Aint no Mountain Adventure Race

Aint no Mountain Adventure Race

13^th August 2011
Team: Surf N Turf
Andy Lyle and Mickey Regan
Race Report by:Mickey Regan

With a fantastic winter series complete all the talk was to have a one of summer race. Andrea Harrower of the Bikedock Belles said she had just the location. Andrea and the other Belles set about helping Ivan and the CCAR crew plot the course for a summer special. The location was Dromara Co. Down with the bulk of the race on and around Slieve Croob Mountain. There would be 2 class options for competitors, Sport and the Expert class.

We arrived at Dromara FC the HQ for the race on Saturday morning to a hive of activity. There was a great turn out for the race with a lot of new faces. With all the old faces and a fair few work colleagues doing the race I found myself talking and chatting rather than getting ready. We went into the main hall for registration and went to sign up on the Expert side. We would collect our numbered race bibs and our electronic dibber for timing. The dibber was labelled Expert (Sort of) they must not have any faith in our abilities. We would just have to prove them wrong. When everyone had registered we gathered for the race briefing. Ivan welcomed everyone including the guys who travelled all the way over from Scotland. Only to go to the wrong head quarters from a previous race in the winter series. Having realised their error while sat at Ballyholme yacht club just several months late they hot footed it down to Dromara and still got there in time. Well done Lads hope you enjoyed the race and hope to see you back for more.

We all lined up under the start finish banner and of we went. Starting with a road cycle we left the football club and travelled through the village. We turned right onto a rolling country road heading for lough Aghery. We were leading the group and going well as some teams stopped to check maps at the first junction. Billy and Gerry from passing wind soon were coming past us and we decided to sit in with them until we reached the Lough.

TA1 Kayak
We got timed out so I was in no hurry to get into the water. By this point there were 4 teams all battling for position on the lake. We waited until they had moved out then dibbed the time back in so we would have clear water to paddle. We followed the four other teams and on looking back had a good gap back to anyone else. One team partially over shot the checkpoint but soon realised and had just got in before us. A swift turn and dib we were on the return journey.

It was still a very close race at this early stage and the kayak section seemed to fly past. I think being fresh had a factor to play with the fast pace on the water. We reached the end jumped back on the bikes and looped around the roads picking up a check point before reaching the Harry Ferguson museum car park.

Special Task 1 Tyre roll and flip
The task was to first roll a lorry tyre out through the gates onto a foot path then lay it down and flip it end over end to the top of the path before returning it to the start. We didn’t hang about and as I dibbed the check point Andy “Geoff Capes” Lyle returned the Tyre. Back onto the bikes and a fast blast back to Dromara village. We turned into the school car park ignoring the car park beside because it was named Sports centre car park. Our instructions said school car park so as we hunted around we eventually seen Joan in the other car park.

Special Task 2 Basketball
As I had the dibber I got our time as Andy shot some hoops. Quickly it was back on the bikes and through the village in the opposite direction. Check point 5 read inside a pub. I immediately thought darts but on reaching the pub I realised that would be far too easy.

Special Task 3 Half Pint and a Pickled egg
On entering the pub we were handed two cups. One with a pickled egg and one with a half pint of Guinness. With me not drinking Andy ‘kindly’ handed me the egg. I downed the egg and with a couple of chews I finished it. Not pleasant on the stomach but we were racing needs must. I like eggs and I love vinegar but this just didn’t work for me. With a quick check at the map we continued along the road towards checkpoint 6. The egg wanted to say hello again but I wasn’t letting it. Trying to push hard and concentrate on pedalling didn’t I half swallow a fly. When I say half swallow it hit the back of my throat but I immediately blew it back out. Well the next part wasn’t pretty and I don’t think I need to describe what happened. I got away with it as I was going so quick on the bike. I took a quick mouthful of water and I washed my mouth out then it was back to business.

Check point 6 was in a chamber in a Souterrain. This is a 9^th century underground stone lined tunnel system with chambers for shelter, storing food or riches. It is believed the Narrow entrance was a security measure and as you move further along the tunnel the passage widens and the chambers are bigger again. Anyway enough of the history lesson there is a race going on here. We jumped off the bike and I ran down the steps into the Souterrain. It was a hands and knees effort at the start but then I got up onto my feet and found the second chamber. I dibbed the check point and made my way back out. I was glad I still had my helmet on as I hit my head a few times. Back to the sun light and onto the bikes to pedal to TA2. On looking at the map we made the decision to stay on the road. We could see two lane ways that looked like the most direct route but we played it safe taking the longer road option. Other teams took the direct route and we were kicking ourselves as it was clearly a lot quicker.

TA2 Run to the Mast
We arrived at TA2 and were instructed to leave the bikes and run on foot up the hill to the mast. We reached the mast dibbed check point 7 then ran hard down the hill to pick up the bikes. With a fast descent down the road and three teams side by side myself and Andy took the lead. Tucked in and absolutely flying. We were going so quick we over shot the turn off to the left. Wasting a few seconds we got turned around and followed the other teams back up the moat pad. Pedalling up this grassy path was tough on the legs. We past one team and got to the check point 8 on the next section a guy had crashed in front of us and we stopped to see if he was o.k. Thankfully he was fine and told us to continue. Back onto the road for a steep climb up windy gap. We turned right onto the windy gap pad picking up check point 9. We followed the road to check point 10 which was under the legananny Dolmen Chambered Grave (Pictured above)

Andy wanted to eat at this point so we took a few minutes to get fuelled up. I took a gel and some high5 liquid and Andy took a sandwich and some nuts. Some day he will eat on the move but not yet ;-) We had another road section on the bikes that took us to the car park on the foot of Slieve Croob.

TA3 Orienteering
The next section on foot took us around, over and on top of the mountain itself. We had a number of checkpoints to collect on all sides of the mountain and on top. This section was really tough and seemed to slow everyone down. Long mountain grassy and boggy land made the going very slow. We didn’t have too much bother finding all the checkpoints on the first section. When we went over the top we seemed to lose a mixed team that we had been trading places with on the first section. Then we could see we were catching another team. Unfortunately this wasn’t due to the fact that we were going quicker big Mark Young had injured his back and was slowed right down to almost a crawl. As we picked up the remaining check points there must have been 7 teams together coming into TA3. Thankfully there was water on offer at this point as we had all ran out by this stage. Andy was on the food again and we watched as the other teams headed of on the bikes to climb the tarmac road back to the summit of Slieve Croob for a second time. I try to look at it as refuelling rather than losing time as we have learned from past events if you don’t eat you can lose even more time if you blow up. (I will have him eating on the move soon though ;-)) As we started to climb I could see teams in front get off and walk. I got the head down and pedalled hard I wasn’t for stopping until I reached the top. I will admit I wasn’t looking forward to the climb on the bike when we were running the mountain but the more I pedalled the more I enjoyed it. Reaching the cairn I dibbed and returned to the bike for the fun part. We descended a bit of the road then turned right onto an open mountain section. The start was a bit boggy but with a bit of pace we got through and started picking off teams that were struggling. We crossed a fence and the real fun started. The path zigzagged down the mountain but with slower teams in front I decided to take a straight line. I was flat out down the grassy mountain, jumping the paths and passing other teams. This bit was one of the most enjoyable sections of the race for me. I just managed to get stopped at the gate at the bottom. Unfortunately Andy didn’t see the turn to the gate and in his excitement kept going straight. I waited a few seconds then heard someone shout. Another team give him a shout and soon he was back tracking up to the gate. With both of us grinning from ear to ear with the descent we dibbed and followed the roads to TA4 picking up check point 26 on the way.

TA4 6km Trail Run
We dropped the bikes off with Steve. He told us we were sitting in around 5^th with the 4^th place team just ahead of us and we knew another team were hot on our heels. We had a forest trail run with two check points to collect along the way. With tired legs we tried to keep running on the downhill and a fast walk on the uphill sections. We didn’t seem to be catching the team in front and on the last straight they were know where to be seen. We could hear the team behind us so decided to waste no time getting back on the bikes. Thankfully the remaining cycle only had two more check points. These were on off road paths that really suited us. We finished very strong and just missed out on third place. If you asked us before the event if we had taken a top 5 finish we would have jumped at it. Looking back we could see were we lost time but we can learn from this and enjoy our well-deserved 4^th Place.

The expert class and overall win went to: Passing Wind - Gerry Kingston and Billy Reed
Another great race from Gerry and Billy with a blistering pace throughout.

Once again Causeway Coast Adventure Racing Club has hosted an outstanding event. Tough and all as it was everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Thanks as always goes to everyone at CCAR for the hard work and time on the race. Also a big thanks to Andrea Harrower and the bike dock belles for scouting out a great course.

If you want to know more about this type of race or find out how to take part follow the link below:
Winter Series Details : www.causewaycoastar.co.uk

12 Hour Bull Raid 2011 (Race Report)

Bull Raid 12 Hour Mountain Bike Enduro
Race Organisers: Cuchulainn Cycling Club
Team 27Extreme: Mickey Regan and Paul McArthur

Last year I battled the 12 hours solo. This year I would represent 26extreme as there second team of two. Rowan and Ian 26extreme directors would make up the other team. Myself and fellow adventure racer Paul McArthur teamed up for the first time. We know each other through racing back grounds but in a race like this we dont get to chat. Pass the batton and pedal so to speak.
Thankfully I didnt have much to do in the way of preparation. I was told to bring my bike and kit to the pit area the rest was taken care of. Rowan and Ian had everything set up the night before the race. Two Gazebos side by side with tables, chairs and enough food to feed an army. I took the usual kit: Tool kit, track pump, chain links, tubes, lube, water, gels, sandwiches and warm clothes for the sit out laps.

The race briefing was short and Tony wished everyone a good race. The course was slightly different from last year. There was a new start/finish pit area and a new field crossing, with some additional sections like jumps and berms on the older parts of the course.

This was the first time I raced with tubeless tyres and half way around one of the laps I was so glad I was on them. High Roller 2.1 front with a Larrsen TT 2.0 on the back.

The le mans style start give us all a good chance to spread out. The air horn blasted and we were of. I was starting as Paul thought it a good idea since I knew the course. First lap is always a bit hectic with some bottle necks on the more technical stuff and people stopping etc.
When we exited the pit field we were straight onto a muddy lane that led to another field. This was an up hill on energy sapping grass. The pace really slowed on this section as the day went on. Thankfully though it didnt last to long and had a nice descent and flat section to recover. Probably the only climb with a chance to recover after.

(Thanks to Aidan Stewart for the photo above)
After the field there was a great descent through the forest. This was a very fast section and a nice break after the first climb. There was a left turn onto a lane which took us in a u shape back to the forest. The fun really started here. This was a long climb with very little let up. Switch back after switch back on single track. Some of the switch backs had rocks and roots with really only one line to get it right. With a tight pack and riders not getting that line there was a bit of a hold up at times. Reaching the next switch backs I tried to hold back a bit so I had a good run but the stoppers in front held us up again. The next straight I got past a couple but it was a very hard section to pass and with everyone out on there first lap people didnt want to loose time moving to the side or stopping. With a bit of a gap between me a the riders in front I got pedaling.

After the climb there was a wall crossing with I think three options. Wooden section with a berm, Rocky section or a flat section. The wood seemed like the fastest line and was definitely my type of line anyway so I stuck with that all day. The forest single track went on and on. There was a new jump and berm added from last year. This was brilliant and was a much faster line than the old way which was still in place for riders who didnt fancy the jump. The course flattened out a bit after this but it was very technical with rocks and roots all over it so you didnt get a minutes rest. After the rocks came another climb with rocks and roots dotted all over the trail. I remember struggling on this last year with dodgy gears but this year I took it fairly quickly staying in the saddle for better traction. The climb continued but got a bit smoother. The next wall really got me on a couple of last laps last year. I would have the last laugh flying over it this year. Either it got easier or I was pedalling better or a mixture of both. It was a steep incline over a wall with a wooden descent on the other side. The next section was great very fast flowing trail with bridge crossings fast corners and a few sections that could be ridden like a pump track. I think as last year that was one of my favorite sections and hopefully one I made time on. The fun continued still all on single track with fast descents and climbs. Hamburger hill again brought a smile to my face. Technical drops over roots, rocks and tight tree's. As some found out them rocks are hard to land on. There was a new table top and berms before we entered another lane. The lane took us around the same field we started on last year.

This is where the difference in the track came in. We would now be finishing on the first section from last year but cutting out the mx track. We entered a gate and on turning the corner I thought to myself is this the right way as it was a barley field. The markers showed we went through the field in a zigzag patern before climbing up through a few trees. Last year we went right and into the mx track, this year it was straight and down a very steep descent similar to a bomb hole in the forest trails. After a tight climb up the other side it was back into another barley field. This was I think the highlight of this years race. Instead of riding the perimeter of the field the markers went straight through the barley. The barley was waist high and the passage through very narrow. The trail through was on a very fast descent leveling off at the bottom before leaving the field onto another lane. (Thanks to Aidan Stewart for the photo above)
I think for me the reason it was so good was the barley so close to you and pedaling flat out through a field like this you would never get the oppertunity. Unless you rode it you might not get what I mean but it was a great addition to the course. Just a good job there was barley in the field or it would have been a bit pointless ;-)

We crossed another field and had a road crossing instead of the bridge crossing from last year. After this we were back into the tree's. More very tight single track with bridge crossings and a few rocky sections that with a bit of pace werent a problem. After this came a last tight wee slope up outta the trees and back into the start/finish field. With the spectators watching I think everyone stuck the shoe down here and blasted across the finish line. 00:54:33 for my first lap it was a good lap with a few slow bits on the climbs where the bottle necks happened. I quickly passed the chip to Paul and with a good luck he was of.

Time for warm clothes, a seat, a sandwich and relax.

Paul came in after his first lap and told me it was a nightmare on his tyres. Not having time to work out lap times I thought he had a bad lap. Looking now at the times he shouldnt have worried he put in a great 00:52:58 I got the pedal down and went out again. After hamburger hill I came across Debbie Irvine who had went down hard on one of the rocks. She had a very deep cut on her knee but the blood flow didnt look that bad. I had no medical kit so the best I could do was tell her I will shout for the medical crew as I remembered they were parked just after this section. I didnt realise they had already been alerted to this and were looking for Debbie. I jumped off the bike and gave them a shout telling them she was just a few hundred yards back on the trail. I got back on the bike and finished the lap. 00:55:36 with a stop I was happy enough with that one too.

The talk in the pit area was about Debbie and the cut she had on her knee. It was a fairly bad one and I assumed she was out for the day. Little did I know she was bandaged up and back on the bike. Coming into the pit area to finish her lap I think she should have got an award for the bravest lap of the day. It turned out to be the end of the day for Debbie with a trip to A&E but she came back to cheer on her warrior team mate Molly Stack who blasted out the remainder of the day. Another great effort from two very strong Ladies. Well done to both.

Turns out Debbie has a hairline fracture on her knee. Cant praise that effort enough for finishing the lap. Heal fast Debbie.

Paul had changed the tyres for his second lap hoping to find a bit more grip. It was another good lap finishing 00:56:51

(Thanks to Aidan Stewart for the photo above)
My next lap was another decent one with no real dramas. The only worrying time was when I heard a hiss from my tyre. Thinking I was going to have to run back having no tubes the hissing stopped. The stans no tubes done its job well sealing the hole and on I went.

The time ticked down and lap times dropped a little. Paul was getting slower but still finishing strong every lap. I could feel I was slowing also and with one very near miss on Hamburger hill (Which I think should be re-named Debbie the warrior hill) I got a bit sideways on a landing but thankfully saved it and rode on hard. I decided to take the last lap a little steadier a mixture of tiredness and a sore bum made it more of a cruise than a racing lap. Paul went out on his last lap and when I realised he wasnt going to finish inside the time I got my self cleaned up and changed. We managed 12 laps in the end. Tough slog at times but always very different and enjoyable laps.

12 Hours done now time for the food.
The finish area had the legendary BBQ and fire already roaring. Stories of laps both fast and slow and how great the course was could be heard by all.
Big thanks firstly to 26extreme for the oppertunity to race under their colours. Secondly to Paul McArthur for sharing the pain. Last but not least to Tony Kelly and all the others from Cuchulainn Cycling Club for putting on another great race and post race BBQ, without your efforts we wouldnt have been there.

A mention also to all the other riders for the craic along the way. Good to see everyone enjoying the racing.

Scotland MTB the Road Trip

Here is a short video with some of the highlights of the Scotland road trip. A weeks ridding bikes at different locations throughout Scotland. The places we visited in this video are Glentress, Innerleithen, Laggan Wolftrax, Nevis Red and the Fort William World Cup Downhill. I was ridding my trusty Trek Remedy 8 (Even for the Downhill)

Fort William DH Scotland

Myself and some friends took a trip to scotland for some trail ridding. The hightlight of the trip was the visit to Fortwilliam DH trail on the Nevis Mountain range. This is a GO Pro helmet cam run of the World Cup DH trail. I took it slow and steady for this run. The video really doesnt show how rough and steep it was. 2 Days later my arms are still sore from the constant movement of the bike. I would love to try it again on a full DH Bike and really go for it. If I was going to do it again I would start at Fortwilliam rather than have been biking for 6 days before. Tired arms and legs on the most demanding trail of the world cup circuit showed in the mistakes I made on this run.

BICI OCI On Tour!!!

Catalunya Niner Sir9 Single Speed.

Mountain Biking in Catalunya. First experiance on the 29er single speed was tough but enjoyable.

Catalunya MTB 2011

Some of the trails from my MTB Trip to Catalunya.