Club Riders in CX & International Action

With the road racing and mountain biking over for the season those in
the club whom still need their weekly fix of competitive action have
turned their attention to Cyclo Cross or "CX" racing. Cyclo Cross was
started in Belgium by professional road cyclists looking for a way to
keep their racing focus over the winter. The bikes are half way
between a road and mountain bike, designed to be ridden on muddy off
road courses, but can also move quicker than a mountain bike when they
do hit the tarmac. The race courses include a number of obstacles
forcing riders to dismount and carry their bikes. The sport is massive
in Belgium, where the weekend races are a festival of cycling, beer,
chips and mayonnaise.

The Irish CX season recently kicked off and in Round 1 of the
Supercross Series held in Dublin on Saturday last, Gary Shiels rode to
second place in the Cat B, finishing only 30seconds off the win. Gary
has completed the grueling 8 Day Trans Alps event, raced numerous
times in Ireland both on and off road, but described the event as
"60mins of fun mixed with huge amounts of pain". On the same day in
the Cat A race Johnny McCabe finished mid-pack.

Cuchulainn's upcoming mountain bike superstar Aaron McCann also wanted
one more outing this season and travelled to France to compete in the
prestigious Roc D'azur in Southern France. Here racing against the
best underage riders in Europe Aaron was more than able to hold his
on.

This weekend the club riders will be taking off on their annual
overnight trip to the City North Hotel. The riders will leave from
Dundalk on Saturday at 1pm, choosing between 3 different routes. Their
bags will be brought direct to the hotel and home again the next day.
The Sunday cycle home while always shorter in distance than the cycle
there always takes a longer time to complete, with more hydration
stops required! Places are still available, contact Karl Dolan 087
2219810 for details.