Club Champs Report

Thanks to careful planning and amazing foresight the MAD club champs took place just before the storms of last weekend. We had 20 racers and a few spectators too, not to mention a huge amount of snacks. There were some great costumes on show, from the traditional to the scary to the disturbing. Everyone was in good form as we undertook some challenges in the Happy Valley - seeing who'd ride down and if it was possible to ride back up. Then it was on to the race course where we previewed the new track. The new section is a blast to ride - very fast and flowing.

The mass start from the car park quickly spread out on the first climb as the serious racers sped off while others took a more leisurely, seasonal approach. The fireroad climb was hard work against the wind but the descent easily made up for it (we all went back for another go after the race). There were some spectacular crashes (Martin) and costume malfunctions on the way down. Riders arriving back after their first lap were presented with mince pies and not allowed to continue until they were finished. This led to some changes in position as fast riders were let down by their inferior eating skills. Shane was allowed to substitute half a packet of Jaffa Cakes due to a mince allergy.

Determining the winner was a complex affair taking race results, fancy dress, riding experience and more into account. In the end the award for Club Champion 2006 went to Brown Santa himself, Nigel Shekelton.

Overall Results

1. Nigel Shekelton
2. Oisin Boydell
3. Fergal J Kilkenny
4. Hamish Keam
5. Shane Geoghegan
6. Morgan O'Connell
7. Sean Downey
8. Cormac Ahern
9. Steve Scrivener
10. Ciaran Corson
11. Mark Cromie
12. Martin Lynch
13. Carsten Schicht
14. Conor Conneff
15. Brendan McGee
16. Stephen Haines
17. Barry McNamara
18. Brian Linton
19. Judith Maguire
20. Barry O'Brien

Well done to everyone who came along to take part. This was a real highlight of the year and we're looking forward to even better things in 2007.