!

Before the event, the guys in Cycleways (thanks, Shane, Francis and Conrad) gave our bikes a mid season service (forks, shocks etc) and had things running perfectly for the weekend. The kind folks in the Specialized Concept store in Plymouth then gave us their facilities for building our bikes back up when we arrived in the UK. Thanks!

Back to 24/12 - the course was different from last year, recent heavy rain meant that chunks of singletrack had to be removed to keep it all ridable with the addition of a very steep climb called the Cliff bar Climb. The course was not as nice as the previous year but was still very enjoyable with my favourite sections from last year remaining – we did know that despite rain, the course would hold together well. Considering all the rain recently, a metric for how ridable it remained was that throughout all my laps, I only had to dab 3 times, one as an outrigger when I driffed around a high speed corner and two times when I was hitting single track traffic - job well done Martyn!

300 meters of climb per lap - I would do 11 laps

Race morning arrived with Mel not feeling well, she was groggy and was not her usual excited self before the race. Like last year, I started off with two laps, which I took at a handy enough pace – the day would be long and there was no point in sprinting around for a fast first lap. I did two and Mel did one. In the notebook that Mel and I kept she was saying that she was feeling pretty bad so we kept the 2:1 ratio for 4 iterations. As it was getting closer to dark and the mandatory lights rule came into effect Mel psyched herself up for a fast night lap. She made it around the course in 41 minutes but later found out that due to some confusion, the night laps for the King/Queen competition start after 9pm and not 8pm as she had been told. Later that night she gave it another go but didn't manage a quick enough time to claim Queen of the night. My second last lap, my 10th at the time was only a little over a minute (38 minute laps) slower than the male lap that won King of night – not bad for a guy who did more the 3 times the number of laps before hand :)

Great use of the available land

Mel and I finished out winning our class comfortably and a great BBQ was put on by the TorQ team at the side of the race course.

The following morning when we got up, the skies were grey and the rain started to fall so unlike last year, we didn't put in another few handy laps deciding to pack up early. Truth be told, both of us were wrecked – the competition was a lot closer in 2008 but I think the course was a lot tougher for 2009. It took me 4-5 days before I felt recovered on the bike after the event.

Thanks again to Specialized and Cycleways for helping us out with our equipment over the weekend and to TorQ for looking after us – we had a great time and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Also, congratulations to TorQ for winning every category they entered – some achievement!

2009 Irish National XC Championships

Another year, another National XC Championships. This one was going to be a little different for me as it was going to be my 2nd MTB race in 3 months and only the 7th time on a mountain bike in that period. Training, from a fitness point of view, was coming along well up to the champs setting some good times up my favourite climbs, but then riding a road bike is very very different from racing off-road. Having done some anerobic capacity work, I knew my biggest weakness coming back from my injury was repeated hard efforts – the type of efforts needed for a punchy climby course - exactly what Dromara CC gave us.

Race day arrived and I was feeling pretty prepared – I put no expectations on myself as I didn't really know how my body would react to the full out racing (the previous weeks final NPS, I cruised the climbs and concentrated on riding the singletrack well). I arrived at the race course early as there was no opportunity of having a preride due to the course being on private land - it was only possible to ride on the day of the event (Grrr – this annoyed me a bit!). I like climby courses but this one hit what I felt was my least redeveloped trait – super steep climbs with little recovery – give me draggy climbs any day.

The course was nice, it was going to be a very hard race with the home straight being the only place on the course you could drink without having to slow down too much. The course was also bone dry, which was very fortunate as if it was wet, some of the climbs could become almost unridable and the descents treacherous. I signed on to see, roadie Pro and Track Olympian David O'Loughlin had signed on – I didn't know he rode much offroad...

The lap profile

Shortly before 2pm we all lined up. Everyone seemed pretty relaxed on the line and the time flew as we awaited the whistle. An official looking person walked in front of us and then declared – anytime in the next 10 seconds – eeek, I wish I had more of a warning and GO, we were off. Conor McConvey took the lead with Lewis Ferguson and I on his wheel. This was pretty much the way it stayed for the race (well, apart from Lewis and I being on Conor's wheel).

Moments to go...

The first lap went by at a blistering pace, every climb was “big ringed” and the legs burned while we chased Conor. After the first lap, my body went caboom and I entered a world of suffering I have not been in for a long long time! Lewis and I had a close battle for the first 3 laps until he pulled a bit of a lead on me on the 4th of 7 laps. At that point, I knew Conor was gone and I was racing for second so I kept Lewis in my sights with the knowledge that he usually slows a little towards the end of races while I usually speed up.

Going into the final lap, the gap to Lewis was around 30 seconds but closing quickly – mid way up the second major climb I passed him and then focused on getting back to the finish line safely to claim second.

My shoulder handled the race pretty well, I did notice that I was overly cautious on the descents though but my biggest issue was the burning in my legs! You really can't compare a full out XC race to a road race (well, at least any road race I have ever done) from an intensity point of view. David O'Loughlin finished another few places back and I would loved to have heard what he had to say about the race as a full time roadie and track Olympian.

As my race finished, the skies opened up and the rain began – it meant prize giving was a very humble affair but I think everyone was very glad that the rain did not arrive during the race.


Finally, congratulations on Conor for winning his first senior elite title – he really was in a class of his own on the day.

Full results are available here. I'll add in some pictures/reports as I find them.

Oh, and that was my THIRD 2nd place in three weeks - I'm going to have to go for the win this weekend with Mel in Bontrager 24/12.

2009 Bobby Crilly Memorial Road Race

The Bobby Crilly Memorial road race was the second of my double header weekend. It would be the first road race that, on paper at least, would really suit me. A lumpy 3 laps followed by a mountain top finish on the mountain that overlooks Belfast. I had never been up that mountain but always wanted to every time I was in the area.

The race distance was only 80 kilometres with about 1000 meters of climb overall – much of which comes in the last 10 kilometres with the final 2 kilometres averaging 9%.

Mel and I were both taking part in the race and she was set to start 4 minutes ahead of my group (Senior A/Elite). As our group got underway we immediately settled into an efficient pace line – of the 20 or so in our group, 14-15 were giving good pulls at the front, so it was a little after completing our first lap that we caught the 'B' group. The pace became a lot more choppy now as there was a huge headwind the whole way around the course with people not wishing to work on the front. About 6-8 of us stayed around the front of the bigger group and drove us on to catch Mel in her group.

Paul and I went for a break

Three quarters way around the last lap we caught the lead of the race – it was on a long descent that turned onto 2 minute climb at about 4%. I felt a little sorry for the folks we just caught – our group rode straight through the group and once hitting the climb accelerated hard (For the first minute of the climb I averaged 600W).

Almost the top (14% at the time)

A little after this a few people went off the front – there was still a long way to go into a lot of wind and I was cautious about spending too much energy in a small group so I sat in what was now the main bunch. The kilometres ticked by and a few more went up the road. I felt that the group was going too slow up the draggy climb to the main climb so bridged a 30 second gap up to 3 riders. After 4 minutes I caught them just before a 2 km descent, they allowed me to sit in as they worked well together to the base of the main climb. Once we turned onto the climb up the final mountain the wind miraculously stopped and I went into hillclimb mode. I no longer cared about drafting etc.. just getting up the hill quickly. With about 3.5km to go in the climb I spotted the race leader well ahead. I looked at where he was, and then the time I was when I passed that position and judged his lead to be around a minute and 10 seconds. Between him and me there were still 4-5 riders. I put my head down and rode as hard as I could to the top eventually passing everyone but the winner, Conor Murphy – he pipped me by 17 seconds (if only there was another few hundred meters to climb... or I bridged earlier... or...)

Profile and Power (Power is smoothed a lot)

The race was very well run on a challenging course and Mel and I both really enjoyed the event. I really wish there were more road races like this. Finishing on the top of a big hill makes the race very 'honest'.

A report and results can be found here as well as pictures here.

2009 Brendan Carroll Memorial Road Race

To get back into race fitness I have been looking at a few road races. I find I get good V02max and AC workouts from them and they don't take that much out of me in the long run, basically, I recover pretty quickly. Last weekend I was doing a double header, Saturday it was the Brendan Carroll Memorial in Stramullen and Sunday both Mel and I would take part in the Bobby Crilly Classic.

The course for Saturday would probably be classed by Irish roadies as hilly, I would probably class it as lumpy. A few 1-2 minute 7% climbs, reasonable roads and no traffic lent itself to an enjoyable race. My plan was to get a great workout in, stay out of trouble, and see if I could get into some moves. Five minutes before our start a huge rain cloud made an unwelcome visit and left the course soaked – ah well, first time racing on the road in the rain this year... For the first few laps of the race our group rode reasonable cohesively to pull back some time on the other groups (there was a handicap). Soon enough we caught them and the attacks and counters began. I stayed out of trouble by always riding around the front, getting shelter when I could but also being happy to put lots of work into the wind (it was training after-all). I got into a few breaks that were eventually caught and missed the one that got away. The last kilometre, as everyone got twitchy towards the front, I simply kept myself safe and finished in the middle of our chase group.

A well run race that I really enjoyed – I'll be back again.

Results and photos can be found here.

2009 Irish Road Race Championships

Last Sunday saw me take part in my first mass start race (I did a hill climb TT while I was in the US) since breaking my collarbone. I basically said to myself that I wanted a race on that particular weekend and the only thing on happened to be the National Road Championships.

Going into the race, I only had a few goals – stay safe, stay safe and ehhh, stay safe. In addition, I did not plan on actually racing the race, just using it as a big group ride for 4 hours covering 170km. Irish road races tend to have hard (but short) periods with endurance riding in between, exactly what I was looking for.

The course was completely not what I would normally go for – almost pan flat with only a few slight draggy sections. At almost 170km for the race, I knew it would be the quickest 170km I will have covered on a bike.

The first lap went by fast with me having to dig a little a few times but in general, as long as you had a wheel, you were cruising. Of course, up front the action was taking place setting up the days breaks but today, I wasn't interested.

As the kilometres rolled by the boredom sat in and I started to move around the peleton chatting to folks I have not seen in a while – at this point I was wishing I was actually here to race the race.

For the final half of the last lap I moved towards the front and started to have a bit of fun attacking, the last 5 minutes was by far the highest wattage figures I put out during the day – I had planned on making a run from the group with about 1.5km to go but I got a little boxed in and I guess everyone else had the same idea. I rolled over the line covering the 170km in 3:57. Around 43kmph average.

The power stats for this race are:
TSS: 205
Normalized Power: 280W
Average Power: 238W
5 minute peak: 344W
10 minute peak: 308W

comparing this to the 30 minute shorter Shay Elliot Classic (where I was racing, at least a bit)

TSS: 250
Normalized Power: 331W
Average Power: 287W
5 minute peak: 441W
10 minute peak: 418W (on Shay Elliot climb/descent)

(See here for an explanation on some of the above terms)

The race was very well run, roads where good quality and the marshalling was excellent so no complaints there – but the course itself was no where near hard enough to warrant a championship. People in the group finished the race looking reasonably fresh and very few dropped out (110 finishers). Please, give us a climb in the course – something to wear folks down!

Nicholas Roche went on to win the championship in fine style – he is now in the fortunate position of wearing the national champions jersey as he starts his first Tour de France this weekend in Monaco.

Results and a report can be found here.

A healing up shoulder

Early this morning I went back to the Sports Surgery Clinic for my first X-ray after the operation on my broken collerbone. As usual, the service there was amazing and I was soon sitting down with Mr. Colville (my surgeon) looking at a very well healed collerbone. It takes months for the bone to heal fully (you can see it is not perfect in the image) but I have finally been given the goahead for MTB riding again, as long as I don't crash!


As far as training is concerned, I have been able to ride my road bike normally for the last few weeks – with the last two feeling like nothing was wrong at all. Considering the last two months, I'm still pretty fit but I'll have to see soon how that converts to MTB fitness. Tonight I'll be going for an offroad ride finally taking in some of the new singletrack my club created for their two XC events that were held in the last two months.

Again, I highly recommend the Sports Surgery Clinic in Santry – it has the best medical facilities and staff that I have seen and also thanks to Garreth and Avril in Physio Dynamics for referring me to them.