2002 Season Review

Matt Dempsey wins Triple Ten Enduro in 2002 Cheddar Challenge: (Oct 7) Four hours sleep Thursday night and the off we went on the 300 mile drive with a 4 hour ferry journey in between, to Cheddar, Somerset to compete in the Cheddar Challenge.

A few hours sleep Friday night in a cold tent and up for the first stage of the Triple Ten at 10am which was 5hrs30mins, I got a good start with at least 2 major crashes wiping out a few people on the first couple of turns. Settled into a steady pace well below my usual race speed and picked it up a bit for the last 2 hours. I managed 21 laps(5hr44min) 3 laps up on 2nd place.

A Night Time Trial was the next stage just one lap of the same course with a loop of the Campsite and start/finish at the bar. I had tired legs but just rode flat out as I knew the track inside out and set the quickest time (14.41mins) of all the riders including the ones that had ridden the first stage as a 4 man relay team.

Felt wrecked after the two stages and tried to get a good nights sleep, most of the competitors were finished their racing after the T.T. that night so there was an event party at the bar.  When the bar closed the riders from Team American Alcoholics and a few others decided to entertain the campsite with their own party right next to our pitch, blasting music from a car and screaming as loud as possible. Then their main event was a relay race around the campsite, each rider doing one lap with a shot of whiskey before and after each turn, that went until 3 or 4am (didn't get to see who won!)

Sunday had to get up at 8am for the last stage at 9.45am. It was a short stage Sun just 4hrs30min of a longer lap than Saturday, started slow and felt a bit groggy but stayed with the other riders as I had built up a good lead on Sat. had no support as Brett was racing too so I had to stop for bottles and food a few times.

By the time the Pro/Elite race started at 1pm my legs had come around a bit and when Liam Killeen and Zak Toogood caught me I jumped on the wheels for a bit, 3rd and 4th placed elites were a good bit easier to hang on to. Got a good cheer from the crowd on the technical sections when I re-passed the 3rd place Elite while dangerously out of control and put some time into him after he dropped me up the climb.

A lap or 2 later came down to the line with 4hr 29m 50sec on the clock so i went off for my 11th lap with the win in the bag and finished in just under 5hrs.(Could relax now just had to drive back to the ferry for 3.15am) Brett Rode the sports XC race and finished 9th out of 55 riders.  

It was a brilliant setup, they had Champagne for the winners presented by podium girls. Brett managed to finish off my bottle and a few other stray bottles too.  All in all is was a really good event with a great atmosphere.

Result: 1. Matt Dempsey (IMBRC) Laps - 33 Total Time 10h 58m 48secs, 2. Ross Parker Laps - 28, 3. Andy Montacute (Somer Valley CC) Laps - 28

APOLLO MISSION TO 3 PEAKS: (By Andy Layhe Sept 30) Apollo Cycling Team rode superbly in the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross Classic, North Yorkshire on Sunday. The course, based in the Yorkshire Dales took in the 3 highest peaks in the area - Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-Gent, all over 700 metres in height and a total distance of 38 miles including over 5000 ft of climbing.

The first 5km were on the road as riders jostled for the best positions leading up the first and most difficult ascent up Ingleborough. The top was covered in mist with strong winds. Riders had to hand in a tag to record that they had passed through the various checkpoints along the route. The descents were treacherous but very fast with riders reaching speeds of almost 50mph on the dry moorland. After the first decent riders then had a hilly 8 mile road section to contend with where they could take on fluids and food and prepare for the next climb. Huge crowds lined the route to hand up bottles for riders. The next climb, Whernside, was more rocky but not as steep as the first, with yet again a very fast decent towards Ribblehead viaduct, ending with another 8 mile road section. Tiredness began to take it's toll on riders with just one climb remaining where riders had to dig deep into their reserves to haul themselves up this the longest section of rocky path to the summit. The last climb of Pen-y-Gent differs to the other 2 as riders are forced to climb and descend on the same route making it all the more difficult as you try and avoid riders hurtling towards you at breakneck speed!!

Of the 300 starters, Aiden McDonald was Apollo's top finisher in 33rd place with a time of 3 hours 38 minutes. This was a fantastic result for Aiden as it was his first attempt at this notorious event, now in it's 41st year. Aiden was unfortunate to puncture on the final decent costing him valuable time and a possible top 20 finish. Andy decided at the last minute to race as he had a viral infection the previous week and he finished in 126th place, despite 3 punctures in total, in a time of 4 hours 17 minutes. Geoff Coupland also did brilliantly coming in at 165th place in a time of 4 hours 40 minutes. Only 220 riders managed to finish the race which was held in unusually warm and dry conditions which resulted in a record time for winner Rob Jebb in a time of 2 hours 53 minutes. Nick Craig placed 2nd with Chris Young 3rd, with Craig also beating the previous record.

It really was a great experience and has to be seen to be believed as riders haul their machines over these mountains. Apollo are already planning to return to the race next year with a bigger team where it is hoped we will again take on the 3 highest peaks in Yorkshire.

RESULTS: 1 Rob Jebb Team RonHill 02-53.39, 2 Nick Craig Pertex/Planet X 02-55.46, 3 Chris Young Team Marie Curie 03-06.08, 4 Ian Wilkinson Science in Sport.com 03-06.47, 5 Paul Oldham Helly Hansen/Giant 03-07.01, 6 Dave Collins Science in Sport.com 03-08.25.

Apollo: 33 Aiden MacDonald Apollo CT 03-38-40, 126 Andy Layhe Apollo CT 04-17-45, 165 Geoff Coupland Apollo CT 04-40-12

Seymour Wins FINAL ROUND of NPS: (Sept 15) The 5th round of Cycling Ireland's National Points Series took place today in the familiar setting of Ballinastoe Woods in Co.Wicklow. Team-WORC aimed to put on a race with a difference and they certainly achieved that. Dispensing with the usual format of short multiple laps, they opted for a max of three laps for the Elite riders of an all new 12km loop. Another inovation was the inclusion of a mass start with all 79 riders starting at the same time. With the race being a UCI E2 event riders came from the UK chasing the valuable UCI points which allow them to ride World cups and which improve there world rankings.

In the main race Team-WORC rider Robin Seymour and UK based rider Adrian Lansley (pedalon.co.uk) who is a former team mate of Seymour's, took an early lead followed closey by Glen Kinning (XMTB), Phil Cooper (Blue Skys Cycles) and Chris Cole (Midlothian RT). With one lap to go Seymour put the pressure on and opened a gap of over one a half minutes over Lansley by the finish. A strong ride by Kinning meant he secured third spot and also took the National Points Series title.  Full results here...

"Snake-bites" kill off Kinning's hopes at Commonwealth Games: (By Ben Shorten July 2 9) Glen Kinning told me he would have his tyres "rock-hard" for the MTB race at Rivington. Part of the course is known as "snake-bite alley" because of the type of double pinch-punctures it causes the rim to inflict on the tube when hammering down its rock-paved slopes. <Read More Here>

MORE TITLES FOR SEYMOUR, OWENS: (By Shane Stokes July 21) Robin Seymour and Tarja Owens today added to their impressive tally of national titles when they won the Elite men and women’s races at the cross-country mountainbike championships in Kilruddery Estate, Bray.

Italian-based Seymour was in dominant form, easily fending off the challenge of 31 others to take a ninth consecutive title. The Mapei rider finished over seven minutes clear of his closest challenger, Phil Cooper of the Blueskycycles.com team, who had travelled over from the UK in the search for some of the world ranking points on offer. <Read More Here>

KINNING TOPS AGAIN: (June 17) Glen Kinning won the third round of this years National Points Series on Sunday despite stiff competition from the football. Ireland's game threatened to postpone the race and did manage to put off some riders but for those who turned out the the rain was waiting to get them. The weather was more like a day in March with wind and rain sweeping in and low cloud cover making visibility very hard on the fast descents. Sorrento managed to create a fairly weather resistant course considering the amount of rain we have had over the past month. With plenty of climbing the course was a real test of fitness with slippery descents that tested the riders ability to negotiate wet roots. Kinning dominated once again in the Expert race with Simon Loughlin having a good ride to finish less than two minutes behind him. Knud Jenson showed once again that he is the fittest "old fella" in mountain biking in Ireland by finishing over 14 minutes ahead of second place Geoff Copeland of Apollo CT. In the Junior race Lewis Ferguson (XMTB) took first place, once again showing why he is one to watch for the future. In the other races Niall Davis won the Sports race, Robert Lamont was victorious in the Masters, while Neil McGimpsey, Chris Jensen and Andy McCullough came first in the U12's, U14's and U16's.

Results National Points Series - Round 3: U12: 1 Neil McGimpsey XMTB 2 Christy Brown XMTB 3 William Boyd XMTB, U14: 1 Chris Jensen Sorrento 22:31 2 David Gordon XMTB 26:00 3 Graham Boyd XMTB 26:29 4 Austin Cella Newbridge 30:37 5 Hugh Corr IMBRC 38:56, U16: 1 Andy McCullough XMTB 40:04.30 2 Darren Quille Newbridge 42:14.13 3 Matt Ferguson XMTB 43:44.34 4 Brian Conway IMBRC 45:11.59 5 Chris Bermingham IMBRC 45:30.50 6 Barry Nolan - 51:08.52 7 Brian Breslin IMBRC 54:12.59 8 Patrick George Sorrento 54:30.10

Junior: 1 Lewis Ferguson XMTB 1:07.33 2 Gavin Weston IMBRC 1:25.32 3 Keith Quille Newbridge 1:25.22 4 Derek Kearns Newbridge 1:31.22

Sport: 1 Niall Davis Mitch CC 1:07.39 2 Jamie Popham Fiat LCV racing 1:11.40 3 Darren McGann Mayo 1:12.57 4 Stuart Galloway Team-WORC 1:14.57 5 Mark Harman IMBRC 1:15.28 6 Peter Neville St.Finbarrs 1:20.14 7 Brian O'Driscoll - 1:21.29 8 John Clifford - 1:27.53

Masters: 1 Robert Lamont XMTB 1:05.57 2 Ken Farrar Team-WORC 1:09.08 3 David K-Smith Ravens 1:11.49 4 Alan Ryan - 1:13.13 5 Peter Molloy - 1:18.33 6 Pat Coyle IMBRC 1:20.52

Vets: 1 Knud Jenson Sorrento 1:12.22 2 Geoff Copeland Apollo 1:26.38 3 Declan Wyse Usher IRC 1:30.16 4 Karl Thomas - 1:47.15

Expert: 1 Glenn Kinning XMTB 1:43.36 2 Simon Loughlin XMTB 1:45.28 3 Matt Dempsey IMBRC 1:47.55 4 James McCluskey Mitch CC 1:54.15 5 Bret Nelson IMBRC 2:00.54 6 Ollie Gray UCD - 1 Lap

Lots of Mountain Biking this weekend: (June 12) Get your bikes out for a full two days of mountain biking this weekend. First off on Saturday there is the Cycling Ireland / Leinster Cycling Federation training day on Saturday in Roundwood, Co.Wicklow. The day will incorporate all aspects of racing including bike maintenance, race preparation and much more for both downhill and cross country riders. Guest riders will include John Lawlor the current downhill champion who will pass on some of his knowledge which has taken him to the top of the sport in this country. Also on the agenda for the day will be the presentation of the awards for last years dh and xc national points series plus a bike ride looking at some of the technical aspects of the sport. Then on Sunday travel about two miles up the road to Ballinastoe Woods for the 3rd round of the Cross-Country National Points Series.

NPS XC round 3: Sorrento CC invites all to their regular haunt, Ballinastoe Woods nr Roundwood this coming Sunday (16/6) the course will be the usual mixture of long hard fire road climbs and some tricky decending not made easier by recent heavy rain.... racing starts @ 12.00hrs and we look forward to seeing you all Knud (086-2568712, 01-2863948)

BETH McCLUSKEY 3RD IN BRITISH NPS: (Cycling Ireland) battled against the heavy rain and the hazardous muddy course to come in smiling on 9th June 2002. She had just taken third place behind SUE THOMAS and JENNY COPNALL in the Elite Women Category (BCF NPS3). There was a gap of ten minutes to the fourth placed rider. She said she enjoyed the race despite the heavy going. She now has 116 points in this series following her two consecutive fifth placings at Catton Hall in May and Thetford Forest in April this year. <Read More Here>

NPS 2001 Presentation / LCF Training Day: Although a little late the Prize giving for the 2001 National Points series in both Downhill and XC will take place in Roundwood in Wicklow on the 15th of June. All riders are invited to attend. On the day there will also be a training day and all riders both XC and DH are encouraged to attend. The training day will include things such as bike maintenance, race preparation, diet, etc. and will also include special guests speakers, one for DH and one for XC. Bring your bikes with you as there will also be some time for a bike ride in Ballinastoe were once again our special guests will be on hand to give some biking tips. The venue is the Coach House in Roundwood and the start time is 10am sharp.

XC NPS Round: Sunday saw the 2nd round of the Irish NPS taking the riders to Wicklow and to the new venue on Carrick Mountain. After a heavy nights rain the organisers (IMBRC) decided to take out most of the single track and used weather proof fireroads which made the going very fast. From the gun Glen Kinning (XMTB) showed why he has dominated Irish Mountain Biking this year by taking the lead, a lead that he would maintain till the end of the four laps. Second rider home was Don Travers (Banbridge CC) who is slowly showing a return to form after struggling early on in the season with a blood condition. Third placed rider was Mark Kenny (Rocky-Mountain / Team-WORC) on his first race on the Irish circuit this year with fellow Team-WORC rider Dave Gill taking the 4th Position after over taking Keith Meehan (unattached) on the last lap. Another Team-WORC rider Paddy Daly came home in sixth.

A "wheelie" brilliant win for Glen: (By Ben Shorten May 13) 

GLEN KINNING (X-MTB) celebrated his second Expert Category victory in this series by pulling a wheelie over the finishing line. Even with a grid place he found about fifteen riders ahead of him in the scramble to the first bend. By the top of the first hill, however, he was into second place, and then he hit the front where he stayed for the rest of the race. PAUL NEWNHAM (Team MBUK/Scott), who was beaten into second place by Glen on their last outing, was closing the 30-second gap on lap 4 when an unfortunate puncture finished his challenge. Glen came home to the cheers of a growing band of fans, 29 seconds ahead of MARCOS SCHIER (Richmond Cycles) and 59 seconds ahead of third-placed ROSS ADAMS (Red Kite Cycles). <See Pictures Here>

Gilmore Signs Northern Ireland League XC - Round 3
On Sunday 19th May Banbridge CC stage round three of the N.I. Cross Country League at Drumkeeragh Forest,Dromara,County Down,which will be known as the THREE HILLS CLASSIC MTB RACE.

Seymour Puntures: (May 12) Today saw Robin Seymour finishing a disapointing 13th after puncturing during another Gran Fondo in Italy. Difficulties fixing the flat tyre meant he spent seven minutes getting going again.. The race was won by 2000 World Cup winner and World Champion Miguel Martinez of France.

Red Bull Moonrider: (May 12) The Red Bull four man descender took place in Glenarm Estate (Antrim) on Saturday night with a action packed night of floodlit racing. The senior event was taken by last years silver medal winner at the downhill champs, Glyn O'Brien while Greg O'Keefe of Cork took the honours in the youth Catagory. After the main racing the big crowds which the event had drawn were treated to a spectualr show of riding by the top riders. Look out for more of these events in the future.

TARJA OWENS TO GET UCI SCHOLARSHIP: (May 9) From the end of May Professional rider Tarja Owens will be moving base from Italy to the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland to participate in the UCI Scholarship programme. This will certainly help with her campaign for the Olympic games in Athens in 2004 with the scholarship having a structured focus on the next Games. During her stay Tarja will be coached by ex European MTB Champion and professional rider Chantel Daucourt. The scholarship is aimed at athletes who do not have access to the level of coaching and training in their own countries which is needed to excel in their various fields. Other areas that she will benefit in at the High Level Training Centre (HLTC) are the in house sports monitoring, medical monitoring and care, accommodation, transport and one of the biggest areas of contention for athletes today, funding.

KINNING WINS NPS ROUND ONE: (By Shane Stokes May 6) XMTB rider Glen Kinning survived a late charge by Aiden McDonald (Apollo Cycling Team) to win the first round of the National Points Series in Big Wood in Newry yesterday. Kinning went clear at the start of the six lap event and was closely pursued by Don Travers (Banbridge) until the latter crashed on the third lap. McDonald then took over as the main threat, gradually reducing his one and a half deficit to eventually finish 21 seconds down.

Glynn O’Brien was first home in the sports race, Beth McCluskey was first woman, while Louis Ferguson won the junior event. Aidan Ryan and Peter McConvey were best in the veteran and masters categories, while Andrew McCullough, Conor McConvey and Christy Brown won the under 16, under 14 and under 12 races.

Expert: 1, Glen Kinning (XMTB) six laps in 1 hour 51 mins 27 secs; 2, A. McDonald (Apollo CT) at 21 secs; 3, J. Mason (unattached) at 3 mins 7 secs; 4, M. Dempsey (IMBRC) at 9 mins 23 secs; 5, D. Travers (Banbridge) at 10 mins; 6, D. Gill (Team Worc) at 12 mins 50 secs; 7, B. Nelson (IMBRC); 8, P. Daley (Team Worc)

Sports/novice: 1, Glynn O’Brien (unattached) 3 laps in 1 hour 1 min 2 secs; 2, D. McGann (Mayo) at 20 secs; 3, G. Blair (XMTB) at 50 secs; 4, M. Harman (IMBRC) at 1 min 50 secs; 5, P. Anderson (Banbridge) at 2 mins 20 secs; 6, R. O’Shaughnessy (Apollo CT)

Juniors: 1, Lewis Ferguson (XMTB) 4 laps in 1 hour 17 mins 33 secs; 2, J. Reid (Ards CC) at 1 min 13 secs; 3, D. Kerns (Newbridge CC) at 3 mins; 4, S. Curran (Banbridge CC) at 8 mins 3 secs; 5, S. Campbell (Newry CC); 6, K. Byrne (Newry CC)

Women: Beth McCluskey (IMBRC)

Veterans: 1, Aidan Ryan (Sorrento CC); 2, D. Wayne (unattached); 3, A. Potts (Banbridge CC); 4, G. Copeland (Apollo CT); 5, L. Walpole (unattached); 6, E. McCoveny (XMTB)

Masters: 1, P. McConvey (Newry CC); 2, K. Farrar (Team Worc); 3, W. Mulligan (Banbridge CC); 4, C. McGreevy (Newry CC); 5, M. Jordan (IMBRC); 6, P. McCann (Banbridge CC)

Underage: Under16: 1, Andrew McCullough (XMTB); 2, M. Ferguson (XMTB); 3, D. Quoile (Newbridge CC); 4, R. Cullinan (IMBRC); 5, C. Bermingham (IMBRC); 6, B. Conway (IMBRC). Under 14: 1, Conor McConvey (XMTB); 2, N. McCormick (BBC); 3, D. Gordon (XMTB); 4, G. Boyd (XMTB); 5, H. Corr (unattached). Under 12: 1, Christy Brown (XMTB); 2, Neil McGimsey (XMTB); 3, W. Boyde (XMTB); 4, J. Laird (XMTB); 5, M. Gordon (XMTB); 6, R. Davidson (XMTB)

Irish Abroad - Seymour Performs well in Italy: (By Dave Gill, CI MTB PR May 1) Last week saw Team Mapai rider Robin Seymour riding one of the toughest weeks yet in a packed week, which saw him riding in 3 races in 4 days. The first was the GP Toscana in which he finished in 5th place, next up was Brianza in which he finished 12th and finally a great 3rd place in MonteMurlo which consited of a single 58km lap with the first climb lasting one and a half hours. Yesterday the 1st of May saw Robin heading to Moscufo and another consistent ride meant he finished in 4th place. "I was very pleased with today’s ride" said an on-form Seymour "I finished just two minutes down on the winner H.Pallhuber in such a high standard race” “I am still getting used to racing in high temperatures and today was 28 degrees, so I feel I am adjusting to life with my new team here in Italy and I am looking forward to the upcoming World Cups"

CYCLING IRELAND MTB XC League 2002 Starts: (By Dave Gill, CI MTB PR Apr 30) For Cross Country riders “Big Wood” on the Warrenpoint dual carriageway is the venue for this Sunday’s first round of the National Points Series. Racing starts at 12 noon on an all new course. Promoting club Apollo CT have said this new course should be fast and mud free with a brand new mile of fresh, fast single track. On the day riders will be treated to FREE bottle fills and gels by PSB22 while spectators can enjoy the racing while listening to local radio broadcasting live from the event. If that wasn’t enough there will be hot food available on the day too. To get to the venue go into Newry and follow the signs for Warrenpoint. Head out the dual carriageway keeping the estuary on your right hand side. About three miles from Newry you will see signs on the left hand side of the road for “Big Wood” forest park.

Gilmore Signs NI League XC Round 2, Ballykelly:

Elite: 1, Aidan McDonald (Apollo CC) 1 hour 51 mins 4 secs; 2, J. McCall (Team Worc) at 6 mins 30 secs; 3, C. Caldwell (NWCC) at 9 mins 29 secs; 4, D. Gill (Team Worc) at 10 mins 29 secs; 5, K. Meghen (unattached) at 14 mins 24 secs; 6, P. Jennings (Banbridge CC) at 20 mins 32 secs

Masters: 1, Robert Lamont Sr (XMTB) 1 hour 32 mins 16 secs; 2, W. Mulligan (Banbridge CC) at 9 mins 17 secs; 3, P. McCann (Banbridge CC) at 11 mins 30 secs; 4, D. Hylands (Team Madigan) at 18 mins 41 secs; 5, P. Agnew (Team Madigan) at 19 mins 53 secs; 6, S. Kennedy (unattached) at 27 mins 3 secs

Veterans: 1, M. Forester (Green Island) 1 hour 23 mins 21 secs; 2, A. Potts (Banbridge CC) at 14 mins 28 secs; 3, M. Leonard (Fermanagh) at 12 mins 44 secs; 4, E. McConvey sr (Belfast) at 15 mins 56 secs; 5, S. Curran (Banbridge CC) at 24 mins 13 secs

Sport: 1, D. McIntyre (NWCC) 1 hour 16 mins 10 secs; 2, G. Blair (XMTB) at 4 mins 19 secs; 3, P. Anderson (Banbridge CC) at 5 mins; 4, S. Galloway (Wicklow) at 6 mins 13 secs; 5, J. Gillespie (Banbridge CC) at 6 mins 35 secs; 6, S. Logan (Team Madigan) at 7 mins 38 secs

Junior: 1, L. Ferguson (XMTB) 1 hour 30 mins 51 secs; 2, J. Reid (Ards CC) at 6 mins 3 secs; 3, J. O’Kane (NWCC) at 6 mins 22 secs

Underage: u/10: W. Boyd (XMTB); u/12: C. Brown (XMTB); u/14: J. Harris (Derbyshire); u/16: A. McCullough

Glen Kinning winning the Expert BCF NPS Round 1, Thetford 7/04/2002

Kinning Crowned again: (By Ben Shorten)

GLEN KINNING (X-MBT) wins an exhilarating sprint finish in his first race in the Expert category at Thetford. Despite not receiving a grid position, which he earned last season, he stamped his authority on the race from the start by opening a 20 second gap in the first lap. He increased the gap to nearly 40 seconds in the second lap. At the beginning of the third lap, PAUL NEWNHAM and TOM FOWLER working together eroded his advantage. Glen then sat up to join them and this group of three pressed on. Paul then made an attack and Tom faded leaving Glen and Paul to contest the honours. Paul was unable to drop Glen on the fourth lap. The thrilling climax came less than 200 metres from the finish when Glen made his move to the front and his power and determination kept him there to win in great style.

In the Elite Women's event IMBRC rider Beth McClusky came a very creditable fifth today at Thetford.

Mountainbike Results at Dundonald Icebowl, run in conjuntion with the final stage of the P&O Tour of the North: Elite: 1, Glenn Kinning (XMTB); 2, D. Travers (Banbridge CC); 3, C. Caldwell (North West CC). Masters: 1, Robert Lamont (XMTB); 2, P. McConville (Newry Haldane Fisher); 3, W. Mulligan (Apollo CRT). Sport: 1, Winston Copeland (Team Indebike); 2, P. Jones (Hi Elbow TriClub); 3, G. Blair (XMTB). Juniors: 1, Lewis Ferguson (XMTB); 2, J. O'Kane (North West CC); 3, J. Reid (Ards CC). Vets.: 1, Knud jensen (Sorrento CC); 2, G. Wilson (East Antrim Audi); 3, M. McCann (Team Madigan). U.16: 1, Thomas Jensen (Sorrento CC); 2, A. McCullough (XMTB); 3, M. Mulvenna (Ards CC). U14: 1, Chris jensen (Sorrento CC); 2, C McConvey (XMTB); 3, R. McDermott (XMTB). U12: 1, Neil McGimpsey (XMTB); 2, C. Brown (XMTB); 3, R. Davidson (XMTB). U10: 1, William Boyd (XMTB); 2, T. Wilson (Jordanstown); 3, C. Blayney (Toyota North Down). U8: 1, Robbie Lamont (XMTB); 2, J. Montgomery (Newtownards); 3, C McMullan (Belfast).

Welcome sports fans to another exciting night of Downhill Action and Mayhem...... (By Mark Tiernan Apr 2) Sorry I always wanted to say that... the latest is that the governing body for the forestry in cork must of got wind of what happened in Ravensdale and slammed the same law in Fermoy, Hence there's a ban on Mountain biking in Fermoy (the Cork Venue).... THE RACE IS NOT CANCELED!! so get those entries in quick. Also to any influential people out there (Cycling Ireland) could you help or advise or better yet pool your resources in Coilte or where-ever to stop this crap about banning Mountain Biking in our forests which is killing the sport! (or at least making it very difficult) I Should be able to confirm a Venue in 48 hours so please bere with us..   Only 3 weeks to go sports fans..

Gilmore Signs Nth. Ireland XC league at Narrow Water: It was a tough testing course for the 62 starters. First year senior Glenn Kinning (XMtb) dominated the Elite race winning by over 6 minutes from Apollo's Aiden McDonald. Simon Loughlin pulled out, (due to punctures) after running in 2nd until the 3rd lap.

Results: ELITE 1 G. KINNING XMTB 2.04.08 2 A. McDONALD APOLLO CC 2.10.14 3 J. McCLUSKEY MITCHELIN CC 2.17.58, JUNIOR 1 L. FERGUSON XMTB 1.25.29 2 J. REID ARDS CC 1.36.06 3 J. O'KANE NORTH WEST CC 1.38.03, SPORT 1 F. HOERTIZANER ARDS CC 1.11.00 2 R. BEHAN WICKLOW 1.11.54 3 G. BLAIR XMTB 1.13.02, VETS 1 M. FIELD AUDI EAST ANTRIM 1.18.30 2 R. BYRNE TEAM WORC 1.27.59 3 A. POTTS BANBRIDGE CC 1.37.05, MASTERS 1 R. LAMONT XMTB 1.28.49 2 P. McCONVILLE NEWRY WHEELERS 1.30.57 3 W. MULLIGAN BANBRIDGE CC 1.37.23, LADIES 1 M. GRINNON Usher IRC

Underage: U.16 1 A. McCULLOUGH XMTB 50.11 2 M. FERGUSON XMTB 52.12 3 L. McCREADIE U/A 1.00.46, U.14 1 T. SANDERS BANBRIDGE CC 29.44 2 R. McDERMID XMTB 29.51 3 N. McCORMICK BANBRIDGE CC 32.02, U.12 1 C. BROWN XMTB 20.58 2 N. McGIMPSEY XMTB 21.19 3 C. BLAYNEY U/A 23.05, U.10 1 W. BOYD XMTB 9.57 2 R. LAMONT XMTB 12.00 3 C. OAKLEY XMTB 13.17

Intervarsities mountainbike championship: Roundwood: (Mar 23) Spar Cross-Country championship: 1, Ollie Gray (UCD) 1 hour 2 mins 15 secs; 2, J. Dempsey (UL) same time; 3, D. O’Dwyer (UCD) at 10 mins 5 secs.  Team: University College Dublin, 48 points (Gray, O’Dwyer, E. McCarthaigh); 2, University of Limerick, 31 points (Dempsey, C. Easton, G. Duffy)  <See Pictures Here>
Red Bull Downhill championship: 1, Ross Rossingrave (UCD) 3’35.45”; 2, D. Molloy (Dundalk IT) at 2.13”; 3, J. Jordan (IT Tallaght) at seconds 45 hundreths of a second

XC Event at Easter: Just to let you know X-Mtb are running an open X/C event at Dundonald Ice Bowl on Easter Tuesday, 2nd April, coinciding with the final stage of the Tour of the North Cycle race that starts and finishing at the Ice Bowl. With sponsorship from Castlereagh Council, Coca Cola, McConvey Cycles, Plush Cycles, Bikedock and the SERE motor group we have trophies for the first 3 in each category as well as over £500 in cash prizes, the men's Elite winner will pick up £100.

We have races from the under 8s upwards and great facilities including overnight camping, showers, cafe, all only a few miles from Belfast City Centre.

Start times are a bit earlier than usual with sign on and practice opening at 09.30, underage racing commencing at 10.30 and senior racing commencing at 11.30 with the Prize Presentation at 14.00.  For further info phone Billy Ferguson on 028 9042 5987

New DH Site: I'd like to invite you all to BrayDownhill's new site at www.BrayDownhill.com  I've updated the whole layout of the site to help bring you all the news, videos, gossip and results faster and better than ever.  In 2002 we hope to bring you more of everything and are gearing up for an all media style site with many more pics and loads more videos of all the top courses and riders we encounter on our travels.

On the site at the moment you'll find a cool online video interview with the creator of Belfast newest clothing line Honcho Designs, Andy Yoong who believe it or not is also one of Irelands top pro DH riders, he's a busy man. I'd like to thank you all for helping make the tripod site such a success, with the new site, things can only get bigger and better.

Upcoming Race:- Moneyscalp Rd. 1: (By Keith Brock Feb 5) The first round of the always welcome NICF winter league is on this coming weekend (10th Feb 2002). As always the race is taking place in Moneyscalp forest, just outside of Newcastle.

Sign on starts around ten on Sunday but make sure you take some extra money (!!!!) cause Bray DH productions (aka Brock) will be selling its first DH movie Production

"DIRTY WEEKENDS" at the race. I should be there sometime Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday so you can grab your copy for the bargain price of £10 Sterling or €15 euro's.

Also the ICF, or FIC or Cycling Ireland or what ever they call themselves these days have put up the official MTB calendar, you can get it HERE. It looks nice, lets just hope it flows smoothly, unlike last year (cough, SLIGO, cough).

Hey all Honcho Designs downhill mountainbike video is now out! Check out the website @ www.honchodesigns.com. We've got music from the best bands in Ireland and action from some of the top biking locations in the world. You can get it direct from honchodesigns by calling +44 (0) 7815 88 66 35 and also at round 1 of the northen ireland downhill league for £11.99 sterling 18.99 euros See you there... Andy Yoong Honcho Designs

ICF XC NPS <Final Points Table updated after 5 rounds Go Here> The prize presentation for the NPS leagues both XC & DH will be early in the year - possibly in Bray.  More details when they come available.

Van Dooren rejoins B One It seems cross-country mountain bike racing isn't quite dead after all. Bas van Dooren, who last year claimed he'd been 'forced' into racing on the road in 2002, will ride some mountain bike races for the B One team this year. Van Dooren started his professional career with B One before moving to Specialised in 2001. He is nevertheless expected to concentrate on road racing, with occasional forays into the dirt. Also new to the 2002 team is dirt jumping and BMX star Michal Prokop who finished second at the 2001 Kaprun World Cup Dual. Australian Anna Baylis, current UCI No. 9 ranked women's XC rider will also join the team.

Roland Green signs with Sotox Mountain bike world champion Roland Green is the first off-roader to engage the services of Sotox Sports Management, the athlete representation company that also looks after Goerge Hincapie, Dylan Casey and Chann McRae. Green dominated the 2001 mountain bike season, winning the Worlds, the World Cup series and the US NORBA series, and then switching to skinny tyres for a 14th place in the world TT championships despite having to train on his mountain bike when his TT bike was held up in customs. "I've had a phenomenal season and that has brought in a lot of interest in me as a rider and made things pretty exciting," said Green. "It has also made it kind of busy. I really needed to get some support on the business side of things and a friend recommended I check into Sotox. I was impressed by the portfolio of athletes that Sotox represents and Clay's commitment to cycling." "We are very excited to sign Roland as our first client in the mountain bike field," said Clay Young, president of Sotox Sports Management. "By adding such a talented rider, we are diversifying our clientele and promoting the various cycling opportunities."