Stephen Roche led the massive field of some 4000 riders out of Belfast from the front. Setting a strong tempo he strung the field out well, given the rider numbers this helped with the safety of the start.
It was pretty sociable with people changing up at the front and just before the first major climb at Slieve Croob. I mentioned to Dave Hamilton the descent was pretty quick and I was gonna push on to go down it in a smaller group Xeno Young set the pace up it with myself Dave and Mark Kane going over the top with him. We were joined after the descent by a larger group of around 20 and it was pretty sociable and easy to spelga.
I fancied a good hard blast up the spelga climb more for training than anything, Mark Kane followed with Dave Hamilton, Glenn Kinning and Gareth Murray not far behind. On the last climb back up Slieve Croob for the return leg we were all running on empty few attacks over the top meant we didn’t take the detour for the final food stop for any supplies. I had used up my last bottle an hour ago and there was 30 more miles to go haha. It started to tell its tale in the last 25km when Dave and Mark attacked, Glenn/Gareth were empty and I wasn’t much better. I tried to ride back over but after holding the gap at around 20-30 seconds for 7 miles the cramp and dehydration set in and I couldn’t put much effort to the pedals, the power went way down.
For the final 5 miles I had my own motorbike police escort into Belfast as I was on my own. Fully closed roads, loads of people out standing cheering it was pretty awesome.
It was beer and wine after in the massive exhibition hall people were rolling in some 4 hours after we had finished and I spoke to a number of them and they had a buzz about them like they had climbed Everest, it was great to see.
Definitely one of the best days on a bike I have had. We were never really racing very seriously until the last. When you throw a finish line in there your going to get a bit of a sprint for the line, and that was the same for the first two guys right down to people rolling in with a few mates hours later looking for bragging rights to needle each other over a few beers that would soon follow. The reality out on the course was very much a fun day out, with a few blasts up the major climbs for training.
As expected a number of "racers" were quick to point out on various social media "it's not a race" etc etc, point is the day was whatever you wanted it to be. I can imagine some of the stronger regular sportive/fondo riders were enjoying trying to follow a few of the regular racers antics at times, and we probably made the day more interesting to those folks also. As for me, I got way more out of the day than I expected and I will definitely be back.
There was a massive amount of volunteers on the route and the PSNI did a great job it must also be said. Thanks to all that helped make the day what it was.
Some stats from the ride:
Hard day in the saddle...
Starting from Titanic Belfast
Stephen Roche just in front of me (Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1987)
A super light Giant TCR road bike made the climbs much easier thanks Caldwell Cycles Omagh
Stephen Roche leading 4000 riders out of Belfast
Sonia, Wendy and Cayman
Sonia at Spelga
Myself, Mark Kane and David Hamilton
Add caption
Ride done and off to enjoy the post event drinks and food with past team mates/friends
The Cycling Ulster awards dinner and prize presentation was held at the Elk in Toome.
"The new Chairman for Cycling Ulster, Mauice McAllister welcomed the record turnout to the evening. The new Cycling Ireland president Ciaran McKenna was a guest on the night and helped present some of the awards." - Bronagh Kirk
Medals for:
Gold Ulster 100TT
Gold Ulster 50 TT
Silver Ulster 25 TT
Bronze Ulster 10 TT
Presented by the President for Cycling Ireland Ciaran McKenna
SportActive trophy for the Ulster 100TT Presented by Stephen Burns
Photos by Bronagh Kirk
Thanks to Caldwell cycles of Omagh for helping me achieve the results, and I am sure we will be dealing out plenty of hurt to the competition in 2016...
I sorta knew it wasn't going to be fast conditions but I still dipped my toe in the water to see if going for the record might be on, after a couple of laps I knew it wasn't as my average speed was around 28mph rather than the 29 needed to go for the record. I was still on schedule though to set the second fastest 100 time and a new PB.
I was feeling pretty good going into the last 25 miles and started to increase the pace again. on the final run down to the roundabout I was going really quick with the tailwind sitting at 36-37mph at times. going into the roundabout on the Antrim side was a brutal experience every lap as the strips batter the life out of you.
On that final run in I was totally psyched up to empty myself for the last 10 miles and went into the roundabout a little more aggressive with more speed, when I came off the tri bars to reach for the brakes the bike took a massive jolt and my right hand came off the bars and the bike lurched sideways, I tried to grab the bars and save it but what I didn't realize at the time I had rolled the tub off the rear wheel which ultimately put me on the deck hard at 36mph! That yellow gritty aggregate stuff against my skin brought me to a stop pretty quick so I didn't slide too far. The next sort of thing I remember was being at the side of the road not really being able to see out of my right eye it was all sort of fuzzy. I was feeling my collar bone to see if I had broken it as my shoulder was in a fair bit of pain. I felt the end of the bone and there was a large bump so I knew I had separated the AC joint. I separated my left AC joint before I got into cycling when I used to do a bit of MotoX so I knew what that meant and I was kind of annoyed I had done the right, at that point I think I would have rather have broken the collar bone as it would have been better in the long term.
While all this was going on Paul had got the bike sorted with changed wheels and I had started to be able to see again out of the right eye and I was like right lets see can we do the last 8 miles. I got back on and I remember going down into the tribars and my shoulder joint popping, I wasn't in that much pain at the time to be honest I just had no real use or strength in the right arm.
Going back up the carriageway as things got faster I was absolutely praying no lorries were going to overtake me and was a god send I had Paul behind as that kept the traffic away from me and made them give me room when they overtook, I would have been in the hedge if a larger vehicle came past me close and fast with the side draft as I had little control of the bike.
I got to the finish line and went on to the next hill so I could let gravity slow me down as I couldn't get off the tri bars and onto the bakes at speed. I felt fine at the finish as I never really got to empty myself for that last 10 miles so in terms of how 100 TT's go it was pretty easy for me, the last 10 miles of a 100 when all things go well is much much more painful than coming off the bike and that was clear to see when I made my way back to the start finish there was a number of people lying on the grass in bits!
Getting back all I wanted to know was did I still get the win, which I did. I don't have a Gold Ulster 100 medal and its actually one of my favorite events so I really wanted one, so I was secretly that happy inside I wasn't too bothered I was missing half the skin of my back and my shoulder was wrecked.
I didn't think about this at the time or until the dust had settled but I took a look at my helmet when I got home and it looks like it saved me from a very bad head injury as it was split on the right hand side the same side I had temporary vision issues. I always wondered if those TT helmets would actually save you if push came to shove...
Final mentions:
Big thanks to Paul Caldwell of Caldwell cycles for looking after me on the day and providing support it was definitely a team effort and I wouldn't have finished without him.
Ballymoney CC for again taking the event on and doing a great job! its one of those events that everyone that finishes has such a great sense of achievement and anyone that has done it and finished it feels like a winner.
Sonia my sister who randomly cycled up to see how I got on, Took my mind off the injuries on the drive home as she piloted my pickup very very badly hardly being able to see over the steering wheel!
I really liked that Castelli Skin suit :'(
Championship Results
100 Mile TT Championships
Senior Podium
1 Sean McIntyre (Caldwell Cycles) 3:41:34 2 Andrew Bye (Newry Wheelers) 3:44:11 3 Mervyn Linton (Ballymoney CC) 3:46:01
Women’s Champion
1 Jennifer Ashby (Madigan CC) 4:40:50
Masters’ 40
1 Barry Hayes (Island Wheelers) 3:45:15 2 John Rafferty (North Down CC) 4:01:36 3 Brian McBride (Errigal CC) 4:05:53
Masters’ 50
1 Patrick Morning (Four Masters) 4:21:58 2 Peter Dallat (Ballycastle CC) 4:43:10
Masters’ 60
1 Sean Hargan (Phoenix CC) 3:52:33 2 Dominic Drum (Bann Wheelers) 4:10:45 3 Carl Fullerton )North Pole CC) 4:57:13
Masters’ 70
Willie John McLaughlin – North Pole CC 4:48:29
Team Prize
Velo Cafe Magasin (Joe Henry, Mark Millar, Mark Hanna)
A sportive that has passed me by a few times but has always been on the radar. The weather finally gave us a bit of respite just in time for the event and it made the day much more enjoyable.
Start/Finish Location Dromara Village Football Club (location) Sat. Nav. Co-ordinates – N 54.37118788, W 06.01813563 Rathfriland Road, Dromara, BT25 2EB
Route information Hilly 125 – The original and some say the best. This event is for strong cyclists and visits all major climbs. The first half of the route takes in the Cornmill, Dree Hill & Windy Gap. After the food stop the route follows a scenic loop up to the dizzy heights of Spelga Dam, returning via Leitrim and the Legananny Dolmen. This event remains a real challenge in every sense of the word, and really lives up to the name of the event.
Link to the route on Strava
http://www.strava.com/routes/2944121
The event itself
What can I say about the event. For a mere £15 we were greeted at sign on with a goody bag, coffee and biscuits, mechanical support for any last minute bike problems that needed fix. Half way through after numerous lung busting climbs there was a chance to sit down and discuss the battles on the road that were won and lost. The amount of food and refreshments laid on was impressive and I particularly liked the kinder treats.
The second half of the route took in a number of back roads that I had never been on. Some nice traffic free rambling through the country side was awesome before pealing off to take on the climb at Spelga followed by a fast and furious downhill race with Simon to Bryansford at 45mph.
Sonia and Bunter were going along impressively and were still full of energy towards the end, climbing strongly up the last few inclines before the fast and furious drop back into Dromara.
We were greeted with yet more food and coffee at the finish and a nice cold pint of Guinness was enjoyable.
As value for money goes this event probably tops the list when you think they still managed to push 1/3 of the entry fee to a charity.
Thanks to all who took some photos of us on the day nice memories!
First Ulster Champs of 2015 was the 50. With Nationals being the main goal for the year and this coming soon after that my form was quite good. A very busy day treehouse building and then some late night bike changes to try and mount a water bottle cage over a Di2 bracket etc meant not much sleep to be at Woodgreen for sign on at 8am.
Conditions were better than what the weather man suggested they would be. Course got a bit tougher for the second 25 with the headwind becoming much stronger. I maintained a similar average speed to the first 25 but with increased power.
Didn't expect too much from myself today but was really happy I finished it. After around 15 miles I had mild pins and needles in left leg from sciatica which I get from time to time (probably flared up from the work I did on Saturday). Its kind of a funny thing you can't feel so much the effort the leg is doing and it really helped to have the power meter to see what I was doing, as the motion didn't feel nice and fluid like it should. Kind of hard to describe unless you have it, like when you wake up after having slept on your arm, not quite as extreme as that but a little like that.
On another note, Great running of the event By Maryland wheelers, Gordon on the timing and all those that helped out. Great to see Colm come up for the event again. Unfortunately missing John Heverin as he was busy pushing out big watts in the Yellow jersey at the Newry 3 day. A good turn out of Ladies also which is great to see and hopefully things can grow that way a bit more.
Results:
Placing Name Club Time
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1 Sean McIntyre Caldwell 1:43:38
2 Colm Cassidy UCD 1:44:33
3 John Madden Dig Deep 1:45:53
4 Reade/Inglis Black Rose CC 1:49:13
5 M Linton Ballymoney CC 1:51:14
6 S Workman Ballymena RC 1:51:42
7 B Hayes Island Wh 1:51:42
8 David Heagney Carn Wh 1:51:59
9 J Burns Ballymena RC 1:52:15
10 Emmet Vallely 1:53:29
11 Mark Brown Phoenix CC 1:54:20
12 S McAllister Ballymoney CC 1:54:31
13 Eileen Burns Ballymena RC 1:54:34
14 S Hargan Phoenix CC 1:54:58
15 John Rafferty NDCC 1:55:12
16 Joe McCrory Carn Wh 1:55:20
17 J Kane Four Masters 1:55:45
18 S Harkins Team Madigan 1:55:51
19 Daniel Daly Phoenix CC 1:56:07
20 Stuart Laverty B/money CC 1:56:23
21 B Stewart Phoenix CC 1:56:37
22 U Cunningham Ballymoney CC 1:56:40
23 D Burnside Island Wh 1:57:04
24 John Smyth Phoenix CC 1:57:33
25 B McCourt Northern-D Kane 1:58:02
26 Dominic Drumm Bann Wh 1:58:26
27 John Fitzpatrick CKR CC 1:58:31
28 Martin Jones 2:00:03
29 Andrew Fay CKR CC 2:01:47
30 Patrick Withers West Tyrone Velo/FCC 2:01:50
31 Andrew McAuley 2:04:44
32 Judith Russell Phoenix CC 2:08:44
33 H Martin Clann Eireann 2:11:02
34 W Orr Ards CC 2:12:35
35 Lisa Cameron Team Madigan 2:15:42
36 R Burnside Island Wh 2:16:11
37 Joanne Regan Termoneeny CC 2:17:17
38 Bernie Monaghan Dromara CC 2:23:45
Gillian Orr NDCC DNF
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Tommy Given Memorial 50TT
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1 S McIntyre Caldwell 1:43:38
2 Colm Cassidy UCD 1:44:33
3 J Madden Dig Deep 1:45:53
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Ulster Championships - Men
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1 S McIntyre Caldwell 1:43:38
2 J Madden Dig Deep 1:45:53
3 M Linton Ballymoney CC 1:51:14
-------------------------------------------------
Ulster Championships - Women
-------------------------------------------------
Eileen Burns Ballymena RC 1:54:34
Judith Russell Phoenix CC 2:08:44
Lisa Cameron Team Madigan 2:15:42
The main goal this year was always to try and go well at the Irish Time Trial championships. I had some good wins at some Ulster time trials running up to it even when I was doing them in the middle of my training blocks which was a good sign.
Preparation:
A few things I did a little better this year than last was a bit more stretching which kept away injuries. I also worked quite a bit on core strength and although it doesn't add much to bike speed as such it really helps you stay solid in the TT position over undulating roads and in the video there is great evidence of how stable I am.
Last year I looked back at when I went particularly well on the bike and worked from that. I replicated similar training sessions and load in the run up to the event. Below shows a snap shot of my training for the four weeks prior to the national champs. It involved two very heavy weeks, with a two week taper down. I could be happy I did as much as I could do given fitting the training in around work and other bits and pieces back home on the farm.
I made a bit of an effort to be quite lean and lost about 2kg for the event but without realising it I put on 1kg of that again in the taper period. The extra kilo probably cost me in the region of around 20-30 seconds given how much climbing there was.
Things I maybe didn't do well: schedule in a few full weeks off. This year my immune system was so good I think it worked against me. Last year if I got a cold or something I would use that as a rest week, this year I never got sick so I missed that forced recovery, and that can work against you.
The week of the event I had two complete days off the bike to let my legs come round and then a nice light spin the day before.
Without doubt the biggest thing in cycling is the training. The best investment someone could make to get better would be investing in a coach. For me I don't have a coach as I enjoy experimenting with different training mechanisms and creating my own plans. That side of it really interests me as well so I sort of enjoy coaching myself even though I do put myself through some pretty brutal sessions. I would go as far as saying I definitely enjoy the training more than the racing or competing.
Bike Set-up
A big challenge with my bike set-up was an attempt to fit a Di2 system to a non Di2 compatible frame set. I put in a few photos if anyone wants to attempt something similar this might help them go about it.
With a short battery cable the only real mounting point for the battery would be the bottle holder. This mean't I would be unable to carry a bottle for the event, not too big a deal as you can generally get through a 25 without a bottle.
I had to bore out the standard cable hole slightly to run the di2 wiring down though the frame. The bike has an aluminium insert where the cable holes are so your not actually drilling out carbon which is good so I didn't have to worry about compromising the frame.
I ran the cables for the front mech and battery on the outside of the frame and put a bit of duct tape to keep them close to the frame. A slight aero compromise but very little in the grand scheme of things.
Main junction fitted under the bottom bracket
On the day
With bike check between 4pm and 6pm it meant I was going to be early for once as my start time wasn't until 7.30pm. Weather conditions looked like they might be fine and a gap in the rain due around 7pm.
My bike made it through the checks fine. I didn't expect any issues as I made a jig last year and had all the settings from then so there was no panic as far as that was concerned. Some people however did have some trouble but they were well warned in the run up to the regulations. I was glad to see they were checking for non-UCI legal bikes as there have been a few running at time trials in Ulster and it was good to see those bikes wouldn't get a run out at the Nationals. Unfortunately Colm Cassidy one of the favorites got caught up in some confusion with that as his bike comes in two flavours, a UCI legal version and a non-uci legal version and I think there was confusion as to which his was. He got it passed eventually which was good, but I am sure it was a stressful half hour he had to endure. I guess if all they checked was handle bar position and saddle in relation to bottom bracket, my Honda 450r would pass, and I could do the course in about 10 minutes!
The Caldwell guys pulled in shortly after that and got my spare bike and wheels loaded onto the car. It was good to have the follow car this year as it was something I didn't have last year at the National Champs. The advantage of the car is that you don't need to worry about cars behind you and you can just concentrate on your cycling without worry of someone overtaking you or clipping you. We get up to pretty fast speeds and use the full of the road at times so its a big help and again thanks to them for providing me with that. The team car also gave mum who had came down to follow the whole event which was cool.
James McCusker from my home club Orchard Wheelers had made the trip down to watch the event, he also had lent me his Tri Spoke which was cool it definitely felt much less twitchy than the planet X 80mm front that I usually run with.
From my result last year I was a seeded rider which was great as it meant I got to start with some of the top riders. In front of me was emerging talent Eddie Dunbar of NFTO , No 1 UK UCI Continental Pro Cycling Team. Chasing me was Ulster and now full time bike rider Daniel Stewart.
The Competition
Of the 45 men entered for the event below are who I would be in the mix with:
Conor McIlwaine - Irish U23 Rider who was around 30 seconds slower than me in 2014 Champs
Mark Downey - The 2014 Irish Junior TT champion and European silver medalist
Denis Dunworth - I don't know much about him think he was on the An Post team at one point
Bryan McCrystal - A super strong rider who had some big days in the RAS this year
Sean McKenna - Current number 1 ranked rider in Ireland an Irish U23 rider.
David McCarthy - Rides full time for JLT Condor
Damien Shaw - Probably the top amature rider in Ireland for the last two years currently ranked #2 on points
Marcus Christie - Commonwealth games rider and multiple Irish time trial record holder
Eddie Dunbar - Probably Ireland's best prospect for the future. professional road racer.
Sean McIntyre - Too many Strava KOMs to list..
Daniel Stewart - Irish under 23 team rider and now full time bike rider in France.
Connor McConvey - A full time rider for Team 3m. A very good road racer and strong against the clock.
Seán Hahessy - Irish under 23 rider
Ian Richardson - Winner of the county rider prize at the An Post Ras
Martyn Irvine - Irelands first track world champion
Colm Cassidy - 2nd In the Elite TT championships in 2014 and one of the favorites for 2015
Ryan Mullen - 2nd in the U23 World championships in 2014 and the favorite to win the 2015 event.
The 2015 course
The course was a 23 mile loop which had some very technical corners which would need to be taken at speed along with some hard drags and sharp climbs. I knew riding round it the course wouldn't suit my strengths that much as I am not that good a bike handler in comparison to some of the more experienced folk and also I tend to like to ride at my threshold where this course would require more over threshold efforts followed by some periods under threshold. In saying that there were also plenty of other folks who that wouldn't suit that much either even the out and out TT specialists, so I was as interested as anyone to see who was going to place where.
The cardinal sin of time trials
Going out too hard... which is exactly what I did. I settled down a few miles in and managed to convince myself that I wasn't going to maintain 400 watts for the entire event!
I rode the course I feel as best I could my legs felt really crap going up the climb Carrickmore but I think that effort sparked them into life as I rode really strong up the following climb and drove the bike really well for the final 10 miles to the finish. I kind of felt I was a little too strong in the final stages and I should have put a bit more of that effort into some of the earlier stages.
There was some great support out on the course I think spectator levels for the time trial was as good in places as the actual road race would get on the Sunday. James pitched himself at some of the real testing climbs and got some great shots and encouraged me up them. Plenty of Caldwell folk also gave me much encouragement out on the course which was great, and everyone else that lined the course. Mum in the car behind was worth an extra bit of motivation as well.
The results:
8th In the Elite category and 12th in the U23/Elite combined. Last year it was 7th and 10th, but I think this years result was better as there was much stronger competition. The course I felt was not as suited to what I like but I feel I made the best of it. It would have been nice to get Damien and the time was probably there for the taking had I not scrubbed off as much speed into some of the corners with the brakes etc, but that's all part of it as well so was good to show engine wise I can hold my own against the like of him.
For me the best ride of the night was Mark Downey. He has many big results to his name right through his junior years etc but has stayed in school and did his A-Levels this year. To scalp so many full time bike riders really shows his class on the bike. The full time bike men are expected to perform, so its impressive to see the strength and depth of some of the amature riders how close they can push those guys. Its also great for us to have them there so we can push ourselves against that level of competition.
Well done to everyone who that took part and made the event what it was.
Final mentions
It goes without saying the Omagh folks ran a great event. The number of marshals out on the course was about 10 times that of last years event it was as near to or as good as closed roads. Also the finishers medal and other small bits and pieces were cool also. Course selection was excellent a real tough test and although probably not to an all out testers strengths it had everything, and was something different to the normal time trial course. I loved the challenge.
James McCusker for providing the mean tri spoke which I am sure helped shave a few seconds off my finishing time.
Paul Mulligan for taking me round the course prior to the event.
And Special thanks to Caldwell cycles folk for their support this year and at the event.
