Race date: 09/Mar/2008
Race series: K-Capital Cup
Race venue: Kilruddery, Co. Wicklow
Race category: Masters
I Have been waiting for a xc race since October, And with all my road bike training over winter, Sunday 9th march was D Day when all the Irish xc racing community come out to challenge each other with ambitions of victory and visualisation of riding away from everybody else who dares to try and get in front of us.
The reality of that is soon brought back into check, when we see how lean some of our competitors look after the winter, With Flash new "Bling Bling" bikes shaved legs (not me), and even fake tans to make look like we were seriously training loads.
The weather was threatening to piss down all weekend and with that I was threatening give it a miss, As I keep saying to myself, I am a fair weather cyclist.
But thankfully it did not rain much, even dried up a little from practising on Saturday.
The lap itself was good for me, with a prolonged climb going up for 8 Min's,.
Then down a slippery granite rock face to a flattish fire road and back up another longish fire road climb and into a great singletrack, which went gradually down to a paintball games battlefield.
Dodge past that and you were onto singletrack which dropped steeply down a bank to a tricky ditch and back up to more singletrack and along a bumpy tractor track, across a field, and into whats called Louisiana, a famous singletrack where many a Irish national champs have been spawned, to finish coming out of Louisiana singletrack and up the field to the Start/Finish area.
I was doing masters even if I am in denial about how age slows one down, I Was contemplating the elites cat, But I have a job which is not cycling, I have a girlfriend who does not understand cycling, I drink to much, and I'm 36 this year even if I think I can ride like I'm 23 year old with EPO in my blood.
Our race call up was the usual favourites up the front, Which put me down the back, Ah well, My 1st lap is all ways a warm up, The whistle goes and were off like a handbag snatcher.
Got to the top of the climb in a lot of pain, And super vet Peter Buggle passes me going over into the rock,
I follow him down the decent with bodies falling everywhere.
Made it down with 1 dab and still with Peter.
He sprints off chasing elites, So I think it best settle into my own pace, Next climb I catch G Lucas up the climb with Sean Herlihy on my wheel, (thought he was a DH'er) and stay together till lap2, Where I get a gap and try move up more, 2nd lap was with S Herlihy and L Smaul from the experts.
Started the 3rd and got a gap on the others, Kept the pressure over and down the rock, But tumbled and came off the bike for a split second but kept it going forward.Caught Mr editor 5th from MTBireland as I came upon a bad crash, with one of the ladies down, dazed and bruised, but being helped back up.
Followed Dave down the single track till he had a big tumble into the mud face.
Stopped to lift his bike off him and he looked like he was doing a mud facial with all the muck on his face.
He seemed OK, So kept going till I caught 4th who asked me for a pump, Obliged with pump and pressed on through to the finish getting 4th, Not so bad considering I was 15th this time last year.
Didn't feel to trashed afterwards either taught the coarse was great but another lap would have been better, Maybe for me, But I'm sure others would disagree.
Anyhow, Roll on the next race.
Rgds Rory.