The Irish National Downhill Championships took place last weekend at a brand new venue, just outside the Heritage town of Cahir in Co. Tipperary, organised by 021racing from Cork.
 
As the song goes ” It’s a long way to Tipperary”, but damn was it worth it!  For once the weather did it’s best and joined the party, unlike the pissy humour it’s been in all year!
 
Riders were on site from the Wednesday before the event, to ensure they got maximum practice and it paid off for some riders namely Colin Ross and Carl Young, who both won their respective categories!  Scaragh woods offers a great venue with a spectacular finish and parking all in the same area, which helps create an electric atmosphere, which was also made better by the presence of Lakis the Red Bull DJ, in his awesome converted US army Dodge truck, he kept spectator’s and riders entertained with his cool tunes.  Nacc Event’s from the UK once again did a great job with the live timing and with commentator Ian Brown on the PA, everyone was kept up to speed with the latest times and reults.
 
 The lovely Red Bull girls kept over 180 racer’s energised in the heat and added a nice touch of glamour to 2008’s most prestigious mountain bike event, Red Bull also provided the Red Bull arch and riders could have been forgiven for thinking they were competing at an International event, it was definitely a big step up from the NPS.  The basics were right and the track was class!  As the Irish Team Manager Joe Ward described it, you need big balls, serious fitness, you need to be able to jump well and corner well.  It definitely tested the best riders all round abilities.  The fastest times in seeding were all around the 2.05 mark, but riders were winding their way through the trees at over 25mph all the way down!
 
Many riders got six and seven runs in practice due to the superb fleet of Mercedes Sprinter LWB vans that were shuttling the riders in record speed!
 
The racing got under way at midday on Sunday.  The start had spectacular views of the Galtee mountains.  The first category to go was the U14’s and man were these guys flying!
Dan Sheridan took the win with an amazing time of 2.13!  Cameron Cornforth from 021racing took 2nd place ahead of Christopher Mclinchey in 3rd.
 
U16’s next, Gavin Carroll was the young man who dominated this category, he put 5 second’s between himself and 2nd placed Taryan Lewis from Killarney.  Micheal McCaann rounded off the podium in 3rd.
 
The Super Vets were up next and to be honest I hope I’m still able to ride a bike when I’m their age, let alone race!  Tom Sheridan wrapped it up, he couldn’t let Dan enjoy being # 1 on his own!  Peter Popham flew into 2nd, followed by CRC’s Derek Cowan.
 
The Veterans was very competitive this year and it could have been anyones race!  In the end Carl Banana Man Young nodged it ahead of Stevie Davidson with the Flying Deise man from 021racing Dave Mc Manus in 3rd.
 
Into the Masters and with the absence of current National Champ Micheal Cowan, due to a shattered pelvis, new man Glyn O Brien was in Flying form taking the win ahead of 021racings John Thompson (JT), with Dale Mc Mullan from CRC in 3rd.
 
The Sport category was won by a man who has returned to the sport after a long absence, Paul MeGarry took the honours ahead of IMBRC’s Gareth O Rielly with James O Reilly in 3rd.
 
The Senior category was won in a super time of 2.06 by Dave Egan, who said he has never had such an amazing run in his whole life!  Welcome to Pro- Elite Dave!  2nd spot was taken by the ever improving Cathal Hickey from Killarney with Brian Cooney in 3rd spot.
 
There was a great turnout in ladies and your 08 National Champion is the Flying Doctor Maeve Baxter,  Aoife O Donoghue from DCU was 2nd followed by Nathalie Jedda in 3rd.
 
The Juniors was tight, but the rider of the year Ewan Doherty retained his National title ahead of his closest rival and Irish team mate Seanan O Riordain, with Wee Johnny McKee in 3rd after a superb race!
 
THe Elites was quite open, with Ben Reid deciding to rest ahead of his World Cup campaign in Canada.  The man who made it count was Colin Ross and the Wolfe brothers duked it out for the remaining podium spots, with older brother Ger knocking Dan into 3rd.  Gareth Mckee continued his impressive season with a fine 4th place ahead of 021racing’s Greg O’ Keeffe in 5th, just beating his best friend and team mate Tom Power into 6th!
 
It’s all over another year, Ten riders get the pleasure of carrying the moniker of National Champ for a year!
 
Thanks again to all involved in organising the event and all the riders who supported it!

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VAL DI SOLE – ITALY 

The 2008 World Championships returned to the scene of the 2006 European MTB Championships and I for one was interested to see what the local organisers could pull out of the bag by way of organisation. The 2006 Euros were, by comparison to Fort Bill, a very tame affair with no gondolas/ski lifts and not a lot of interest from the big trade teams. At Fort Bill last year I watched representatives from Val di Sole walk around the very impressive pits area and thought to myself what will it be like next year. OK – it was always going to be difficult to get close to Fort Bill which regularly hosts big events but my own personal opinion is that this was a well organised World Champs on a course that has been “rated” by the riders as one of the most difficult. The course itself was completely different from the Euro course two years previously with the finish a bit “Fort Billesque” - riders coming through the Nissan arch onto a ski slope for a spectacular finish. There wasn’t the same number of spectators but it was still healthy and the course was well lined from top to bottom. 

I can’t remember how much the entry fee was at Fort Bill last year but this one was absolutely free. No entry fee, free car parking, free train shuttle service from the surrounding villages which were used as overspill car parks and plenty of freebies from the trade stands. You couldn’t get a wild hog or venison burger but there was plenty of pasta – much better for you anyway! The weather, up until Wednesday, had been poor, but once the thunderstorms had cleared the air it was “hip hip hip hooray the sun has got his hat on and he’s coming out to play”. Each day seemed to get hotter and the track changed with riders starting look at other tyre choices rather than the obligatory spikes up until then. If I had a criticism of the organisation it would have been the lack of information and this was partly my own fault for not understanding Italiano. There were no programmes on sale and you had to be quick to get start lists and seeding run times which were left in various locations throughout the race village. The big screen was of course essential viewing but it didn’t kick in until the top 5 or 6 juniors were on course. There may have been a technical problem but it was disappointing for anyone who had an interest in the junior category. Anti midge cream was replaced by sun screen and mosquito nets and water proofs were replaced by shades, shorts and t-shirts. The sun and good weather really does make a difference and whilst it never reached the heights of Fort Bill the atmosphere was more relaxed and carnival like with some non descript euro techno babble blaring in the background actually adding to the ambience – although even the commentator had to ask for it to be turned down a few notches on occasion. The very welcome “refreshment” stands were popular and the local amber nectar helped refresh the needy areas. 

                             Ewan Doc                                            Seanan O’Riorden 

Most of the big trade names were there along with some that I’ve never heard of and there was a good buzz about the village and pits area. It was however disappointing that some manufacturers chose not to be there – Orange Bikes and Hope were two noticeable absentees which didn’t help a few of the Irish teams riders who were a bit reliant on these manufacturers. All was however not lost as the Irish DH mechanic James O’Carroll was at hand to offer comfort (to the battered and bruised bikes) and support. Using some of that deep south infamous Cork charm James became “master blagger” and I think everyone knew James by the end of the weekend – in a good way! Just as Dale had done the at last years Champs James worked tirelessly to ensure that the riders bikes were in race condition to give the riders as much advantage as possible. Dave ”the go-for” was on hand to offer assistance whenever needed and Assistant Manager Rory OK was always there to make sure the boring administration was completed and ensured that the riders were kept informed and hydrated…. and out of trouble. It was a smaller team than in previous years and it’s not my intention to get involved in that issue. The team did however bond well and the size brought the unit closer together with no dissent amongst the riders or management. Belfast, Dublin and Cork brogues all mixed together willingly and there was the usual craic which only a collection of Irishmen can conjure up. 

The practice times generally worked around the other events that were going on and that often meant a very early start for the riders and in particular the Juniors. I don’t think any of the Irish team, with the exception of Ben, got any clean runs in practice – it was just that sort of course. Seeding day was the start of the big build up and there was a good crowd there to see the riders jockeying for position or in some cases cruising down the track as they didn’t want the privilege of being one of the last riders down – Barel and to a lesser extent Hill were good examples of this. The Irish riders all faired fairly well although all of them apart from Ben (who had an excellent run to give him 11^th fastest seeding time) had some sort of problem on their runs usually linked to crashes. With expectation and nerves rising race day came and it was Seanan O’Riorden who had the privilege of being the first Irish rider off in the Junior cat. Ewan Doherty was the second Irish rider off shortly after and whilst the two young uns couldn’t better their seeding positions their times were considerably quicker and against a lot of factory supported riders they both did themselves proud with Ewan in 17^th and Seanan in 29^th. Dan and Greg went off after each other in the Elites and they both improved dramatically on their seeding run times to both finish in the top 60 within a second of each other in 52^nd and 57^th respectively. With Ben Reid having such a good seeding run hopes were high that he could pull off a top ten result but it wasn’t to be and Ben ended up in 29^th. Is a post mortem needed? Not on the riders enthusiasm effort and commitment and the Management and Support Teams efforts and assistance during the event cannot be questioned.

                      Dan Wolfe                                                          Greg OK

Resources and support from CI and other potential support sources is however an issue that needs consideration. OK – DH is not an Olympic sport and does not have any right to exceptional funding. Why it is not an Olympic sport remains a mystery to me. It may not have the same participation levels as some other bike disciplines but when it comes to the World Champs it is without doubt the one that most spectators come to see – no offence to the XCrs, 4Xrs and trial riders. Just look at the Elite DH final with the drama that unfolded throughout the race right up to the very end. Aside from Ireland’s one professional rider Ben Reid who receives limited funding as it is, the other riders have to scrimp and save to go to World Cups and British/Scottish rounds with little backing from their governing body or any factory support. They are true privateers and whilst they didn’t set the world alight with their results they were true professionals in their attitude and how they conducted themselves – no throwing the toys the out of the pram when things didn’t go right – which some other well supported riders were guilty of. The DHrs represent their country just as the XCrs and “roadies” do, but with much less financial support even though it is one of the most successful disciplines that Irish riders compete in. There must be someone or some company out there who would give some of the financial support needed to give them the financial resources needed to improve the preparation for race events and I’m not just talking about bikes and spares. I’m probably living in another dimension but …..!

                            Ben Reid                                  Is that an XCr in with the DHrs?  

The trials event wasn’t held at the same venue as the other events so I can’t report on the results. I was on my way home when the 4X and Elite XC took place so again no comment. The Irish XC team can however be proud of its achievements as well with Irish Junior Champion Liam McGreevy getting a very credible 42^nd even with a few mechanicals and a puncture. Neill McGimpsey finished 89th and Paul O’Reilly failed to finish after going well in the early stages of the race – nothing to be ashamed of on a deadly and savage track. Big Connor McConvey put some of the disappointment of non-Olympic selection behind him to finish an impressive 21^st in the U23 event and with another 3 or 4 years in this cat the future looks good for Connor. It was good to see the Irish XC and DH teams side by side in the team area and whilst they were not running around hugging each other there was a mutual respect for each other and the junior riders in each discipline actually started speaking to each other! All joking aside it was good to see Liam, Neill and Paul from XC sitting along with Ewan and Seanan and giving them their support and there’s certainly experiences and skills that they can learn from each other. 

I missed the Saturday night festivities which I suspect eclipsed the end of champs party on Sunday night but rumour has it that the riders and support team all enjoyed themselves with Dan “the leprechaun” Wolfe getting the party swinging with some nifty dance moves on the DJ stage. It certainly broke the ice and the party (s) went on to the early hours and the walk home to the team hotel was longer on the way back if you get my drift. A well deserved respite from the discipline, water and energy drinks up until then. It wouldn’t be a World Champs without Greg OK getting an injury and he didn’t disappoint and I suspect he’ll be getting his knee checked out back in Cork. Ewan Doc broke his finger in practice on Friday (confirmed on his arrival back in Belfast) but most of the team came off at some stage and Greg and Ewan and the other riders soldiered on with barely a whimper – not that they would have got much sympathy probably anyway! The riders and support team deserve a big congrats and there’s no doubt that with some more support they can improve even more. Let’s hope that someone takes notice and things improve in the future. In the meantime it’s a busy period for some riders with the Killarney DH this weekend, a British NPS in Fort Bill the following weekend, the European Championships in Italy (again – but different destination) and the Irish National Champs at the end of July. Good luck to you all! 

More pictures available at - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/desperado.doherty/Worlds2008

Sedding Run Times below:

Elite Men

1/ Gee Atherton 3:24.81
2/ Greg Minnaar 3:28.52
3/ Justin Leov 3:29.95
4/ Sam Hill 3:32.32
5/ Sam Blenkinsop 3:35.72
6/ Mickael Pascal 3:36.85
7/ Steve Peat 3:38.59
8/ Bren Fairclough 3:38.75
9/Chris Kovarik 3:40.54
10/Julien Camellini 3:42.83
11/Ben Reid 3:43.05
12/Toni Berg 3:43.13
13/Nathan Rennie 3:43.70
14/ Marc Beaumont 3:44.55
15/ Kieran Bennet 3:45.85
16/Damien Spagnolo 3:46.43
17/ Alan Beggin 3:46.59
18/Filip Polc 3:46.61
19/Marcus Klausman 3:47.04
20/ Bernat Guarda Pascual 3:47.39

56/ Greg O Keefee  4.04
57/ Dan Wolfe  4.05


Elite Women

1/ Rachel Atherton 4:05.72
2/Emmeline Raggot 4:16.14
3/ Sabrina Jonnier 4:22.16
4/ Floriane Pugin 4:31.75
5/ Scarlett Hagen 4:38.50
6/ Tracy Moseley 4:38.63
7/ Celine Gros 4:39.67
8/ Petra Bernhard 4:48.10

Junior Men:

1/ Remi Thirion 3:43.16

2/ Josh Bryceland 3:44.18
3/ Brook Macdonald 3:48.58
4/ Aari Barrett 3:49.03
5/ Shaun O’ Connor 3:52.66
6/ Joe Smith 3:53.46
7/ Sam Dale 3:53.71
8/ Boris Tetzlaff 3:57.08
9/ Dennis Dertell 3:57.56
10/Yannick Colomb 3:58.55
15/ Ewan Doherty 4.04

29/Seanan O Riordan 4.14

Junior Women

1/ Anais Pajot 4:38.35
2/ Melanie Pugin 5:03.92
3/ Caroline Buchanan 5:15.44

Below is a link to the entry form for the national champs. This is a pre-entry race only. Details are on the form. Any trouble with the download please email info@021racing.com.

 NationalChampsEntryForm

More details on track to follow and other info relating to event……….

Round 3 of Irish Downhill NPS made its way to a wet and wild Dunmanway in West Cork last weekend and was hosted by Cork’s 021racing.  With back to back NPS races, having been to Carrick in Wicklow the week previous and with it being a bank holiday and many of the top riders who are heading to Maribor for the 1st World Cup didn’t want to risk injury, many riders opted to skip the round.
 
The 021racing crew had spent months preparing a brand new track for the event, which had a Motorway section at the top like in Fort William, a lot of riders were going 30mph+ and the distance people were getting from the ski jumps was huge!  After the open section, you dropped into some steep woods, with some fast berms and tight turns, then into a very tricky off camber rooty section, which led you down to the infamous Rock Drop, this section caught a lot of riders out, you then hit a series of berms before hitting a ski jump, clearing a load of nasty roots, riders then had to negotiate some seriously tricky off camber and drifty turns before the Finish line.  Riders had to be 100% focused the whole way down the track, one slip in concentration and you were in the dirt!
 
Never the less, a loyal bunch of racers travelled from all over Ireland and Wales!  It’s been a while since we had some competitors from the UK coming over to race our National series, hopefully they will spread the good word!
 
The weather played a huge part in the weekends racing and many riders struggled with the tough course in the dry, but as the weekend progressed and the rain fell, the course turned nasty.  For some it became unridable but to the optomistic riders among us, this was seen as a challenge and one rider in particular Cameron Cornforth riding his DMR hardtail in the Under 14 category, showed how it was done and was rewarded with a fine 3rd place!
 
Once again NACC Events came over to provide the Live Timing and along with Ian Brown on the commentary, spectators and riders were kept up to date every second!  Red bull turned up on both days with much needed energy refreshment for the muddy racers and the Red Bull girls were a sight for muddy eyes!  There was a great atmosphere in around the finish with tunes pumping and the smell of tasty burgers lingering!
 
Down to the racing and in U14 category, it was Dan Sheridan who couldn’t be touched in 1st, followed by Chritopher McGlinchey ans 021racings Cameron Cornforth in 3rd.
 
The U16 category was won by Targan Lewis, 2nd place went to Stephan Graef and Eoghan priestly rounded off the podium in 3rd place.
 
The Super Vets was won by a smiling Tom Sherdian, following his son on to the top of the box!
 
The vets was wrapped up by Carl Young, one of the most recognisable characters on the Irish racing scene, 021’s Antony Cornforth put in a great run to finish 2nd, considering he ran a half marathon in the morning!  Norman McKee dad to one of Irelands quickest Elite riders Gareth, made his way into 3rd.
 
The Sport category caters for beginners and guys returning to the sport after a long absence.  Paul Megarry took the honours, Fran Kearns in 2nd and Kevin Moran in 3rd.
 
The Seniors was invaded by the Welsh boys and they stole the 1st and 2nd places.  Jonathan Morley 1st with Mattew pinches in 2nd and the ever consistent Dave Egan on his new Sunn bike in 3rd, just pipping Denis Corkery by a second!
 
There were a few surprises in the Masters category, with Sean Herlihy ripping through the mud to 1st place and 7th fastest time of the day!  Killarney man Denis O Shea took a very relaxed approach to the race and it paid off with a great 2nd place, just snatching it from podium regular Dale Mcmullan.
 
The Junior category was dominated by Greg Callaghan, who put in a fine run to take 1st place from jonny McKee with Ashley Hemmingway in 3rd place.

                                                
 
Into the Elite category, Colin ross once again proved he is very hard to beat on Irish soil and once again came up trumps with a fantastic win ahead of Greg O’ Keeffe in 2nd and a welcome return to the podium for Tom Power in 3rd, who just returned home from Austrailia, Darren Quille was loving the course and he slid into 4th followed by Gareth Mckee in 5th place.
 
So a big thanks to all involved in 021racing for a great event, just sort out the weather!

Riders will be treated to a brand new track, which should take the fastest riders over 2 minutes! The course will be starting at the very top of the hill, where riders will get a very nice fast open section that is littered with double jumps, ski jumps and a step up! You then hit a left hand berm at about 30mph before braking hard and dropping right into the woods. This section is very steep, with some nice banked turns, roots and rocks. As riders make there way down the course they will have to negotiate some ticky off camber, lots of roots, rocks, drops, berms with very little pedalling! There are no silly gaps, this is just a proper fast technical DH course, that will test the best riders!

We have cleared a lot of parking spaces either side of the fireroad as you drive in from the main entrance. Please park responsibly and keep it tight! We are hoping to have everyone parking at the bottom of the track close to the finish, catering, first aid, podium, sign on etc. This will also help with the speed of the uplifts. This will also create a better atmosphere for the weekend. Camper vans will be catered for as well.

This event will have live timing, NACC events are travelling from the UK to look after the event.

Sign on will be open from 8.30 on Saturday and will be closed at 9.30am on Sunday.

Practice on Saturday 10.00 to 1.00 and 2.00 to 5.00.
Practice on Sunday 9.00 to 11.00.
Race starts at 12.00.

Entry fee, all Senior riders 50 euro and underage riders 35 euro. One day licences will be available.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Cork, for what promises to be a great weekends racing!

Cheers

Rory

The 2008 international downhill mountain bike season, got kick started in Gouveia, Portugal nestled in the Estrella mountain range last weekend!

The Maxxis Cup race has now established itself as the first proper race of the season and it attracts a huge entry from all over Europe.

A lot of Irish made the trip this year, with a strong contingent of boys from the North and D4 as well as an army from 021racing! 021 was represented by greg, Sean, James, Kevin Ryan, Kevin Boyd, Jason Murphy, Ben Mullens, Rob Davis and Rory! The trip began as we flew to Madrid, rented our Mini Bus and drove quite rapidily to Portugal. We enjoyed two full days of practice in sunny weather and we turned our mini bus in to our uplift and the spin to the top was nearly as enjoyable as coming down the mountain!

A partially new track greeted all the riders and what a track! Flat to the mat for nearly 3.30min if you were going well. The course was littered with ski jumps, drops, rock gardens and flat out corners.

First rider down was 021 new boy Rob Davis, who was riding like his old skool days, flat out but likes to hit the eject button! Rob got caught out trying to double a tricky drop and hurt his wrist quite bad, no racing for rob. Sean was next to come a cropper in the same place as Rob, the compression sent Sean flying over the bars and on to his head, also aggravating his long term ankle injury.

Sunday morning we were greeted to some wintery weather and qualifying. The top 150 fastest riders would go through to the main event. There were over 400 entries!! Everyone in 021 qualified except for the two Kevins and James who was to busy looking after Brendan Fairclough’s Iron Horse (ranked 12th in the world!!) as well as all the dublin boys, as all their bikes were hanging!

In the final, Jason missed his run, Rory 92nd,went quicker by 6 seconds with a 3.15, Greg 38th, improved with a comfortable 3.03 after crashing in his qualifying run, Ben 117th, had a bit of a crash, Sean, DNS, as his ankle was wrecked. Ben Reid crashed out, the first time in a long time, just goes to show it can happen to anyone! Gee Atherton destroyed the field by 4 seconds, the man is a beast! Dan Atherton 2nd and Cedric Gracia in 3rd.

At the end of the day, 021 enjoyed a successful weekend and an eventful night in Madrid on Sunday! If your talking to Ben Mullen, ask him what he thinks of Lady Boys!!!!