We will build on our recent very successful ride on St.Stephens day and have another spin in clashnacrona woods, near dunmanway on this sun morning the 8th of jan @10am
We will be riding the small XC loop (2.5km approx) a few times. This loop is probably easier than the last spin, interesting and a good bit of excercise too.
All welcome.
See you there.
Donncha
The rebuild 2012.
well as ye all know I have been rockin the same Ancillotti thomaso DHP since 2007, its been to France for a few trips, lived and rode in Vancouver’s north shore/whistler sunshine coast etc for a year as well as 4 full race seasons, so at this stage a bunch of parts are worn out and in need of being changed. (yes I Wear parts out not change em for the sake of it) stage one with help from OC tuning was the fox 40’s which have been upgraded to a 2011 model with Kashima sanctions and SKF seals for extra slipperyness.
Coming up next was the frame itself which was stripped down to the bare frame and got a nice rub of a combination of elbow grease and polish, the amount of dirt that came off the frame was scary. Why polished? One its lighter, two I don’t have to worry about the paint being scratched major bonus giving Irish uplift systems.
"Thomaso" on Cypress Mountain overlooking Vancouver...
Next up was a set of custom Decals made by Sign Studio in Skibbereen using the original Ancillotti decals as a base with a few personal details including the Cork crest and renaming the bike “Ricardo” instead of “Thomaso” and changed the colour from yellow to rebel RED.
Custom Decals from Sign Studio Skibbereen
Next up was the rebuild with a few new bits to add in, during the season I damaged the bash guard at the Cullahill race last year, I picked up a Gamut bash off Ben Reid at Yellow water and a chain ring and other parts from the Bike rack. The chainring went on fine but the Bash needed to be filed down to fit, no problem. After that a few straitline bits and pieces replaced a bunch of old worn details, bar end caps, seat post clamp. New bars from race face to replace my old ones that had served for 2 years, better safe than sorry when dealing with the controls.
The next thing up for replacement was the brakes, the Formula the ones on the bike have been my most reliable brakes ever but were getting a bit old in the tooth and needed either a full rebuild or replacement so I went for the replacement option and picked up a set of Formula mega’s direct from Formula. Hopefully they will hold up as well as the ones.
The overall colour scheme was rebel red, so as you can see the only things needed was the rest of the drive train, a Sram X9 mech mated to a XO gripshifter why gripshift, one im used to it two its lighter than a trigger shifter, 3 it shifts faster than a trigger and 4 it is a way easier to change cables than the sram triggers if needed in a Race situation.
What else the wheels are my trusty hope Bulbs with mavic 721 rims shod on maxxis rubber, usually High rollers swapping to spikes if its proper nasty and minions DHF’s if its proper dry (so never used them in Ireland) and always tubed tho ghetto tubless could be an option for Morzine trips.
Weight wise the bike comes in at about 41lbs with a sturdy build, the only thing I would see dropping a chunk of weight is the frame but if it ain’t broke why change it!!!!
arise Ricardo!!! the build for 2012!
Thanks to James from OC tuning, AL from the bike rack and Bob from Sign studio, now to go ride the Beast!!!
So with a lot of requests from interested people who found us through the website, i am organizing a couple of ‘easy going’ spins in the coming weeks. The first of these is, Sunday,4th December@11am, in Clashnacrona woods, which is 3 miles out the Drimoleague road from Dunmanway, park 1km east of the 3 lakes shop, in the layby/carpark, its at the top of a hill when your driving from Dunmanway.
The main objectives will be , to show the new riders all the different trails on offer, to suggest where people can do trail maintenance themselves, to get the community aspect of mountain biking going in Westcork, and reignite the club for 2012. We will be cycling for an hour approx, which will involve a few laps, we will ride all the XC (cross country) trails(these trails are suitable for beginners and require only moderate fitness) We will also point out to the new riders where the Harder DH (downhill) stuff is. A Good working mountain bike and helmet required (obviously) If you cant get to this spin there will be others in the coming weeks. Hopefully we will have 5 or 6 out on Sunday, see y’all then.
Donncha
ok lads, who’s up for a short beginners XC spin, say Dromhilly near Connonagh on Saturday 10AM.
just bring a mountain bike and a Helmet and be prepared to get muddy.
Irish Downhill Mountainbike Series
http://www.facebook.com/pages/IDMS-2012/118109234964949
the bookface page for the new Irish DH series keep an eye on it…
This is an open message to the 2 lads myself and simon met at the duathlon on saturday, who want to come out mountain biking.
Just click on forum, sign up and leave a message,one of us will get back to you in a day or so.
Cheers.
p.s
i will delete this in a weeks time.
So the blue ribbon event of xc in my humble opinion is on sunday week in the ballyhoo’s and i am sure the local lads will put on a great show. I am not doing it this time but i found the account below and said i would post it here, it is one of my best memories (so far) of MTB racing, i became a national champ that day, all be it in the sports cat, i got a trophy and 30 euro! for my efforts and smiled the whole ways home.
“IRISH MARATHON MTB CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Andy potts
Sep 26, 2006,
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The picturesque County Louth village of Carlingford suffered a mountain bike invasion on Saturday as the local Cuchulainn Club promoted the 2006 Irish MTB Marathon Championships. The event attracted an entry of 120 who faced a 50km challenge through the very wet Cooley Mountains on a day of rapidly changing weather conditions. Robin Seymour successfully defended his Irish title as he sprinted around the course in just under three and a half hours, while at the other end of the scale well done to those who undertook seven hours of torture to cross the finish line!
The event began with a massed start, a spectacular sight as the riders charged up the lane ways that led onto the open mountain, the occupants of a De Lorean car getting an ultra close look at the riders! At the first feed station four riders had broken clear, Robin Seymour joined by Nial Davis, Connor McConvey and the ageless Peter Buggle. James McCluskey held a close fifth with Roger Aiken in sixth, the Dromore based rider having almost missed the start.
The next feed station was at the mast on top of the Ravensdale Mountains, the riders greeted here by a gale force wind. By this stage Seymour had broken clear leaving Davis and McConvey on their own. For Buggle the race was over as he was forced to retire with a ripped tyre. In the Expert Class Vav Halik was in superb form, in fact he was in fifth overall amongst the Elite riders. Ryan Sherlock was an impressive second in the Experts Class as Richard Felle battled with Ronan McMahon for third. Joe McCall led the way in the Masters Class ahead of Eoin Keith and Dave Gill. By this stage ‘home’ favourite Gerry McCabe was forced to retire with a broken rear mech. Robbie Lamont was in control of the Vets though Peter McConville had moved into second after passing Johnny McCabe on the climb up to the mast. The battle in the Sports Class was a close affair as Dave Barry held a narrow lead over Donncha O’Brien and Brian Keogh.
By the third feed station (number one on the outward journey) Robin Seymour had a massive lead. Behind him however the battle for second was ultra close as Nial Davis began the final climb only seconds ahead of James McCluskey. In the Vets Class leader Robbie Lamont had been caught by Peter McConville, in fact the pair waited for each other at the final feed as Lamont took food and McConville mended a puncture, nice manners gents!
Back in Carlingford Robin Seymour crossed the finish line in a time of three hours and 23 minutes to add yet another title to his amazing collection of Irish Off Road honours. In the final run to the finish Davis broke clear of McCluskey,taking second in a time of three hours 39 minutes with McCluskey just 3 minutes behind. Sensation of the day had to be Expert winner Vav Halik who finished fourth overall in a time of three hours 43 minutes, with Ryan Sherlock an equally impressive second . Connor McConvey took the Junior award as Joe McCall lifted the Masters title. In the Vets class Robbie Lamont just did enough on the final climb to break clear of Peter McConville, though only one minute separated the pair at the finish. The Sports Class was equally close as Donncha O’Brien passed Dave Barry on the last climb to win the class by just one minute, O’Brien entering the final section and entertaining the spectators with his rendition of ‘Just a Perfect Day’! Tarja Owens won the Ladies Class as Paul O’Reilly took the U-16 prize after his nearest rivals Liam McGreevy and Sean Downey were both forced to retire.
Well done to Cuchulainn for a great event, for the après race food, and the general organisation of the event. A big thanks to those who manned the feed stations and to roving marshal Paul McCann and the motorcycle marshal.
Results:
MEDAL WINNERS:
Elite Men
1 Robin Seymour Worc 3h 23m
2 Naill Davis IMBRC 3h 39m
3 James McCluskey Worc 3h 42m
Elite Woman
1 Tarja Owens Worc/Lapierre 4h 21m
2 Ciara McManus XMTB 5h 15m
3 Melanie Spath MAD 5h 21m
Junior
1 Connor Mc Convey XMTB 3h 45m
2 Graham Boyd XMTB 4h 35m
3 Robert McCabe Cuchulainn CC 5h 07m
Paul O’Reilly (U16) IMBRC 4h 36m
Expert
1 Vav Halik Epic 3h 43m
2 Ryan Sherlock Mad 3h 54m
3 Richard Felle IMBRC 4h 18m
4 Ronan McMahon UA 4h 19m
Masters
1 Joe McCall WORC 3h 55m
2 Eoin Keith Epic 4h 06m
3 Dave Gill WORC 4h 13m
Vets
1 Robert Lamont XMTB 4h 03m
2 Peter McConville Newry Wheelers 4h 04m
3 William Mulligan Banbridge CC 4h 18m
Sport
1 Donncha O’Brien Laois CTC 4h 23m
2 Dave Barry IMBRC 4h 24m
3 Brian Keogh Epic 4h 32m
FULL RESULTS:
Irish Marathon MTB Championships – Finishing Order
1 Robin Seymour Worc 3h 23m
2 Naill Davis IMBRC 3h 39m
3 James McCluskey Worc 3h 42m
4 Vav Halik Epic 3h 43m
5 Connor Mc Convey XMTB 3h 45m
6 Ryan Sherlock Mad 3h 54m
7 Joe McCall WORC 3h 55m
8 Tim Edgar 4h 02m
9 Robert Lamont XMTB 4h 03m
10 Peter McConville Newry Wheelers 4h 04m
11 Eoin Keith Epic 4h 06m
12 Dave Gill WORC 4h 13m
13 William Mulligan Banbridge CC 4h 18m
14 Richard Felle IMBRC 4h 18m
15 Ronan McMahon UA 4h 19m
16 Tarja Owens Worc/Lapierre 4h 21m
17 Donncha O’Brien Laois CTC 4h 23m
18 Gordan L WORC 4h 24m
19 Dave Barry IMBRC 4h 24m
20 Johnny McCabe Cuchulainn CC 4h 27m
21 Andrew Wallace Nth/DKane 4h 27m
22 Justin May Epic 4h 27m
23 Neill Delahaye Usher 4h 28m
24 Vinnie Fitzsimon 4h 29m
25 Robbie Bryson Lakeland CC 4h 30m
26 Paul Mahon UA 4h 30m
27 Jon Runciman Banbridge 4h 32m
28 Brian Keogh Epic 4h 32m
29 Graham Boyd XMTB 4h 35m
30 Gerard Wolfe Epic 4h 35m
Well that was fun, leave the house at 9, collect Donnacha, minus a bike and Adrian with his single speed DH hardtail, drive to Killarney for a round of the Munster XC series, get to Fossa hostel the venue for the race, pay 5euro to sign on, LOVE that. Change and grab the bikes, few last minute setup tweaks (pump up the shock on the back) then head up the the track, watch Olllie Cornforth win the U-14’s with plenty left in the tank going by the way he attacked the last hill to the finish, hang around a bit more for the U-16’s and Cam Cornforth kill em and win by well over a minute. Then go for a practice lap with Donnacha and Adrian, the track started in a nice field section with plenty short climbs and steep drifty grassy corners, pop into the woods for some nice single track, over a few bomb holes onto a ditch drop off that into a short DH bit onto the back part of the track which had some nasty greasy climbs off a flat bit with some real nasty tech bits. Out of that one last nasty climb then onto a flat path into the finish field again which gave plenty time to recover. Short climb to the finish line and your done, fast times were about 12min so a good test.
Ollie on his way to the win
Get back and catch out breath or in Donnacha’s case go scab another bike, and line up for the race. Don started off in the super pro’s, got a lap in and the front brake died on the fastest bit of the course, typical. so he scampered to the finish and scabbed another bike, then had a fight with the locals for the rest of the race finishing in 4th. Anthony Cornforth had a mechanical night mare snapping the chain on his bike leaving the car park! And again ¼ of the way through the 1st lap got back scabbed Ollies bike (that’s about 3sizes too small) and continued for another lap, then swapped that for Cam’s bike and continued on to finish the race.
Anthony with bike No 1 and a broken chain
big man leading tinski out of the woods on lap 1
In the baggies Meself and Adrian made a proper Dh’ers start coming into the woods after the field section in 3rd and 4th before slowly dropping down the order Adrian had a great battle and finished up in 4th I made it to the finish after cramping up in 7th place (I think) despite my 35lb mini DH bike (Donnacha’s description) anyway pass the finish and collapse to catch our breath, pack the bikes into the van and head over the prize giving in the youth Hostel which is some setup, the tea and biscuits were a nice surprise, plenty talk about future events and general riding and we were heading on the road to the rebel county by 2.30 good job. The race was well organised and marshalled, everyone was very laid back and everyone had fun.
Donnacha on bike No2 and the No13 on his board, jinxed from the start!
So for 10euro Diesel and 5euro entry we had a great mornings riding at an intensity you normally wouldn’t on a normal spin on a different track, result in my book. As was said many times today events like this have to be encouraged and expanded. The question is do we want to run one down this neck of the woods?
Cam Cornforth showing its not just DH wher he rules killing everyone in U-16's today
