Luke GJ Potter gives a brief recap. 3 Provinces, 2 Weeks and a MonoSpaced Font in a Pear Tree.

Weekend of 12/13th November 2016

Munster CX League Round 4: DeRonde, Aghada, Co. Cork

Men’s B Race

On Saturday, Barry undertook the six hour round trip south. In a field of twenty, he finished joint fifth with Oran Kane. This was made possible by a late rally, which seen him pull back 13 seconds on the last lap.

Pos.  Name          Time
 1   AJ MURPHY     43:35 Midleton CTC Six Laps
=5   BARRY MOONEY  46:40

 

Fixx SuperCross Cup Round 3: Glencullen

Women’s Race

Women’s Podium. Courtesy of John Hammer.

Marlena Drozdzok blitzed the field on her Mountain Bike and newly mended broken hand. Marlena and her team mate, Klaudia, got a first lap gap. The fast starting Michelle, in her Fixx Series Leader’s jersey, was the first to catch Klaudia, as the top 5 Orwell riders also overcame her. Breda recovered from a first lap fall the finish third. Orla Hendron had more than a minute buffer infront and behind her to Rose Griffin and Monica Marconi, respectively. Emma Convey scored her highest place finish in this year’s Fixx series, with 13th in the field of 27 riders.

Pos.  Name                Time
 1   MARLENA DROZDZOK    40:34 Scott-Eurocycles Four Laps
 2   BETH MCCLUSKEY      41:47
 3   BREDA HORAN         42:18
 4   MICHELLE GEOGHEGAN  43:13
 5   LARA GILLESPIE      44:06
 6   CAOIMHE MAY         44:39
10   ORLA HENDRON        47:13
11   MONICA MARCONI      48:25
13   EMMA CONVEY         48:52

 

Men’s B Race

Marcin getting a gap on Paul. Courtesy of Gareth Gibbons.

Barry Keogh, Oisin and Paul started from the front of the pack. I started from the third row. Michael Hanley, expected there to be a gridding process, as one had taken place in the previous round for the Top 15. The gridding did not happen and Michael had to start from way back on the grid of Ninety-Six riders.

Paul finished behind Marcin, with a 15 second gap to the next rider over the line. Oisin, 22 seconds outside the Top 10, was battling right to the line with Aaron McCann, and he got the better of Ian Devlin. Michael was seeking to improve upon his 12th in Kilternan, but the poor grid placing thwarted him. Dave Maher was comfortably inside the Top 30, with a 10 second gap behind him.

In the mid-40s, were Mountain Bike Enthusiasts Barry Keogh and Richard Cattle. Barry was able to overcome Richard Gallagher of Tiernan's, by making up 34 seconds on the last lap. Richard Cattle was the last rider not to be lapped by the leader so he got to get in the extra lap. Eddie Lynch and Lloyd Moore were close towards the end. Barry Mooney’s wonderlust the previous day go the better of him and he pulled out through fatigue.

A crash on the first lap in the mud seen my tricep sieze up completely and a new Top Tube inflicted bruise on my knee to match the ones from the previous week. On the second lap Eddie Lynch was lining me up for a pass. I could hear the shouts of his fan club as he got close, then their moans as Eddie fell in the Luke-shaped hole from the previous lap. Eddie would get me on the third lap.

Pos.  Name            Time
 1   LIAM DUNNE      49:43 Belpark Tri Six Laps
 8   MARCIN WROBEL   52:35
 9   PAUL KANE       52:50
13   OISIN BOLAND    53:27
18   MICHAEL HANLEY  54:13
29   DAVID MAHER     55:55
44   BARRY KEOGH     58:14
47   RICHARD CATTLE  59:47
61   EDDIE LYNCH     51:28 Five Laps
62   LLOYD MOORE     51:44
70   LUKE GJ POTTER  54:46
93   BARRY MOONEY    10:35 One Lap

 

Men’s A Race

Eoin Ahern doing battle in the sandpit. Courtesy of Gareth Gibbons.

Robin Seymour was showboating his way to another dominant win over his Sixty-One competitors. Ronan O’Flynn broke his rear wheel hoodoo. He would finish 20 seconds behind Adam McGarr. Ronan was able to keep ahead of John Dempsey and Archie Ryan. Eoin Ahern was able to keep Alfie Wallace at bay, to score a Top 20. Eoin showed that his 41st in Kilternan was a blip.

Pos.  Name                Time
 1   ROBIN SEYMOUR       47:57 Team WORC Seven Laps
15   RONAN O'FLYNN       54:31
20   EOIN AHERN          55:03
44   TOM BLENNERHASSETT  51:20 Six Laps

 

Weekend of 19/20th November 2016

Munster CX League Round 5: K-Cross, Killarney, Co. Kerry

Women’s Race

Breda Horan hurdle hopping. Courtesy of Brendan Slattery.

Again on a Saturday, Breda rode the Munster CX League. On a course which featured a Fly Over, Tractor Tyres and a Circle of Confusion, former Women’s National Road Race Champion, Fiona Meade continued her dominance in the Munster CX League. Breda, in second, was almost three minutes clear of Grace Young in third place.

Pos.  Name          Time
 1   FIONA MEADE   45:12  Munster Focus Five Laps
 2   BRENDA HORAN  46:59

 

EPIC MTB CX: Firhouse

Women’s Race

Caoimhe made a fast start. Courtesy of Sean Rowe.

Fiona Meade doubled up for the weekend. Caoimhe, after making a fast start, finished second on the ...road? Unfortunately the Under-16 results were not included in the timings, but LukeyBottle were on the scene to capture what the spreadsheet boffins did not. The riders were awarded placings for their place in their category. This made Caoimhe only eligible for the U-16 race win. Mary Dawson, of Bray Wheelers, was a popular senior race runner up. The commentator was making for great entertainment, although he did stop short of shouting “Get Hype!!”. Silvia Gallagher, of Gravity BC, punctured on lap two whilst in third position. She had to run most of the frozen single track to the pits. Brendan Conroy gave her his Mountain Bike and she started her charge through the field to third in the senior rankings. She lost four minutes to the puncture, and finished five minutes behind Meade.

Pos.  Name            Time
 1   FIONA MEADE     51:47 Munster Focus Seven Laps
 2   CAOIMHE MAY     ??:?? U16 times not given, between 52:00 and 55:00
 8   MONICA MARCONI  52:25 Six Laps

 

Men’s B Race

Oisin’s Zen Guru told him to become “one with the course”. Courtesy of Sean Rowe.

New club member, Luke McMullan, finished 40 seconds shy of the podium. Oisin Boland just missed out on seventh by 4 seconds and two bodies. Barry Keogh, the serial front row starter, finished 13 seconds outside the Top 20. He, unlike Rick from The Walking Dead, was one step ahead of a N. Egan. Further down the order, Eddie and Lloyd were close. Eddie in the media storm of his post-race interview did inform LukeyBottle that he “fell on every lap”. Barry and I started from the very back of the grid. With the narrow course and single track, this lead to both of us being over two minutes down on the first lap.

I was able to hold off the polite Barry for two laps, but I could not regain contact at the end of the second lap as Barry powered up the two climbs. I was able to keep pace with my friend on the blue Crux again and I held off two riders on the last climb to coast down the finishing straight with 2 seconds to spare.

Pos.  Name            Time
 1   LIAM DUNNE      48:59 Belpark Tri Seven Laps
 4   LUKE MCMULLAN   51:47
 9   OISIN BOLAND    52:43
21   BARRY KEOGH     55:20
44   EDDIE LYNCH     50:33 Six Laps
45   LLOYD MOORE     50:48
48   BARRY MOONEY    51:38
55   LUKE GJ POTTER  53:42

 

Men’s A Race

Eric and Ronan following Robin through the Half-Pipe section. Courtesy of Sean Rowe.

Robin Seymour romped to victory in the A-Race lapping all but six riders. Ronan O’Flynn was on a great charge throughout the race. He was able to hold off Alan Cullen and Michael Jordan for eighth place. Eoin Ahern scored his first Vs. Win against Eric Downey.

The ever-improving, “riding cross for fun”, Tom Blennerhassett, finished on the same lap as his club mates. On a short course, with lap times in the low six minutes, this was a great achievement for Tom.

Pos.  Name                  Time
 1   ROBIN SEYMOUR         54:48 Team WORC Nine Laps
 8   RONAN OFLYNN          55:10 Eight Laps
15   EOIN AHERN            57:03
17   ERIC DOWNEY           57:40
26   TOM BLENNERHASSETT  1:01:04

 

Ulster Cyclo-Cross Series Round 7: Ormeau Park, Belfast

Women’s Race

Beth’s Sock Game was almost as strong as her riding. Courtesy of The Belgian Project on Flickr.

Up north, Beth scored another win in the series in her new Velo Revolution National Champion’s skinsuit. According to the timing results, she lapped the whole field in the process. Breda, who would cover in excess of 675km this weekend, held off Michelle. Series leader, Gill Smith, finished second with a time of 48:48.

Pos.  Name                Time
 1   Beth McCluskey      55:41 Six Laps
 3   Breda Horan         49:46 Five Laps
 4   Michelle Geoghegan  50:59

 

Women’s Standings after 6 Rounds

The Ulster Series winner will be the rider with the best eight rounds points out of the ten in the series. After six rounds (seventh rounds was not updated at the time of writing) the rankings are as follows:

Pos.  Name                Points
 1   Gill Smith          176  Phoenix CC
 8   Beth McCluskey       80
10   Emma Convey          79
15   Michelle Geoghegan   57
16   Breda Horan          56
25   Orla Hendron         20

 

Upcoming Races

Sun 27th Nov

Bray Wheelers CX Kilruddery GP

Kilruddery House, Bray.
Youth: 10:00, Women 11:00, Men’s B: 12:00, Men’s A: 13:30

Munster CX League Rd. 6: Thurles

Ulster CX Series Rd. 8: The Jungle NI, Moneymore

Sun 4th Dec

Navan CX Rd. 3: Blackwater Park - Leinster CX Championships

10:30 - Youth (U16),M40,M50,M60
11:30 - Women
12:30 - B-Race (for everyone else who only wants Leinster Bragging Rights) Elite,BRace,Women,Junior,Youth,U23,M40,M50,M60
13:30 - A Race - Elite,ARace,Junior (U18),U23

Ulster CX Series Rd. 9: Newcastle, Co. Down

Connacht CX League Round 3: Clonbur, Galway

Sun 11th Dec

Fixx SuperCross Cup Rd. 4: Greystones

Charlesland Golf Club/South Beach Pavilion, Greystones.
Youth: 10:00, Women 11:00, Men’s B: 12:00, Men’s A: 13:30

Ulster CX Series Rd. 10: Bangor, Co. Down

LukeyBottle, where does the name come from?

Quite simply, a LukeyBottle is the bottle that Luke GJ has to run on his Cross bike due to sinusitis. Only being able to breathe through your mouth dehydrates you. Hence the need for the bottle. These two sandy, mucky, grassy races detailed above made for some interesting textures on the lid of the bottle.