Nps 1

Great racing today up in Dundalk. Great trails and close racing. Fair play to the Epic podiumers and the 3 lads with great results in S1.

Can we have longer field sections from now on.

Personally thought the field section was plenty! The racing was deadly though, so many people meant there was always someone to overtake or blatantly block off. The same trails that gave me nightmares last year were excellent. I had to kick myself out of bed this morning to go but I'm glad I did.

Well done all the many people who had good results, yourself Nomad, Terry, the S1 lads and others, but especially Caroline and Orla for winning by miles in their two races.

yeah that was deadly..some amount of people, great racing. The online sign on didn't help the sign on move along, some people were queueing for 40 mins !!
But the Weather was deadly and the amount of singletrack amazing..very swoopy and deadly.
I didn't ride it due to a medical emergency , so I took 261 photos !!
I walked the course and was impressed by a world class climb and some very brilliant singletrack.
I don't like courses with features that only some people can do, I think they're pointless and ruin the buzz of people trying to race but thats just my opinion.
I think organisers should bear in mind what the less experienced can manage and build more passing places in for the faster riders.
Again just my opinion. Well done to Tony Kelly, Cuchulainn and Bellurgan estate, a fantastic venue and great organisation. Well done.
Well done to all the clubs who took part.
Well done to Caroiline winning the Senior 3 Ladies race and Orla for winning the Senior 2 Ladies race.
Alfie, Doris and Max were well up there in Senior 1 , with Oz well up in Senior 2. Terry McDonagh was an incredible 4th in senior 3, beaten only by the locals. Not to mention young Superstar Rob Deegan..what a champ
John Pennefather came a fantastic 2nd place in senior 2, with Bob Seymour retains his domination as Irelands most outstanding MTBer ( The Blast, Bob, The Blast !!)
However so far this year the most outstanding rider I've seen allround and will hopefully just go from strength to strength is Mark McGauley from MAD.
I've seen some classy riders over the years and so far, I'd say hes up there with them , keep going Mark and you'll podium with the really big guns very soon.
Ciara Macm**** was also flying in the Senior 1 ladies Category she was not that far off Mel at all !
As usual there were a few broken hearted people, including young Ross Ennis but hey, pick yourselves up and battle again next time.

A great race, had a bad start with my chain trying to escape so I saw the whole S2 fly off in front of me. but enjoyed trying to make up places (not sure how far i got). was a great track but not sure about the gap jump just not needed.

deadly to see the ladies win today and other savage results a crossed the board. and of course great support from the Epic pit crew and Richie on the mic.

Seemed excellent organisation, lovely course but did lack passing opportunities. A problem for me because I had to let so many people past. Legs just hadn't any power at all after halfway round lap 1.

On a small point relating to on-line sign-on: take the total number of riders entered. Multiply by 3. That gives the number of cable ties that will be needed for attaching numbers to bikes.

Well done to all the podium and near podium people.

well,that was an excellent day out for the club.fair play to cuchulainn for securing what is in my opinion the best venue in the country and probably the best course too.have to say i thought the gap jump and the drop really added to the race and the course brilliant stuff.had a great race myself trying to get away from the gregg and dicing with the living legend john doris for a few laps good stuff.
well done to everyone who raced today especially the two girls caroline and orla savage stuff from them both.
no pressure lads!

That was my first time in Bellurgan and I enjoyed it, tough but good course that with a few tweaks could be world class. Still think that having a gap jump and a scary drop-off is a stupid idea for a XC race. It might be fine for us seasoned riders but I'd say it scared the bejaysus out of the not-so-experienced ones. More overtaking spots would be cool, but the traffic wasn't really an issue in S1s so I can't complain. Great results from Epic, with 2 girls winning their races and some lads in all categories doing well too!
I had a reasonably good start and excellent finish but was suffering big time on lap 3 and 4, just wasn't consistent today as much as I would've liked to.
Loads of mechanicals around the place, unreal amount of punctures on what I think was quite a smooth course.

What was the length of a lap in this? I'm trying to get fitter for XC but find it hard training for XC as I can never find the length of laps in XC races... Thanks!

did you race today ? Then the simple answer is train for a 1.5 hour race. Do that by racing every second week for 1.5 hours and by training at least once a week for 3 hours.
a lap that is 85% singletrack over 7k is going to he a world of difference to a lap thats also 7k and 85% grass like Lady Dixon.
BTW this thread is for applauding people who raced today so try and keep it on topic.

Apologies for that, No I wasn't racing, though I do plan to.

Thanks for the advice though.

Well done to all involved!

Richie thats some praise! thanks man, although i feel a little overrated cheers to yourself and all the Epic racers,always a great atmosphere with you guys. great day

I really enjoyed that had a slow start but once I copped on that I was racing I stepped on it
I loved the jump and the dropoff, maybe cause that's the second biggest jump I've ever done after the rock of loneliness so I was buzzed up each time
Delighted with my 4th place and felt great today
It was a handy course I thought and reminded me of kindlestown

Well done to everyone for support etc

Have to say I really enjoyed that today, the course was great and the gap jump was great fun. Could definitely do with more overtaking points on the course though, if you were stuck behind a group of people it was very hard to get past. As usual I left myself with too much to do due to a slowish start but felt pretty good the whole way round so happy enough.

Well done Caroline and Orla for winning and Terry was flying as was Alfie in S1. Well done everyone.

hey don't get me wrong, i'm not arguing against the drop off or the gap..I'm merely saying i think racing should be the same course for everybody meaning no chicken runs. If everybody could do it, then it wouldn't be an issue. Actually its not even an issue..I just don't like the idea of needing chicken runs in an XC race and from what I could see walking the course, there was a definite need for more passing places.. there were some slow cycling races going on all over the shop !! Very funny for me, misery for the combatants !!
Still , up there with Kilruddery, Castlewellan, lady Dixon and Castlewellan as best venue. But they'll all bow down before Kaz's place..
I had to leave the drop off though..way too many people crawling up to the edge and flopping over .....

Provisional results are in: Click

Great racing today up in Dundalk. Great trails and close racing. Fair play to the Epic podiumers and the 3 lads with great results in S1.

Can we have longer field sections from now on.

Personally thought the field section was plenty! The racing was deadly though, so many people meant there was always someone to overtake or blatantly block off. The same trails that gave me nightmares last year were excellent. I had to kick myself out of bed this morning to go but I'm glad I did.

Well done all the many people who had good results, yourself Nomad, Terry, the S1 lads and others, but especially Caroline and Orla for winning by miles in their two races.

yeah that was deadly..some amount of people, great racing. The online sign on didn't help the sign on move along, some people were queueing for 40 mins !!
But the Weather was deadly and the amount of singletrack amazing..very swoopy and deadly.
I didn't ride it due to a medical emergency , so I took 261 photos !!
I walked the course and was impressed by a world class climb and some very brilliant singletrack.
I don't like courses with features that only some people can do, I think they're pointless and ruin the buzz of people trying to race but thats just my opinion.
I think organisers should bear in mind what the less experienced can manage and build more passing places in for the faster riders.
Again just my opinion. Well done to Tony Kelly, Cuchulainn and Bellurgan estate, a fantastic venue and great organisation. Well done.
Well done to all the clubs who took part.
Well done to Caroiline winning the Senior 3 Ladies race and Orla for winning the Senior 2 Ladies race.
Alfie, Doris and Max were well up there in Senior 1 , with Oz well up in Senior 2. Terry McDonagh was an incredible 4th in senior 3, beaten only by the locals. Not to mention young Superstar Rob Deegan..what a champ
John Pennefather came a fantastic 2nd place in senior 2, with Bob Seymour retains his domination as Irelands most outstanding MTBer ( The Blast, Bob, The Blast !!)
However so far this year the most outstanding rider I've seen allround and will hopefully just go from strength to strength is Mark McGauley from MAD.
I've seen some classy riders over the years and so far, I'd say hes up there with them , keep going Mark and you'll podium with the really big guns very soon.
Ciara Macm**** was also flying in the Senior 1 ladies Category she was not that far off Mel at all !
As usual there were a few broken hearted people, including young Ross Ennis but hey, pick yourselves up and battle again next time.

A great race, had a bad start with my chain trying to escape so I saw the whole S2 fly off in front of me. but enjoyed trying to make up places (not sure how far i got). was a great track but not sure about the gap jump just not needed.

deadly to see the ladies win today and other savage results a crossed the board. and of course great support from the Epic pit crew and Richie on the mic.

Seemed excellent organisation, lovely course but did lack passing opportunities. A problem for me because I had to let so many people past. Legs just hadn't any power at all after halfway round lap 1.

On a small point relating to on-line sign-on: take the total number of riders entered. Multiply by 3. That gives the number of cable ties that will be needed for attaching numbers to bikes.

Well done to all the podium and near podium people.

well,that was an excellent day out for the club.fair play to cuchulainn for securing what is in my opinion the best venue in the country and probably the best course too.have to say i thought the gap jump and the drop really added to the race and the course brilliant stuff.had a great race myself trying to get away from the gregg and dicing with the living legend john doris for a few laps good stuff.
well done to everyone who raced today especially the two girls caroline and orla savage stuff from them both.
no pressure lads!

That was my first time in Bellurgan and I enjoyed it, tough but good course that with a few tweaks could be world class. Still think that having a gap jump and a scary drop-off is a stupid idea for a XC race. It might be fine for us seasoned riders but I'd say it scared the bejaysus out of the not-so-experienced ones. More overtaking spots would be cool, but the traffic wasn't really an issue in S1s so I can't complain. Great results from Epic, with 2 girls winning their races and some lads in all categories doing well too!
I had a reasonably good start and excellent finish but was suffering big time on lap 3 and 4, just wasn't consistent today as much as I would've liked to.
Loads of mechanicals around the place, unreal amount of punctures on what I think was quite a smooth course.

What was the length of a lap in this? I'm trying to get fitter for XC but find it hard training for XC as I can never find the length of laps in XC races... Thanks!

did you race today ? Then the simple answer is train for a 1.5 hour race. Do that by racing every second week for 1.5 hours and by training at least once a week for 3 hours.
a lap that is 85% singletrack over 7k is going to he a world of difference to a lap thats also 7k and 85% grass like Lady Dixon.
BTW this thread is for applauding people who raced today so try and keep it on topic.

Apologies for that, No I wasn't racing, though I do plan to.

Thanks for the advice though.

Well done to all involved!

Richie thats some praise! thanks man, although i feel a little overrated cheers to yourself and all the Epic racers,always a great atmosphere with you guys. great day

I really enjoyed that had a slow start but once I copped on that I was racing I stepped on it
I loved the jump and the dropoff, maybe cause that's the second biggest jump I've ever done after the rock of loneliness so I was buzzed up each time
Delighted with my 4th place and felt great today
It was a handy course I thought and reminded me of kindlestown

Well done to everyone for support etc

Have to say I really enjoyed that today, the course was great and the gap jump was great fun. Could definitely do with more overtaking points on the course though, if you were stuck behind a group of people it was very hard to get past. As usual I left myself with too much to do due to a slowish start but felt pretty good the whole way round so happy enough.

Well done Caroline and Orla for winning and Terry was flying as was Alfie in S1. Well done everyone.

hey don't get me wrong, i'm not arguing against the drop off or the gap..I'm merely saying i think racing should be the same course for everybody meaning no chicken runs. If everybody could do it, then it wouldn't be an issue. Actually its not even an issue..I just don't like the idea of needing chicken runs in an XC race and from what I could see walking the course, there was a definite need for more passing places.. there were some slow cycling races going on all over the shop !! Very funny for me, misery for the combatants !!
Still , up there with Kilruddery, Castlewellan, lady Dixon and Castlewellan as best venue. But they'll all bow down before Kaz's place..
I had to leave the drop off though..way too many people crawling up to the edge and flopping over .....

Provisional results are in: Click

Great racing today up in Dundalk. Great trails and close racing. Fair play to the Epic podiumers and the 3 lads with great results in S1.

Can we have longer field sections from now on.

Personally thought the field section was plenty! The racing was deadly though, so many people meant there was always someone to overtake or blatantly block off. The same trails that gave me nightmares last year were excellent. I had to kick myself out of bed this morning to go but I'm glad I did.

Well done all the many people who had good results, yourself Nomad, Terry, the S1 lads and others, but especially Caroline and Orla for winning by miles in their two races.

yeah that was deadly..some amount of people, great racing. The online sign on didn't help the sign on move along, some people were queueing for 40 mins !!
But the Weather was deadly and the amount of singletrack amazing..very swoopy and deadly.
I didn't ride it due to a medical emergency , so I took 261 photos !!
I walked the course and was impressed by a world class climb and some very brilliant singletrack.
I don't like courses with features that only some people can do, I think they're pointless and ruin the buzz of people trying to race but thats just my opinion.
I think organisers should bear in mind what the less experienced can manage and build more passing places in for the faster riders.
Again just my opinion. Well done to Tony Kelly, Cuchulainn and Bellurgan estate, a fantastic venue and great organisation. Well done.
Well done to all the clubs who took part.
Well done to Caroiline winning the Senior 3 Ladies race and Orla for winning the Senior 2 Ladies race.
Alfie, Doris and Max were well up there in Senior 1 , with Oz well up in Senior 2. Terry McDonagh was an incredible 4th in senior 3, beaten only by the locals. Not to mention young Superstar Rob Deegan..what a champ
John Pennefather came a fantastic 2nd place in senior 2, with Bob Seymour retains his domination as Irelands most outstanding MTBer ( The Blast, Bob, The Blast !!)
However so far this year the most outstanding rider I've seen allround and will hopefully just go from strength to strength is Mark McGauley from MAD.
I've seen some classy riders over the years and so far, I'd say hes up there with them , keep going Mark and you'll podium with the really big guns very soon.
Ciara Macm**** was also flying in the Senior 1 ladies Category she was not that far off Mel at all !
As usual there were a few broken hearted people, including young Ross Ennis but hey, pick yourselves up and battle again next time.

A great race, had a bad start with my chain trying to escape so I saw the whole S2 fly off in front of me. but enjoyed trying to make up places (not sure how far i got). was a great track but not sure about the gap jump just not needed.

deadly to see the ladies win today and other savage results a crossed the board. and of course great support from the Epic pit crew and Richie on the mic.

Seemed excellent organisation, lovely course but did lack passing opportunities. A problem for me because I had to let so many people past. Legs just hadn't any power at all after halfway round lap 1.

On a small point relating to on-line sign-on: take the total number of riders entered. Multiply by 3. That gives the number of cable ties that will be needed for attaching numbers to bikes.

Well done to all the podium and near podium people.

well,that was an excellent day out for the club.fair play to cuchulainn for securing what is in my opinion the best venue in the country and probably the best course too.have to say i thought the gap jump and the drop really added to the race and the course brilliant stuff.had a great race myself trying to get away from the gregg and dicing with the living legend john doris for a few laps good stuff.
well done to everyone who raced today especially the two girls caroline and orla savage stuff from them both.
no pressure lads!

That was my first time in Bellurgan and I enjoyed it, tough but good course that with a few tweaks could be world class. Still think that having a gap jump and a scary drop-off is a stupid idea for a XC race. It might be fine for us seasoned riders but I'd say it scared the bejaysus out of the not-so-experienced ones. More overtaking spots would be cool, but the traffic wasn't really an issue in S1s so I can't complain. Great results from Epic, with 2 girls winning their races and some lads in all categories doing well too!
I had a reasonably good start and excellent finish but was suffering big time on lap 3 and 4, just wasn't consistent today as much as I would've liked to.
Loads of mechanicals around the place, unreal amount of punctures on what I think was quite a smooth course.

What was the length of a lap in this? I'm trying to get fitter for XC but find it hard training for XC as I can never find the length of laps in XC races... Thanks!

did you race today ? Then the simple answer is train for a 1.5 hour race. Do that by racing every second week for 1.5 hours and by training at least once a week for 3 hours.
a lap that is 85% singletrack over 7k is going to he a world of difference to a lap thats also 7k and 85% grass like Lady Dixon.
BTW this thread is for applauding people who raced today so try and keep it on topic.

Apologies for that, No I wasn't racing, though I do plan to.

Thanks for the advice though.

Well done to all involved!

Richie thats some praise! thanks man, although i feel a little overrated cheers to yourself and all the Epic racers,always a great atmosphere with you guys. great day

I really enjoyed that had a slow start but once I copped on that I was racing I stepped on it
I loved the jump and the dropoff, maybe cause that's the second biggest jump I've ever done after the rock of loneliness so I was buzzed up each time
Delighted with my 4th place and felt great today
It was a handy course I thought and reminded me of kindlestown

Well done to everyone for support etc

Have to say I really enjoyed that today, the course was great and the gap jump was great fun. Could definitely do with more overtaking points on the course though, if you were stuck behind a group of people it was very hard to get past. As usual I left myself with too much to do due to a slowish start but felt pretty good the whole way round so happy enough.

Well done Caroline and Orla for winning and Terry was flying as was Alfie in S1. Well done everyone.

hey don't get me wrong, i'm not arguing against the drop off or the gap..I'm merely saying i think racing should be the same course for everybody meaning no chicken runs. If everybody could do it, then it wouldn't be an issue. Actually its not even an issue..I just don't like the idea of needing chicken runs in an XC race and from what I could see walking the course, there was a definite need for more passing places.. there were some slow cycling races going on all over the shop !! Very funny for me, misery for the combatants !!
Still , up there with Kilruddery, Castlewellan, lady Dixon and Castlewellan as best venue. But they'll all bow down before Kaz's place..
I had to leave the drop off though..way too many people crawling up to the edge and flopping over .....

Provisional results are in: Click

Great racing today up in Dundalk. Great trails and close racing. Fair play to the Epic podiumers and the 3 lads with great results in S1.

Can we have longer field sections from now on.

Personally thought the field section was plenty! The racing was deadly though, so many people meant there was always someone to overtake or blatantly block off. The same trails that gave me nightmares last year were excellent. I had to kick myself out of bed this morning to go but I'm glad I did.

Well done all the many people who had good results, yourself Nomad, Terry, the S1 lads and others, but especially Caroline and Orla for winning by miles in their two races.

yeah that was deadly..some amount of people, great racing. The online sign on didn't help the sign on move along, some people were queueing for 40 mins !!
But the Weather was deadly and the amount of singletrack amazing..very swoopy and deadly.
I didn't ride it due to a medical emergency , so I took 261 photos !!
I walked the course and was impressed by a world class climb and some very brilliant singletrack.
I don't like courses with features that only some people can do, I think they're pointless and ruin the buzz of people trying to race but thats just my opinion.
I think organisers should bear in mind what the less experienced can manage and build more passing places in for the faster riders.
Again just my opinion. Well done to Tony Kelly, Cuchulainn and Bellurgan estate, a fantastic venue and great organisation. Well done.
Well done to all the clubs who took part.
Well done to Caroiline winning the Senior 3 Ladies race and Orla for winning the Senior 2 Ladies race.
Alfie, Doris and Max were well up there in Senior 1 , with Oz well up in Senior 2. Terry McDonagh was an incredible 4th in senior 3, beaten only by the locals. Not to mention young Superstar Rob Deegan..what a champ
John Pennefather came a fantastic 2nd place in senior 2, with Bob Seymour retains his domination as Irelands most outstanding MTBer ( The Blast, Bob, The Blast !!)
However so far this year the most outstanding rider I've seen allround and will hopefully just go from strength to strength is Mark McGauley from MAD.
I've seen some classy riders over the years and so far, I'd say hes up there with them , keep going Mark and you'll podium with the really big guns very soon.
Ciara Macm**** was also flying in the Senior 1 ladies Category she was not that far off Mel at all !
As usual there were a few broken hearted people, including young Ross Ennis but hey, pick yourselves up and battle again next time.

A great race, had a bad start with my chain trying to escape so I saw the whole S2 fly off in front of me. but enjoyed trying to make up places (not sure how far i got). was a great track but not sure about the gap jump just not needed.

deadly to see the ladies win today and other savage results a crossed the board. and of course great support from the Epic pit crew and Richie on the mic.

Seemed excellent organisation, lovely course but did lack passing opportunities. A problem for me because I had to let so many people past. Legs just hadn't any power at all after halfway round lap 1.

On a small point relating to on-line sign-on: take the total number of riders entered. Multiply by 3. That gives the number of cable ties that will be needed for attaching numbers to bikes.

Well done to all the podium and near podium people.

well,that was an excellent day out for the club.fair play to cuchulainn for securing what is in my opinion the best venue in the country and probably the best course too.have to say i thought the gap jump and the drop really added to the race and the course brilliant stuff.had a great race myself trying to get away from the gregg and dicing with the living legend john doris for a few laps good stuff.
well done to everyone who raced today especially the two girls caroline and orla savage stuff from them both.
no pressure lads!

That was my first time in Bellurgan and I enjoyed it, tough but good course that with a few tweaks could be world class. Still think that having a gap jump and a scary drop-off is a stupid idea for a XC race. It might be fine for us seasoned riders but I'd say it scared the bejaysus out of the not-so-experienced ones. More overtaking spots would be cool, but the traffic wasn't really an issue in S1s so I can't complain. Great results from Epic, with 2 girls winning their races and some lads in all categories doing well too!
I had a reasonably good start and excellent finish but was suffering big time on lap 3 and 4, just wasn't consistent today as much as I would've liked to.
Loads of mechanicals around the place, unreal amount of punctures on what I think was quite a smooth course.

What was the length of a lap in this? I'm trying to get fitter for XC but find it hard training for XC as I can never find the length of laps in XC races... Thanks!

did you race today ? Then the simple answer is train for a 1.5 hour race. Do that by racing every second week for 1.5 hours and by training at least once a week for 3 hours.
a lap that is 85% singletrack over 7k is going to he a world of difference to a lap thats also 7k and 85% grass like Lady Dixon.
BTW this thread is for applauding people who raced today so try and keep it on topic.

Apologies for that, No I wasn't racing, though I do plan to.

Thanks for the advice though.

Well done to all involved!

Richie thats some praise! thanks man, although i feel a little overrated cheers to yourself and all the Epic racers,always a great atmosphere with you guys. great day

I really enjoyed that had a slow start but once I copped on that I was racing I stepped on it
I loved the jump and the dropoff, maybe cause that's the second biggest jump I've ever done after the rock of loneliness so I was buzzed up each time
Delighted with my 4th place and felt great today
It was a handy course I thought and reminded me of kindlestown

Well done to everyone for support etc

Have to say I really enjoyed that today, the course was great and the gap jump was great fun. Could definitely do with more overtaking points on the course though, if you were stuck behind a group of people it was very hard to get past. As usual I left myself with too much to do due to a slowish start but felt pretty good the whole way round so happy enough.

Well done Caroline and Orla for winning and Terry was flying as was Alfie in S1. Well done everyone.

hey don't get me wrong, i'm not arguing against the drop off or the gap..I'm merely saying i think racing should be the same course for everybody meaning no chicken runs. If everybody could do it, then it wouldn't be an issue. Actually its not even an issue..I just don't like the idea of needing chicken runs in an XC race and from what I could see walking the course, there was a definite need for more passing places.. there were some slow cycling races going on all over the shop !! Very funny for me, misery for the combatants !!
Still , up there with Kilruddery, Castlewellan, lady Dixon and Castlewellan as best venue. But they'll all bow down before Kaz's place..
I had to leave the drop off though..way too many people crawling up to the edge and flopping over .....

Provisional results are in: Click