The Ras consisted of three main events, day 1 was a crit round a 1.8Km circuit followed by a road race on a hilly 6.6 km circuit later in the day. On day 2 there was a final road race on a flatter longer course 7.5km all based around Bellewstown Race Couse Drogheda.

Each age categories did an increasing number of laps.
There were three age categories U12 U14 and U16, we had riders in all three categories

In the U12 we had Rachel white who was returning after breaking her shoulder and elbow last year at the event, sh had a nervous start however soon settled in performing well finishing with the main group in each race.

In The U14 we had Matthew Keown who was entering his first Ras after only starting racing late last year, he rode well in some challenging conditions and progressed with every race.

We also had Amelia Tyler who was also competing in her first Ras and cycle specific race recently moving from triathlon, Amelia was the first girl in the crit and the first road race narrowly missing out on another win in the third race however was beaten when two other girls got the jump on her in the sprint finish ending in third place. Her earlier efforts were enough for her to secure top girl overall.

In U16s we had Nathan Keown who is in his junior year entering his second Ras, Nathan rode strongly in all three races finishing in the main bunch in each. In the third race Nathan made a break with 600m to go and led the field for 300m unfortunately though he could not hold on and ended up being caught with 300m to go but showed real spirit and guts to give it a go just going a bit too early but he’ll know for next time.

We also had Katie Armstrong in the U16 race who could have opted to ride with the U14 boys however given this is her senior year and is sitting her GCSEs Katie has decided to focus on making the jump to junior racing next year so opted to compete with the U16 boys to stretch and test herself only one of two girls to do so. Katie performed well beating a number of boys and was second girl over the three race stages. Both girls were recognised and praised by the organisers for doing this even though neither finished with the main group but came in a short time after.

Report and Images courtesy of Scott Armstrong – Youth Development Officer

Mallorca

After such a wet and miserable winter, the prospect of a week in the sun is a welcome relief for anyone and if you are a cyclist, there is only one place to go – Mallorca.  Whether you call it Mallorca, Majorca or Majorkie, this gem of the Med is a cyclists paradise and just the place you want to go to show off your guns.  If you watched the recent drama, The Night Manager you will have been given an appetizer of the scenery and if this is your first time out then you are in for a treat.

NDCC @ Pollentia Club Resort in 2010

NDCC normally bases itself in Puerto Pollensa in the north of the island, and is a great starting point for the daily rides.  You may have heard of notorious climbs like the Puig Major and Sa Calobra – the very thought striking fear into you, or towns like Deia, Soller and Valledemosa, offering views of some of the world’s most stunning coastlines.  Cap de Formentor is a fabulous route, less strenuous than the other two but enough to make your legs hurt.   The reward being a coffee or a cool beer at the lighthouse, offering spectacular views out to sea.  Don’t despair if climbing isn’t your thing, as there are plenty of flatter routes that will take you from one beautiful village to the other.  Petra, Puerto Cristo and Can Picafort are just a few to mention but with everywhere being so accessible on the island, the choice is immense.  The island is criss-crossed with thousands of kilometres of small rural roads, known as Camis. These are probably the best way to see the island as they pass by olive, lemon and orange groves, filling the air with their scent and they will open up Mallorca to you in a way that most tourists will never experience.

While you can never guarantee the weather, the temperatures are normally in the late teens/early 20s but it is advisable to bring poor weather clothing, as Mallorca does get its fair share of rain – a light rain jacket/gilet and arm warmers are advisable.  It would be recommended that you get some from of travel insurance to cover accidents, as the odd tumble may occur and with that always carry your European Health Insurance Card.  If you have one check that it is in date, if you don’t – get one!  There are a number of good bike shops on the island where you can purchase anything you’ve forgotten.  Co2 cartridges cannot normally be brought on the planes, bike bags are scanned at Belfast and you will be asked to remove them, but you can purchase them when you arrive.

RACING ROUND UP

The weekend racing round up continued NDCCs successes
both on and off road.  For those new to cycling, races are categorized from the elite A1 to the introductory A4.  To get promoted from a lower category to another, you must earn points by getting results.  Gavin Moore did just that at the Bann Valley Classic, by taking 1^st spot in the A4 race.  A couple more points and he will be upgraded to A3.  Dave Hamilton rode a strong race in the A1-A2 category, just missing out on first place to ex-pro Ronan McLaughlin. The other Dave – Watson – finished third in the Stamullen GP. 

Off road racing at Ormeau Park brought a third place for Michael McMullan in the Senior B race.

YOUTH RACING

This weekend sees the first big event for our youth riders, with the two-day Ras Na N’og being held in Drogheda.  NDCC has a plethora of talent, Rachel White, Katy Armstrong and Nathan Keown to name but a few. We wish them all good luck and we know they will give their all.

PUB QUIZ

A final reminder to those who have not booked a ticket for the quiz at Pickie Bowling Club this Friday. Please enter your team with Kieran Beattie as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Report courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

Ole Espana – Cycling Lanes

Anyone who has been to our beloved island of Mallorca will be familiar with the distinctive blue cycle lanes. They look like Papa Smurf has been out decorating the roads just for cyclists. The reality of these lanes are that they are completely segregated from footpaths and roads, and even more so, they cannot be used as a hard shoulder or parking bays by motorists. On mainland Spain, it is not uncommon for these cycle lanes to go on for miles, and they are well maintained to encourage their use. Having said that, Spain are pioneers in cycle safety, it being the law that motorists must give cyclists 1.5metres of passing room, similar to what a motor vehicle would receive.

Compare that to what is on offer in North Down. The new cycle way running between the Donaghadee Road and Gransha Road, whilst in spirit should be applauded in keeping people safe, in reality is a token gesture. This will be a shared space with pedestrians and will only have a white line demarcating the boundaries, but hopefully walkers and cyclists alike will show courtesy to each other.   Having ridden this lane, it was clear that it was not being swept for stones or debris, and similar to the cycle path along the dual carriageway from the Old Belfast Road to Ballyrobert is just not maintained or fit for purpose.  The rescinding of the bye-law allowing cyclists along the coastal path is great, but if it was even slightly upgraded, more and more people would be encouraged to commute along this beautiful stretch of water.  And that will ease congestion on the roads, in hospitals and at the GP surgery.

With a bit of investment and the will to do it, building proper Spanish style cycle routes could revolutionise cycling but until King Car abdicates in most people’s minds, we will have to make do with what we have.

Racing Success Continues for NDCC

With the legs now flushed after the Tour of the North, the weekend racing once again proved successful, with the deadly duo of Dave Watson and Dave Hamilton continuing to show great form.  On Saturday at the CicliSport GP in Co.Tyrone, Watson took the top spot with Hamilton coming in third.  On Sunday in Coalisland, first year senior Andrew Chivers rode strongly to finish sixth on the testing circuit of the PJ Logan GP with Stephen Cardy taking fifth in the Masters. MTB Enduro racer Jacob Kennedy got a hard fought for top ten result at Castlewellan.  NDCC are showing their worth in all aspects of cycling.

Bow Bells TT League

The club’s racing season commences next Wednesday with the start of the Bow Bells TT League.  The dreaded ‘Killermetre’ has been replaced with the Murder Mile – a straight out and back one mile, give it all and leave nothing in the tank!  Sign on is at 6.45pm at Warren Road.  As always, marshals are required for the League to maintain the safety of riders and motorists, so please go to the events calendar and volunteer when you can.

Pub Quiz Night

The annual Pub Quiz Night will be held at Pickie Bowling Club on Friday 15^th April.  Tickets are booking up quickly, so please contact Kieran Beattie to reserve your team spot. The Ras team will be holding a raffle, so please give generously as this helps fund their eight days of hell in the grueling race that attracts the very best riders from all over Europe.

Little Muckers

NDCC ran a successful programme for young riders to teach them handling skills whilst making the experience a fun event.  It is hoped to repeat this again this year.  Open to kids 6yrs-14yrs, Little Muckers is a mountain bike club held in Castle Park.  This a safe environment for kids to learn how to ride bikes while having fun.  There are obstacle courses to practice on and races to show off their new talents.  Again, this can only work if there is enough commitment from club members to help out, as there are always plenty of young people wanting to participate.  If you are interested, contact Scott Armstrong via email.

Images courtesy of The Belgium Project.
Words courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

TOUR OF THE NORTH 2016

The Ards Peninsula was the host destination for this year’s Tour of the North International cycle race. In an effort to revitalize the area, Ards and North Down Borough Council injected funds into the race and attracted teams from all over Ireland, Scotland, England and Holland.  The race was run over four days and incorporated five stages, ranging from a 5mile time trial to a leg sapping 98mile road stage.  There were plenty of local interest; North Down CC entered a strong team, with last year’s winner Dave Watson, Dave Hamilton, Lewis Ferguson, James Ambrose and Willie Larmour.  Andrew Chivers and Keith Phillips were guests of sponsor Powerhouse, with Bikehouse owner Fraser Duncan riding for the elite ASEA.

Stage One – Kirkistown

Kirkistown racetrack was the venue for the opening criterium – a short, fast circuit race – of the Tour.  Renowned for it’s crosswinds, this was not going to an easy one to script and it was notlong before the racing started in ernest.  A powerful break managed to pull away and eventually lapped most of the field, creating havoc for the timekeepers.  English rider Ed Clements managed to slip the break and with three laps to go, stayed away for a solo victory.  Dave Watson finished 4^th putting him in a great position for the next three days.

Stage Two – Ards Peninsula Road Race

With Easter Public Holiday being so early this year, the weather did not fail to disappoint.  High winds and driving rain greeted the riders on Day Two.  Starting and finishing in Portaferry, the course took in Ards where Fraser Duncanwon the first KOH, before crossing to Ballywalter and completing a couple of laps that took in the berg of Windmill Hill in Portaferry.  The wind played havoc with the field, as it whipped across the peninsula with the flat landscape, riders echeloned along the roads with only each other for shelter.  A few breaks were tried but soon reined in, and it was towards the end of the stage that two broke free, sprinting for the line in an almost dead heat.  Dave Watson came in 5^th, securing his 4^th spot with Hamilton 9^th but the teams performance was enough to put them 2^nd in the overall classification.  Chivers of Powerhouse was unlucky to puncture twice ending his hopes in the Young Rider contest but with youth on his side, he will be back next year to try again.

Stage Three – Portaferry TT

The race against the clock was an opportunity for ‘testers’ to gain a few seconds and move up the leader board.  Dave Watson, lying in fourth spot did exactly that.  The tough 8km TT took in the Mountain Road, a course suited to Watson’s strength and a time of 10mins 14 seconds moved him onto the podium and into third place. The rest of the NDCC team rode well, holding onto their 2^nd place in the Team GC.
Both Phillips and Chivers of Powerhouse put in good performances on this stage.

Stage Four – Portaferry – Donaghadee

The grueling roads up Scrabo and around Ballygowan formed part of the course for Stage Four.  Having ridden an 8km TT in the morning and after the tough stage the day before, tired legs andbodies were to face a war of attrition.  Howling winds and driving rain persisted for most of the day, draining the energy and for some, the will to live from the riders.  Breaks occurred but were brought back and it was not until the final KOH on Donaghadee Rd from Ards that Peter Anderson from East Kilbride saw his opportunity and jumped away.  With only 15 miles to go, he put his head down and battled alone, gaining almost two minutes as he turned up Springwell Road, with a chasing group that included Watson hot on his heels.  At the finish on Warren Road, Anderson came in for a well-deserved victory 1m50s ahead of the field.  Dave Watson secured his 3^rd spot overall but coming in 10^th. Ambrose, Hamilton and Ferguson all finished safely, caked in mud looking like they had just completed Paris-Roubaix,

Stage Five – Bangor-Bradshaws Brae

The weather was at least slightly kinder on Monday for the final stage, even if the route was not. Leaving Bangor RFC, the field sped across to Ards and followed the tight, scenic roads to Whiterocks before completing a couple of laps of the rolling hills around Killinchy/Balloo.  Fraser Duncan, who had been leading the KOH competition did not start, so it was great to see another local rider, Glenn Kinning wear the polka dot jersey.  Today, the bunch mainly stayed together, perhaps in the knowledge that they had to finish on top of the Brae.  The rulebook should have said that this would shatter the bunch, but this was ignored, the bunch turning up for the last climb together.  A large crowd had turned out to spur on the NDCC lads, the tension mounting as riders carefully marked one an other.  Watson and Hamilton were well placed towards the front, and as the race crested the Brae, the fast downhill finish produced an epic final, with Watson sprinting to 3^rd place on the stage, Hamilton 11^th and Ambrose and Ferguson well up the bunch.  This secured Watson his 3^rd on GC and NDCC 2^nd in the team category.

Phillips finished strongly and should be justly proud of his efforts over the entire race.

Images courtesy of Sam Carson.
Words courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

WATSON WINS AT WALLACE

Milan – San Remo was not the only Monument race to be fought over this weekend, as the Wallace Caldwell Memorial was held on Saturday. For those not familiar with the term, there are many classics in the cycling world but only a handful are notorious enough to be described as Monuments. For local racers, ‘the Wallace’ is exactly that.

Image courtesy of The Belgium Project

From the start this was going to be a battle of attrition, with a break that included strong man James Ambrose, going out after thirty kilometres and maintained a lead of over two minutes until the peloton got organised and brought them back. With the two very challenging climbs of Cam Forest and Springwell ascended, Dave Watson and two others broke free but again were brought back by the marauding bunch. Watson, who has had an amazing start to the racing season and has proved his worth to the club time and time again, went toe to toe at the end and won on the same stretch of road that he sealed his 2015 Tour of the North crown, by the slimmest of margins. It took a photo finish to confirm the win, less than a tyres width.

Image courtesy of The Belgium Project

The ex-Junior Commonwealth Games rider, who scalped none other than a certain Chris Froome during the Games, is the hot favourite for this weekends Tour of the North.

And it was not just the young guns that stood on the podium this week. Ever youthful Tom Henry, who can still dish out pain to riders half his age, took a fantastic third spot in the Masters Race, hosted by North Pole CC in Donegal on St Patrick’s Day. He was in the mix again on Sunday at the Carn Wheelers Classic, Maghera. Although he missed out on a podium finish this time by finishing 6^th.

Off Road – XC Ormeau Park

North Down was well represented at Sunday afternoon’s mountain bike race at Ormeau Park. Four members, all riding their first XC race, entered the B race, in what was a twisty but dry course. Their aim was to stay upright and finish, with Michael McMullan finishing in 6^th place. Alison McMullan was the sole club female rider finishing strongly on a track that proved challenging for her.

If you have difficulty entering the road races, the off road races offer a great alternative and you will feel just as exhausted after an hour flat out in these events. For more information, refer to the Ulster XC website or Facebook page.

The Tour of the North

Just a reminder to all club members that from 25^th-28^th March, the four day stage race will be held right on our doorstep. North Down will be represented by current champion Dave Watson and his strong team, so please make the effort to come out and show them support. If you are free, the organizers still require marshals, so please contact them directly (see link on Facebook). It may not be a bad idea to tell your non-cycling friends to avoid the Peninsula over the weekend unless they want to come and see a great sporting event. Check the press for timings.

Club Quiz Night

The annual Club Pub Quiz will be held at Pickie Bowling Club on Friday 15^th April. Tickets are £5 per person and food is provided by club sponsor, Bow Bells. Those wanting tickets should contact the Social Secretary direct

Report courtesy of Michal McMullan – NDCC PRO.