"Wintery" morning in July

I've had a rough time on the bike this morning indeed. The plan was to get as much training done as I can before the 12 hours XC race, so I went for my early morning spin at 7am. Quick breakfast, nice morning coffee and I was ready. Looking out the window it seemed just another wet summer morning so I didn't worried too much about it. 

Climbing the "river"... :)

By the time I started to climb up towards the top of  Two Rock the rain got very heavy and as I got to higher altitiude the temperature has dropped as well. At the top where isn't any shelter the wind blown through my soaked gear so I decided to head back towards the Wicklow Way. 

Savage conditions on a quiet morning in July

Wet and cold up on the top of Two Rock

The downhill was brilliant from the top: very muddy and wet. Streams were running down in every possible direction and the thick fog made everything even better. Great! :)

But...I started to have difficulties with the temperature on the way down on the Kilmashogue lane. I was so wet and cold I just wanted to get home and have a hot shower. Honestly I wanted to have longer spin this morning but I really started to feel cold and the last thing I want is to get sick 1 week before my upcoming race. So I have decided to cut the spin short and got home. 

I got only 1 hour and 30 minutes done today which is far behind what was planned but I think it was good decision to come home early.

New personal best - Kilmashogue climb (long)

My task was to get a new personal best on the Kilmashogue climb this morning. I love this climb because it is long enough and the avarage gradient is pretty consistent (only couple of steep bits along the way).

As a warmup I cycled through Rathgar and Rathfarnham to get to the start point which is the M50 bridge just next to the Marlay Park.

From the bridge I went up on the Kilmashogue Lane to the Kilmashogue carpark. There I hit the fire road that leads up towards the top of Threerock. I have crossed all to way to the upper section of the tarmac road that runs up to the top which was the finish point.  The first section and the last bit was on tarmac road but most of the route was fire road.

I felt great on the climb and I could manage to set my new personal best on it. It is nice to see what is the best time on climbs like this 'cause I can compare to this time when I give it a go again in the future.

Kilmashogue Climb (long) 

(From M50 bridge to the top where the tarmac road ends on Threerock)

distance: 3 km

max. speed: 22,4 km/h

calories burned: 318 kcal

personal best: 21 minutes 56 seconds

Training around Howth once again

Today I visited one of my loved place to be on the bike. I cycled out to Howth, did the off-road loop around the half-island and cycled back home. 

I'm living in Dublin for a little more than 6 years but the coast is still amazes me every time. The smell of the sea, the view and the breeze that I can't compare to anything is brilliant! :) This was why I've had my training there instead up in the mountains.

In the Howth Harbour with the "Ireland's Eye" in the background

Now, we do have to admit that there isn't any significant climb out there but the trails are exciting indeed. They would not be suitable if anyone scared of height 'cause the trails are very close to the cliffs at some places. 

The trail goes around the half-island

They are not technical either but for some reason they are very nice to ride. As I go around the view just gets better and better. It is spectacular, especially on a lovely summer day like we had today. 

Stunning, isn't it? :)

Checking out the view of the Dublin Bay.

I did get one full loop done today as I was in a hurry to get back home but even if the off-road bit was quiet short I enjoyed every minute of it. My training spin was 55km long and took me 2 hours and 30 minutes to get it done. It was roasting out there today, but I guess it is a good complaint to have. :) Keep up summer time!!!

SSWC 2011 - The entry list getting serious

The list of the entered riders is getting longer and longer every day and it is pretty serious at this stage. There is already hundreds of riders who will compete this year Single Speed World Championships. 

Competitors will come to Ballyhoura from all over the world (USA, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Denmark, UK, Israel, and there is an endless line of countries still to mention) to line up at the start line.

To see the full entry list just click here.

There is only couple of weeks left until I get to race such a unique off-road event and at this point I started to feel the buzz that surrounds the 2011 SSWC. I know it's gonna be cool, really looking forward to it! :)

2011 XC National Championships - race report

I just got home from the 2011 XC National Championships hosted by Team WORC. The race venue was the famous Killruddery Estate close to Bray, Co. Wicklow.

I got to the place early enough in the morning just after 9am when the gates opened. I still needed to have a practice lap before the race and I normally need time to get all the gear (clothing, bike, bottles) and myself ready before the start. The first thing I have seen when I arrived is the start/finish area started to turn into this lovely centre of the race with flags and numberous tents. The riders and organizers have created a brilliant festival type centre for the race. I think this was great, I liked it very much! :)

After I got the practice lap done I was supper happy with the course: I have to say it was very well designed and was possibly the best XC course I have raced for many-many years. Techical trails, switchbacks, steep climbs and some crazy sections along the way. Exactly like a proper XC course should be. I really liked the way the organizers named the most unique sections of the course such as Pheasant Forest Ledge, The Luisiana Bridge, Stinger, Bombhole and Tombstone. Obviously each of them were perfect names for the sections, especially the lastone. The Tombstone was a massive super-steep drop towards the end of the lap. Honistly I did not take the risk to crash on it 'cause it did look pretty nasty from the top...



The mighty drop called Tombstone (photo by Cieran Maunsell)

The elevation graph of a single lap

 

Ready for action :)

After all the preparation and practice lap the time has passed quickly and it was time to race! The S3 category start was at 12:02 pm so all the riders started to gather around 5-10 minutes beforehand.


Waiting for the start (photo by Cieran Maunsell)



So there was I: at the start line of the biggest race of the season that I was waiting for all year. START!!! Off we went, I did have a fantastic start.

Go! Go! Go! (photo by Cieran Maunsell)

I took the first turn at the 1st position and started to set my own pace right after the start. It was great to avoid all the hassle that can happen after the start and got away nicely from the beginning.

Shortly after the start I got settled into the 2nd position and cycled along the course with a good speed. I loved the way we passed through all the tricky sections with no bother, build up speed on the fire road. I felt very strong and confident in the race. 



During the race, still in the leading group (photo by Michael A.)



I enjoyed it as much as I could until we hit the back of the U16 field... and I run into an issue that I am sure all of us want to avoid: I got stuck in behind a rider very badly.. This situation is absolutelly normal of course, but normally the riders let pass the faster riders especially if they are not even in the same category. I mean I allways let faster guys pass me because I am in their way.  I am also expecting the same when it's the other way around. Simple as that!

But this time it wasn't the way...I just could not get him to let me pass, no matter how I have asked & tried. So I decided to get into a risky overtake but during that a spindle got wrapped around my front hub inbetween the disc and the hub. This forced me to stop and took quiet long time to get rid of the spindle and get back on track. 

This little incident got me dropped back good few places, possibly about 10-12 (or even more) riders passed me while I was struggling on the side of the course. So technicly the rest of the race for me was all about fighting my way back up towards the front as much as I could. I did get good few places back but the final result was way behind my expectations...

Shortly after I crossed the finish line.

    

     Distance: 15.88 km (3 laps)

     Time: 1:09:41
     Result: 16th out of 65 riders (results are here)

After I finished the race I went to the massage tent straight away to get a well needed massage on the distroyed legs. It was great to get massaged right after the race, this should be the way every time. I think we all can thank the organizers to invite Conor Kelly and set up the massage tent.

After all I did have a great race today and I was happy with the form this time. It is such a shame my result couldn't get as good as it ment to be because of the lack of the race etiquette from other riders. Well, plenty more races are still to come so lets focus on them instead of being dissapointed. :)

Thank you Team WORC and all the organizers for putting on an excellent race and Robin Seymour for designing this superb course for today. 

I also would like to say a big thank you to Marcin Wrobel for handing my the bottles with perfect timing! :)

5 hours film recording up on Threerock

The plan was there for ages: "we should record a nice short movie that shows XC mountainbiking!..." But normally I don't have enought time to spend up in the mountains to record materail. Not until today! :)

My friend Csaba (who is into amateur photography) and myself decided to spend properly long time with filming up on Threerock. So we got all the cameras set up, batteries charged and off we went this morning.

We did stay up on the mountain for the half of the day and spent 5 hours with finding the best places and record some sweet footage for our short cycling movie. We really wanted to give back the real mountain biking experience on the well known mountain so we went all over the place back and forward. :) 

The weather was excellent so we really did enjoy every minute of the filming. We captured material on cool trails and places over and over again until we run out of memory card capacity.

Our equipment was the following: Fuji S9500 photo camera (with stand), Sony Cyber-shot photo camera and a GoPro camera.

We have recorded with fixed camera point, moving camera and tested some new ideas as well such as recording from above. 

This part of the day was pretty exhausting but it was only the first half of the job, the editing was still ahead of me. After couple of more hours at home in front of the computer the final movie got shaped better and better in every minute.

Taking a short break off filming :)

We did have a great day out there and when I've seen the finished film for the time I thought we have spent the time well indeed! :) 

Please watch it & enjoy, I hope everyone will like it!

Also would like to say a big thank you for Csaba, his help was essential today. Great stuff man, thanks for all the cool ideas and recording me riding my bike! :)

Solution for breathing problems

Unfortunatelly I am suffering from bridgewarp for many year now and at this stage it should be operated to get the things sorted. Normally I have to use nasal drops but it is only a temperory solution and sometimes doesn't even work. 

In fact this could be quiet problematic for me on the bike 'cause I can't breath through my nose properly. Of course it is even worst if the intensity is very high or I try to take some food during the race.

I did have a great solution for this problem couple of year ago: I did use nasal strips that originally been designed to help get rid of snoring. It has helped me a lot during XC races. So obviously I was very happy to see them on the shelf in the local pharmacy. The product called Breathe Right. and it  is a drug free nasal strip that sticks on the nose and opens it up.

There is a tiny plastic panel been integrated into the strip that allways want to get back to the straight / flat position. Because the strip stick to the skin on the nose it opens up a little because of the plastic panel. This way the air can get through the nose better and the breathing would be more efficient.

With the Breathe Right nasal strips I can breath easier through my nose and don't get dry throat that often. They are very effective and good solution during racing. I'm glad they are avaliable from any local pharmacy. I recommend them to anybody who has nasal congestion, suffers from allergy or bridgewarp. They certenly work perfect for me! :)

Getting ready for the National Champs

Only couple of days left until we line up for the start of the 2011 National XC Champs. I have been waiting for this event for long time indeed. I have a good feeling about this race! :)

The training is going very well so far and I am feeling good on the bike. Today I went up to Threerock to ride my usual 2 hours and 30 minutes training spin before  I got to work. Today's training ride was not too intense but I had many burst type climbs along the way. 

Tomorrow I will go out once again for a nice and high paced training ride. This would be the final step of my preparation. The last spin will be on Friday but it's gonna be a very slow and relaxed spin just to get the legs turning before Sunday. Then get the bike ready and it's done: I will be 100% ready for the Champs. Can't wait! :)

My bike free summer - Part 1

This summer has been great so far for me: did have 2 weeks holiday back in Hungary and did some travelling on the weekends as well. I spend lot of time on the bike lately but I do enjoy the bike free weekends also and like to travel and see nice places. Just a little taste of my summer when I am not on the bike :)

Where all the mountain biking started for me (Hungary)

Wicklow Mountains (Lough Tay)

My wife Anett & me on the boardwalk

Wicklow Mountains (Lough Tay)

In the castle garden - Kilkenny

The Tall Ships Races - Waterford

Glendalough - Seems like I can't get away from the Wicklow Way even when I'm not on the bike :)

My wife Anett - orange juice, can't get wrong  :)   (Laragh)

A beast Merangue dessert on our first wedding anniversary :)    (Laragh)

New personal best - Ballinastoe (long loop)

Yesterday I went up to Ballinastoe to have a super fast training spin as a preparation for the National Champs. The weather was really bad, the rain was quiet heavy at the time I left from home. Because of that I decided to drive to the mountain bike trail centre rather than ride all the way there. Normally I cycle out and back but this time I voted for the bit more comfy option. :)

Ready for the record attempt.

My plan was to set up a new personal best riding the long loop. I haven't ride those trails for a good while so I was very curious what I can do on the day. I got ready and off I went.

The weather hasn't improved at all for the rest of the afternoon, so I was riding in very heavy rain and lots of mud. Luckily it was a warm day anyway so at least I didn't feel cold. I completed one of the long loop and one of the short one. I checked the time on the long loop and I was happy to see: task was completed, I finished with a new personal record. 

Ballinastoe Trails (long loop)

distance: 14 km

elevation gain: 319 m

avarage speed: 14,9 km/h

max. speed: 38,1 km/h

calories burned: 479 kcal

personal best: 57 minutes 48 seconds

After the wet and muddy spin

The gear might needs a good and effective detergent :)

I wanted to record a nice XC video footage also, so the GoPro camera was fitted on the bike during the long loop. Check out the recorded footage! :)

                   

2011 XC Irish National Championships - Upcoming XC race

The upcoming race is the most important race of the year for me and for many of us indeed. The XC Irish National Championships will be hosted by Team WORC in the excellent setting of Killruddery demesne on Sunday 17th July.  

The course is a perfect mix of flowy and fast singletracks, rocky sections and tough climbs. I am familiar with the location from previous years racing so I know what to expect on the day. Back in 2006 I had a fantastic race there so next Sunday will bring back some sweet memories. :) I have signed up this morning to compete in S3 category, so all the admin is done for the race. From now on all I need to do is keep up the good work on the bike and get ready and prepared physically & mentally. I've been waiting for this race for long time and I am really looking forward to it. :)

click here to see the promo on Vimeo 

Wet conditions are back on Ticknock

After the super hot weekend the weather forecast didn't look too good for today.. They said the rain will be back and the temperature will drop as well. It wasn't fully true actually, we did get these conditions only in the morning, so my regular pre-work training spin was wet and muddy up on Ticknock.

My friend Csaba and myself left at 7:30am this morning to get our 2 hours and 30 minutes spin done before we both go to work today. We have visited our regular trails and did explore some of the unknown ones as well. The place was nice and slippery so we did have plenty of fun! :) 

Riding some tricky and wet roots

Floating through the forest

Got a funny shot for the laugh! :)

I know possibly everyone in Ireland loves the lovely and hot days we got lately, so do I. But for some reason I really did enjoy the cool, wet and muddy morning today. Am I the only one?! :)

Wicklow Way preparation - Stage 3.1

After couple of weeks time the Wicklow Way "project" is back. Last time I did get as far as Lough Tay so yesterday I hopped on the bike and cycled the next stage of the epic ride. 

Just as I allways do, I did ride from the Marlay Park and covered the stage 1.1 - 1.2 and 2.1 - 2.2 as well but since there is a detailed post up about them I will write only about the stage 3.1 in this post.

The only "company" along my way... :)

I have started the stage 3.1 from the R795 tarmac road from Lough Tay and cycled all the way to Glendalough and Laragh.

Before I got to the start point of the planned stage I did get to see some of the nicest places along the way. It was great to pass by the same places, but on a hot summer day the difference was incredible! 

Everything was vibrant green and I felt the summer in every details: hot temperature, smells, dusty dry trails everywhere. Great stuff! 

After I turned off the main road I got on to this fire road that led me accross opened areas and because it was quiet smooth the pace was very high. After I have passed some lumber site I was still in pace and nearly missed the WW sign beside the road. Luckily I've seen it in the last second so I did turn back and continued my way towards the first accomodation place along the way.

After a short kicker climb the trail got lovely: fast and technical descent with a stunning view of the valley on the other side. But in fairness some drops were tricky enough so I didn't have too much time to look around. :)

Crossing couple of fields and do a short tarmac road climb and there was I : got to the Wicklow Way Lodge. If I know right this place is the first official accomodation point for walkers who walk the whole wicklow way. Got some fresh water (just in time before I got in trouble...) and I was on my way again.

In front of the Wicklow Way Lodge

Maybe about 2 km on tarmac road which was a little relief but after that I got on some farm roads and after that nice singletrack again. This section was great because the trail was nice and quick and the forest was lovely looking on both sides of the trail. I really enjoyed this bit. 

Crossing fields, cycling on fire roads for a while but after all this I got to possibly the nicest place along the Wicklow Way so far. The forest and the trails are absolutely amazing there! Just right before I got to Glendalough but I still did get to enjoy the some of the most stunning looking places that I seen in Ireland since I am here. ;)

It was so much fun to ride those trails indeed. The end of them got a bit more technical and before I hot the main road I had to lift the bike and cross fences about 3-4 times.

Bridge close to Glendalough

Nearly straigh after this point I got to my destination that was planned fro the day, I did arriveto the Glendalough Visitor Centre. Of course I did get close enough to the famous tower to take a photo but I didn't spend too much time there because I still had long way ahead of me before I got home.

In Glendalough

Yesterday must have been one of the hottest day of this year's summer so far. I don't remember a day like this for a long time, so this has made my day even better!

After the spin... I prefer to have sunburn from time to time rather than mud all over me :)

After the 6 hours long spin I was tired & hungry, so the BBQ was necessery :)

General information on the terrain:

• tarmac road
• singletrack with grass
• technical singletrack with rocks / loose rocks

Difficulties:

• crossing the bridge could be slipper when it's wet
• the waterdrains could be tricky at some places
• there are many drops on the trails close to Glendalough

My journey yesterday

Elevation graph

Yesterday's spin was brilliant, it was hard but I loved it! I did cycle 6 hours and covered the distance of 100km with 2100m elevation gain along the way. From Laragh I got home on the tarmac road via Enniskerry. Weather was fantastic I wish to have days like this more often. Next time I will cycle to the 65 km mark along the way which is the official Half Wickow Way. I can't wait! :)