XC NPS Rd. 5 (Belfast) - race report

It has been a rough and a bit unlucky day for me and me performance was way under the expected. But lets start from the beginning. We have travelled to Belfast last Sunday to race the Irish NPS Rd. 5 in the famous Lady Dixon Park. The journey was smooth and very quick, so we got there in time and strated my regular race preparation.

Getting ready

After a quick sign-on I got changed and went out to get my practice lap done before the S4 guys are off at 12 o`clock. I was riding nice and slow just to see how the race course has been changed since last summer. I do have to say: the track was brilliant! Wouldn`t ride it if you want to have a good XC spin but to race on once in a while was excellent. :)

After the slow practice lap I got back to the car and I got ready for the start but unfortunately during my warm up I got a front puncture. Extremely quick repair and I was ready to go... but due to some crash on the course our start was delayed by 30 minutes... 

I haven`t race any NPS this year so I did have about 30 riders ahead of me at the start so my first lap was sacrified to get up towards to the front.  Didn`t quiet worked out the way it was planned, I got stock in badly...

Coming into the technical zone

But I di not feel quiet right on the bike during the second lap so it has been a bit of a struggle for me. But luckily I got better and faster in the last lap and gained couple of places.

During the race

In action (photo by Cieran Maunsell) 

On the race course (photo by Michael A.)

Crossing the finish line

I have finished only the 19th position in S3 category out of 50 riders (full results). This result is disappointing for me and definitely a sign to get my act together for the next race! I have plenty of time for that because I will skip the next XC round in Killaloe due to the Wicklow 200.

But hey, this is racing: I guess it has been one of those days when thigs are just not going right. Next time will be better! :)

Last training before the NPS Rd. 5 in Lady Dixon Park & first test ride with the new fork

The next round of the NPS league is coming up this Sunday. As a part of the preparation for this race I went out to the Phoenix Park to do some sweet sprinting sessions accross the fields. The Lady Dixon Park in Belfast is quiet similar so I just wanted to have my head set up for racing in a park. I have raced there before and I love the course. If the weather is gonna be dry it will be a beast place to race. Even if it has virtually zero difficulty but with all the swich back turns and insane speed it's gonna be excellent race. :)

On Sunday we need to expect lots of this...

...and some of this in deed.

Today's training was all about short but very fast burst type sprints, get the sharp corners right and accelerate from them as fast as possible. Also to set very high pace and speed becuase I have to deal with all this on the race this weekend. 

So, I am ready for Sunday! :) I feel really good on the bike and I'm looking forward to race after the couple of weeks brake. 

First impression after the first test ride with the new fork:

I have fitted the new suspension fork yesterday, so I was pretty excited to take the bike out for the first test spin. Well, obviously the terrain in the Phoenix Park wasn't too challenging in deed but was perfectly good enough for testride.

The most important thing I could mention is the stiffness. Even a small rider like me can spot the huge difference between this fork and my old one, thanks to the Double Arch Design from  Magura, that gives incredible stability when I turn the bike in high speed.

The other thing is the quality of the remote lock-out system. The whole thing is very neat design with the integrated cable casing end on the back side of the crown. 

Also the hidden cable fitting is an excellent idea and of course it looks sweet! :)

So, I'm very happy with the new fork and I am sure it will be brilliant to have for all the upcoming races. Can't wait to try it out on some brutal rocky trails up in the Wicklow! :)

Magura Durin Race (MD80R) '10 suspension fork

I just got delivered the next upgrade for my XC bike, a Magura Durin Race '10 suspension fork. But let's start from the beginning: I use Rock Shox Reba SL fork on my bike for nearly two years. They are lovely forks, never had any issue with them. Until now... Suddenly it has started to leak oil on the right hand side and seams like the lock-out mechanism is broken as well. It is still under warranty, but the time to get it repaired just simply way too long to wait in the middle of the season. 

After some hesitation and calculation I have decided to get a new fork and get the old one repaired with no time pressure. So I end up with a much better fork for racing and the old one will be up for sale when I get it back from the service.

Did all my research and the final choice was this masterpiece from Germany. I never used this fork before but I only heard good things about it. Possibly don't need to say that the Magura sets very high standard if we are talking about disc brakes and suspension forks. So their reputation and the excellent looking design on this fork was enough to pick the Durin Race.

 But let's see what's inside the fancy looking box. Unboxing this sweet piece of kit was a bit like Christmas! :) 

Magura Durin Race (MD80R) suspension fork with 80mm travel in red colour, Magura shock pump that is essential (but I never got any with any other fork I had), lock-out kit and owners manual with all the important info in it.   

After opening the bombproof packaging the fork felt very light straight away so I put it on the scale quickly to see some numbers. Impressive in deed!

Weight difference between Magura Durin Race & Rock Shox Reba SL is more than 200g and the steerer tube hasn't even been cut on the new fork!

Technical features:

• weight: 1436g (on my scale) with uncut steerer tube
• cold forged aliminium fork crown with integrated cablestop
• 9mm safety dropouts (SDO)
• Double Arch Design (DAD) for stiffness and high steering precision
• Dynamic Lockout System (DLO+) with remote lever
• adjustable Dynamic Lockout, rebound, preload (air pressure)
• PostMount disc brake caliper connection
• hydraulic cable guide 

All the details are fine, it is easy to spot the precise German design and quality on this excellent fork. I pop into the workshop tomorrow morning and get it fitted on the bike. I am pretty sure it will be much nicer than the old one. Can't wait for the first test ride! :)

High paced spin up to Leadmines

Finally the wind has eased up a little after the weekend and today was nice and sunny also. I got out of work in time thanks to the early shift, so I stormed home and got on the bike in no time. I wanted to visit Leadmines for a while now because for some reason I normally don't cycle there. I have seen it clear this afternoon: I should of! :)

I put the earphones in and set up the playlist of one of my favourite band called Tankcsapda and I was ready to go. I got through the mad afternoon traffic all right and hit the road that leads towards Enniskerry. I set the pace pretty high because the plan was to have a short but intense training spin this afternoon. 

After I got to the tower on the top I started the off-road spin on the trails that I knew and even explored some of the "new" ones. The weather was amazing, I was waiting for this for ages to ride in shorts and short sleeves! Lovely! :)


The trails are dusty dry up there so I had to appreciate the conditions even more! :)

After the intense mountain biking I turned back home and cycled back to Dublin on the same road. The spin was only 1 hour and 30 minutes long, I have covered the distance of 31km. This training was ideal during the week and was part of my preparation for the race on Sunday.

Elevation graph

photos

At the tower on the top of Leadmines

Hairpin bend on this super steep technical climb that took me to the top of the hill nearby.

Excellent view from the top :)

Savage Spin on Ballinastoe Trails

I just got back from a decent spin. This morning I went down to Ballinastoe and did ride the trails that I like in deed. During the winter time when the weather isn't too good I drive there but during the summer I allways prefer to ride the bike all the way to the trails, have a nice mountain bike spin there and cycle home afterwards. This way I spend long enough time on the bike and after the spin I get good mileage as well. Also to get distance like this done on the XC bike takes good effort.

The map of the spin

I did get to Ballinastoe quiet quickly and I felt good and fresh so I wanted to have a quick, timed big lap done. I did ride the loop many times before but I never have checked the time that it takes to finish it. The starting / finishing point was the rail on the bottom of the fire road. Off I went for the big loop and I really enjoyed it in deed. During the first couple of kilometers I felt a bit slower than I wanted to feel but I have picked up the pace and got faster. 

After 59 minutes and 23 seconds I got back to the rail, this was my time to get the big loop done. I think it isn't too bad but I defenitely want to shave a bit of a time off next time. :)

I have stopped only once to take this shot. Excellent view! :)

After I got back to the carpark I didn't hang around for long because the weather started to get bad, so I wanted to get back home before the rain. I cycled back on the same route through Enniskerry, Stepaside and Dundrum.

Today's spin was 66.6km long under 3 hours and 15 minutes with the total elevation gain was 1021m. I have burned 1930 kcal during the spin and on the way home I broke my personal speed record as well: 73,5 km/h max speed on the XC bike. I am pretty happy for that, I like to go faaast! :)

Today's graph

Now I finished my outstanding lunch (roast chicken breast with mashed potato and steamed vegetables) so I am ready to rest this afternoon. :)

Quick morning spin - Dublin Mountain Way

This morning was great on the bike! I went up to the mountains, my destination was the Dublin Mountain Way this time. This trail is nice and fast with queit technical drops and tricky downhill sections at the end. It is lovely to ride up there!

I got up there from the Marlay Park side and cycled along the first section of the Wicklow Way. But unfortunately I got a puncture. I put my spare tube in but that was all I had with me today. So I have decided to head back towards home on the tarmac road, in case I get another puncture. It would have been a long walk home! :)

The map of today's ride

So, because of that this morning's spin got a little bit shorter than it was planned but it's ok 'cause I really did enjoy to be up there. I have cycled 32 km this morning with nearly 600 m elevation on the way. This took me 1 hour and 35 minutes. This pace not the fastest but kind of all right with the many tough off-road sections.

The conclusion of todays spin is: I have to look around for new set of tyres I think or maybe try out the tubeless set up. I keep getting punctures since I have the Bontrager XR1 tyres on, so the issue needs to be sorted in deed!

Irish XC NPS Round 5 - Upcoming XC race

Here comes my next XC race after a quiet long break. The Round 5 of the 2011 NPS season will be in the Lady Dixon Park in Belfast on the 29th of May. I did race there last year and I loved the course: it is very-very easy but super fast with many opened field sections. It it about pure speed and power.

Basicly I have 2 weeks to get ready for this race so I will spend some time in the Phoenix Park to speed up a little bit! :)

Back to Ireland, back on the bike

We got back to Dublin on Friday night and today I'm back on the bike. I was looking forward to my first proper off-road spin after more than 2 weeks time. I was running back in Hungary to keep my fittness up as much as I can but I missed the bike for sure. 

I went up to Threerock just as I usually do and I didn't even pay attention for the strong wind and heavy enough rain. It was great to ride my bike again! 

Everything was pretty muddy and slippery up there and the rain didn't stop for 1 hour and 45 minutes, as long as I was out there. This spin was a short, fun type cycle, I have covered 30km of distance. But even so, it was brilliant to be back on the bike and cycle the well known trails again! :)

Life is "tough" in the family home :)

Just few photos that shows how "hard" the life is in the family home during my holiday! :) Do they want me to gain some weight?! :)

Nice, home made, freshly ground coffe

Outdoor fire place in the garden

Bacon cooked on naked flame, bread, red onion, tomatoes, hot green pepper and scallions. "Real" cyclist food... :)

The meal is ready

And a lovely dessert

Running keeps me going

Yesterday I went for my usual running session until I am off the bike during my holiday time. Based on all  the training during last week my legs are getting used to running. The plan was to increase the time and distance each time. It seems like the plan works well and the progress is getting better. 

Timing and elevation graph of the training

Last night I run for 40 minutes and covered the distance of 7 km on mostly flat terrain. The pace wasn't too high or intense (avgarage moving pace: 05:39 min/km) but was fast enough (best pace: 04:13 min/km) so my legs are tired for sure after last night.

I think I can get one more runing session done before I travel back to Ireland and continue my bike training for the rest of the season. I would prefer to get a nice massage one more time. :) 

Good, old favourite places

The weather in Hungary in May can be still very crazy and wild temperature wise. As a typical example this morning we've had -1°C so it was frozen. It was a bit unexpected but still quiet "normal". Of course during the day it is lovely and warm so I got my dad's old bike out of the shed and after a quick check and cleaning it was ready to go again. 

When I got home a week ago I was prepared to have bike-free holiday because I don't have any bike and gear here. But couple of days ago I found my dad's bike in the garage that hasn't been ridden for years and years. "Here is the perfect chance go get out for a short spin!"  :)

I just wanted to visit my favourite hills just right beside my place. They are not too high or extreme but they got me hooked on this whole mountain biking long time ago and I love to get back there from time to time and ride on the well known old trails.

I didn't have too long time tonight 'cause I've been busy with other things so I went only for 1 hour and 15 minutes spin on the local hills. I've had company also this time, my old school mate and friend Gábor joined also. We've had great time on the bike but I do have to admit: it was some experience to ride on flat pedals and runners in deed!  :) 

The profile of our short spin

 photos:

The hill called Somlyó from the field

Up on the trail. Shame, but didn't have ThinkBike team jersey with me :( 

Bone dry and dusty roads and trails

My favorite lake called Széleskő up on the mountains

My friend Gabi

Well deserved massage

I know how good a sport massage can be. But unfortunately I don't have a chance to get massage as often as I would need. After all the hard work during the winter months and the races that I have done so far this year I got well deserved massage this morning.

There is this lovely place in my home village where the massage therapist has huge experience and very strong hands in deed. Because I haven't got massage for a while the first thing I've had to realize: all the muscles are very tight and stiff. To get them back to normal wasn't easy for sure. Some of the points were quiet painful but the final result was amazing. 

I got my feet, my full legs, lower back muscles, shoulderblades and neck massaged this time. The biggest improvement was my neck for sure. I was still struggling a bit with the sour and stiff mucles in my neck but after today it is nearly perfect. My legs feel fresh also, especially after all the running. I will stay around for more than a week so I have one more appointment before I travel back to Ireland.

Another lovely run

Today I've decided to increase my running progress a bit. My legs are still a bit sour after the last time but once I get going I feel fine and I think I will get back into running easly. 

This evening I went for nearly 5.5 km run on the field that is next to my village. The weather was cold enough and very windy. I've had company also this time: my sister-in-law Réka and my other sister-in-law's boyfriend Zsolti joined me on my 30 minutes training. Of course it was better with their company, even if we got settled into our own pace and lost each outher after a while.

I think the way the running keeps me fit during my holiday here in Hungary is quiet optimal. I have an excellent leg massage scheduled for tomorrow, I really looking forward to that. I hope after all of the running and massage threatment I will be 100% when I'll be back on the bike! :)