This weekend was jammed packed with cross, with the 4th round of the Munster League hosted by DeRonde taking place in Aghada on Saturday, and Round 3 of the Fixx Series on in the new bike park in Glencullen. The club had a big turnout for round 4 of the Munster League with Carlton making his debut in CX and Alan taking on his first race of the season. As well as that Ger and Kevin were making the step up to A racing after several strong performances in the B category. Joining them were Robbie, Russell, Stevie and Richie. The course was great. It had a mix of technical off camber, mud, and fast grassy and gravel sections, as well as a climb every lap. This was going to be a battle in both races, and any weakness would be found out quickly and harshly. Robbie and Carlton took to the line in the B race and both put in impressive performances. Carlton managed an excellent top 15 on his CX debut. He grew in confidence lap by lap, and his road fitness stood to him. Robbie put in a great performance, and was rewarded with making the podium, taking a fine third place. He put to bed the demons of "what might have been" in Mallow and had to battle hard throughout the race. For a while it looked like the podium was out of reach but a strong push in the latter part of the race secured him an excellent result. Alan, Ger, Kevin, Russell, Richie, and Stevie all took to the line in the A race. This would be a 50 minute affair, and after Mallow, some of the lads had points to prove. Richie got off to a solid start but a fall on the 3rd lap threatened to derail his race. However he battled back and moved into 3rd starting the final lap. He managed to hold of Richie Maes of Killarney, and he also consolidated his 3rd place position in the League. Russell also had a strong performance, finishing 2nd in the m40 category. He was battling with 3 others for most of the race, but like Richie he produced a strong finish and managed to break the deadlock on the final lap. This meant Russell rocketed up the league standings and is well poised to move into a podium position in the m40 standings. Ger and Alan had what one might say an "eventful" race, both ending up in hedge after getting it wrong on a drop off. However both put in strong rides considering the circumstances, with Alan bagging a top 20 place, and they will be ones to watch as the season progresses. Stevie and Kevin were solid and steady as always. Stevie finished just behind Alan, and also inside the top 20 while Kevin rounded out the top 25. With this result Kevin also managed to bag the 1st m60. These results are incredibly important, as after this race the Barrs have shot up the team standings and again are challenging for the podium here. Big thanks to DeRonde (and the race sponsor McCarthy Cycles) for a super race on an excellent course. The riders have now come to expect a high standard when it comes to race organisation, and Deronde certainly delivered. Richie was the sole rider to make the spin to Dublin for the Fixx race. Russell had entered but he had picked up a toe injury on Saturday, and realised he couldn't put his foot into his shoe. However, the growth of the Munster League and camaraderie amongst the competitors in it meant that Richie was by no means alone in the race. For those who don't know the Fixx series is the ultimate testing ground. For many Munster riders in previous years, not getting lapped was the aim. This year is different though. With the league, Munster riders are racing regularly, improving their skills, and giving each other a good kicking week in week out, as every point matters. It was clear on Sunday that this stood to all of those who made the journey. Paul Birchall, and Indrek Mannik (both Pi Cycles/Focus Munster) had strong performances in the highly competitive "B" race. Richie was joined in the A race by John Dempsey (Carrick), Matty Taylor (Focus Munster), Richie Maes (Killarney), and Matt Slattery (Velo Revolution), the previous days winner. While they were all racing each other for bragging rights, it would be interesting to see how they would stack up against the best in the country. Glencullen is a cracking venue, on an old golf course. Golf courses make awesome CX courses. You have off camber, mud, trees, and of course sand. Robin Seymour and the WORC team make the most of this and put together a hilly course, with some brilliant technical features. Richie had a poor start and was nearly last going into the first run up. He didn't panic (even after another small fall in the sand), and slowly battled back to the sharp end of the race. Matty Taylor was in his sights and they had a battle Royal for the last two laps, which also brought John Dempsey closer to them. Richie gave his all to shake Matty, but a mistake in the final bends, and a strong kick from Matty meant Richie lost that battle. Matt Slattery had a super ride, finishing 9th, with John, Matty, and Richie finishing within seconds of each other, but more importantly, well inside the top 20. This brings us to the lessons we have learnt midway through the CX season:
The next race is round 5 of the Munster League in Killarney. Entries are now open. Hon the Barrs! Photos courtesy of Sean Rowe, DeRonde, and some of our own!
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St.Finbarrs Cycling ClubEst. 1938 Archives
October 2017
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