Wow, where did 7 months go? Last post up here was the report on the marathon champs in September. So what have I been up to since then? Well, to summarise - not much up until January of this year when I got off my lard arse and had a very painful month training to get back into shape. My biggest problem was always going to be to set a target/goal which would give me something to focus on. Unfortunately I'd plenty of distractions for the first couple of months, and did not commit to anything for various reasons.
I have taken a different approach to training this year and I'll write up more on that later. I've also been looking at what I eat and how much of it also (more on that later too).
So thats left me with a few months of training, but not a single road or XC race done, or lined up anytime soon. I can't make the first 2 rounds of the NPS, so that means a decent final result will be difficult. I've not even managed a road race due to weather or other commitments.
I am getting a plan together though! I can't make NPS round 1 in Cong, but hope to get to Stamullen on Sunday for a brute of a race. The 'Visit Nenagh' challenge the following weekend looks like a good one.
Some more roadie stuff on the weekend of the 28th with the Waller cup in Bohermeen (if I can make it), before the Mondello series kicks off the following Tuesday.
I've holidays out wesht for the first week in May, so if anything good is happening out there, I'll sign up. Then (wait for it), and XC race on the 12th of May!!!! My first in 8 months!
You may have gathered by the plan above I'm gone all roadie. Well, I'd like to think I'm gone more racer... Road/XC - when you end up with 2 demanding kids and a busy job, you'll realise time is of the essence. And while I loved my time out on the social spins with MAD 5 or 6 years ago, if I want to satisfy my need to be able to race, I have to make the most use of my limited time.
Anyway, thats a plan to get me to early summer and the XC season proper. I will definetly be out for the XC and marathon champs and for a road goal, to get bumped up to A2 would be amazing, but we'll see.
Anyway, thats the plan, we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Saturday, September 22, 2012
2012 XC Marathon Champs
In a very below average year, this was going to be the big one for me. The National Marathon Champs is the one race that motivates me than any other. You get the countries top riders on the most challenging course, in terms of distance, climbing and techy-ness.
After the Cooley Thriller the previous week, I knew I could do well here - I was thinking top 5, with a good shot at a podium place. Team Cycle Inn / KTM (ie myself and Oisin) heading down early and arrived in good time to get parked up and get ourselves and our bikes prepared. With 75 km off road to be completed, Oisins full suss Phinx was looking very appealing. However, my hardtail Myroon did have advantages... though not as many as usual due to the length of the race.
The first section of the race was a short loop out on the roads and singletrack close to the carprak just to break up the group. This was a good idea as with no gridding outside of Elites, it would have been tricky to have passed anyone if we just hit the trails straight away. So I was happy starting in the first 30 or so riders. Sure enough, as soon as we finished the road section things had thinned out a lot and I was happy enough as we started the first of the singletrack sections. The Team Ballyhoura guys also include a section of Gravity enduro trails - rough and ready - just like 3rock so I was happy.
Then the race began in earnest. My plan was the same as when I won in 2010- set my own pace and not let it be dictated by others - even if they are disappearing up the trail. Easier said than done, but due to the sheer length of this race, sprinting off after 10km was not (in my mind) such as good idea. I knew a few of my competitors in vest were up there racing with or close to the top Masters and Elites. When they came into sight, I was tempted to sprint up to them, but for one reason or another I held off.
Myself and Oisin kept a similar pace for the first before he pulled away on the singletrack. I pretty much kept to myself for the mid-section, picking up bottles, making sure I kept hydrated and topped up with energy. I began to think 3rd place was a runner, based on my thinking only John Doris and Mick Jordan were ahead (as far as I knew). 3rd was good - 2nd or 1st would be better, but I felt that the guys were strong so I felt it would be a long shot.
However, in the last quarter of the race things got interesting. On a switch back climb I could see 2 riders ahead - one was Oisin. In another 10 minutes I had caught up with him. We continued on at a similar pace. Things were tricky on the technical stuff now - my brake pads had worn away to the metal. I had checked them before the race and they looked like they had enough life for one more race. However the terrain and the fact they were resin based had worn them out in the first couple of hours.
As were climbed sections I could see a rider coming in and out of view ahead. I asked Oisin who it was. John Doris was the reply. It was like a switch being flipped, and I suddenly had a reason to chase again (yes, obviously I should have been going hard from the start, but easier said than done in a marathon!) I pushed on. We were coming up on one of the longest climbing sections of the race with the first piece quite technical. I slowly caught up with John and as we exited the section onto a fireroad climb I just pushed on - even managing to get out of the saddle to sprint a bit. I was happy at this stage - definitely a podium and ahead of the XCO national champ. But things improved again (for me anyway) when I rounded a corner at the start of the final climb to find Mick Jordan ahead. Again I pushed that bit harder and put a bit of an effort in on the next flat section to put out some distance.
Then it was the final descent. I remember from 2010 it was longer than it looked, and was a pedalling descent too. I felt strong and wanted to make sure I kept the gap on Mick, but with zero brakes, it was always going to be tricky. I over shot an early corner mainly due to some iffy marking on the course (but in fairness, I was not complaining as one corner out of 75km of superbly marked trails ain't bad). Then, just as I thought I was at the finish, instead of a left turn and down, it was right and up. Back up the Gravity Enduro section! This was tricky first time around with some brakes, but with nothing I was probably just going to run it. Then as I was near the top of the climb before dropping into the singletrack I looked around to see Mick coming back - like the bloody Terminator! I knew this last section was not going to be pretty. So I threw myself down the first section and proceed to fall off the bike on every corner. I wish I could say it was some form of controlled braking, but to be honest, it was panic stations - at that stage I did not care how many bones were going to be broken. It was all or nothing.
I lost count how many times I came off the bike in that sort section, but somehow, I managed to stay ahead of Mick. There was a short climb before the final single track which then dropped me onto the finishing straight. I managed to get out of the saddle to sprint to the finish line, and the win.
Mick was 6 seconds behind me, with John Doris closing in fast - only 30 seconds. To think, in a 75km race, it was all down to less than a minute. I was a bit in shock to have gotten the win as there was no proper preparation put in, but it was a course and race format I suits me.
So 2 national titles in 2 years in 2 different categories. Not a bad return really. I was not really sure what I was going to do next year in relation to biking. 2 young kids and a full time job were starting to really impact on the time available to train, or even just head out on social spins. But this win has had more of an impact than in 2010, and while I won't have as much free time I am determined to make the most of it and have a proper go at the NPS series 2013. I've never felt strong in the XCO format, but with a more targeting training I think I could have a strong year.
But for the next few months, it'll be family, social spins and some cyclocross.
After the Cooley Thriller the previous week, I knew I could do well here - I was thinking top 5, with a good shot at a podium place. Team Cycle Inn / KTM (ie myself and Oisin) heading down early and arrived in good time to get parked up and get ourselves and our bikes prepared. With 75 km off road to be completed, Oisins full suss Phinx was looking very appealing. However, my hardtail Myroon did have advantages... though not as many as usual due to the length of the race.
The first section of the race was a short loop out on the roads and singletrack close to the carprak just to break up the group. This was a good idea as with no gridding outside of Elites, it would have been tricky to have passed anyone if we just hit the trails straight away. So I was happy starting in the first 30 or so riders. Sure enough, as soon as we finished the road section things had thinned out a lot and I was happy enough as we started the first of the singletrack sections. The Team Ballyhoura guys also include a section of Gravity enduro trails - rough and ready - just like 3rock so I was happy.
Then the race began in earnest. My plan was the same as when I won in 2010- set my own pace and not let it be dictated by others - even if they are disappearing up the trail. Easier said than done, but due to the sheer length of this race, sprinting off after 10km was not (in my mind) such as good idea. I knew a few of my competitors in vest were up there racing with or close to the top Masters and Elites. When they came into sight, I was tempted to sprint up to them, but for one reason or another I held off.
Myself and Oisin kept a similar pace for the first before he pulled away on the singletrack. I pretty much kept to myself for the mid-section, picking up bottles, making sure I kept hydrated and topped up with energy. I began to think 3rd place was a runner, based on my thinking only John Doris and Mick Jordan were ahead (as far as I knew). 3rd was good - 2nd or 1st would be better, but I felt that the guys were strong so I felt it would be a long shot.
However, in the last quarter of the race things got interesting. On a switch back climb I could see 2 riders ahead - one was Oisin. In another 10 minutes I had caught up with him. We continued on at a similar pace. Things were tricky on the technical stuff now - my brake pads had worn away to the metal. I had checked them before the race and they looked like they had enough life for one more race. However the terrain and the fact they were resin based had worn them out in the first couple of hours.
As were climbed sections I could see a rider coming in and out of view ahead. I asked Oisin who it was. John Doris was the reply. It was like a switch being flipped, and I suddenly had a reason to chase again (yes, obviously I should have been going hard from the start, but easier said than done in a marathon!) I pushed on. We were coming up on one of the longest climbing sections of the race with the first piece quite technical. I slowly caught up with John and as we exited the section onto a fireroad climb I just pushed on - even managing to get out of the saddle to sprint a bit. I was happy at this stage - definitely a podium and ahead of the XCO national champ. But things improved again (for me anyway) when I rounded a corner at the start of the final climb to find Mick Jordan ahead. Again I pushed that bit harder and put a bit of an effort in on the next flat section to put out some distance.
Then it was the final descent. I remember from 2010 it was longer than it looked, and was a pedalling descent too. I felt strong and wanted to make sure I kept the gap on Mick, but with zero brakes, it was always going to be tricky. I over shot an early corner mainly due to some iffy marking on the course (but in fairness, I was not complaining as one corner out of 75km of superbly marked trails ain't bad). Then, just as I thought I was at the finish, instead of a left turn and down, it was right and up. Back up the Gravity Enduro section! This was tricky first time around with some brakes, but with nothing I was probably just going to run it. Then as I was near the top of the climb before dropping into the singletrack I looked around to see Mick coming back - like the bloody Terminator! I knew this last section was not going to be pretty. So I threw myself down the first section and proceed to fall off the bike on every corner. I wish I could say it was some form of controlled braking, but to be honest, it was panic stations - at that stage I did not care how many bones were going to be broken. It was all or nothing.
I lost count how many times I came off the bike in that sort section, but somehow, I managed to stay ahead of Mick. There was a short climb before the final single track which then dropped me onto the finishing straight. I managed to get out of the saddle to sprint to the finish line, and the win.
Mick was 6 seconds behind me, with John Doris closing in fast - only 30 seconds. To think, in a 75km race, it was all down to less than a minute. I was a bit in shock to have gotten the win as there was no proper preparation put in, but it was a course and race format I suits me.
So 2 national titles in 2 years in 2 different categories. Not a bad return really. I was not really sure what I was going to do next year in relation to biking. 2 young kids and a full time job were starting to really impact on the time available to train, or even just head out on social spins. But this win has had more of an impact than in 2010, and while I won't have as much free time I am determined to make the most of it and have a proper go at the NPS series 2013. I've never felt strong in the XCO format, but with a more targeting training I think I could have a strong year.
But for the next few months, it'll be family, social spins and some cyclocross.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The Cooley Thriller 2012
Was looking forward to this race as its set in an amazing location, with lots of techie bits and tough climbs. But best of all, this year it was held a week before the national marathon champs, so was going to be a final attempt to get some distance on a mountain bike under my belt. I really enjoy this race and that was a main motivation for signing up again this year - well that and the fact I won the masters category in 2009. But that's the only time I've actually finished the race. In 2010 I DNF'd and skipped last year as there was a baby on the way.
While the weather in the week leading up to the race was mixed, the morning was blue sky's and sunshine. I had no doubt it was going to be mucky in places on the hills, but nothing too bad. There was a great turn out from all the main clubs north and south of the border. I got signed on quickly despite the large numbers and dropped off my bottles. Then it was a quick spin back to the car to get ready and to the start line.
The first big challenge was the climb up to the mast. Its a brute - long, steep, and windy. At this stage Aaron O’Donghue had pulled a gap on James McCluskey, with myself and James McMaster maybe 20 seconds behind. After that you had Aidan McDonald, Jim Haide and Sean Downey (as far as I could see) not far off.
After a quick walk briefing, the race started with a loop around the town before the climb up the hill to the traditional route. I kept as close as I could to the front to stay out of trouble, but was not too worried as the long draggy fireroad climb would thin things out quickly. And before we made it to the location of the NPS race from a few years ago - a lead group had formed of about 4 riders - thankfully including me. But all the while there was plenty of other strong riders all the way down the fire road.
The climb went well, event the techie bit at the end. I felt I could have bridged up to James, but was happy to sit where I was for now (in hindsight, it might have been a good idea). We got to the first bottle stop and I grabbed a bottle and handful of jelly babies for good measure. Then the fun started.
I had managed to miss the bog hole of doom (see Pixels Pro photos HERE) and was following James McMaster comfortably. James McCluskey and Aaron were out of sight now. And at about 23km, we made a wrong turn. Well, the problem was we did not take a turn, ended up going straight and taking about 2km off the course (and a tough climb to boot). We did not realise as with about 300 metres of the mistake being made we found the course markers again, so we were none the wiser. We did realise there were not fresh bike tracks on the course, but we put that down to James McCluskey and Aaron getting lost, not us!
Myself and James ploughed on, keeping a good pace up. James did start to pull away before the windy gap, but I had managed to keep him in sight until the final climb. At this stage I was starting to see other riders coming up on me, but I felt happy enough with how the day had went, so even if they passed me I was happy.
I crossed the finish line in 2nd place, but after speaking with Aidan McDonald afterwards, it became clear we'd made the mistake. Initally it did not bother me too much as I had gotten good marathon prep out of the day, but on the trip home it gnawed on me. After doing a bit of analysis on my times, I figured I would have come in around 6th overall and 1st in my category. But there's no point in dealing in what ifs - the mistake was made and it was time to take the positives out of the day - which I did... probably about the following Thursday!
Apart from a little dodgy marking, full marks to Cuchulainn cycling club for putting on another super event. And if there's one race you should attend in Ireland, its this one.
Full race results here
While the weather in the week leading up to the race was mixed, the morning was blue sky's and sunshine. I had no doubt it was going to be mucky in places on the hills, but nothing too bad. There was a great turn out from all the main clubs north and south of the border. I got signed on quickly despite the large numbers and dropped off my bottles. Then it was a quick spin back to the car to get ready and to the start line.
The first big challenge was the climb up to the mast. Its a brute - long, steep, and windy. At this stage Aaron O’Donghue had pulled a gap on James McCluskey, with myself and James McMaster maybe 20 seconds behind. After that you had Aidan McDonald, Jim Haide and Sean Downey (as far as I could see) not far off.
After a quick walk briefing, the race started with a loop around the town before the climb up the hill to the traditional route. I kept as close as I could to the front to stay out of trouble, but was not too worried as the long draggy fireroad climb would thin things out quickly. And before we made it to the location of the NPS race from a few years ago - a lead group had formed of about 4 riders - thankfully including me. But all the while there was plenty of other strong riders all the way down the fire road.
The climb went well, event the techie bit at the end. I felt I could have bridged up to James, but was happy to sit where I was for now (in hindsight, it might have been a good idea). We got to the first bottle stop and I grabbed a bottle and handful of jelly babies for good measure. Then the fun started.
I had managed to miss the bog hole of doom (see Pixels Pro photos HERE) and was following James McMaster comfortably. James McCluskey and Aaron were out of sight now. And at about 23km, we made a wrong turn. Well, the problem was we did not take a turn, ended up going straight and taking about 2km off the course (and a tough climb to boot). We did not realise as with about 300 metres of the mistake being made we found the course markers again, so we were none the wiser. We did realise there were not fresh bike tracks on the course, but we put that down to James McCluskey and Aaron getting lost, not us!
Myself and James ploughed on, keeping a good pace up. James did start to pull away before the windy gap, but I had managed to keep him in sight until the final climb. At this stage I was starting to see other riders coming up on me, but I felt happy enough with how the day had went, so even if they passed me I was happy.
I crossed the finish line in 2nd place, but after speaking with Aidan McDonald afterwards, it became clear we'd made the mistake. Initally it did not bother me too much as I had gotten good marathon prep out of the day, but on the trip home it gnawed on me. After doing a bit of analysis on my times, I figured I would have come in around 6th overall and 1st in my category. But there's no point in dealing in what ifs - the mistake was made and it was time to take the positives out of the day - which I did... probably about the following Thursday!
Apart from a little dodgy marking, full marks to Cuchulainn cycling club for putting on another super event. And if there's one race you should attend in Ireland, its this one.
Full race results here
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Bull Raid 2012
That was a tough day in the saddle and wallet. 2 hangers, a rear mech and chain. The conditions for the majority of the race were pretty challenging with heavy rain showers for the first 4 or 5 hours. The course held up well though. The problems began when the rain stopped and the course started to dry, turning the mud tacky. That with the corn field were causing a lot of mechanicals.
Myself and Oisin started well and were comfortably in the lead. Our first problem was when Oisin got a puncture - no big deal and did not cost us much time. Things started going pear shaped when I broke my first hanger which cost us over 15 minutes. In the end I hopped on Oisin's bike while Conor, Sean, Cormac and Scrivo got my bike up on the stand and started to see what was salvageable. Oisin took the next 2 laps - as we could not get the remains of the hanger off my bike. We got Daragh Maloney to find a drill, and with the help of Alfie got the bugger out.
The mech looked a mess, but seemed to be working ok. Oisin came back in after putting in 2 savage laps, pulling back about 12 minutes on the guys from MBCC who took the lead. I went out on my bike and grabbed the last 3, passing the MBCC rider before the NPS course. Unfortunately my 2nd hanger broke on the far side of the loop so another 20 minutes was spent walking back to the start to grab Oisin's bike to finish my lap.
After that we could not get back the time. I only could manage 1 more lap as was falling asleep on the bike so Oisin did the final 2 laps (but puncturing one more time!). We finished in 2nd place 1 lap down on the winners.
Its nice to have gotten 2nd, but the win was there. Massive thanks to Conor for the tech support and motivation and Scrivo for the hugs. As well as Cormac, Sean and Alfie. Big thanks to Oisin for his superhuman efforts on the bike too (and the home brew)!
Daragh did a great job with a small team keeping the show on the road in very very difficult conditions. He made the right call taking the corn field out later on in the day. The BBQ was great craic afterwards too.
There was a very poor turn out to the event compared to last year. Possibly to do with the weather, cost and early start. I think a lot will be learned from this years race and I hope some changes will be made in relation to the duration of the race and the start time (shorter race, later start). Given the type of race, there's no need for chip timing which would bring down the cost of the race and entry fee. I'll be back next year and I hope we can get a big crowd from the club to race and support a great event in a great location.
Myself and Oisin started well and were comfortably in the lead. Our first problem was when Oisin got a puncture - no big deal and did not cost us much time. Things started going pear shaped when I broke my first hanger which cost us over 15 minutes. In the end I hopped on Oisin's bike while Conor, Sean, Cormac and Scrivo got my bike up on the stand and started to see what was salvageable. Oisin took the next 2 laps - as we could not get the remains of the hanger off my bike. We got Daragh Maloney to find a drill, and with the help of Alfie got the bugger out.
 |
| Bike scrubber duties |
After that we could not get back the time. I only could manage 1 more lap as was falling asleep on the bike so Oisin did the final 2 laps (but puncturing one more time!). We finished in 2nd place 1 lap down on the winners.
Its nice to have gotten 2nd, but the win was there. Massive thanks to Conor for the tech support and motivation and Scrivo for the hugs. As well as Cormac, Sean and Alfie. Big thanks to Oisin for his superhuman efforts on the bike too (and the home brew)!
Daragh did a great job with a small team keeping the show on the road in very very difficult conditions. He made the right call taking the corn field out later on in the day. The BBQ was great craic afterwards too.
2012 XCO National Champs
The location: Djouce woods, the race: 2012 National XCO champs. The category - vets! Yes, officially an 'auld fella' now, but any delusions of a bunch of slow auld fella's in the nationals were well and truly shot down once the whistle went on Sunday afternoon.
I'd not been in Djouce since the 2012 national champs hosted by Epic (which was shocking as I practically lived there pre-kids). But the lack of spins out there was not much of a handicap as the loop was kept under wraps by Robin in the lead up. What was a handicap was the complete lack of mountain biking I've done this year - the Lough Derg race and round 1 of the NPS. I was fully aware that with Robin designing the course and me not having ridden a mountain bike in months, the odds were stacked against me for even a top 10, but you can't turn down the nationals, especially when they are in Djouce.
Once I got signed up I headed out on the pre-ride. The course was similar to the 2010 national right up as far as the climb to XTC. But instead of heading down, the loop brought you straight on and up a couple of hundred metres before switching down right into a new section. It was pretty rough and ready, with a climb that had me pushing up. There were plenty of line options in this section, so if you had time to study them you would find a decent line. After that you dropped into XTC for some rest before heading out on the flat walking path before diving down to the right to a very technical section. I forget the name of it, but it was used in 2010 also. I was pretty handy in that section back then, but without any recent practice, I was all over the shop. Once you exited this section it was a rooty, draggy climb before a drop to the right and onto the singletrack switchback descent and climb back up over where the 'step' used to be onto the old trail. This would drop you on the fireroad, but Robin and Team WORC were busy and build a whole new section which climbed up and then ran parallel with the fireroad before dropping you onto it not far from the exit to XTC. Then it was the usual route back up to the fireroad, into the last section of singletrack before getting back out to the field.
Vet's had 4 laps of the course, which sounded pretty OK to me. There was no gridding which was going to make this a bit of a lottery. I somehow managed to find myself out the outside of the front row which was just down to luck and being a bit cheeky. Elites went off first, then masters a minute later and then Vets. There were a number of switches in the course before you hit the single track and I found myself slipping backwards through the field. When we hit the singletrack I could see 9 or 10 guys ahead of me and I knew I needed to get a grip on this so I pushed on the climb to XTC. Things started to settle down, but from that point right to the finish I had no idea what position I was in. There were a few people telling me I was 6th, 7th, or 8th, and I took their word for it!
The racing was fast and furious. I spent most of my race in a good tussle with Vinnie Fitzsimons for most of the time, but there was plenty of elbow to elbow stuff throughout. Micky Dardis came by me like a rocket about half way through and I did not see him for the rest of the race. He came in 2nd, which was no surprise. While I was pushing along during the race, I never really went into the red - mostly out of fear for not knowing if it would totally wipe me out, and that's down to not doing enough racing or hard training. Before I knew it we were on the final section of the last lap and there was Vinnie and Gordon Lucas, plus 2 other guys that I thought were in different categories. As we dropped out of the last section of single track we all knew the first person to the final short trail section would come out on top. So the pace dropped a little as we all elbowed (literately)for the ideal sprinting position. Vinnie was first to go with Gordon right behind. I was determined not to let lose this mini race so I pushed on as hard as possible. And as the fireroad raised up slightly before the left into the singletrack I edged out the 2 lads. I did have 2 more guys in the group to content with and I was not taking chances so I out sprinted them to the finish line... well, it turned out one was and elite and the other a junior, so they may not have been taking me that seriously.
So I was happy with my little win. Later on that day I found out I had actually came in 4th which was a big surprise and I would have taken that prior to the race. But as usual, once the analysis kicks in I realised a podium was there and most likely the difference between 3rd and 4th could have been boiled down to attending the IMBRC club league and doing 1 more mtb session a week.
But there you go, I've no one to blame but myself. You get out what you put in with XC (and that goes for all sports), so considering the little I did this year I can't complain.
Congrats to John Doris, Micky Dardis and Paddy Mackey - well deserved.
I'd not been in Djouce since the 2012 national champs hosted by Epic (which was shocking as I practically lived there pre-kids). But the lack of spins out there was not much of a handicap as the loop was kept under wraps by Robin in the lead up. What was a handicap was the complete lack of mountain biking I've done this year - the Lough Derg race and round 1 of the NPS. I was fully aware that with Robin designing the course and me not having ridden a mountain bike in months, the odds were stacked against me for even a top 10, but you can't turn down the nationals, especially when they are in Djouce.
Once I got signed up I headed out on the pre-ride. The course was similar to the 2010 national right up as far as the climb to XTC. But instead of heading down, the loop brought you straight on and up a couple of hundred metres before switching down right into a new section. It was pretty rough and ready, with a climb that had me pushing up. There were plenty of line options in this section, so if you had time to study them you would find a decent line. After that you dropped into XTC for some rest before heading out on the flat walking path before diving down to the right to a very technical section. I forget the name of it, but it was used in 2010 also. I was pretty handy in that section back then, but without any recent practice, I was all over the shop. Once you exited this section it was a rooty, draggy climb before a drop to the right and onto the singletrack switchback descent and climb back up over where the 'step' used to be onto the old trail. This would drop you on the fireroad, but Robin and Team WORC were busy and build a whole new section which climbed up and then ran parallel with the fireroad before dropping you onto it not far from the exit to XTC. Then it was the usual route back up to the fireroad, into the last section of singletrack before getting back out to the field.
Vet's had 4 laps of the course, which sounded pretty OK to me. There was no gridding which was going to make this a bit of a lottery. I somehow managed to find myself out the outside of the front row which was just down to luck and being a bit cheeky. Elites went off first, then masters a minute later and then Vets. There were a number of switches in the course before you hit the single track and I found myself slipping backwards through the field. When we hit the singletrack I could see 9 or 10 guys ahead of me and I knew I needed to get a grip on this so I pushed on the climb to XTC. Things started to settle down, but from that point right to the finish I had no idea what position I was in. There were a few people telling me I was 6th, 7th, or 8th, and I took their word for it!
The racing was fast and furious. I spent most of my race in a good tussle with Vinnie Fitzsimons for most of the time, but there was plenty of elbow to elbow stuff throughout. Micky Dardis came by me like a rocket about half way through and I did not see him for the rest of the race. He came in 2nd, which was no surprise. While I was pushing along during the race, I never really went into the red - mostly out of fear for not knowing if it would totally wipe me out, and that's down to not doing enough racing or hard training. Before I knew it we were on the final section of the last lap and there was Vinnie and Gordon Lucas, plus 2 other guys that I thought were in different categories. As we dropped out of the last section of single track we all knew the first person to the final short trail section would come out on top. So the pace dropped a little as we all elbowed (literately)for the ideal sprinting position. Vinnie was first to go with Gordon right behind. I was determined not to let lose this mini race so I pushed on as hard as possible. And as the fireroad raised up slightly before the left into the singletrack I edged out the 2 lads. I did have 2 more guys in the group to content with and I was not taking chances so I out sprinted them to the finish line... well, it turned out one was and elite and the other a junior, so they may not have been taking me that seriously.
So I was happy with my little win. Later on that day I found out I had actually came in 4th which was a big surprise and I would have taken that prior to the race. But as usual, once the analysis kicks in I realised a podium was there and most likely the difference between 3rd and 4th could have been boiled down to attending the IMBRC club league and doing 1 more mtb session a week.
But there you go, I've no one to blame but myself. You get out what you put in with XC (and that goes for all sports), so considering the little I did this year I can't complain.
Congrats to John Doris, Micky Dardis and Paddy Mackey - well deserved.
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