Cyclocross National Champs

Our good friends over at IMBRC are running the Cyclocross National Championship this (next?) year in Tymon park. For more details of this bizarre event click here.

The MAD Christmas Lash

The last and greatest event of the MAD 2007 social calendar is happening this Friday. The MAD Lash commences in the Bull and Castle, Christchurch, between 8 and 9pm. Come and meet your mtb heroes, or become a legend yourself on the night.

We're also having a pre-Christmas spin on Sunday, riding the new trails at Ballinastoe. The pace will be Christmassy and everyone is welcome to come along. Starting cycling at 10am.

There will be a spin on St. Stephens day too - details to follow.

2007 Bicycle Christmas Party

The 2007 Dublin's Cyclists' Christmas Party is the biggest seasonal party ever held for the capital's cycling crew. Fabulous venue - The POD at Harcourt LUAS stop, great entertainment - music for all ears, fine food and fab company.......all for a fiver. Special prizes for those who decorate their bicycles in the most festive fashion.

Come along and meet your cycling campaigning colleagues, the messengers who keep the city centre businesses bustling, lots of commuters, tourers, racers, mountain-bikers...........they will all be there. Politicians and figures from the Councils and government departments with responsibility for transport are also invited so this is your chance to charm or corner them over a pint and explain how it all should happen. The fun starts at 7pm. Fabulous area for bikes in off the road so your steed will enjoy the evening as much as you do.

Bring your family and friends - in fact, anyone who cycles, used to cycle, might cycle in the future, or just wants to hang out with all of those fit cyclists for an evening. Spread the word - extra posters downloadable on www.dublincycling.ie Look forward to seeing you there. The Dublin Cycling Campaign Social Committee.

MAD Club Champs 2007

You voted, we listened, and Saturday Dec 1st will be the day for the ultimate MTB & mince pie event of the year! Meet at Taylors car park at 10.30 for a leisurely ride up to the race venue.

Checkout the Race Route here

The event will consist of a wickedly handicapped race with various challenges afterwards. Fancy dress is encouraged and will be worth your while. Anyone who shows up on an incorrect bike (BMX, shopper, recumbent etc.) will also be richly rewarded.
We will then be retiring to Taylors Three Rock pub for some finger-food (food made from real fingers) and refreshments.
After we've been cocktail-sausaged-up, we'll be having our AGM, where we'll be reviewing the year, previewing next year, and of course, handing over the Club Champs trophy to the worthy winner, we'll also be giving out prizes for various 'acheivements' throughout the year.

We look forward to seeing you there on the day, and on the night also, when we'll be meeting in the Bull and Castle pub at approx. 8pm for a night of talking about how most of us were crually denied our opportunity to be Club Champs and othersuch guff.

Off Road Duathalon, November 18th

Djouce Challenge!

Ride the best single track Djouce woods has to offer!
The event is one lap of an approx. 18km loop.
This event is not really a race, more of a good day out on some class singletracks.
Ride your XC race machine, your dh rig, your singlespeed, 29er, fancy dress, whatever........the focus is on enjoying the trails.

Location: Djouce Woods lower car park
Date: Sunday 11th November
Time: Sign-on @ 10:30, race start at 12.30pm

- Mass start
- New Trails
- One-day licenses available
- Categories : Who cares!
- Entry fee : €15
- Spot prizes
- Signposted from N11 and Enniskerry
- Place is so dry at the moment

---

Entry fee details:
€15 for CI licence holders
(if you're going to be racing next year you can buy your 2008 licence now and use it at the event)

€10 for non-CI Licence holders, plus €15 for a one-day CI licence (total €25)

2007 Club Champs/AGM - Choose a date

Place your vote below to choose a date for the MAD Club Champs. You can choose more than one date if you like. We'll have the Champs in the morning and the club AGM that evening. We hope to get as many club members as possible out for the day.
*** The poll is now closed ***

IMBRC Cyclocross Race - Tymon park - This Sunday!

2007 Marathon Champs Details

The 2007 Irish MTB Marathon Championships will take place on Saturday September 29th in Carlingford Co. Louth. The course, laid out by Cuchulainn CC, follows a 55km route through some spectacular scenery alongside Carlingford Lough. A shorter route will be available for Junior riders.

Sign on is from 8am at the Foy Community Centre and the race begins with a mass start at 10am. Day race licences will be available.

Showers and changing facilities are provided and accommodation is also available (www.carlingfordbeds.com).

Contact phone numbers:
Johnny McCabe 087-8105919
Aidan McDonald 087-6262998

This event was a lot of fun last year. Just make sure to pay close attention to the course markings (someone always goes astray) and bring plenty of energy food/drinks. There will be a feed stop along the course where you can arrange to pick up your extra bottles/food. It would be within the abilities of most MAD riders as long as you pace yourself properly - it's a greater test of stamina than speed. I hope to see many of you there.

MAD Dixie Dash Round 3

Ok Dix and Dixettes,
A generous amount of destruction and bloodshed was visited upon 3rock last week,
so it's time for some more cheap fast thrills - be at Fairycastle at 7:15 pm Tues 4th Sept- race starts sharp at 7:30.
Bring your lights as it's getting dark in some of those forest sections.
I'll post the route map later tonight - this week we won't be taking the descent at the edge of the forest,
we'll be heading straight across from 2 rock to the path, turning left then heading in the direction of the aerials
We'll likely be doing a full run of the new MAD club course, and out of there and into the freeride zone
and the usual finish down the fast ferny trail which has up-ended a few of us in the past so hopefully more of the same.

MAD Dixie Dash 2007 Round 2

• Not too keen on big durty fireroad climbs?
  
• Do you enjoy the assistance of gravity in your biking?
  
• Ever feel like going just a little bit MADder?

Round 2 of the MAD Dixie Dash continues Tues evening, 28th Aug


Planned start time is for everyone to assemble at Fairycastle at 7:15pm, race starts 7:30pm.
You might need lights for one of the forest sections depending on how cloudy it is

Remember, you need to be an mtb club member in order to participate.

PS: I want to see more MAD riders out for this one - some people were saying they were looking forward to doing it but never turned-up, so this is your chance to redeem yourself!


Looking forward to seeing you having a huge amount of fun on your bike...

MAD Dixie Dash 2007 Round 1

Round 1 is postponedd due to bad conditions
It has been moved to Tues 21st August

• Not too keen on big durty fireroad climbs?
  
• Do you enjoy the assistance of gravity in your biking?
  
• Ever feel like going just a little bit MADder?

Well now....
Round 1 of the MAD Dixie Dash is scheduled for next Tuesday evening, 14th Aug.

It will be a short point-to-point competetive spin (20-30 mins).
Route details here

Planned start time is for everyone to assemble at Fairycastle at 7pm, with the first group of riders (3 or 4 at a time) off between 7:15 - 7:30pm.
You just might need lights for one of the forest sections depending on how cloudy it is but probably not - if you want to bring them then no probs.

If anyone would prefer to sit the first one out to see what it is like please let me know as we could do with your help with some organisation/timekeeping etc...

Remember, you need to be an mtb club member in order to participate.

Looking forward to seeing you having a huge amount of fun on your bike...

Annacurra Challenge - August 18th

The 2007 Outsider Annacurra Challenge takes place on August 18th. There are a couple of MAD teams signed up for this already but there are still places available. Full details below.

National XC Champs - This Weekend

A gaggle of cloned Robin Seymours should provide some strong competition in this year's XC National Championship. Banbridge CC are hosting the event in the new venue of Tollymore Forest Park, Newcastle, Co. Down. See below for full details.

Tymon Park Racing This Weekend

As you all know the IMBRC are running two races in Tymon Park this weekend - a team relay on the Saturday and the final round of the NPS on Sunday. This is an ideal opportunity for people to try out racing for the first time. The course will be flowing and non-technical and you also get two races for the cost of your day race-licence. It's also very easy to get to.

We're hoping to field a good few teams from MAD in the relay. If you'd like to take part just drop me an email to let me know. I'll maintain a list of riders and teams here:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgx9xz2d_8fs5j6f
(You can also find entry fee details there)
If you'd really like to be on a team with a particular person let me know that too.

Forthcoming NPSsssssss

With the run-in to the National Champs well underway, we're looking at a fantastic duo of races in the next few weeks, with a bonus being that both venues are local to us.
On July 1st, EPICmtb are hosting Round 6 of the NPS in Djouce Woods, which should feature some favourite and challenging trails. More details will follow...



A week later, our IMBRC friends promote a double header of racing over the weekend of the 7th and 8th of July in a new MTB racing venue.
Saturday will see a new and innovative format of racing in Ireland - a team relay. Details of the composition requirements for the teams are being finalised, but it has been confirmed that they'll be 3-member teams and there will be requirements on the number of elites/experts/ladies etc per team. Watch this space...

Sunday will see a return to the more traditional XCO format for Round 7 of the NPS, racing kicks off at 11am for the underage, 12 noon for Sports and U16's and 1:30pm for everyone else.

The venue is Tymon Park in South Dublin, site of several Cyclocross races in recent times, which will guarantee fast and close racing and usually draws large crowds of spectators to the park, many of whom have not seen bike racing before.
Both Djouce and Tymon Park venues are ideal for bringing your friends/family/workmates out to cheer you on and all members who do not race should consider coming out to sample the atmosphere and adreniline of an XC raceday.




Sean

XCO NPS Round 5- Killaoe

Mountain Bike UL will host Round 5 of the National Points Series in Ballycuggaran Woods near Killaloe, Co. Clare on Saturday, 16th June.

Practice and sign on begin at 10am. The U14, U16, Juniors, Ladies Sports and Mens Sports races start at 12pm while the Mens Elites, Ladies Elites, Expert, Masters and Veteran races will set off at 1.30pm.

Refreshments will be provided after the race and we hope to have access to the University of Limerick Activity Centre facilities for showers, refreshments and prize-giving.

Parking is available this year in the carpark in the woods and in the carpark opposite the forest entrance. Parking on the fireroad up to the carpark is prohibited.

Map to get to the course is here:
http://www.skynet.ie/~mtbclub/posters/Map_To_Killaloe.gif

Looking forward to a strong MAD turnout and performances!!!

Auf Wiedersehen, Christian!

In a cruel twist of fate, soon after upgrading his bike to one from this century, MAD wunderkind Christian (with his accomplice and über-home-baker, Sonia) has to return to Germany to take up a new job. We'll be sorry to see him go, not to mention his endless supply of home-made cakes. He's having a final, farewell ride this Saturday, meeting at the Yellow House at 10am, so be sure to come along and wish him well.

On Sunday, round four of the 2007 NPS takes place in Magheramorne Quarry, near Larne Co. Antrim. This is a totally new race venue, part of the Magheramorne Works redevelopment (read about it on www.magworks.info). The venue and organisation sound promising - "Riders should really enjoy the set up, the course includes a bridge crossing, a tunnel, a lake splash and plenty of single track. Facilities at the venue are great, we will be using the Blue Circle Sailing Club as the race HQ, and this includes access to changing rooms and showers." This should be well worth the journey. Read more below.

Check out the MAD calendar for details of other spins this weekend.

NPS season under way

The NPS season kicked off with a great race up north on sunday, in Glenarm Forest Park. MAD had a sizable contingent, with 8 of us taking to the start line (plus Cait from UCD who was honorary MAD for the day), on a course that included some tight twisty singletrack, some fast straight singletrack, some sketchy gripless sections and a killer steep fireroad climb.

Cait had a great race taking 2nd in the Elite ladies with Mel taking a well deserved 3rd place in her first race of the season, for MADs only official podium. Unfortunately for Judith the mechanical chain gremlins struck causing her to retire.

In the U16s class, Shane took 4th wiht Ciaran just behind in 5th place.

The sports race was great fun, despite chasing hard i just could not catch Daniel who took 7th place for MAD, with myself in 8th, Arek in 10th and Mr Diamond taking a great 13th in his first ever race. Hopefully we'll get some good photos courtesy of Marta who was busily snapping away whenever i walked up any of the hills (dammit).

Round 2 takes place in Ballinastoe next Sunday which is so close to us that there's no excuse for not getting out and giving it a try. As Tom would say .. Bring on the Power!

NPS 2007 promo video

Yeah baby! XC racing to the MAX!!

Just to get you in the mood...turn the volume UP!



...but you know there's a better quality one on the Irish XC MTB website - it's the first News item halfway down the page.

Click on the image below to get there.