CLUB NOTES

The trail system, designed by one of the world leaders in the sport, is an exciting network constructed to give a challenging and rewarding ride. Each of the loops will present riders with a combination of narrow single-track and boardwalk sections and also has sections of forest road climbs over short and long distances. The trails are laid out in 5 loops with each loop leading onto the next. The loops are waymarked in one direction – just pick the colour of the loop you want to ride and follow the arrows. There is more information out on the trails at the start of each loop.

Facilities at the trail head include map boards, car parking, toilets, showers and bike wash facilities. Trail friendly accommodation, bike rental and good food are available locally. The Car park opens from 8am-9pm (Mon-Fri) and 8am - 8pm (Sat-Sun). There is a Parking fee of €5 per car but there is no entry fee to any of the Mountain Bike Trails. The showers and bike wash facilities are available at a cost of €2. More details are available at www.ballyhouramtb.com.

The first Loop to be tackled by Anthony was the Mountrussell Loop ( 17km ). The Mountrussell Loop is a technical and physically demanding version of the shorter Greenwood Loop and follows this as far as Waypoint 1, from where the trails become a bit more technical, narrower, rockier and steeper with more climbing and more descending. The loop features some steep climbs on forest roads and single-track as well as long single-track descents. All of the single-track trails have extremely varied and sometimes very uneven surfaces, including rocks, loose gravel, mud, water and roots and are often very narrow (not more than 1m wide) with lots of tight turns, encroaching vegetation and with trees and boulders very close to the trail. There are also long sections of elevated timber boardwalk with exposed edges and uneven and sometimes slippery surfaces. Follow the Brown waymarkers all the way to Waypoint 3 where you begin the inward leg of the Loop and eventually pick up the Green waymarkers that lead you back to the car park. Along the way you will pass Waypoint 2 where you can take a shortcut back to the car park by going left up the hill to pick up the inward leg of the Loop. All in all, this is a great loop to take for your first time at the park.

Overall, Anthony could only confirm that all the talk about this exciting new Mountain Bike Park was true. In his own words he said “ the feeling of excitement and the dangerous trill felt while riding the trails, and in particular the descents, could only be matched by the excitement and trill you felt as a schoolboy doing something you knew you shouldn’t be doing “. Mmm, wonder what he got up too when he was young !!!.

Next week, Anthony will have a report on his second trip to Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail where he will have tackled the Garrane Loop ( 35km ).

Tour Of Spain.

Irish rider Philip Deignan (Cervélo Test Team) crossed a seventeen year gap last Thursday when he took the first Irish Grand Tour stage victory since Stephen Roche won a stage in the 1992 Tour de France. He triumphed on the eighteenth stage of Vuelta a Espana to Avila, beating Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) by three seconds and also moved up to an excellent ninth overall.