Cyclocross 2014-2015

[barryvankellett]

Cyclocross 2014-2015

Here we are, the eve of the real race season. The road bikes have been put away, the XC bikes with pringled wheels from a hard seasons racing are in the workshop... Get your tubs on, Get your dismounts perfected, Get your pain face sorted out... Lurgan is this coming sunday.

Careful now... by mike.armstrong43, on Flickr

I see a few Dromara Jerseys in the photos from the training day last weekend, More new faces to the sport. I know of quite a few guys in other clubs who are setting out on their first season of CX. The best thing about early season CX races is the look on the newbies faces as they finish. Bewilderment, Agony, Confusion and Joy all wrapped up in one contorted facial expression.

Who have we from DCC this year?
Rider Profiles:

BVK
I am in, for whatever races the wife/new BaBa/volume of sleep will allow me to compete in. I had big plans, big goals, but right now I am so tired I will just be happy for an hour out on a sunday.

John McGuigan
I know McGuigan has been wearing his turbo trainer down in preparation. The Wattz are strong with this one.

Lisa Millar
Lisa Is using a casual recovery/red wine approach. Opting out of the 3 peaks challenge will undoubtedly ensure racing motivation lasts all the way through to January, and hopefully will also make her current stock pile of rear mechs and hangers sufficient to last out the season.

Richard Cowan
Redgie is very very excited. Wiggle and CRC are equally excited as their share prices rocket with his ritual preparation for the season. Currently looking to set up a "Racers Creche" business to fund his addiction to bling and race days.

John Shanks
Shanks retired from XC in April time to concentrate fully on the CX season, using Strava segments as his training goals. Marty McAnulty has trained him hard during this period, so we are expecting big things from the bike wrecker.

Adi Booth
One of ADB's servants found a CX bike down the back of the larder up on Booth manor. So he is now well up for the challenge. It will make a change from jumping off things on his Lapierre.

Paul Mawhirt
The 3 peaks gang will undoubtedly be using the main race season as a recovery from last weekends efforts. Though "strava sees all" shows that Mawhirt has been building private training courses for him and his little bunch of cronies. Dark horses. Hopefully not B Race Bangerz though. The shame.

Brian Wilson
Rumour has it that Long time strava hater, Brian, has an alternative login for the website. One insider said "he is flat out on the intervals in tollymore". Big base training block behind him with recent challenges including running up and down Ben Nevis like a nutter and the 3 peaks challenge, like a nutter.

Zak Hanna
Dromara Hill Climb Champion, Zako, has the guts of a CX bike built. He is looking forward to getting stuck into the CX racing scene, provided he isn't working.
Nobody has told him that there is zero advantage to being 5 stone weight on a pan flat course though. At least until the 7th lap when your bike weighs twice what it did on the start line.

Martin Grimley
Hopefully we will get to see Martin on a bike. If he can remember where he left it. Never sleeps, never has time to train, fully committed to Dromara CC and Cycling Ulster... yet still pulls some amazing results out of the bag in a CX race considering.
McGuigans arch Nemesis. Let the battles recommence.


MTB Support Racers
Bryce is apparently taking lessons at the minute on riding a bike, as his long awaited return seems to be finally coming to fruition. He should be well rested by now, with his last race being March 2014.
News is also filtering in from the East coast that Neill Currie is looking to make a name for 26" wheels in the support races, with Gareth Kirkwood providing support and the usual lead out that wheel sucker Currie demands.



Anyone else joining in?

Get over to Ulster Cyclocross for all the latest race news and to register.

[johns]

The is one more Barry the Merida is now in the hands of its new owner, rumour has it that a custom cx course has been built and secret training is well underway for the upcoming season.

As for myself. I'm currently in recovery mode after peaking to early in the strava season and the strange block structure growing in the field that is a constant drain on time and resources.

[grahams]

After a great session of cross training last sunday(many thanks to Martin and Lisa for their coaching and guidance), I'm keen for a spot of racing this sunday!

[Graham B]

I couldn't find a CX bike in XXXXXL, so am going to join the CX'er wannabees in the MTB race.

It's called a "support" race because everyone in it is really just there to cheer on their heroes in the "proper" race, right?

[barryvankellett]

Sept 30, 2014 13:12:26 GMT 1 johns said:

The is one more Barry the Merida is now in the hands of its new owner, rumour has it that a custom cx course has been built and secret training is well underway for the upcoming season.

As for myself. I'm currently in recovery mode after peaking to early in the strava season and the strange block structure growing in the field that is a constant drain on time and resources.

So you are doing circuits and weight training in the yard building core strength for the shoulder to shoulder hustle and bustle of the first lap? Good Plan. Hope you left good tyres on that Merida.

Sept 30, 2014 15:02:56 GMT 1 grahams said:

After a great session of cross training last sunday(many thanks to Martin and Lisa for their coaching and guidance), I'm keen for a spot of racing this sunday!

Good man Graham. If you are doing the B race, try and spot the sheepiest looking character out of all the racers. He is known as the King B race Banger. Stick to his wheel like glue and you will probably podium.

Sept 30, 2014 15:20:20 GMT 1 Graham B said:

I couldn't find a CX bike in XXXXXL, so am going to join the CX'er wannabees in the MTB race.

It's called a "support" race because everyone in it is really just there to cheer on their heroes in the "proper" race, right?

No - they aren't really into CX in Turkey, so you were looking in the wrong place. We will get one lined up before sunday...

[lisa]

Who is MeridaMan?

I almost bought a £2,400 cyclocross bike at the CRC discount night, but I've decided to put my money into the French economy instead. Their winemakers would go bust without my support. Just doin' my bit for Europe.

[manuel6b]

Brilliant preview Barry.

I'll be at the start line for the A' race. Convenience more than a statement of fitness. I should have a skin suit and deep wheels to fit in though!

I've been looking forward to racing cross all year.

Bring on the mud.



NOTE TO ALL: Pre-registration has opened for Round 1 next Sunday. Pre-reg fee £12 - £15 on the day.

See www.ulstercyclocross.com for details.

[manuel6b]

Pre-reg closes tonight at 8pm.

So far from DCC we have...

Lisa Millar Cyclo-cross - females
Barry Kellett Cyclo-cross A' race - senior men (19-39)
Martin Grimley Cyclo-cross A' race - veteran men (40-49)
Mike Barton Cyclo-cross B' race - males (1996 or older)
Richard Cowan Cyclo-cross B' race - males (1996 or older)
Paul Mawhirt Cyclo-cross B' race - males (1996 or older)
John McGuigan Cyclo-cross B' race - males (1996 or older)
Graham Smyth Cyclo-cross B' race - males (1996 or older)
Graham Beckett MTB Support race (males)
Robert Davison MTB Support race (males)
Peter Davison MTB Support race (males)
Garry Wilson MTB Support race (males)
scott Wilson Under 10s (born 2005, 2006)
Fraser Harrower Under 12s (born 2003, 2004)
Alex Harrower Under 8s (born 2007 or later)
aaron Wilson Under 8s (born 2007 or later)

We expect Brian W & family on this list shortly.

[Zako]

Love the preview Barry, PC World unfortunately don't do annual cyclo-cross leave, but structuring the training for Moira in a month's time. My home made cyclo cross course will come in handy!

[manuel6b]

Well done to the DCC riders on Sunday.

CX racing is tough but you feel great afterwards

Well done Barry on winning the raffle prize at the end of the day - a nice new helmet.



Pre-registration has opened for Round 2 at Lady Dixon Park.

Get your entry in asap.

See www.ulstercyclocross.com

[barryvankellett]

Ah - Cyclocross. How I have missed you.
The first round, The excited faces scrambling for a front row spot with no gridding in place. Some real chancers found their way forward before I had even arrived down at the line. The scramble for the first corner was hectic. I managed to pull a few places back from almost the back of the grid, but Luke Ireland was getting away already... NOOOOOO!

Spent the first 10 minutes trying to force my way through the traffic. Very fast moving traffic admittedly. Slightly worried and perplexed at how strong everyone seemed to be and just how tight I was getting it. Eventually the pace started to tell on a few guys and the pack thinned out, Luke was caught for all his bunny hopping. Success. Now I just had to hold him off.

The front group were away and would never be seen again.
A strong group including Banbridge Junior Cameron McIntyre, Newry's Peter McConville, Craig Rea of Phoenix and Ronan McLaughlin of DigDeep were about 30 seconds up midway through the race. I was locked in my own personal Battle with Graham Boyd of XMTB (who haunts me in every off road race I enter) and Aiden McDonald of Chucullain.

In the end, my efforts to gap these two were mostly fruitless as Boyd was hopping the boards at about 20mph and making up a massive chunk of time per lap. I needed to get over 20 seconds on him on the final lap and that was a very unlikely prospect in a 7 minute lap.

11th Place finish, just outside the coveted top 10.

www.ulstercyclocross.com/Results/Ulster_Cyclo_cross_2014_Round_1_Lurgan_Park_Results.htm

Lisa produced a superb 2nd place in the ladies race.
3rd Place in the Under 14 race for Ben Wilson.
Great result for the newest B Race Banger on the scene, Paul Mawhirt in 5th place in the B race. Graham Smyth with a super 8th place finish as well.

Lots of brilliant performances from all the newbies and oldies alike. Great to see so many DCC Jerseys in the B race.

DMCV4347 by thebelgianproject, on Flickr

[grahams]

Great review of first cross race of the season Barry. Have to say as a newbie, I really enjoyed the racing in lurgan park, the atmosphere was very friendly (great to see so many dromara cc jerseys about the place) with plenty of craic at the start line to ease the nerves. After a fairly hectic start the B race seemed to slip past very quickly - punctuated with only one comedy fall at a tight 180 turn round a tree (learnt to take it a little slower next lap!). Can't wait for next race at lady Dixons

[barryvankellett]

ROUND 2 - Lady Dixon

A tale of many woes. For some reason I wasnt Gridded, and started behind half a dozen chancers that I beat last week, stuck in on the 3rd row at the last second as the cattle all pushed forward and crushed for a good position. Gridding is everything. The holeshot is everything. Avoiding the inevitable bottle neck is everything! Just ask Redgie!

Off we went, up the tarmac at warp speed. Despite my bad position, only proper fast guys are ahead. And Luke. I can live with that, as none of these lot will do anything crazy. Up the sandy steps and through the bottle neck without any issues. On Alex Donalds wheel who is riding for all he is worth now that he has a powertap laced up with a Tub on. He clearly wants good numbers to look over when the race is done and dusted.

The first two laps pass without major incident, the groups are settling down, but from first right the way down to myself it is fairly even, no massive time gaps. At the start of lap 3 I get a little worried that my front wheel is soft but its hard to tell when you had sub 30psi in it to start with. So I ride past the pits and my spare bike trying to convince myself all is well. Midway through lap 3 and the bike only wants to go in straight lines, tubular folding all over itself on every corner. Its definitely going down and I am losing valuable time and positions. Luke repasses me. Disaster.

I finish the lap and find my spare bike in the pits eventually. I only brought it just in case of a mechanical. Yippee.
I also only put the bike together on saturday afternoon and did a 2 minute test ride out on the street with my trainers on. All gears and brakes worked adequately.

The one thing I didnt test was the pedals. Which were done up with full spring tension for commuting duties. Note to self. Test the bike with SPD shoes on next time.

I discovered the error of my ways as I approached the log section the first time round on it. Hand on the top tube, right leg stepped through left and off the side of the bike, feathering the brake with my other hand ready for a Pro dismount.
The last part of a pro dismount is a flick of the left ankle to disengage the pedal and flow into a nice running motion. It works better when your foot disengages. When it doesn't you can do two things. Haul both brakes on and try to stop. Or panic and throw the bike away from you while your foot is still permanently attached.

I went for option two. I felt it would give the crowd better entertainment value. In hindsight it might have been a poor choice.

Picking myself up as the crowd stifled their laughter, I try to put my chain on, retaining my cool calm exterior. The façade is crumbling though as it refuses to go on properly with my first attempt. On I get, oh bother, my shoe buckle opened in the crash. Off and tighten it up and go again. Oh Double Bother, my shifter hood is pointing 90 degrees the wrong way. Off again and wrestle it a little. I win the wrestling match eventually after a brave fight by the 105 sti.

Meanwhile I have lost over a minute and about 10 places. A lot of guys I would be aiming to beat every week all steam past and suddenly find the form of their lives as every single one of them fights to the death refusing to yield. I manage to somehow pick my way past most of them eventually riding as hard as I could, with a big raging stubborn head on me. Luckily a nice by product of this is that I can see Luke just ahead.

The laps tick down and I try to ride smoother and keep it consistent, and low and behold last time through the start finish area onto the last lap and he is just about 10 seconds ahead. On to the sandy steps and the catch is made. The poor cub can ride a bike but can't jog steps. A few wee looks over my shoulder to check where he is and trying to chase the last two possible catches in front brought me home in 14th place.

It'll do.

Great course with great CX features. Harder physically than it seemed at first, an energy sapping one the longer it went on.


Well done to all the club representatives. Its really brilliant to see so many Jerseys in the B race and guys enjoying it. Brilliant result from Lisa in the big ladies field, biggest turn out ever i believe? 3rd place. I was talking to Aiden McDonald before hand and he laughed saying how amazing it was to see so many women racing, "10 years ago I raced mens races with less guys than that in it"


IMG_20141012_125202180_HDR by barry_kellett99, on Flickr

[brianwilson]

You didn't mention how tired you were from changing nappies!!
Congratulations to Dromara's adopted son and past Fermanagh champion Brian Kellet (BRIAN)on his podium at the CX.

Come on McGuigan( CX Captain) where is your report, you promised?

[badger]

Great results for everyone competing at Dungannon, but a special mention must go to Derek Graham- 8th place in the B race. Fantastic result... Well done!

[barryvankellett]

Rd 6 - Larne
Great days racing. The B race rivalry hit overdrive as Mawhirt returned to form and stormed to a superb 3rd place, almost catching 2nd at the death after playing the long game and passing early race leader and ex club member, Ross Galway (KCC) near the end.
Graham Smyth got one over on Richard...
DMCV9079
Graham - try looking for the exit of the corner, do your braking before you enter it...

DMCV9315
"I'M NEVER GIVING ANYONE TIPS AGAIN!

Martina Hawkins scored another super 2nd place in the ladies MTB race.

Ben Wilson came 2nd in the U14 boys race in a tight affair.

Good result for Big Ring Marty, 10th place in the Mens MTB race and beat Graham "Spielberg" Beckett. Probably something to do with his big ring on a mountain bike only being 44t? Cadence through the roof.

Myself and Martin in the A race.
Martin did this:
IMG_105744050435242 by barry_kellett99, on Flickr

I did this:
IMG_105584575037907 by barry_kellett99, on Flickr


Good day out had by all!

Personal race - Got over excited being up with the top 4 big guns early on after a lap, ended up coming off in that photo with my over exuberance and knocked the bars out of line, which I realised when I remounted and hit the pot hole section with neither foot clipped in and unable to steer or brake as the back of the bike bounced up and down, I lay down in the briars. Thankfully they didn't catch that for internet eternity.

Lost a couple of places getting the bars straightened as best I could and riding on, ended up having a great battle with Jason Henry, Aiden McDonald, Brendan Doherty and David Vaughan. Had managed to get ahead and open a gap on the first three when David came out of nowhere and rode straight past me as I was on the limit giving it full gas. Disheartening to say the least!
Kept him in sight just about, and encouraged by the big Dromara support down at the race I found a wee bit extra on the last two laps to just about bring it home in 5th ahead of him.

Thanks to Madigan for a great day out.

Full results here

[Graham B]

I'm going to have to stop reading these reports at work, nearly spilt coffee all over my desk I was laughing so much. That photo of Martin disappearing into the bushes is priceless. The post race reports are nearly more fun than the races themselves

[barryvankellett]

ROUND 7 - ORMEAU PARK - XMTB

Superb event hosted by XMTB yesterday, really good course, good mix of terrain with sections to suit those who commit to the rut as well as those who turn it on in straight lines.

Lisa had an excellent 3rd place podium in the Elite female CX race. Aided by a fantastic pit crew, who knew to stand on the right hand side for bike hand overs.
Take note all you who may end up doing pits in future...

Pit crew - lesson 1

Paul Mawhirt proved last week and his other previous podium, was no fluke, as he again came from far down in the race to claim 3rd spot in a thrilling B race Battle. Big Brian was still shaking his head on the 4th lap to be heard muttering... "banger... banger!!"
At least we can all expect a round from Paul at the christmas dinner with all the envelopes he is picking up?!

What? Mawhirt has entered the B race again? MAI GOODNESS

Brian was next DCC man home with an excellent 8th place - and with only a minute separating the pair, he too can surely have his sights set firmly on A race participation soon enough. Richard Cowan was the best of the B race rest from us, an early pace setter as he stormed off in the leading group on lap 1 and looked to be racing in his final B race. However, His preparation was less than ideal and as the race wore on, he was clearly suffering like the proverbial dog, both physically and mentally unable to overcome the fear of the "schlomp".

Peter Davison was this weeks Top Male MTBer - skills came out over leg power here as Big Ring Marty churned hard, but muddy corners need a delicate touch. Robert came in just ahead of Graham Beckett who rides around laughing and chatting when he should be racing. When he gets his cross bike he will learn the hard way.

Keri Parton came down for the race, and locked horns with Martina Hawkins as they battled it out in the Womens MTB race. An excellent 2nd for Keri and Martina makes the podium for the 3rd week in a row with a really hard earned 3rd place.

Wee Ben let me down with a disappointing 4th. "Must try harder" report card.

But anyway - 4th place. Thats a nice number. And one I am getting far too used to.



I made the front row as Alex Donald had to rush home for something important after doing a practice lap, I think he said he had to go and look for his "road bike" or something and also mentioned "tarmac". Not sure what he meant. So I slipped up a place in the grid. Thanks!

Not a bad start, a bad crash to my right took down a few guys and about 8 of us made it away. Darnell lit the afterburners straight away with Matt glued to him. I was down about 6th place and on Graham Boyds wheel. Stick on Grahams wheel in a race like this and you will do well. My glue used to stick to him came loose about a lap in and I then had to try and ride it off my own bat. Totally unfair.

Good old Battle with my chum Luke. He talked the talk. I just made sure I slowed him down where he wanted to make up time. Mental strength they call it.

Was catching up with Matt in 3rd place and had him back to 10 seconds.
Just quickly - pit crew lesson 2...

Dont stand on the dismount side, all normal people dismount on the Non drive side!


The look of self loathing when the pit crew queen suddenly realises what she has done!

Only lost a second or two with the change over, but had left the saddle in the lower position my brother had set it in for his B race, Self-destruction all of my own doing! Rode the lap with my knees off the bars, in truth I rode like a turkey and lost a good 10 seconds to Matt who turned the screw at that point. A really good change over back again on to my main race bike, all sparkly and clean and shifting sweet, and I charged on for the last two laps in search of the Adair scalp. Too much to close though and not enough time to do it as he made it home safely in front of me.

Full Results HERE

Falls Park next week.
Sounds like it is going to be a really interesting course. Looking forward to it.

[barryvankellett]

Falls park - Laatste ronde

Great day out yesterday in Falls Park, for the final round of the Ulster Cyclocross league series.
Undoubtedly the most testing course of the year, the main feature area including a sand trap, sand steps followed shortly after by The Hill.
A short bank, not that steep. Definitely ridable without much trouble, on dry conditions.

However, Everything in life is relative.
And the ground was sodden.
It was a clamber up it on foot, if you could stay on foot, followed by two downhill off camber corners, one left hander, one right hander. So your bike was only on the correct side for one of these (Still on foot here) - and the final descent down was a test of just staying on your feet, before running the section out and up the next wee hill.

So well done to Graham Beckett for finishing the B race on his first ever proper cyclocross race! They dont come any harder than that for a first race.
The rest of the B race contingent put in a good showing. Unfortunately Paul Mawhirt, our B race Podium regular didn't race. He claimed to have a chest infection. Perhaps he was actually trying to maintain his B race status for next season?!

Adi Booth and Brian wilson slugged it out with Adi coming home a couple of seconds to the good, with Mike Barton not too far behind them. Richard cowan and Graham Smyth both making the top 20 but top man for DCC on the day was Derek Graham who cruised home with a really excellent 8th place finish.

Lisa collected a hard earned 4th place finish in a strong field in the Elite womens race.

Falls Park Cross-135.jpg by Eric Blayney, on Flickr

Peter Davison again leading the MTB group with a top 10 finish, and moving up every week, getting stronger. Big Ring Marty got one over on Nathan who had a rare excursion into off road racing, pretty close going, with Robert Davison sandwiched in between. After seeing what Marty did to Ex Club member, Adrian Finnegans wheel, I'm not sure thats a place I would like to be.

Ben Wilson returned to form with a super 2nd place finish in the U14 race, our only podium of the day.
Fraser Harrower finished 6th in the U12 and younger brother Alex showing well in the U8 race.



Myself and Martin were joined by Zak in the A race as he had a rare weekend off work.
Fair dues to him for even finishing. The bike weighed twice what it did at the start, his caliper suffered in the heat of battle and was dragging on the rim for most of the race. His rear mech survived in one piece though! If you can make it through that race you can make it through anything. The list of drop outs from mechanicals and people who decided they couldnt face any more was long.

Falls Park Cross-207.jpg by Eric Blayney, on Flickr


My own race started off super fast up the tarmac path. Last race. Last chance. Was sitting in 2nd place at breakneck speed all happy with myself approaching corner one, suddenly swamped and down to about 6th. Glenn and Darnell were away doing their usual thing. Young McIntyre was going after them followed by Adair pacing himself and me wheezing myself.

Maintained 4th/5th place for a while before the pace lifted on lap 3 and Sean O'Tuathill (Bray wheelers) and Ray O'Shaunnessy (Cuchullain) both put in heavy digs to steam off. Unable to reply I tried to keep it steady as guys were making mistakes all over the place. Unfortunately I was very slow on The Hill, well slower than the guys I was chasing anyway.

Falls Park Cross-189.jpg by Eric Blayney, on Flickr

As the laps ticked by I kept getting close to Matt and then he would gap me again. On the start of the last lap I finally made contact and came round him. He wasn't going to take it lying down and stuck in a heavy duty last lap effort to get rid of me. 6th Place in the end. Happy enough. For it to be over that is.



Thanks to Brother Brian (Lakeland CC) and Lisa for (wo)manning the pits with help from Nathan too.


Ulster champs is the last race up here for the season in a couple of weeks. Other than that there is one Fixx round left and another Dublin race held by Swords CC before the National Champs, also in Dublin.


Thanks and congratulations to VC Glendale on a superb event and day out.
Full results here

[Graham B]

Barry, thanks for the top report once again. I can think of many words to describe my first CX race, but "brutal" is probably the most appropriate of those that are printable. A real test of fitness, technique, and determination, and that was just to finish it!

Can I just add a mention for David Broome who also completed the "Banger" B race on his first time on a CX bike, an old steel framed yoke he had borrowed off Ronnie Smyth. Fair play Davy!

Awesome performance from Derek to finish 8th in the B race - his lap times would have put him in the top 20 in the A race.

Dromara CX team is growing by the week!