A Mountain Biker , I was....

“IRISH MARATHON MTB CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Andy potts
Sep 26, 2006,

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The picturesque County Louth village of Carlingford suffered a mountain bike invasion on Saturday as the local Cuchulainn Club promoted the 2006 Irish MTB Marathon Championships. The event attracted an entry of 120 who faced a 50km challenge through the very wet Cooley Mountains on a day of rapidly changing weather conditions. Robin Seymour successfully defended his Irish title as he sprinted around the course in just under three and a half hours, while at the other end of the scale well done to those who undertook seven hours of torture to cross the finish line!

The event began with a massed start, a spectacular sight as the riders charged up the lane ways that led onto the open mountain, the occupants of a De Lorean car getting an ultra close look at the riders! At the first feed station four riders had broken clear, Robin Seymour joined by Nial Davis, Connor McConvey and the ageless Peter Buggle. James McCluskey held a close fifth with Roger Aiken in sixth, the Dromore based rider having almost missed the start.

The next feed station was at the mast on top of the Ravensdale Mountains, the riders greeted here by a gale force wind. By this stage Seymour had broken clear leaving Davis and McConvey on their own. For Buggle the race was over as he was forced to retire with a ripped tyre. In the Expert Class Vav Halik was in superb form, in fact he was in fifth overall amongst the Elite riders. Ryan Sherlock was an impressive second in the Experts Class as Richard Felle battled with Ronan McMahon for third. Joe McCall led the way in the Masters Class ahead of Eoin Keith and Dave Gill. By this stage ‘home’ favourite Gerry McCabe was forced to retire with a broken rear mech. Robbie Lamont was in control of the Vets though Peter McConville had moved into second after passing Johnny McCabe on the climb up to the mast. The battle in the Sports Class was a close affair as Dave Barry held a narrow lead over Donncha O’Brien and Brian Keogh.

By the third feed station (number one on the outward journey) Robin Seymour had a massive lead. Behind him however the battle for second was ultra close as Nial Davis began the final climb only seconds ahead of James McCluskey. In the Vets Class leader Robbie Lamont had been caught by Peter McConville, in fact the pair waited for each other at the final feed as Lamont took food and McConville mended a puncture, nice manners gents!

Back in Carlingford Robin Seymour crossed the finish line in a time of three hours and 23 minutes to add yet another title to his amazing collection of Irish Off Road honours. In the final run to the finish Davis broke clear of McCluskey,taking second in a time of three hours 39 minutes with McCluskey just 3 minutes behind. Sensation of the day had to be Expert winner Vav Halik who finished fourth overall in a time of three hours 43 minutes, with Ryan Sherlock an equally impressive second . Connor McConvey took the Junior award as Joe McCall lifted the Masters title. In the Vets class Robbie Lamont just did enough on the final climb to break clear of Peter McConville, though only one minute separated the pair at the finish. The Sports Class was equally close as Donncha O’Brien passed Dave Barry on the last climb to win the class by just one minute, O’Brien entering the final section and entertaining the spectators with his rendition of ‘Just a Perfect Day’! Tarja Owens won the Ladies Class as Paul O’Reilly took the U-16 prize after his nearest rivals Liam McGreevy and Sean Downey were both forced to retire.

Well done to Cuchulainn for a great event, for the après race food, and the general organisation of the event. A big thanks to those who manned the feed stations and to roving marshal Paul McCann and the motorcycle marshal.

Results:

MEDAL WINNERS:

Elite Men

1 Robin Seymour Worc 3h 23m
2 Naill Davis IMBRC 3h 39m
3 James McCluskey Worc 3h 42m

Elite Woman

1 Tarja Owens Worc/Lapierre 4h 21m
2 Ciara McManus XMTB 5h 15m
3 Melanie Spath MAD 5h 21m

Junior

1 Connor Mc Convey XMTB 3h 45m
2 Graham Boyd XMTB 4h 35m
3 Robert McCabe Cuchulainn CC 5h 07m

Paul O’Reilly (U16) IMBRC 4h 36m

Expert

1 Vav Halik Epic 3h 43m
2 Ryan Sherlock Mad 3h 54m
3 Richard Felle IMBRC 4h 18m
4 Ronan McMahon UA 4h 19m

Masters

1 Joe McCall WORC 3h 55m
2 Eoin Keith Epic 4h 06m
3 Dave Gill WORC 4h 13m

Vets

1 Robert Lamont XMTB 4h 03m
2 Peter McConville Newry Wheelers 4h 04m
3 William Mulligan Banbridge CC 4h 18m

Sport

1 Donncha O’Brien Laois CTC 4h 23m
2 Dave Barry IMBRC 4h 24m
3 Brian Keogh Epic 4h 32m

The times they are a changin...

O the times they are a changing…. The clocks too!

Thats what Dylan wrote in the sixties long before the sport of mountain biking was conceived in the foothills of Marin county, Charlie, gary et al were all still flogging it out on the roads of northern California on their steel road rigs. Things have ebbed and flowed a lot since those days in the bike world, arguably road bikes are pretty much the same, all be it lighter, more gears and even electronic now, but it would be hard to argue that its bike technology that would separate a Merckx from a Contador or maybe more accurately a Bobet from a Ullrich. WIth mountain bikes too, despite all the ‘break through’s’ and money spent on R&D, u would be hard pressed to beat your time up your favourite climb on a steel hardtail from 20 years ago.

Descending i grant you is different ,here the tech or at least some of the technologies do make a big difference. A full susser goes down easy. Soaking up all your mistakes on the way. Multiple runs are the norm with fatigue minimised. Disc brakes too, have revolutionised the sport, wet muddy weather now is of no difference to dry and dusty.

All these advances and still people are riding bikes less than they were in the eighties. Sure there are more people riding but the amount of time individuals ride has decreased. Too busy i suppose, all we hear is i squeeezed in 45 mins after work or half an hour at lunch. People even ‘active’ people are lazy these days. To many distractions, look what i am doing right now writing this, 20 years ago i might have at least be watching a VHS of some mad bunny hops in switzerland, shouting excitedly at the screen ‘ no way, hans rey’.

Of course in truth we all know this, when asked are u into mountain biking you say yeah ‘i really am’ spent 2 grand on a bike and everything, even drove 18 hours to scotland last year for 4, 3 hour rides on amazing trails man, didn’t see one root the whole trip” live to ride, ride to live’ thats me man.

Load a Bolox.

It wasn’t better when we were kids cause we knew no different, it was better cause it was better. We rode way more, were way fitter, rode every thing, every where on shit worthless bikes that broke alot, but some how we always fixed them or ‘found’ a new one the next day and got on with it.

Nyhans pit.

God we loved that place, of course u go there now and its all gone, unrecognisable anyway. Shit bikes, shit brakes, shit tires = great craic. You take the high nelly and i’ll take the womens folding bike with the basket up front, If (when) yours fucks up i”ll give u a spin home in the basket and we can leave nelly in the ditch till next week. I heard Raymond Daly got a new raleigh activator with suspension, someone said he goes so fast on it. Right, we”ll see, i bet i could still take him on my nelly with the worn cotter pin. Q the 400 yard race around the football field, no contest, suspension is pointless.

Hand built in my back yard with a vice grips.

We did cycle a lot but despite all the Drinagh co-op shopping bags on earth keeping your saddle dry we definetly rode more in the summer. There was always a frenzy when the clocks changed. I can clearly remember a crowd of 8-12 year olds cycling their hand-me-down rattlings rust buckets, on the local football field (grass track racing? whats that?!!) on the monday evening after the clocks were reset when i was in 6th class. The feelings i had were ‘wow , this is so cool, everyone just cycling around, messing on their bikes’. I have not seen that happen since in my friends, but hope springs eternal and this year despite recession or in fact because of it maybe they will come out lots. We do need a more social setting, somewhere we can just hang and cycle, be 12 again, somewhere we can just ride round and round and round…..

Originally written on the 29th March 2009.