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. :)