NDCC is delighted to have been selected to compete in this year’s Tour of the North International Cycle Race! One of Ireland’s premier races, this year promises to be something special with the final stage taking in the ferocious Torr Head, in a route with nearly 6000ft of climbing over 70 miles. The elite five man NDCC team stepping up to the plate are – Keith Phillips, Javan Nulty, Andrew Chivers, Stuart Henry and Timmy Burns.

The four stage race will take place over three days, from Saturday 31 March to Easter Monday 2 April. Hopefully many members will take time over the holiday period to support the team, so look out for further details about the race here on our website and Facebook.

Participation in these prestigious events is made possible by the volunteering effort of many club members and the support from our loyal sponsors – Reid Black Solicitors, Chain Reaction Cycles, Bow Bells Restaurant Donaghadee, Bokhara Restaurant Bangor and Powerhouse Sport.

Local charities received a welcome boost with a combined donation of £6,600 from the North Down Cycling Club. The funds were raised through the annual NDCC Coastal Challenge, a 100km cycling event around the scenic Ards Peninsula. A presentation of cheques to six charities took place at Ballyholme, before the usual Saturday club runs. The recipients were: Samaritans, Bangor and North Down – Deirdre Walsh, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul – Damien Jackson, The Salvation Army – Scott Cunliffe, Riding for the Disabled Association, Newtownards  – Sarah Ferney and Josie Henly, Inspire – Lisa McElherron, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. A spokesperson for the charities stated that, “the donations from NDCC make a huge difference to the services we provide to people in greatest need”.  The NDCC fundraiser annually attracts up to 1,000 recreational and club cyclists, from far and wide, with over £40,000 raised for charity in the last five years. This year’s Coastal Challenge will be held on 17 June, so there’s plenty of time to pump up the tyres, oil the chain and start the training! Further details and registration information for the event will be provided on the NDCC website and on social media.

Members of NDCC presenting the cheque to representatives of the Coastal Challenge charities.

Ray Brownfield announced his return to competitive cycling this weekend with an emphatic win at the Kinning Cycles cyclo-cross race at Knocknagoney in East Belfast. After a long illness in 2017 and only two months of intensive training, Ray entered the first race of 2018 with fairly low expectations. Cyclo-cross is a notoriously tough cycling discipline and on a frosty winter morning, the hilly course around Knocknagoney Park was going to be a major challenge. Not having raced for most of 2017, Ray was placed at the back of the starting grid but after the first lap he began to feel strong and after three laps he’d worked his way into the lead. He held this position for another four gruelling laps, eventually winning by a full minute. This was a remarkable comeback performance in an event attracting competitors from across Ireland. NDCC and the wider cycling community are delighted to see Ray back to full fitness and we wish him all success for the forthcoming Irish Cyclo-cross Championships in Dublin and the 2018 road racing season.

Ray can be contacted at Brownfield Bike Repairs and Restorations.
75 High Bangor Road, Donaghadee. Tel 07413 020102

Images – Toby Watson

Cycling Weekly “Ride with NDCC”!

2018 got off to a flying start with Cycling Weekly journalist – Patrick Trainor, joining the Saturday 6 January club rides. Many will be familiar with the popular “Ride with …” feature in the Cycling Weekly magazine, which provides clubs throughout the UK with an opportunity to showcase their history, achievements, favourite routes and interesting characters.

Following some poor cycling weather over New Year, the forecast for Saturday was fortunately set fair with unbroken sunshine, a chilly feels like -1o and a stiff north-easterly breeze. Over 50 members gathered at Baylands for the usual staggered start and this provided Patrick with an opportunity to meet some of the club committee and to brief the two professional photographers commissioned for the day.

Patrick opted to head off with the Steady Cloughey ride and after being tested up the rise to Orlock, the group settled into a comfortable pace and took advantage of the wind assistance heading down the coast. With bright sunshine, a scenic coastline and a tempestuous Irish sea, the two photographers were spoilt for choice with picture opportunities. The rolling changes allowed Patrick to chat to many in the group and at Cloughey, he thoughtfully doubled back to join the second group and accompany them to the coffee stop in Harrison’s.

The Scrabo Room was full to capacity and absolutely buzzing with chatter. After the usual excellent hospitality from Helen and her team, it was time to organise a few close-up group shots, taking full advantage of the elevated location and the amazing view over Strangford Lough.  This photo shoot included a range of randomly selected members, not necessarily chosen for their photogenic qualities, and we look forward to seeing the final results! The inland route back to Bangor provided Patrick with a further chance to talk with people and he again took the time to hold back and ride with some newer members.

We sometimes take our club and the North Down geography for granted, but Saturday reminded us of just how fortunate we are. Patrick commented that he was “so impressed with the standard of riding, camaraderie and friendliness among all groups and abilities”. NDCC would like to formally thank Patrick and the two photographers (Dylan and David) for the tremendous effort they put into making the whole day an unquestionable success.

We expect the publication of the magazine article in around 3 weeks and to provide members with the opportunity to access some of the high quality photographs taken on the day.