|
Post by garybailie on Oct 15, 2013 23:27:19 GMT 1
Great reports, John and Barry, hope to get out at Bangor so John will move up a place then!!!
|
|
|
Post by barryvankellett on Oct 15, 2013 23:30:34 GMT 1
Mind games!
|
|
|
Post by manuel6b on Oct 17, 2013 10:35:18 GMT 1
Great reports. Pre-registration is open for the next round in Dungannon. See website. This was a great course last year. My first race on the cyclo-cross bike.
|
|
lisa
Club member
Posts: 160
|
Post by lisa on Oct 20, 2013 20:02:17 GMT 1
CX Race Report - From a Girl
I've spared you the race reports until now. How could I possibly top those from Messrs Kellett and McGuigan? But as I rode round Windmill Park, Dungannon I thought to myself,"this is so class I'll do a race report". So here it is, from a female perspective.
Until now, cyclocross racing, for me, has been about staying on the bike and finishing. In a race of three girls, two of whom are consistently faster than me, there isn't much pressure - just finish without looking like too much of a prat. Until now. This year has seen an increase of up to 100% and more, in some races, in the number of women racing. The first two rounds went well for me, with a podium in each.
This week, I had low expectations. All day Saturday I was loaded with a head cold and knew from the practice laps that I still wasn't 100%. But I can't DNS just because I'm feeling a bit under the weather. Rule #5.
The problem with just finishing a race and being at the back of the field is that you don't really learn much about racing. A combination of the bigger field of women and starting with the B men means that I now have people to race, men and women, but two years of not really having anyone to race and being the Lanterne Rouge hasn't taught me much about starts. Cyclocross starts are frantic and it's all about gaining position. I knew this but haven't had much opportunity to practise it. My start today was dreadful. At the first turn I looked ahead and most of the the other girls were maybe 30 seconds in front of me. Mental blow #1.
I ploughed (literally) on, telling myself that anything can happen, particularly in a cyclocross race. One of the other girls could puncture or rip off a rear mech or be abducted by aliens. So, I kept going. I even ramped it up a notch. Then I fell off and off came my chain. Mental blow #2.
Got back on the bike and carried on but it took a while to get back up to speed as I was being overly cautious after the fall. Then, somehow, I saw a flash of yellow ahead. I'd made up some ground on the excellent young Banbridge rider, Shenna McKiverigan. I passed her on a greasy, rooty climb. I like climbing.
"Phew, at least I'm in a podium place now", I thought. A couple of folk around the course informed me that I wasn't far off second, so I needed no more encouragement and put the boot down. Julie came into view on the last grassy section before the timing tent and finish area (by now I think I was on lap 3 or 4). This is where the course went from suiting the mountain bikers (not me) to the true cyclocrossers (me!). The first grassy drag was rideable but it was quicker to just run it. And that's what I did. Wee bit closer. Then the boards... What I have developed over the last couple of years is 'cross technique. Many underestimate how important this is. I gained another few vital seconds here.
So I caught 2nd place and sat on her wheel for a bit. Should I just sit there and try to gain seconds on the cyclocross bit of the next lap? Nah! Held back a wee bit and didn't do anything stupid that could have landed me in a heap in the mud and built up a gap that I was happy I could maintain (as it happens, Julie punctured in the last lap). I crossed the line in second, behind my good friend Gill.
The real point of me writing this isn't to big up my result but to highlight the difference actually having someone to race makes to my performance. I played cat and mouse with a few of the boys, which was great fun but having other women racing is what gives me that extra push. My improvements this season have been down to a lot of training but also that podium (where there are more than three finishers) shaped carrot dangling in front of me!
One result that does deserve bigging up is that of Barry VanKellett. 5th in the seniors (despite a start as bad as mine), behind a couple of national champs. Well done to all the other DCC riders (sorry, I haven't seen results yet so I don't know who finished where), plenty of white jerseys out there today.
|
|
|
Post by johnmcg on Oct 20, 2013 21:05:24 GMT 1
Nice report Lisa, I couldn't make it today and was gutted I had to miss a race, this CX is certainly very addictive no matter what your level of racing! You certainly are flying this year and after all the hard work you certainly deserve your good results, congratulations on your 2nd place today. And congratulations to BVK on 5th place, hope to see him make the podium soon. I think John Shanks had a mechanical before the race so couldnt ride which is a shame. If Martin would hurry up and post the results, then we would see who else was racing and how they got on...come on Martin ....lol
|
|
|
Post by barryvankellett on Oct 21, 2013 11:41:06 GMT 1
Yes, 5th, should be happy with that. Especially as this is only cyclocross, you know, just a bit of fun. Couldn't get clipped in off the start line and was getting muscled and bumped off line by bigger boys. With only one foot in it was tough trying to lean them off. I decided in a flash of mental brilliance to dive towards the inside of the approaching bend and try to cut off anyone else who was playing sneaky buggers up the inside. Needless to say this was the slowest route, I was also already somewhat unbalanced and a bit nose heavy. The back of the bike was coming up and an over the bars was on the cards. Managed to right it but once I actually got going I think I must have been pretty much the last person off the field. Spent the first two laps trying to pass people which was tough, as taking a passing line was definitely not the line you wished to be riding. Caught up to XMTBs Graham Boyd who i know to be a whizz on this kind of terrain so I thought if I could hang on to him I'd be alright. We broke clear of most of the others, couple of phoenix lads rode into each other making our job easier ;-) Managed to shake Graham off and continue on and up to 5th place. I could see 3rd and 4th ahead at about 30seconds. Which is a lifetime in Cyclocross. But I gave it a go to bridge it back and rode my worst lap, losing time rather than gaining. Consolidated 5th place and just made it to the line without risking being caught. A podium chance missed but sure, its only for fun. Or something. Well done Lisa on a brilliant result, Diane Wilson 2nd in the MTB and Alwynne Shannon 3rd. Superb results from the prettier side of Dromara CC. Great results from the young ones too, notably Ben and Kelly wilson both with excellent 2nd places in U12's Martin was our sole B race representative after John's mishap in practise. Great performance and a proper fighting finish pipping Shane Elder on the line with a nice inside move. Bryce had a good 8th place, so happy making the top 10 and is making big progress it seems, amazing what carbon and 29" wheels can do. Only a minute and a bit off the top step of the podium now. Gibson Chambers return to open racing was a welcome site. Robert Davison and Mike Barton also doing well in in the MTB. Well done all. Also well done to Island Wheelers for putting on a great days racing. Very smooth event. And the results were up in record time! DMCV4032 by thebelgianproject, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by manuel6b on Oct 25, 2013 18:32:16 GMT 1
Don't forget to get your entries in for Sunday's race. Pre-registration closes at 8pm tonight. You can still sign up on the day (but that will take longer!!). See website
|
|
|
Post by johnmcg on Oct 28, 2013 1:18:54 GMT 1
CX Round 4 - Bangor
Rather mundane report for this round of the Ulster CX Race Series as it was quite uneventful for me, either I am getting better at dealing with these muddy races...or just being more careful !
After riding the course during warm up I certainly didn't fancy it much, thought the course was very technical ( for me ) in places, and very slippy with lots of mud, roots and humps, was worried if I would be able to stay on the bike at all. ( Note to self - ride the course more than once and do a more thorough check of the lines to take, and where is quicker to run ) Mr BVK did gave tips before the race and we practiced the 1st hill but ended up running ( well, fast walk ) during the race.
Was surprised to get gridded ( they must gave points for just turning up ? ) so instead of starting at the back of the field, I found myself in the middle. That didnt last long as 30 yards from the start after a right hander we encountered a mucky hill. This was ridable during warm up but with all the bodies about at the start it was quicker to run as I found out when nearly everyone went past me as I struggled to avoid others and ride it. Then on to what should have been an easy part of the course, the grassy field at the top of the hill. However, today the wind changed that, as it was a real struggle to make any headway here before entering the forest.
Surprisingly I managed the course OK ( at my own speed ) and stayed upright through all the difficult sections, but did come a cropper on a relatively easy corner ( just bad judgement ? ) Why do I always fall off where there are briars !
I knew there was still 5 or 6 rider behind me so kept up a good pace to make sure I wasn't caught, but didn't really have any chance of catching those in front after a couple of laps as the gap was too big. Finished the race without being lapped and was feeling really pleased with myself, but later realised that this course was longer than usual so that might have been the reason, rather than me riding better. ( note to Martin, can you make a nice long course for next week )
Was fortunate to follow Lisa a few times during the race, learnt a lot about taking lines and being smooth through the technical bits, if I can only put it into practice next time out.
Unfortunately a couple of boys I had targeted to beat just proved too good again, and another couple I had in my sights didn't ride today. I did have an enjoyable moment when I rode straight into Mr BVK's brother and knocked him off his bike ( reminded me how I used to play football )
As for the other Dromara riders, Lisa was riding well but had a mechanical in the last lap. Had to run with the bike but still managed to come in 2nd lady. Richard Cowan had his first outing and rode well finishing a few places ahead of me, just wait till he gets the hang of this. In the A race BVK took off like a rocket and was first through the 1st turn, and continue to ride well finishing in the top 10 ( I think he had a few incidents, can't wait for his full report )
Roll on next week, much planning and practicing to do !
|
|
|
Post by barryvankellett on Oct 28, 2013 11:24:22 GMT 1
Good report John. Every time I seen you in your race, you had that grimace pained expression that only comes with cyclocross hurt. So at least you were giving it loads! Yes, I was winning the A race, for about 6-7 seconds. Decided before the whistle to run that first hill, which was sound. As you can see in the wee clip below everything was going ok, but I was surprised Matt Adair is as fast running as he is on his bike and he ran past, not even carrying the bike right! Unfortunately I continued to run when everyone else had scoped a nice grippy bit of the hill to remount so I lost a lot of places straight away and really struggled up on the wild windy plain John Mentioned. A Race StartThe top 4 guys broke away and were riding at an alarming pace. I definitely couldn't have maintained that anyway. A group of about 7 of us formed early on, I was doing well enough before completely losing it on Ice Rink right hander. I'm sure you've all seen it on facebook by now! Not much time lost as a few went down on the next corner. Eventually the group splintered with me being stuck between the split, caught out and not able to catch back up. Myself, Cathal Doyle, Alex Donald, Aiden McDonald and Junior Rory Maguire were left to tussle for the final top 10 placings after James McMaster and Graham Boyd bridged across to the lead men. A few more dabs on slidey corners and one off on the last lap as Cathal Doyle was closing in, but managed to fend him off by a few seconds. A great race against the Carn Wheelers man for the last 2 laps. Good close racing all the way through, so another excellent workout. As for the others cyclocrossers, well done to John, looking steady and strong the whole way through. Richard Cowan was bent over his bike gasping for 10 minutes after the B race so he is doing it right. Lisa Running, what? Half a lap? With her back wheel hanging out banging her on the back of the head for most of it. Fighting spirit! Bring on Moira, My nemesis. (Have never finished it!)
|
|
|
Post by manuel6b on Oct 30, 2013 20:49:49 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by barryvankellett on Oct 30, 2013 22:47:33 GMT 1
On board footage from the first lap of sundays A Race:
|
|
|
Post by manuel6b on Nov 1, 2013 15:06:52 GMT 1
Pre-registration closes tonight at 8pm. Please use this facility to make life easier for the organisers!
|
|
|
Post by johnmcg on Nov 3, 2013 20:26:40 GMT 1
I have no personal race report this week, ( there should be some good reports coming from our riders this week )a pre-race injury ( or just old-age ) just before take-off meant that sadly I was a spectator today. But what a day to be an on-looker.
In the B race after getting caught behind some of the slower riders at the start, Lisa made up an enormous amount of ground each lap to finish 3rd lady in an epic race, it must be one of her best performances to date. In the A race Barry was competing with the leading bunch right to the finish.
It was a great day with the sun out and no rain or wind...probably not typical cx weather but no one was complaining. A fantastic course and great organisation made for a good day out for both racers and spectators...what can we say about Martin Grimley and his team of merry helpers...in the words of Sean Kelly...SUPER !
|
|
|
Post by barryvankellett on Nov 3, 2013 23:44:47 GMT 1
Is that not "soup-per"?
Yes - I just want to thank all the guys, I'm sure Martin will get round to it eventually, but it was a real good advert for the club today. Absolutely superb event and course, all made possible by all the hard work and effort from all the guys and girls in the club who pulled together to make it happen.
As for my own race - had a decent old ding dong with a few likely men for the whole thing, great ebb and flow to it. Had John's spare bike in the pits and used it for half the race, probably ensure my first Moira finish, which was the main goal. I think I managed 10th spot, which is my worst finishing position to date, but I was more than happy with the performance after a poor enough start managing to claw the big group in front back in but just failed to make it count so close to the line. Another lap was needed.
Awesome ride by Lisa in the womens race.
Great performances in all the races from all our club members turning out.
And last but not least, fantastic support all along the course from all the club members out today.
Thanks to all again!
|
|
lisa
Club member
Posts: 160
|
Post by lisa on Nov 4, 2013 19:11:47 GMT 1
Thanks for your kind words, John and Barry. What a day! I rode like my life depended on it. The support from around the course was unbelievable, both from the DCC marshals shouting, screaming and yelling at me to go faster and from the usual cyclocross crowd who were all a bit shocked at how I was riding! When I saw the start list, the best I could have hoped for was 4th place. I've never, ever beat Gill but yesterday was my day. Made it to the podium by a decent enough margin in part with the help of Barry in the pits, in part by the amazing support around the course and in part by pushing myself on the last lap to the point of almost needing to vomit.
Thanks again to everyone who helped out on the day, it was a memorable one. I still feel like I've won the flipping Olympics!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by manuel6b on Nov 6, 2013 15:54:12 GMT 1
I'm just recovering from the weekend's race. Lots of running about pulling things together, lots of ideas swirling around my head, lots of instructions being handed out and VERY little sleep. I look back now on the event with a smile. It was a great day. The event looked great. It wasn't perfect but it was pretty damn good. The sunshine was icing on the cake. I had a lot of ideas kicking about inside my head over the past year and it was very fulfilling to see these put into reality on Sunday.
A big thank you to the crews for setting up and running this event. Saturday - John S, John McG, Richard C, Gary B, Mike B, Robert D, Tony Q and family, Alan C + guests. We got the hammerhead set up, barriers up and course swept.
On Sunday - Paddy H, Gary B, Gary G, Brendy D, Bernie, Davy H, Brian W, Michael and Nathan M (+ Michael's mate John), John C, Graeme C, Adrian B, Marty McA, Bryce H, Raymund M, Ronnie S, Ryan C, Stevie W, Peter B, Gibson C, Chris and Gavin M, Sean Stephen, Trevor B, Jim McM, the wives Aoife M and Niamh, Tony and Ryan M, Mervyn K. If I have left out your name, please please know this was not deliberate!!!
A special thank you to Lisa and Barry for helping to pull this one together. The set up crew did a great job. The timekeepers worked like a real team. Many thanks to the sign on crew and to my folks for their hard work. Many thanks to Lisa's dad for building the steps for us. Thanks to the marshals for their encouragement of the riders, to the team who helped pull the whole lot back down again and pack it away and of course, to the council for letting us use the park and for providing the facilities (barriers, changing facilities and bike wash). It was great to have my contact at the council come along and see what we were doing. He was impressed so I'm hoping we will be allowed back again.
It wasn't an easy trip but I would love to do it again next year. I have a list of things that weren't quite right but I'd be happy to take any other ideas or comments from you the helpers or riders. martin@dromaracc.co.uk
I can't do it alone. It takes volunteering time from lots of members to pull this together. I want to thank all of the above. There were lots of others who would have gladly helped as well but who couldn't make it due to other commitments. Hopefully they will be free next year.
Job well done!!
|
|
|
Post by manuel6b on Nov 15, 2013 19:06:11 GMT 1
Ormeau Park race on this Sunday. Pre-registration closes at 8pm tonight. See website for details.
|
|
|
Post by barryvankellett on Nov 18, 2013 11:08:47 GMT 1
Brilliant muddy fun at Ormeau yesterday! Good rides from the guys in the B race, anyone who finished deserves a pat on the back. John S was 15th, Richard 27th, with Martin and John McG 30 and 33 in a big field of racers. I nabbed 6th in the A race thanks to a brilliant Pit crew working overtime on bike changes for me. Thanks to Lisa and one of our newest club memebers, Aoife, for that. And to big brother for making sure they cleaned it right each time. Here we can see Richard Cowan sporting the newest club strip!
|
|
|
Post by redgie on Nov 18, 2013 14:37:06 GMT 1
Now since joining the club I have always been given great advice but yesterdays advice from Brian Wilson has to one of the best. There was a suggestion that the new white dromaracc top was soon to have a slightly darker shade however young Brian mocked and said get the power hose on it before it hits the washing machine - Genius!
For those that missed the cyclo cross or MTB'ing I highly recommend giving it a go.
Well done BVK on an awesome 6th place - never seen a slicker pit crew I just hope you are paying them well.
|
|