Monday 17 December 2007

Training weekend, Co. Wicklow – Sat/Sun 15th/16th Dec 2007

Good weekend training. The weather and trails were perfect for winter riding.
I was sick the previous week so good to be back out. On Sat Ken, Padzer, Mark and I cycled on the road to the new trails Ballinastoe. WOW, we had a laugh, trails are bedding in nice, and the new one at the top was great fun, fast with predicable slides. A nice coffee in Enniskerry rounded off a great day.
On Sunday Robin, Evan, Richi and I went on a 5hour blast. Robin led from the front, real hard race pace. Great route, all on dry trails again, Bray head being the highlight. Also rode the trails in Djouce, real nice when its deserted! I blew up in Powerscourt, a bit hungover, so that did not help. A couple of honeystingers helped, and I barely hung on to Robin doing 45km/hr back in the Enniskerry Road.




Mark rails a berm

Coffee and a cuddle

New trails in Ballinstoe

Ulster Cyclocross Champs, Kilbroney Park, Co. Down – Sun 1st Dec 2007

Good race today. Finished up 2nd in a much better field. Fast course with a couple of drags that suited me.
Pace was fast from the start, I attacked from a bunch of about 10 riders at the end of the 1st lap, and only Raod Pro Roger Aiken stayed with me. We had about 10 second ending the first lap, and Roger upped the pace again, I was unable to respond!!!!
I then found myself on my own for the rest of the race, real hard as there was a 50km/hr head wind for a lot of the lap. Behind me @ 20 secs, a group of 5 riders worked together for the whole race. With 2 laps to go, Junior sensation Liam McGreevy attached a closed the gap to about 10 seconds. This promoted me to push again and regain my gap.
Roger was in a class of his own, finishing about 2 mins ahead……no chance! Ill be doing one more cross race before the nationals, and I feel a medal is defo on the cards.

Report
http://www.irishcycling.com/publish/news/art_2729.shtml

Wednesday 28 November 2007

Team WORC Corkagh Cyclocross, Kingswood, Co. Dublin – Sun 26th Nov 2007

I had a good ride in this cross race. My first cross race of the season, and dispite a cold, been totally knackered from GC, and a hangover (Christmas party time), I still managed to pull 2nd out of the bag. A group of 4 of us stayed together, until Robin attacked on the 5th lap, I kinda went at the same time and dropped Philip and young gun Paul.

I gotta start thinking about the nationals now, not too far away. The field was a bit depleted at this race, so I gotta raise my game if I want to finish top 5! Another cross race next Saturday in Rostrevor, a classic venue.

Images
http://imbrc.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=26&g2_itemId=5115

3rd place finisher Phil and I take a bend

Cheater and winner Robin jumps the boards!

Friday 23 November 2007

Gran Canaria winter week, Tue 13th Nov 2007

I have been looking forward to this trip for months! 9 of us headed off to Gran Canaria for some winter sun biking. 4 hours on a plane, no jetlag, temperatures in the high 20s every day, and incredible trails. It does not get much better than this!

The highlight of the trip was the 2, 7 hour epics back to back. We headed from the coast on the south of the island offroad to very near the top, and rode some incredible trails to finally descend from the Tamadaba national park on a new trail. We stayed overnight in Agaete and cycled home the next day.

25 hours of actual biking time in the week, and I am shelled! I have my march trip booked already, cant wait!!
Images
Videos

Recent fires have charred the landscape

Robin riding lava at 1800 mtrs

Craig on sandman, watch the drop!!

Thursday 22 November 2007

Djouce Trail Challenge, Djouce Woods, Co. Wicklow – Sun 11th Nov 2007

A short event, 18km on Djouce woods best singletracks. More of a leisure event than a race, but as I know the trails so well, I could not miss the opportunity to hit them at full pace. As the elites were ‘encouraged’ not to start, I had few challengers. Got the hole shot into the first singletrack and led the 100 riders from there, finishing over 2 minutes ahead of 2nd place super junior, Paul ??.

The course was incredible, 100% dry (a rarity at anytime of the year), all classic singletrack descending with some new features added in. Well done to Robin and all Team WORC for putting on an excellent event. Robin wants to grow the event and double the size of the route, and hopefully the entry.

Well done to all the other finishers too.

Full tilt on 'XTC'


Mark on his new Vertex

Wednesday 7 November 2007

Roc D'Azur 2007 - France

We all got back from the Roc a couple of weeks ago. 140,000 spectators and 14,000 riders make this the biggest MTB event in the world. This is the typical end of year race for all the euro riders, so there is a relaxed atmosphere and everyone is in good form. Sunshine in October is a bonus.

I was entered in 2 races, the Marathon (Friday - 87km) and the Roc (Sunday – 57km).

I had a good ride in both races, 50th in the marathon out of 1500. I broke my chain towards the end of the race, bummer. Top 40 was on the cards there. In the Roc I finished 94th out of 4400, good ride. Lots of top guys there so happy enough.

Well done to the rest of the guys, too many results to mention!

We stayed right on the beech part of the course, in an incredible villa, great pool and bbq, perfect. Lots of relaxing too. All the WAGS came down, 1 week of sun and sea, followed by the odd 4 hours of pain. The event also hosts the largest French trade show, so it was good to see all the 2008 gear.

Incredible event, so much going on, so many MTB riders, great atmosphere. We will be back!!!


The start!

Big and Big on the steep climb

Paddy givin it loads

Job done!

Relax time!

Race
http://picasaweb.google.com/joemccall/Roc2007RacePics
http://picasaweb.google.com/karenenglish1/RocDAzur2007

General
http://picasaweb.google.com/joemccall/Roc2007RacePics
http://picasaweb.google.com/ev.ryan/ROC_2007
http://picasaweb.google.com/paddydaly77/Roc200702

Djouce spin - Aug 2007

Some pics from a recent spin to Djouce, near Enniskerry. Mark, Craig and I did the 4 hour loop from Dublin, real nice spin, and good weather considering the terrible summer we had!

Powerscourt water fall

Wednesday 22 August 2007

UCI World Masters MTB Champs, Pra-Loup, France - 19th August 2007

Finally getting the report done, here goes!

DKS, Dave and I headed for the French alps, about 160km north of Nice airport. After a brief stop in the medieval village of ??, we headed over the ???m pass of ???, amazing road, didn’t have the nerve to go the wrong way up the one way tunnels!! A nice descent through the ??? gorge and we arrived in Pra-Loup @ 1600mtrs. To my surprise, the place was PACKED. We fist checked into or Apt, not too bad, 2 dbl bedrooms and an amazing view. After signing on in race HQ, we got the gear on for a quick lap of the course.

The course consisted of 1km of flat grass & fireroad, 2.5km fast singletrack descent, followed by a 2km savage climb back to the start/finish. Didn’t really suit me as I usually prefer the more technical courses. But we all agreed it was good fun. A nice dinner in ‘Restaurente Penguini’ and off to bed for an early one.

We awoke Saturday to beaming sunshine. As this was the DHers day, we decided to get 2 laps of the XC course in, and chill out in the afternoon and cheer on the Irish DH riders. The laps went well, course was getting very rough though, washboard and dust! We made it in time to watch the last few DHers come down, the highlight of the day was Glynn O’Brien taking silver in the DH, ‘What about ya’. More ‘Restaurente Penguini’ and back to the apt for a quick game of scrabble.

Sunday, Race day!! Our race was due to start at 12, but we awoke early to cheer on Peter Bug in the 45 – 49 cat. Peter was riding well in 2nd spot, but a freek technical issue pushed him back to 6th, still, a good result. Back to the apt for race prep, and back to the course for warm up and gridding. The start area was abuzz with riders from all over the world, all looking like total pros, GULP. DKS and I were gridded on the front row, perfect! A good start was needed as there was a singletrack descent right after the start. BANG, off we go, I got a great start, 2nd down the dodgy steps, 2nd into the descent. Not too good for DKS, 5mtrs after the start a guy crashed in front of him causing a missive pileup, and Daves bike was at the bottom! Bent mech and last down the steps, the worst possible start. Meanwhile, I was settling into race pace and let riders pass when needed. By the end of the first lap, I was comfortable in the top 20, going well. I held this position pretty much event free until the end of the race, 21st overall, not too bad at all! DKS did not fare so well, major traffic and a bent hanger left him struggling, eventually pulled at the end of lap 3 and a mid 70s result.

Steep climbs amde the going tough!
Next was Daves race (30 -> 34), again a good grid position helped his start, and he rode well to climb from mid 40s to mid 30s by the end of the race, getting stronger towards the end, a good ride. James McCluskey had a great ride to grab 7th place, nice one.

Another 2 days of amazing alpine trails and Cot D’Azur beeches rounded off a great trip. Next up, Irish Marathon Champs and the then back to France for the Roc d’Azur.

Dave in the granny

Images
Race Images - http://picasaweb.google.com/joemccall/World_masters_champs02
Spin Images - http://picasaweb.google.com/joemccall/PraLoup2007

Movies
My start - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWgwPbR0xec
My start # 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0DEH7ehpUI
Steep climb!!! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFR4nYMOx8g

Friday 3 August 2007

UCI Master World Champs Preview

Preparation is going well for the UCI Master World Champs in Pra-Loup, France. I am really looking forward to this event, as its been a long time since I have raced a world class XCO event. I will be competing in the 35-39 category (I'm only 34, but its the year of my 35th birthday), and I am hoping for a top 20% result.I am traveling with Dave Gill and David King Smith, both very experienced MTB races.

PraLoup is in the Frence Alps, about 2 hours from Nice, and the elevation is at 1600 mtrs, so the weather may be changable!

There will be a few Irish there, so we should also have a good laugh. We are staying on for an extra couple of days to get in some alpine riding, chillout time!

Good luck to ex team mate, Peter Buggle, who is going for the win in the 45 -49 category. Peter has been rinding full time this year in preparation for this race, so things look good!



Tuesday 24 July 2007

Irish National Championships, Newcastle, Co. Down – Sun 22nd July 2007

This was the big race, the Nationals! This was the one that I HAD to win this year. I had been racing since the start of march, and I was feeling tired going into the race.
2 laps on Saturday revealed a mixed course. The whole climb was a fast fireroad, all big ring. This would suit me well, being a big guy and all! The descent back to the finish was a mixed bag, technical and off camber for the first half, fast and flowy for the second half. The rain we have had for the last 8 weeks finally stayed away for race week, leaving a drying course with some slippy sections to keep it interested/dangerous.
My main rivals were all there, Peter O’Farrel, looking fit from his adventure racing, a recovered Gordon Lucas, and ex world cup elites Craig Brady and Don Travers making a return to racing.
Race day, and from the gun I took the lead, I had a good gap going into the descent only to be held up by a load of experts!! A couple of falls, and a burped tyre were cause for concern, but I soldiered on. I caught the Yvain Sogno (lead expert + 1 min) by the end of lap 2, and we stayed together until the last lap when I put the hammer down on the descent.
All in all, an easy win. Congrats to Peter in 2nd and Niall Q in 3rd, great racing there.
Also, well done to Elite winner Robin Seymour, his 15th straight title! Robin was in a class of his won, taking the win from Niall Davis and Irish # 2 roadman Roger Aiken.
I am very happy to retain my title, as it was the # 1 goal for the year. Now I can concentrate on the Maters Worlds in France in August, cant wait.

Report
irishcycling
Images
IMBRC
cycleseen

Giving it loads on the fireroad climb


Tech descents ruled the course!

Another tech drop!

Olympic hopefuls, Robin and Niall, battle it out!

Friday 13 July 2007

NPS # 7 (final), Tymon Park, Co. Dublin – Sun 8th July 2007

Well, the first non-shlompy race in a while. Wow, what a course, pancake flat (apart from one hump), but probably 80% singletrack, this race was fast, fast, fast, suited me down to the ground. I got a great start, into the singletrack second behind Team WORC rider Dave Gill. I pulled away from everyone during the race, I really was flying. The course was so good, tight singletrack, slippy corners, real fast.
I took the win easily, catching all the experts (+1) min, and up to 4th in the Elites (+3 mins). I’m very happy with that considering the nature of the course. The win secured the overall win in the NPS, winning 5 out of 5!
We also took part in the Team Relay on the Saturday. Team Rocky Mountain consisted of Myself, Mark and Padzer,. Great fun, and 5th overall was a nice bonus.
Well done to the IMBRC for putting on an excellent show. Dave Barry designed an excellent course, and he promises more for next year, cant wait!
I will be hoping to retain my XC Masters title in the Nationals Champs next weekend. The race is been held in the excellent venue of Tullymore Park in Co. Down.

Report
irishcycling
Images
IMBRC

The tight, flat course provided great racing

IMBRC rider and race director, Dave Barry, took 3rd in the race and 2nd overall (expert category)



Overall Expert winner, Yvain Sogno, is tracked by race winner Philip Roche
Ryan Sherlock took the overall win in the Elite category

Monday 2 July 2007

NPS # 6, Douce Woods, Co. Wicklow – Sun 1st July 2007

This should have been the most amazing course, but 6 weeks of almost persistent rain turned the incredible trails in a muddy mess! Now, it wasn’t that bad, but there were some very tricky bits. I think the last time I finished a race that muddy was Ballyduff in 1991!!!
I got the holeshot into the first singletrack (again), and had about 15 seconds at the end of the first descent! I increased the lead throughout the race too. I caught all the experts (+3 mins), but none of the elites (+7 mins), maybe next time!
The new element, in only its second race, got well hammered. A dip in the river on lap 2 and 3 was needed to clean up the drivetrain and keep things smooth. Its gagging to be raced on a fast dry course. My closest rivals did not get results today, Damo was running the event, Peter O was off doing an outdoor challenge event, and Gordon L failed to finish. This result has moved me into 1st overall in the league, only one race left, so it should be a nail biter.
Well done to all of the Epic team for putting on a great show in difficult conditions.The last round of the NPS is next weeknd, 8th July in a flat prk in the Dublin suburbs. It should be very fast, flat 7km circuit with 80% singletrack! Get the hardtail out?



The steep climb back to the finish, hard in the mud!



Some of the trails held up real well

While others were almost unrideable!

Thursday 21 June 2007

NPS # 6 preview

I am really looking forward to this event. Organized by the EPIC team, and in a dream location, this should prove a great penultimate NPS test for all the series contenders. Hope the course dries out so I can get the best out of the Element race bike!

Tuesday 19 June 2007

Update from Canada - Test of Metal, Squamish BC Canada - Sat 16th May 2007

Update from Kevin Calhoun, Team Lead. The ‘Test of Metal’ race is one of Canada largest and most prestigious races.
I am very happy with this result (5th). Its been a long time coming, let me tell you. I think I needed that to get my morale back. Its funny to read the race reports… that never tell the whole story. I was in the lead for more than half the race with Neal and Ryan up until this monster climb known as 9 mile. Pretty much 9 miles straight up. It’s a crusher… I held on as long as possible, but that wasn’t enough. Then as I was about 10 mins from the line. Dre and Freddy passed me while I was starting to fade a little and ultimately that’s how it ended up. I don’t know how many times I race I get called Dre… go Dre… that’s all I ever here… I should ride around with a big stick, I am not Dre on it… ah well, there are worse people in the world to be called right? Besides, this way I can ride around in mystery and no one knows who I am. I like that angle better anyways….
But yeah, back to the race, it was very good. Tough conditions, pissed rain the entire time and made for a soupy mess of an already tough course. Good conditions for me actually…. Bike rode beautifully under me the entire time. I chose the right tires for battle too. I went with some heavier compound tubeless tires that rode all winter so I knew how they would handle the mud. Heavier yes… but they never flat.
When I look at the results, all the guys who beat me race full time with 100% national or provincial team funding…. They’re only job is bike riding/racing. So outside of that for a working stiff like me, I was pretty happy with the result. My goal was going into the race was top 5 and I achieved that, so I would have to call it a success.
As far as the form coming back… yes! I made some pretty serious changes to my bike set up over the winter and it was not working for me at all this year. I had no leg power, bad cramping and severe knee pain. I decided to take some measurements off of some older bikes of mine and noticed my saddle height was a full half inch lower on my mtb this year vs last. I changed back to my old shoes too in my old cleat position and it makes all the difference in the world. As the saying goes, if it aint broke, don’t fix it….
http://www.testofmetal.com/

Kevin takes on feed in the 'Test of Metal'

NPS # 5, Killaloe, Co. Limerick – Sat 16th May 2007

Once in a while, everyone has a bad day, today was my bad day! What looked like a super course, turned to shlomp with the previous days rain. A hard climb, straight up, and a long singletrack descent all the way back to the finish. Taylor mad for me, not in the mud! For some reason I never perform in the super muddy conditions.
Anyway, a mass start for all the main races meant a front row position was essential! I got a good start, and I was leading by half way down the first descent. However, super-elite Ryan passed me and I was never able to claw him back. To make things worse, I was passed on the third lap by another Master, Peter O! Unfortunately for him, a puncture sent him back to third by the end.
I fumbled my way through the remaining laps, taking the Masters win in very unspectacular fashion! I really should have been about 5 mins quicker!
I really have to sharpen up for the next NPS, only 2 weeks away on an amazing course in Douce woods in Wicklow, really looking forward to that! The new Element team should really shine there.
Got to mention Rocky Mountain stagiaire Philip Roche, a class young rider. Phil binned himself on the second lap and had to stop for 4 mins, but a determined fight got him back to second in the expert category, overtaking his teammate, Rich, on the last descent, see pics below, class!!!!!

Nice view

Mud, mud, mud!

Phil does the impossipass on the last descent!

Wednesday 13 June 2007

New Race bike – Element Team

I took the new full-sus race bike out for a spin last night. The new bike has full XTR and full race suspension, so it performed like a true race machine. On the technical trails around Powerscourt waterfall, the bike did not put a wheel wrong, and climbing was also a joy with the Fox pro-pedal system and the new super-rigid oversized rear end.
Looking forward to racing it in this weekends NPS # 5.
Mark was also on his new totally custom Element. Scandium downtube, mega shappedm etc, a real nice machine!

The new bike

Oversize everything!

Marks new totally custom dream race machine!

Monday 11 June 2007

Wicklow 200, Co. Wicklow/Dublin – Sun 11 June 2007

WOW, what a day. The weather was incredible, wall-to-wall sunshine, 1200 riders, 3000mtrs of climbing and 200kms of stunning scenery in the Wicklow and Dublin hills. Mark, Paddy and I rode as part of a larger group, and took it easy on the challenging route. Riders of all shapes and sizes attempt this challenge, and it always amazes that some of them make it at all, fairs dues!
Special mention to Brandan, Ian and Eric from our group, they rode very well to complete the challenge. This was by far the longest and toughest spin that Ian has ever done, and Brendan mentioned that this was the quickest he has completed the event. Eirc had a tougher time, but continued on to complete in ~ 12 hours, savage!
I completed the course on my Vertex MTB with 700c Mavic Speedcity wheels, kinda cool huh? Mark was on his brand new RM solo team, all new, full rear carbon end, very nice.Along the way I chatted to Joe Barr (former road pro), Martin Earley (former road pro, TDF stage winner), but the highlight of the day was the sprint finish with legend Sean Kelly, hes still got it ya know!



2 cycling legends, and Phil Cassidy!

Brendan drops Mark on one of the many steep climbs

Mark negotiates Sleive Mann

Monday 21 May 2007

MTB spin, Co. Wicklow/Dublin – Sun 20 May 2007

I decided to take a break from racing and miss the NPS # 4 race in Larne. Instead, I went on a 5 hour MTB spin in the Wicklow & Dublin hills. Dry trails and blue skies were the order of the day. Great riding, well done to all who attended, Craig, Philip R, Gar, Niall Q, James and teammate Mark. Good to get out on the bike again after all the racing. I was riding well, easily out of the river in Knockree In middle 1st, my goal is big 2nd by the time the worlds come around!!! There is a break from racing for a few weeks. I will do the Wicklow 200 touring event on June 10th (200km, I’ll do it on the Vertex), then NPS # 5 in Limerick the following weekend. Looking forward to it.

View to Lugagla.

Tuesday 15 May 2007

NPS # 3, Carlingford, Co. Wicklow – Sun 13th May 2007

Back to Calringford for NPS # 3, venue for the K Capital Cup # 3 race a few weeks ago. I love this place, mega singletracks and incredible views. The weather turned this week, so there was potential for a slidery course. I swapped my 1.9” WTB tires for 2.3” monsters, just in case.
And WOW, what a choice. The course was different to the KCC#3 race, but still included the main ST to the bottom of the course. The tyres were soooo good, low pressure and mega grip, only 1 dab in the WHOLE race.
I was on great form, started well, dropped all the other Masters straight away, and caught and passed all the Experts (+1 min) by 2/3 way around the 2st lap.
I also caught and passed up to the 2nd Elite, so I was happy with that too! Gordon L was 2nd again, and he takes the overall. Former Elite John Mason was 3rd, just piping the excellent Dave Gill. Dave suffered with an irregular heart beat in the race, and 2nd would have been easy for him if it was not for this, well, next race maybe.
I am 2nd overall in the league now, with a race in hand, so all looks good.

Nice, technical course



Gordon Lucas leads the Master men overall

Report
mtbireland
Images
imbrc

NPS # 2, Ballinastoe, Co. Wicklow – Sun 6th May 2007

I took a break from racing last weekend and decided to miss the first round of the NPS. Best 5 out of 7 so I can drop a couple of rounds. I have also decided not to bump up to Elites. There will be very few Elites racing in the NPS this year, as they will all be away racing and trying to qualify for the Olympics. Instead, I have decided to stay in the very competitive Masters category, with the rest of the ol’ lads.
Round 2 is in nearby Ballinstoe woods, a venue I have been racing at since 1993! The course was very short, very dry, and very fast. Only 5 laps for the Masters, so it would be a short race.
I took it easy from the start, but got the holeshot into the first descent (‘RailBlazer’, built By Craig and I about 7 years ago, still amazing!). The rest of the Masters followed, but I had a good gap at the end of the descent, so I pushed hard to maintain the gap.
I increased the gap until the start of the 4th lap, I binned myself on a slow trail when I caught my pedal in a stump. I received large impact to my left knee, and I could barely turn the pedals on the main climb, middle X 1 vs big 4th for the other laps….ohhhh the pain!
I recovered and continued on the race, taking it a bit easier. I won comfortable, have a good dice with a couple of the experts. My main rival, Peter O’Farrell, snapped his rear mech hanger, so he was out. Well done to Gordon Lucas of Team WORC for taking an excellent 2nd place, Damo Mulcron took 3rd.


Flying through the BungHole, no damaged knee yet!

Report

Thursday 10 May 2007

Update from Canada

Just a quick update from the mother ship in Canada. Kevin Calhoun (Team manager and Rocky Sales Guy) sent some pics from a recent race and a recent trip to Mt. Tam.
Looks like the guys over there suffer with the mud too!



Mud, glorious mud

The main man, Kevin overlooking the Pacific

Gerry Brannigan Memorial Randonee - Sun 29th April 2007

Organized by Orwell wheels, myself, Mark, Phil Roche and Marks buddy Ian took part in the 120km randonee though the hills of Wicklow. Very nice day, excellent weather, and 120km in the hills was a nice days training.
I rode the course on my Vertex with Mavic Speedcity wheels, 700c with discs, very cool

Wednesday 25 April 2007

K Capital Cup Round 4, Castlewellan, Co. Down - 22th April 2007

WOW, what a race. The course was as good as it gets, tonnes of single track, steep climbs, fast, dusty, the way it is supposed to be.
I entered the final round of the K Capital Cup series with the leaders jersey, and I only need to finish ahead of Damian Mulcroon to take the overall lead. This course was bound to suit me, and I went off hard from the start to enter the singletrack in first place.
I held on to the lead for the rest of the race, and Damien did get close in the early laps, but dropped back at the half way point, only to retire due to tyre problems.
I, however, was in my element! The bike was incredible, all 100% right. This allowed me to really push on the descents, increasing my lead out to 4 minutes to second place by the end of the race.
A great day, a great result, and the overall too. Very happy with that.
Next is the NPS, I am going to skip the first round, but I’ll make the rest. I hope to make the jump to the elite class (again), a lot harder, but it will bring on my form rapidly!
A word of thanks to all the organizers of the K Capital Cup, Robin, Dave, Geoff, Andy, Robbie, etc…..a great series that you should be very proud of.


Mega dust

Nice overall trophy