Report below thanks to Richie Byrne from EPICMTB:

Last weekend saw the penultimate round of Irelands most Successful Cross Country Race Series.
It was dry in Ballyhoura, Co Limerick, dry, sunny and a little bit chilly. A fabulous start to a fabulous race.
I was never expecting as big turnout in Ballyhoura as the previous race in Wicklow as a lot of people won’t stray too far from DunDrum Town Centre in case theirs a sale on in H&M !!

First up was the under 8’s , lucky for EPICs Caoimhe May had the race to herself. The rest of the under 8s obviously saving themselves for Galway she completed the Under 12’s course in record time with no help whatsoever from her Mum !!

Boyne MTBs Superstar Jamie Grifferty won the Under 10 race with EPICs Cian May just behind him in 2nd, and next up was Kristoff Rael !!

Jamie

The under 12s was a one horse race with Boynes Ali Martinis taking 3 laps to show his domination of the Under 12s.
Racing 795s most talented rider without a beer belly Paddy Furlong in Second and Newcomer Eric Duffy in 3rd

Ali

Right…Hot favourite for winning the A race, Damo Duggan of Flow fame was on the line..Dark Horse Rob Davis from 021 Racing resplendent in his ” Hooters” T-Shirt on board some sort of Tank was looking around scanningfor competition !!

And away they went

and then the Bs took off with fire in their bellies and hi 5 in their gutses !!

Right behind them the Lady Women

After A Lap 1 it was Hooters Boy Davis in front , with Damo , Dan Carroll and Hughie Geraghty storming through the finish area together !
It was moves like this that shows the world class riding skills of Dublin Mountains wild Man Rob Davis!!

Out in the woods word was coming back that a certain ROundwood, Co Wicklow rowdy was holding up the show..

First winner home in The Bs after 2 hectic laps was EPICs Paul Kelly..in his final race as a B, he has to move up to the big league and the Models, I believe Cheryl Cole is ringing him night and day !

Then the Ladies Winner EPICS Carol Farrelly

Then the Sports A Juggernaut appeared and rumbled through the finish line like an out of control Heavy Metal powered thing !!!
Dan Carrol swiped it from under the nose of Damo with Rob just about there but no !!!
Aaarrrgghhhh!!!!!!
I haven’t seen racing like this since the old battles between Bob seymour and Crazy Man Julian Dalby.

Spectacular wipe-out of the day goes to Brian O’Sullivan and Alan Hickey:
check out the “I am going to plant you!” grin on 115 – Brian O’Sullivan…

and then…..

WHAMMMMYYYY!!!!!!!!

We just had to give them medals for that kind of entertainment!

All I can say is myself ,Fergal and Sean have shown exactly what XC racing is all about, no meandering around the mountains with only the ghosts and the boogey men for company..
This is the Nazcar of MTB racing, man and machine fuelled up, burning with the desire to win or wipe the other guy off the track ..Wheel to wheel , trading positions with each other , banging handlebars, cursing rainjackets and hating camelbacks and chafing baggies !!

Thanks to Rob Drohan and Cormac Eason from MBUL for their thankless grafting, The Forest manager, the Guy in the car park , the XCt1 lads. and of course Fergal and Sean and Conor,Aine,Justin May, Jer Jackson, the marshalls,the Red cross and everybody involved
See you in Derroura
Richie