The future is bright, the future is pink and black!

The clubs rising young stars were in action this weekend. A minibus load of young people headed for the two day Ras Na N’Og  – or Youth Race in Drogheda. Consisting of a criterium and two road races, this was a lot to pack into the two days.

In the U12 races Rachel White, who last year broke her shoulder and elbow, was back in action.  Although tentative to begin with, she soon found her stride and rode commendably to finish strongly in the bunch. The U14s saw two riders new to racing.  In her first Ras, Amelia Tyler was busy mixing it in the boys race, and rode superbly to take first girl in the Crit, and with her other strong finishes, took top U14 girl. Matthew Keown, showed talent runs in the family by riding aggressively and improved with each race.

Experienced riders, Nathan Keown and Katie Armstrong, both of whom have represented Cycling Ulster in the past rode strong races in the U16 category.  Katie made the gutsy decision to ride with the U16 boys, her focus being on next year’s junior level, a big leap in distance and speed.  Katie showed many of the boys a clean pair of heels and was second girl overall.  Nathan, in his second Ras, rode strongly at the front of his group, and attempted a few daring breaks, especially in the third race when he made for the line with 600m to go, only to be caught just shy of the finish.

The senior riders were out in force too.  The best result going to Andrew Chivers at the Lakeland Cycles 2 day road race.  Chivers rode exceptionally well on day one, taking the polka dot leaders jersey for King of the Hills.  This left him in a strong position for day two and wanting to defend the KOH title, Chivers rode fast and hard, eventually distancing himself from the opposition to take the stage win, the KOH title and the overall general classification.  The season is looking good for this young man, who was recently selected by the Belgian Project to ride the tough Donegal Three Day event.

Bow Bells TT Series

The ‘murder mile’ proved more punishing than many expected.
The weather held and it was encouraging to see so many out giving it a go.

Results

1. Paul Sweneraton      2mins 06.5secs avg
2. Michael McMullan    2mins 08secs avg
3. Matty Blayney         2mins 14secs avg

Ride Etiquette

Members are reminded to show discretion and manners when the ‘call of nature’ occurs out on the club rides. Potentially, the offence of indecent behaviour can be committed, so if you’re caught short, find somewhere out of view!

Report courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

The Ras consisted of three main events, day 1 was a crit round a 1.8Km circuit followed by a road race on a hilly 6.6 km circuit later in the day. On day 2 there was a final road race on a flatter longer course 7.5km all based around Bellewstown Race Couse Drogheda.

Each age categories did an increasing number of laps.
There were three age categories U12 U14 and U16, we had riders in all three categories

In the U12 we had Rachel white who was returning after breaking her shoulder and elbow last year at the event, sh had a nervous start however soon settled in performing well finishing with the main group in each race.

In The U14 we had Matthew Keown who was entering his first Ras after only starting racing late last year, he rode well in some challenging conditions and progressed with every race.

We also had Amelia Tyler who was also competing in her first Ras and cycle specific race recently moving from triathlon, Amelia was the first girl in the crit and the first road race narrowly missing out on another win in the third race however was beaten when two other girls got the jump on her in the sprint finish ending in third place. Her earlier efforts were enough for her to secure top girl overall.

In U16s we had Nathan Keown who is in his junior year entering his second Ras, Nathan rode strongly in all three races finishing in the main bunch in each. In the third race Nathan made a break with 600m to go and led the field for 300m unfortunately though he could not hold on and ended up being caught with 300m to go but showed real spirit and guts to give it a go just going a bit too early but he’ll know for next time.

We also had Katie Armstrong in the U16 race who could have opted to ride with the U14 boys however given this is her senior year and is sitting her GCSEs Katie has decided to focus on making the jump to junior racing next year so opted to compete with the U16 boys to stretch and test herself only one of two girls to do so. Katie performed well beating a number of boys and was second girl over the three race stages. Both girls were recognised and praised by the organisers for doing this even though neither finished with the main group but came in a short time after.

Report and Images courtesy of Scott Armstrong – Youth Development Officer

Mallorca

After such a wet and miserable winter, the prospect of a week in the sun is a welcome relief for anyone and if you are a cyclist, there is only one place to go – Mallorca.  Whether you call it Mallorca, Majorca or Majorkie, this gem of the Med is a cyclists paradise and just the place you want to go to show off your guns.  If you watched the recent drama, The Night Manager you will have been given an appetizer of the scenery and if this is your first time out then you are in for a treat.

NDCC @ Pollentia Club Resort in 2010

NDCC normally bases itself in Puerto Pollensa in the north of the island, and is a great starting point for the daily rides.  You may have heard of notorious climbs like the Puig Major and Sa Calobra – the very thought striking fear into you, or towns like Deia, Soller and Valledemosa, offering views of some of the world’s most stunning coastlines.  Cap de Formentor is a fabulous route, less strenuous than the other two but enough to make your legs hurt.   The reward being a coffee or a cool beer at the lighthouse, offering spectacular views out to sea.  Don’t despair if climbing isn’t your thing, as there are plenty of flatter routes that will take you from one beautiful village to the other.  Petra, Puerto Cristo and Can Picafort are just a few to mention but with everywhere being so accessible on the island, the choice is immense.  The island is criss-crossed with thousands of kilometres of small rural roads, known as Camis. These are probably the best way to see the island as they pass by olive, lemon and orange groves, filling the air with their scent and they will open up Mallorca to you in a way that most tourists will never experience.

While you can never guarantee the weather, the temperatures are normally in the late teens/early 20s but it is advisable to bring poor weather clothing, as Mallorca does get its fair share of rain – a light rain jacket/gilet and arm warmers are advisable.  It would be recommended that you get some from of travel insurance to cover accidents, as the odd tumble may occur and with that always carry your European Health Insurance Card.  If you have one check that it is in date, if you don’t – get one!  There are a number of good bike shops on the island where you can purchase anything you’ve forgotten.  Co2 cartridges cannot normally be brought on the planes, bike bags are scanned at Belfast and you will be asked to remove them, but you can purchase them when you arrive.

RACING ROUND UP

The weekend racing round up continued NDCCs successes
both on and off road.  For those new to cycling, races are categorized from the elite A1 to the introductory A4.  To get promoted from a lower category to another, you must earn points by getting results.  Gavin Moore did just that at the Bann Valley Classic, by taking 1^st spot in the A4 race.  A couple more points and he will be upgraded to A3.  Dave Hamilton rode a strong race in the A1-A2 category, just missing out on first place to ex-pro Ronan McLaughlin. The other Dave – Watson – finished third in the Stamullen GP. 

Off road racing at Ormeau Park brought a third place for Michael McMullan in the Senior B race.

YOUTH RACING

This weekend sees the first big event for our youth riders, with the two-day Ras Na N’og being held in Drogheda.  NDCC has a plethora of talent, Rachel White, Katy Armstrong and Nathan Keown to name but a few. We wish them all good luck and we know they will give their all.

PUB QUIZ

A final reminder to those who have not booked a ticket for the quiz at Pickie Bowling Club this Friday. Please enter your team with Kieran Beattie as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Report courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

Ole Espana – Cycling Lanes

Anyone who has been to our beloved island of Mallorca will be familiar with the distinctive blue cycle lanes. They look like Papa Smurf has been out decorating the roads just for cyclists. The reality of these lanes are that they are completely segregated from footpaths and roads, and even more so, they cannot be used as a hard shoulder or parking bays by motorists. On mainland Spain, it is not uncommon for these cycle lanes to go on for miles, and they are well maintained to encourage their use. Having said that, Spain are pioneers in cycle safety, it being the law that motorists must give cyclists 1.5metres of passing room, similar to what a motor vehicle would receive.

Compare that to what is on offer in North Down. The new cycle way running between the Donaghadee Road and Gransha Road, whilst in spirit should be applauded in keeping people safe, in reality is a token gesture. This will be a shared space with pedestrians and will only have a white line demarcating the boundaries, but hopefully walkers and cyclists alike will show courtesy to each other.   Having ridden this lane, it was clear that it was not being swept for stones or debris, and similar to the cycle path along the dual carriageway from the Old Belfast Road to Ballyrobert is just not maintained or fit for purpose.  The rescinding of the bye-law allowing cyclists along the coastal path is great, but if it was even slightly upgraded, more and more people would be encouraged to commute along this beautiful stretch of water.  And that will ease congestion on the roads, in hospitals and at the GP surgery.

With a bit of investment and the will to do it, building proper Spanish style cycle routes could revolutionise cycling but until King Car abdicates in most people’s minds, we will have to make do with what we have.

Racing Success Continues for NDCC

With the legs now flushed after the Tour of the North, the weekend racing once again proved successful, with the deadly duo of Dave Watson and Dave Hamilton continuing to show great form.  On Saturday at the CicliSport GP in Co.Tyrone, Watson took the top spot with Hamilton coming in third.  On Sunday in Coalisland, first year senior Andrew Chivers rode strongly to finish sixth on the testing circuit of the PJ Logan GP with Stephen Cardy taking fifth in the Masters. MTB Enduro racer Jacob Kennedy got a hard fought for top ten result at Castlewellan.  NDCC are showing their worth in all aspects of cycling.

Bow Bells TT League

The club’s racing season commences next Wednesday with the start of the Bow Bells TT League.  The dreaded ‘Killermetre’ has been replaced with the Murder Mile – a straight out and back one mile, give it all and leave nothing in the tank!  Sign on is at 6.45pm at Warren Road.  As always, marshals are required for the League to maintain the safety of riders and motorists, so please go to the events calendar and volunteer when you can.

Pub Quiz Night

The annual Pub Quiz Night will be held at Pickie Bowling Club on Friday 15^th April.  Tickets are booking up quickly, so please contact Kieran Beattie to reserve your team spot. The Ras team will be holding a raffle, so please give generously as this helps fund their eight days of hell in the grueling race that attracts the very best riders from all over Europe.

Little Muckers

NDCC ran a successful programme for young riders to teach them handling skills whilst making the experience a fun event.  It is hoped to repeat this again this year.  Open to kids 6yrs-14yrs, Little Muckers is a mountain bike club held in Castle Park.  This a safe environment for kids to learn how to ride bikes while having fun.  There are obstacle courses to practice on and races to show off their new talents.  Again, this can only work if there is enough commitment from club members to help out, as there are always plenty of young people wanting to participate.  If you are interested, contact Scott Armstrong via email.

Images courtesy of The Belgium Project.
Words courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO