BANGOR COASTAL CHALLENGE IS A GREAT SUCCESS

As luck would have it, sandwiched between two days of glorious sunshine, Sunday’s Chain Reaction Bangor Coastal Challenge proved to be a wet and windy affair.  That only made the task more of an effort for the nearly 800 cyclists who braved the elements. With marshals standing out for many hours to either direct riders or hand out water and drinks, and a support team on motorcycles and vans, this event was well planned and executed, a special mention of thanks should be made to the Coastal sub-committee, and all the volunteers that helped make this charity event a success.

People of all shapes, sizes, fitness, ability and from all over Ireland rode their bikes, with at least two tandems being spotted en route, from the start at Bangor Sportsplex through the villages of the Ards Peninsula to the refreshment stop at Portaferry.  A strong headwind made the outward leg difficult, with the rain coming in earlier than forecast, some riders finding shelter in groups while others battled alone, but the consolation of a warming bowl of stew and the promise of a tailwind home helped lift the spirits, making it as one competitor said “A real challenge”.  The homeward leg through Kircubbin and Greyabbey saw the average speeds lift with most participants making it round, if not cold and wet, relatively incident free back to the Sportsplex.

It was not just the big kids out on their bikes today either, the inaugural Ride to Pickie was another big success.  For many, this would be the first time they were able to ride on the road, and with them being closed ensured it was a safe environment to do so.  Despite the weather, they were able to fit in a couple of hours fun at Pickie.

Many thanks to PSNI Bangor and Ards & North Down Borough Council for their assistance with both the Coastal Challenge and Ride to Pickie.

North Down CC would like to thank all who made the effort to ride the Chain Reaction Bangor Coastal Challenge and the Ride to Pickie, hope that if this is just the start of your cycling adventure, that we will see you back again next year.

Racing Round Up

There was no club event this week but NDCC had success at other venues.  On Tuesday at Warrenpoint, tester Paul Swenarton proved his mettle with a storming 10 mile at the TVR TT time of 22 mins 26 secs.  This was good enough for him to take the fastest vet title on the night.

The hard roads of East Antrim saw NDCC riders James Ambrose and Keith Phillips take on the Audi GP.  A tough course on hard roads meant nothing to this duo, who were instrumental in

forming the break rode hard all race, with Keith Phillips being rewarded with a great 4^th place.

NDCC had success at the criteriums this week too.  Maia Simmons, one of our most talented young riders, showed her strength in Ards against the U14 boys by finishing 1^st girl and 5^th overall.  Gavin Moore placed 3^rd in Antrim on Tuesday and 4^th in Ards.

 A Bicycle Made for Two

North Down CC has seen a couple of weddings take place between members over the years, the most recent being that of Mark Irvine and Rachel Mitchell.  This young couple met a few years back at a club function and love soon blossomed.  Cycling is in their blood, as the Irvines and the Mitchells are two of a few pillars on which the club was founded in 1977.  NDCC wish this pair all the very best in their married life together.

Words & Report by Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

BANGOR BIKE WEEK

BANGOR COASTAL CHALLENGE

In just a few days, over seven hundred cyclists from all walks of life, all abilities and ages will take to the roads as participants in the 2016 Bangor Coastal Challenge, sponsored by Chain Reaction Cycles.  The route for the event follows the coast road from Bangor Sportsplex to Portaferry, via Millisle, Ballywalter and Ballyhalbert.  Refreshments will be available at Portaferry and there will be water stops along the way.  The way home is via Kircubbin, Greyabbey and Ards, then along the dual carriageway to Bangor Sportsplex, where you can finally rest your weary legs and think of what you have achieved today. Sixty miles on a bike is long but doable by anyone’s standards, so don’t be deterred if you have not already signed up for this charity event, as you can enter on the day!  Disruption to the general public will be kept to a minimum but there will be delays on Sunday along the route, which leaves the Sportsplex at approximately 10 o’clock.  So if you are needing out and about along the peninsula on Sunday, please be considerate to other road users, cyclist and motorist alike, and think about an alternative route that will avoid the Coastal Challenge.

RIDE TO PICKIE – KIDS EVENT

Not forgetting our youngest members of society, this year sees the first Ride to Pickie for the kids in the borough.  A great way to introduce kids to cycling and riding on the road, this mini event will be held on closed roads, thanks to the assistance from PSNI.  Leaving the Sportsplex, the route will go through Bangor to Pickie Funpark where each kid will receive a goodie bag and have wear themselves out even more on the swans and playpark.  The only stipulations are that helmets must be worn and each kid must be accompanied by an adult. If you fancy having tired kids on Fathers Day so you can enjoy the footie and a beer later on, bring them along to Ride to Pickie as there are places still available.

All we need now is a glorious summers day with a gentle breeze to keep us cool.

NDCC MEMBERSHIP & PROMOTION EVENT

North Down Cycling Club is one of the biggest in the country and will soon be celebrating its 40^th anniversary.  Steeped in racing history and distinctive in its pink and black colours, the dynamics of the club have changed considerably to include a thriving membership of people who love cycling without being competitive.  NDCC are always happy to welcome new members and strive to provide quality events, whether you want a social ride, a tough race or just to make new friends.  In conjunction with the Festival of Cycling NI and Bangor Bike Week, NDCC is offering free membership to every tenth new membership.

On Friday 17^th June, the club will have its gazebo up at the Sunken Gardens, close to the McKee Clock, and as long as the weather permits, will host a fun static bike race, the fastest time winning a prize.  Club members will be there to chat with and give a first hand account of the club.  So if you see us down there, come over and say hello, give the static bike challenge a go, you never know your luck.

 BOKHARA HILL CLIMB – SCRABO

A new addition to the hill climb season, the finish close to Scrabo Tower was a great alternative to the hills used in previous years.  This was definitely a climb for the lightweights, probably the only people lighter are jockeys, with its 12% gradient on the final section.  The 1.5mile course started at the old Knightsbridge Hotel site and turned right to go up the road to the Tower.  Hill climbs are not for everyone, but a good turn out included a couple of our youth members.  Although David Spalding was the fastest NDCC rider on the night with 5mins 19secs, he had the very talented Nathan Keown breathing down his neck, finishing in 5mins 32 secs.  Tom Charlick was not far behind either with a fast 5mins 38 secs.  With two more rounds left, it is all to play for and it would be great to see a young rider win it for a change, as it has been won for the last number of years by riders of more senior years!

Results (NDCC Riders Only)

1. David Spalding  5mins 19secs
2. Nathan Keown  5mins 32secs
3.  Willy Larmour 5 mins 36secs

1. Special mention for Tom Charlick 5mins 38secs

Ladies

1. Alison McMullan 7mins 20secs
   

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RACING ROUND UP

Insane finishes at towers seemed to be flavour of the week, with Saturday’s Bobby Crilly Classic taking place in the hills around Dundrod.  This tough race takes in laps around Antrim, Muckamore and Nutt’s Corner before turning onto the Ulster GP motorcycle course and heading towards Divis Mountain.  The grueling ascent from Nutt’s Corner is nothing to what awaits the riders who have managed to stay out in front, as they turn into Divis Mountain Park, past the coffee shop before making a 90degree turn to face the wall they must climb to the summit.  This is always a finish for the pure climber, light in stature and with less to drag up the incline, they can make the most of this advantage when the road tops out at a grinding-to-a-halt 20%!!  Lucky for NDCC, that we have a plethora of such riders, with Adam Leach winning the A3 race, Philip Bell coming 2^nd in the A4 race and Lewis Ferguson, fresh from the Ras, taking 4^th in the A1/A2 race.

Although not strictly cycling, U16 club member Jake Rushby came first at the Firmus Energy Kids Triathlon.

The Ras: How hard can it be?

For decades the Ras has represented the ultimate challenge to domestic riders. The traditional raced pitted county against county with the top amateur clubmen battling for the prestige of a victory and the rest content with the honour of becoming “Men of the Ras”.

Overseas riders are not a recent addition to the Ras peloton. British riders and others from Eastern Europe have made their mark over the years. Stephen Roche won the Ras in 1979, going on to win the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and World championship in 1987. The winner in 2007 was Tony Martin, a rider who became world time trial champion and a regular in the Grand Tours of recent years.

In recent years the winners have been members of visiting teams from Britain, eastern Europe and, for the past three years, Austria. Half the teams this year have been from abroad, including Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and the USA. The last domestic rider to win was Stephen Gallagher in 2008. Some of these teams are professional, though not from the upper echelons of the sport, while others are made up of development squads of young riders keen to gain experience of a multi-stage race.

As overseas riders have come to dominate, critics have argued that the Ras has lost contact with its roots and that the county riders are finding it harder to stay in the race, let alone compete for honours. So, just how hard is it?

The 2016 race was 1235kms, (772 miles) run over eight days, no rest day, no time trials. That works out at an average of 97 miles a day, the longest stage being 115 miles. The average speed for the winner Clemens Fankhauser was 27.2 mph. That is the equivalent of riding, each day, the Shay Elliot Memorial race, considered to be the premier one day race in Ireland, not including the national championship.

Given that context how did the North Down team perform? The bare statistics are; David Watson, 5th county rider out of 95 and 44th overall, average speed 26.8mph. Lewis Ferguson, 6th county rider and 45th overall, average speed 26.8mph.

Darnell Moore, 13th county rider and 65th overall, average speed 26.5mph. David Hamilton, 19th county rider and 77th overall, average speed 26.4mph. James Ambrose, 75th county rider and 143rd overall, average speed 24.5mph.

Lewis Ferguson won the A2 category overall by almost 20 minutes, on two stages North Down was the leading county team, Darnell Moore was 1st county rider on stage 6 and David Watson was 2nd county rider in stage 8. These results were obtained despite several crashes during the first half of the race, Darnell in particular losing at least 20 minutes overall.

Without question the Ras has got faster over the decades. The fastest ever races were 2016 and 2013.

In the 1970s only one race averaged over 25mph. In the 1980s five winners topped 25mph

In the 1990s eight wins topped 25mph.

Between 1993 and 2016 every race was won at over 25mph.

During these years there have been advances in bike technology, training regimes and nutrition, all of which will have contributed to faster times. Steel frames were widespread until the 1990s, the Tour de France being won on a steel frame in 1994. Aluminium frames then dominated until carbon fibre became the material of choice.

Words by Harry Adams.