Tuesday, 8 November 2011

The Raid 24 Hour Adventure Race

The Raid 24 Hour Adventure Race
The Sperrin Mountains
Ireland



Kayak Toome to Portglenone 13km
The race started with the usual race briefing and kit checks. We got our maps and then were bussed to Toome for the first stage. The teams all had 4 persons and most had a female member in each team. The teams got their Kayaks paired up and took to the water in the river Bann. The start would be a mass start in the water heading down stream.

The river was fairly calm but the open lough beg section was fairly rough. Thankfully the wind was on our backs and we were able to surf some of the waves from time to time. We stopped briefly at Newferry water-ski club to dib at the first check point. A long pull to the next check point at Portglenone forest. At this check point we got the boats out of the water as we would be doing a foot orienteering section through the forest.
Foot Orinteering - Portglenone forest 3km
We got an orienteering map of the forest with a number of checkpoints to collect. All of these would be done in order. The forest floor was quite open so straight lining was the best option between checkpoints. We were picking these up very easily and when we crossed the road for two checkpoints on the other side we passed a few teams who were struggling to find them. We crossed back into the main forest and picked up the last couple of checkpoints. After a drink and a snack we got back into the kayak for the second paddle section.

Kayak Portglenone to Kilrea. 11.5km
The last section seemed to go a lot quicker than the first. I think this was due to the first section having the lough crossing. We paddled down to Portna Lockgates. The weeks before the race had seen a lot of rain and the river was well flooded. Having been warned about the flow of water and the dangers of the flood gates at portna all teams hugged the river banks coming into this section. We had to turn left into the canal avoiding continuing forward in the fast flow. The river was very fast at this section as the flood gates were open to let the flood water down. Missing the turn off and going over the edge into the stopper would have probably resulted in Death. Something we heard twice in the race briefing. It makes you pay attention when you hear death in a race briefing. Despite the flood water it was still a long tough paddle in the sit on top kayaks. A welcome site was the steps at Portna.

Run to Woodhall Activity centre. High ropes Task 1.5km


After we changed out of our wet gear we ran the short road section from Portna to Woodhall activity centre. At this point we would be off the clock. We took the time to get some food and a change of clothes where it was needed. When we were ready we went to the high ropes section.


There were two separate tasks one the Jacobs ladder and the other the Leap of Faith. The Jacobs ladder was a large ladder made from wooden beams suspended by metal wire. The gaps between the poles got bigger as the ladder got higher. The objective was for three team members to climb the ladder. The climbers could not use the wires or the safety belay rope to climb or balance. It was a test of team work using each other as a means of balance.

The Leap of faith was a test of nerve and agility. First there was a climb up a ladder to a platform on the pole about 15-20ft up.
In front of the platform there was a ball suspended in the air. The jumper had to decide how far from the platform he wanted the challenge to be. The further away the greater points but also more difficult.
The jumper had a harness and a safety rope with a marshal ready to tighten the rope as you start to fall. The jump reminded me of a bungee jump. Knowing you were on a rope but still having that doubt as to it catching you. With this section cleared with a top score it was back to the kit boxes and pick up our bikes.

Cycle kilrea to Tirkane mountain. 19.5km
It was starting to get dark at this point and the cycle from Kilrea to the mountain was on a number of small back roads. We picked up a couple of check points along the road. With head torches and bike lights both solid and flashing we looked like a Christmas tree. It was a really nice pedal on roads at night.

Foot orienteering over the mountains 17.5km
When we reached the carpark on Tirkane Mountain it was proper dark. We dropped the bikes off and headed into the mountains. The first section was pretty straight forward following a track to the summit. The clouds had cleared and the starry sky above made the climb up really special. On the summit the navigation really started. We took a bearing from the pole at the summit to the next checkpoint. This was a tough open mountain section on long heather and very uneven rough terrain. Our first mistake was on reaching some tougher sections we tried to find an easier way around it. This didn’t save us time and we missed the next check point. When we reached the track on the map we turned right but unfortunately we were to the right of the checkpoint. When we got to the fork in the track we realised our mistake. At this point we decided to miss the next two checkpoints and take the time penalty. The next checkpoint we found easy as we had a fence close by to follow. When we crossed the fence and headed for the next track we went a little too far to the right walking to the side of the track we were looking for. We eventually found it and headed down the mountain towards the next checkpoint. The mountain section was very slow and even with the shortcuts we were still the last team back.



Hike a bike over the mountains 21km
After we picked up the bikes we would retrace our path back up the mountain. The first section we rode with no difficulty. The next section was very washed out and rough so we pushed the bikes up to the top. When we reached the end of the track it was back into the open mountain. Having went slightly of course on some of the other sections we decided to keep by the compass as best we could with more regular checks. This worked and we got right to the gate we were looking for. Looking back on this section I think we learned a valuable lesson about navigation at night. Trust your instinct, never doubt your judgement and ALWAYS follow the compass.
Cycle Glenshane to Hall 10.5km
The track we followed took us on a fast decent towards the Glenshane pass. The glenshane forest had a couple of checkpoints and a track to the stop of point. We got a puncture just after the track section so after changing it took the road direct to the event hall and a welcome break. Kit boxes with food dry clothes and spare batteries for bike lights and head torches.
On leaving the hall competitors took the back roads that run down the valley in the direction of Dungiven. There was a further two checkpoints on the road section. After dungiven there was another rope section.



Ropes task and Foot orienteering 3km
Teams had to walk a rope section with a river crossing and zip line. At the end of the ropes there was a short orienteering section on foot before returning to the bikes.



Bikes from dungiven to Banagher Dam 8.5km
The next section was a long road bike ride with some very steep climbs. Checkpoints on the way took the race into Banagher glen. Climbing on the road to the back of Banagher dam and the Reservoir.

Kayak the reservoir 4km
The Kayak section was up the reservoir and back down. With most teams doing the paddle at night. The valley makes this section fairly calm and a smooth water paddle. At the end of the kayak section teams got back on the bikes.
Cycle from banagher dam to the mountain Foot Orinteering 15.5km
Leaving the kayaks teams followed the forest tracks through Banagher forest and across the mountain. A steep climb up one side on rough forest tracks and a fast descent down the other side. The forest track crossed the river at a ford and then exited the forest onto the Glenedra road. There was two check points in the forest across the road or missing these took competitors across the mountain roads in the direction of Draperstown.


Foot orienteering across two mountains 12km
At McDaids Pit teams parked the bikes for a very tough orienteering section on foot. The teams descended one valley crossing the Moydamlaght Road and climbing the very steep rocky mountain section to the left of Moydamlaght forest. Crossing the mountain into the forest and then returning across the road and climbing back up to the bikes.

Final cycle – Trail quest through to the finish. 36km
The next section was a series of checkpoints stretching almost to Maghera and back through Moneyneany to the sixtowns community centre for the welcome sight of the finish line. After teams had a hot shower we all went to the Shepards Rest for a sit down meal and prize giving.


Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Giants Causeway Coast Sportive 126km

Saturday 17th September 2011
The Giants Causeway Coast sportive 126km 1,367m

The first Giants Causeway Coast Sportive happened at the weekend. I decided it would be good to take part as training for the 24hour Adventure race in October. Rather than using the road bike I decided to use the Mountain bike.
The Sportive had three different routes 180km, 126km and the 56km. 126km was a good distance for me because I could take it easy yet still enjoy the route. We started in the town of Ballycastle on the North Coast of Ireland. The weather was looking good but the forecast give rain for the afternoon. I was ready to start but my friend was still only at the registration tent. The sound went for the start and the riders started pedaling. The last of the riders pedaled away from the start while I waited on my friends. 5-10mins after the first riders left we started straight into a climb. After we got warmed up we started to push a bit. Catching the first of the back markers really give my friends a bit of a boost so we pushed on faster. By about 20km into the route we had passed a lot of people and started into the first climb. Most people slowed but we got the heads down and pedaled hard up the hill. At the first food stop I wanted to keep going as there was a lot of people stopped. My friend needed the toilet so we stopped and I took some cake and bananas while I waited. We left here for a very fast descent. The marshals were warning riders of a wet part of the road but at 75kph on Mountain bikes we werent slowing for anyone. We past a lot more people on the descent as the road was very wet and a lot of riders slowed in the bad conditions. The weather was still dry for us but we could see rain on the next glen.
We got back to almost sea level before starting to climb again. A long road climbing for about 10km up through the valley above. The route was amazing some great views and being on the Mountain bike I was able to get a good look around as we pedaled. The next section was on a slight downhill but into a head wind. We had caught up with another friend on a road bike and he let us draft behind him. I think this is the only time I needed to draft going down hill. It really helped though and meant we kept a good pace to the next food station. We stopped here for some more fruit cake and bananas. Again lots of people were taking a long stop so we got out ahead and got pedaling. Another short sharp climb before we got to the highest point. The road here was flat and long. We both had pushed hard and were starting to feel it. Rather than burning up we took a quick stop for some energy gels and a drink before we started again. Thankfully from here we had another long descent back to sea level and the coast road.
We stopped for a short time on the coast road to get some water. The road had a bit of a head wind so we took it in turns at the front for a bit of drafting. This road took us around 20km of coastal road by the sea. A flat road but with the headwind we didnt get much of a break. We had another climb and descent before the next stop. At the last stop I knew we had the big climbs coming next. The famous Torr road is a road with short very steep climbs. We took a longer break here knowing it was our last stop before the finish.



There was a lot of tired people at this stop. Everyone had heard it would be a tough section but I think most people didnt realise just how steep the climbs would be. The first climb we reached I counted 5 riders walking in front of us. We took it easy but stayed on the bikes. After the first climb there was a really fast descent. Again a lot of riders took it slow as they were getting tired. The next climb started at the bottom of the descent with no break. I kept the bike in a big gear and pushed hard up the climb again passing riders walking.
The route was perfect because the road was quiet of traffic and we could push hard both up and down. On the last climb and probably the steepest a rider past me getting out of the saddle he was pushing hard on the hill. I was very comfortable so pedaled along side him. When he pushed I pushed I smiled across every time he tried to get away. I was getting stronger as he was tiring and eventually he stopped falling of the bike being sick. I asked if he needed anything but he said no. I continued to the top were more people congratulated me for pedaling all the climbs. I slowed the pace at the other side until my friend had caught up and we pedalled strong back to the finish line. Riding a Mountain bike on a road sportive was not the best choice of bike for speed. For training it was perfect and really give me a work out. It was a long day in the saddle at around 6 hours 25mins. A great day and great training for the 24 Hour Adventure Race.


A video from Saturday

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

SSWC 2011 Ireland

The Single Speed World Championships
By Mickey Regan

When you think of a world championship cycling event you may picture finely tuned athletes with one goal in mind, to win the gold medal. This event was so different and in so many ways. There still was the odd finely tuned athlete amongst the crowd and the very odd person that seemed to be taken it seriously. Even the eventual winner Niall Davis was so laid back he only converted the bike to single speed the day of the event. The biggest difference was the overall winner didn’t receive a Gold Medal they got a Tattoo. The one rule of this competition is “If you don’t want a tattoo, don’t win”

So what is it all about? I would describe it as a festival of one geared bikes. The event started for Ireland last year by winning the right to host this year’s event back in New Zealand. The proceedings started on Thursday night in the Locke bar in Limerick where the competition would take place to host next year’s event. Drinking games, hula hoops even a rendition of Riverdance was used to pick next year’s hosts. South Africa took the honours with an outstanding display on the night. I think judging by the remarks the organisers may have had to remind them the next day of their win. Sore heads all round and next up Kilfinnane Village for the event HQ.

With most competitors arriving in Kilfinnane on the Friday the town was electric. The local football pitch was used as a campsite with additional camping and dorm accommodation at the Kilfinnane Outdoor Education Centre. The village was small and I think this added to the atmosphere. Some riders took the Friday afternoon to go out the 7km to Ballyhoura trail centre to check out the course, others went straight to the nearest pub. Friday night there was a festival on the town street with traditional music, Irish dancing and singing.

I don’t normally ride single speed but with this event on my doorstep and having tried single speed in Catalunya during the summer I couldn’t say no. With my knowledge of single speed conversions limited I asked event sponsor Chris Butcher of Revolution Cycles formerly Unicycles for some advice. Chris told me that I could convert my bike to single speed but if I wanted I could take one of his shop bikes a Niner S.I.R.9 The offer was too good to refuse and I arranged to meet Chris at the event registration. When we arrived to register there was already a line of bikes sitting with Chris and his staff. Conversions, servicing and last minute mechanical issues were in full swing. With the lads doing a great job on the bikes and the fast turnaround time word spread and they were kept busy right up until the race briefing. I don’t think there was a problem to big or too small for the lads with everyone leaving happy. Great bike servicing and advice from a biker who just happens to own the shop is always invaluable.

Saturday was race day with the briefing at the Marquee at 13:30 I think the late briefing and 15:00 start time was to let the party on the Friday night continue into the early hours. There were definitely no complaints from anyone for the later start. The town was packed with colourful bikers. No not lycra clad cyclists, fancy dressed cyclists. With only a few cyclists in cycling gear they almost looked like the odd ones out. Scooby Doo, Storm Troopers, Leprechauns, a full wedding party including priest, Badgers (Yes 6 big Badgers – or to be more precise www.trailbadger.com) The atmosphere was amazing with photos being taken of the outfits and pleasantries exchanged. The race briefing told us we would all travel by Garda (Police) escort from the village to the Ballyhoura trail centre. The bikes were to be left upside down along the fire road and we should make our way back down the hill to the car park.

The briefing finished and everyone got on their bikes to pedal through Kilfinnane. Locals lined the streets cheering and clapping with more enthusiasm than a Tour De France town. The ride out was full of banter and excitement. Seeing different costumes and listening to stories from the previous night. The journey out was a laugh a minute. People drinking beer out of there water bottles, nearly crashing into walls, costumes falling apart. 7km done and already people were talking about their next beer. We reached the forest and bikes were left upside down as instructed and the beer tent filled up. With a DJ pumping out the tunes the atmosphere really lifted. The dancing started and this looked more like a music festival than anything bike related. A few last minute words from the organisers and it was time to start.

The starting arch lead us out through the car park were we would run up the fire road to the bikes. The race hadn’t started two seconds until complete madness started. Most competitors turned right and ran up the banked hill to take a short cut to the bikes. This was to the spectator’s amusement as they watched some serious competitor’s head of firstly away from the direction of the bikes on the actual fire road. It didn’t seem to matter though because unbeknown to us while we were at the start the bikes were being moved, hidden and stacked in piles. As I arrived to the bikes the same shouts were ringing out “where the f… is my bike” “That’s my bike at the bottom of that pile can you move yours” The laughter got louder as people stumbled over bikes and tried to get through the crowd. I was very lucky as mine hadn’t moved to far if any. As it wasn’t my bike I had a hard enough time trying to find it let alone it being moved. The race would be two 17km laps of a circuit that consisted of fire roads single track and northshore/board walk. The start was always going to be madness with the single track getting bottle necked but I don’t think anyone worried too much. We could see more locals at different junctions on the course cheering us on and shouting encouragement. The trails were brilliant and with people in such good mood riding together everyone seemed to have a smile on their faces.

The winner Irishman Niall Davis of biking.ie blasted the course with last year’s winner not far behind. In the female category American Heather Holmes took the victory. Both went straight to the tattooist who was brought in especially for the event. What a great memory of your world championship win.

The weekend turned out to be brilliant. The locals really made it and the other competitors just made it one big laugh from start to finish. Well done to everyone from the organisers to the locals to the competitors. A weekend to remember.

I later Spoke to Chris Butcher about the event and about his plans for opening a new shop Revolution Cycles. Chris ran Unicycles but with his contract expired he has decided to set up a new shop. Chris told me "I first got into bikes as my parents were always cyclists, when I was only a few months old they went on a cycle tour around Asia with me on the back of the bike!" So how did you get into singlespeed? "Singlespeed I kind of fell into, I wanted a low maintenance bike to cycle to work so I converted an old beat up Trek to singlespeed and rode it to work. I loved it so much that I started using it on the group rides and then went and bought myself a Kona Unit singlespeed and my love of singlepseeds grew from there. Right now out of my 8 bikes only one has gears!" What did you think of the event? "The event was awesome, great event, loads of characters and I'd love to see something happen like that again.

Chris hopes to open the doors of the new shop mid September. If you are ever in the area call in and say hello. Keep up to date on the new shop at the facebook page linked in the logo above.


Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Monday, 15 August 2011

Aint no Mountain Adventure Race

Aint no Mountain Adventure Race

13th 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 9th 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 5th with the 4th 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 4th 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