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The 2010 Irish national championships took place on the 14th/15th of August in Rostrevor, Co. Down and was hosted by Chain Reaction Cycles.

This was my first national champs in 2 years as I missed the 2009 champs due to injury, it was also my final chance to get the under 16 champ title so I was nervous coming up to the race. They were also using the single race run format so I was defiantly scared of getting a puncture or a mechanical.

My dad and I arrived at the venue on Friday afternoon, The place was starting to get busy and a great race atmosphere was around. The sun was out and it was going to be an amazing weekend.

I checked the track out on Friday night, its quite short being about the 2.20 mark but its full of action, very rocky and tricky.

Saturday morning was again hot and sunny and I did about 5 runs. It was the first time in ages I got to ride with my 2 favourite Wolfe brothers due to them being away in Europe. They helped me out loads in practise and showed me some good lines.

Seeding was on Saturday evening, I wasn’t feeling great on the track but planned on sorting out some bits the following morning. My seeding run went pretty badly, I just couldn’t get into it at all and could hardly ride. I was convinced id do badly but came down and won by 9 seconds, which I was amazed by.

I wasn’t happy with the run but wasn’t to worried as I had a good bit of time the following morning to sort myself out.

On Sunday morning I did 2 runs with Ger wolfe and was feeling much better on the track. I did a final practise run near to my race run so I could see how the track was.

I got ready and went up for my race run. I was very nervous and just wanted to get it done. My mum, my sister and my little dog also came up to watch and cheer me on.
My plan for race run was not to try and put in a hero time, but just to get down clean without crashing.

At the top I warmed up loads and listened to some music to get me stoked.
I set off well and got straight into it, nothing to fast but really smooth and I cant recall making any mistakes. It seemed to go pretty fast and soon enough I was at the bottom and sprinted into the finish and straight into 1st place. I won by 10 seconds and was so happy to have done it!

The 4th round of the British Downhill Series took place in Moelfre, Wales. The track is fast and quite unique as there isn’t a tree on the hill.

After crashing in the previous BDS in Llangollen and finishing a poor 9th place, my goal for this weekend was to stay smooth and get some valuable points towards the over all, instead of in Llangollen where my attitude was ‘Win it or bin it’.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, with new BDS recruit Craig Rea. We walked the track twice, once with Steve Peat which was helpful. The track was dry and looked great, nothing too ‘gnar’ on it just flat out with some good corners.

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Helmet cam I did following Joel Moore.
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I was up early on Saturday morning and started learning the track. The uplifts were quick which enabled lots of runs. I got caught in the only rain shower of the day and got absolutely soaked, but other than that it was a great day.

I was feeling quick on the track with some good lines so was confident for race day.

Sunday morning I got 2 practise runs in before my seeding run. The track was rough and beat up which I liked. I went up for my seeding run and had a clean run, it was a pretty hard track to make any mistakes on. I seeded 3rd, about 6 seconds from 1st. I was happy with 3rd, but not with being 6 seconds behind, so I knew id have to gun it come race run.

My race run was going well until near the end, there was a tight right hand corner into the 4x jumps. I came around the corner in the wrong gear so I couldn’t get any speed up for the jumps, I ended up casing them all which lost me loads of time and speed and then I ran out of gears coming into the finish which didn’t help either.

I went 3 seconds quicker than my race run, kept 3rd place and lowered the gap from 1st place down to just 3 seconds, knowing the time I lost on the final jumps shows me im on the pace.

My BDS results so far are:

BDS 1 – Rheola – 3rd place.
BDS 2 – Fort William – 4th place.
BDS 3 – Llangollen – 9th place.
BDS 4 – Moelfre – 3rd place.

Im currently coming 2nd overall in the series which I need to try and keep with a good result at the final round.

The 5th and final round takes place in Caersws in September.

The 7th and final round of the 2010 Irish NPS took place on the weekend of the 24th and 25th of July in Carrick, Wicklow. This round was held by our club, Flow Racing, and it was great to be part of it.

We arrived on Friday morning and starting getting everything ready for the weekend. The portaloo’s and barriers were delivered and the weather was amazing.

Saturday morning was dull and rainy, but the track was so fast that it didn’t affect it. I chilled out abit on and didn’t do too much practice but was feeling good and strong on the track.

Sunday morning I got 2 practice runs in and was loving the track. I felt fast so rested up for my race run. The weather was good so the track was drying up nicely.

First race run went terrible, my front brake was acting up all weekend but I decided to ignore it. In my race run it completely failed so I had no front brake. I crashed once and had to ride slowly. I came down and went into the lead, 10 seconds ahead of 2nd place. I wanted to do well in Elites so I wasnt happy.

Back to the pits and straight into OC Tuning to get the brake sorted, turns out it was full of air. After a quick master bleed by James O Carrol himself she was feeling mint and I was good to go for my 2nd run.

Back to the top and ready to gun it. All going well until near the end where I lost my front wheel on some slippy roots and went down. I got back up quickly and fired on, nearly dyeing at the end but managed to hold it and finish.

I ended up goin 4 seconds faster and winning under 16s by 12 seconds, but I was still disappointed with my crash as I was hoping for a top 5 in elite. I ended up getting 9th fastest time of the day and winning juniors by about 3 seconds, not bad with a crash.

Below is a great video from Flexo which shows the great atmosphere from the race.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/151080/

On the 9th of July myself, my dad and and the famous Doner Kabab (Donough O Brien) left home for a road trip in Scotland.

The van all loaded up and ready to go!
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First stop was the Scottish champs in Dunkeld, then a weeks riding in Scotland before the British national champs in AE forest.

We left our house early on Friday morning, drove up north to Larne and got the ferry over to Scotland. 5 hours of driving later and we arrived at Dunkeld for the Scottish champs. The track was amazing, rooty and rocky and pretty challenging – just what I enjoy riding. Pracitse went well and i was feeling smooth on the track.
Come race day I got 2 good practise runs in and then it was time for my 1st race run. I was the first rider down as I was Irish so I went into the hot seat straight away, I ended up staying there for about 15 minutes until the final rider came down and knocked me off. I was coming 2nd after the first run, only 4 seconds off the win.

The track had dried up loads for the 2nd runs, so I knew the times would be quicker. I set off good and was going well until I slid out and went over the bars over this rock jump. I was stuck under my bike for a bit and then struggled to get going, once I got back on I noticed I couldnt pedal, when I got to the bottom I realised I had bent my chain ring and chain device badly and snapped the chain ring bolts.

As the track was much drier everyone went faster in their second run so I was moved back to 4th, with my time from run 1.
I ended up with 4th place…

During the week we rode in Glencoe, Fort William and AE Forest, some great tracks and lots of riding with the chair lifts.

Next up was the British champs at AE forest. Myself and 2 other Irish riders had to race in our own ‘Youth Open’ category which wasnt very good. The track was good fun to ride but I found it a bit boring and pedaly for my liking, with lots of it on hardpack gravel with some jumps. I started getting into the track a bit more after doing a run with Scott Laughland which was helpful.
Come Sunday the track was very muddy and slippy.

My seeding run went OK, I cruised it down and made 1 big mistake at the top. I seeded 2nd, only 2 seconds off 1st.

Photo by www.campagan.co.uk
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My race run couldnt have gone any worse, I crashed twice and broke my pedal somewhere down the course, meaning I couldnt clip in. I stopped before the last drop trying to get clipped in but still couldnt. I ended up coming 2nd by 1.2 seconds with everything that happened!

We packed up and hit the road for the ferry home. Quick stop at Hong Kong city for a chinese then it was time to load onto the ferry.

In the end it was a great trip but the races couldnt have gone worse. All experience though so nothing to complain about.

The 3rd round of the British Downhill Series was held in Llangollen on a steep and twisty track. I was feeling confident coming into the race as I knew the track from the Welsh champs a few weeks back so I was going for the win.

We arrived in the van on Friday afternoon, I walked the track twice, once with Brendan Fairclough which was a good help.

The track was so dusty and loose. It was so much fun to ride and I was loving getting wild on the steep, dusty track. I was running a Schwalbe Dirty Dan spike on the rear for better braking and a muddy mary on the front, gave great grip in the deep dust.

Saturday practise went well for me, I only had 1 small crash. I was having fun on the track but got into it a bit late and only started getting properly up to speed on my last run.

I cleaned and checked everything over on Saturday night then walked the track once more.

Sunday morning came quick and I had 2 good practise runs. I was feeling good on the track and knew what to do.

I went up for my seeding run and just wanted to get down steady as you get points towards the overall for seeding. I had a pretty good seeding run, no mistakes but wasnt full pace.
I ended up in 2nd place, only .3 of a second slower than 1st place.

I was feeling good for the final and knew if I had a good run I could win, but it would need to be on the edge the whole way down.
I ended up crashing in my run, fell down the hill and lost loads of time, I tried getting back on quickly and kept going. When I got to the bottom I finished in 9th place, only 2 seconds of the podium with a crash that lost me over 10 seconds! Im happy I went for the win instead of sitting back and getting a podium.

Thanks to all my sponsors. The bike went great all weekend, helped by the great parts like Novatec wheels.

Up next is the Scottish champs in Dunkeld this weekend, then im riding in Scotland for a week and then doing the British champs in Ae Forest!

Round 6 of the Irish NPS took us to Glen Of Imaal, a new venue deep in the Wicklow mountains.

It was a new track built and hosted by EpicMTB, it had lots of natural features and was great fun to ride.

I arrived up on Saturday morning, the sun was shining and the track was dusty. The uplifts were good so I got lots of runs in and did some helmet-cams of the track.

I packed up and headed home, as it was only an hours drive from my house. Washed and prepped the bike for Sundays racing and got some rest.

Sunday morning, there was some light rain but the track was just the same. I got 3 practise runs in then rested up for my race runs.

My first race run was going good, until I slid out on a stump/roots near the bottom, I got back on quickly but it was quite flat so I struggled to pick up speed.

I came down and still went into 1st place, 9 seconds ahead of second place.

Annoyed, but happy I was still winning, and ready to put a smasher of a 2nd run together.

Just before the second runs started, it started pissing rain, and I knew any chances of a quicker run had gone.

As everyone went slower in their second runs I took the win by 9 seconds in my category, my time would have won the Junior category and put me 4th in Elites. Not bad considering I came off the bike!

Photos reproduced with permission of "http://www.uberdogmagazine.co.uk">überdog magazine</a>. Copyright 2010

My bike, Tomac Primer, Novatec wheels and Chromag components went great all weekend.

Ive just finished my exams while writing this so now its lots of biking and racing over the summer, next up is BDS round 3 in Llangollen, cant wait.
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Video of the race by Flexo Designs.

Thanks to all my sponsors:

Cullohill was the venue for round 5 of the Irish NPS.

I had missed this race last year due to injury so I wasnt sure what to expect. My new Tomac Snyper 140 had just arrived on the Wednesday before from Hotlines so I decided to bring it along.

We arrived at the track on Friday evening, set up the pit and then I went up for a look at the track on the Snyper 140. The track was fast and fun with some big jumps and a steep switchbacks section. I ended up sending all the jumps on the Snyper with an XC lid on! I rode for the rest of the evening and was loving the Snyper, the thought of racing it was starting to set in…

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Headcam of the track on the Snyper 140.

On Saturday morning I did a few runs on the big bike, Tomac Primer 220, but I felt it was a bit too much for the pedaly and pretty smooth track, so i whipped the Snyper out of the van once again and did some runs on that! The Snyper is simply amazing, it rides like my Primer, pedals like a hardtail and is extremely light. After some mods to it – wider Chromag OSX bars, a 36 tooth Gamut ring and some Schwalbe tyres  it was ready to go for race day. Also OC Tuning got me a set of 150mm Fox 32 talas for race day, which gave more travel and they rode like 40s! Huge thanks to James!

After some more practice runs on the Snyper I was feeling really quick and ready for my race runs.

My first race run went pretty good, I got down clean, there wasnt really much on the track that you could make mistakes on or sections were you could make up loads of time; just had to pedal your arse off!

I came down and went into first place, with a 1.35, 6 seconds ahead of 2nd place.

2nd run went a bit better, I made up 1 second and ended up winning by 7 seconds. My time put me 2nd in Juniors, 4th in Elites and 5th fastest time of the day!

Another great weekend having fun riding bikes in the sun. Everything went well all weekend and both bikes went great.

My new Tomac Snyper 140 turned up last week from Hotlines.

Ive had it dirt jumping, a quick XC ride and also raced it at the latest Irish DH NPS…its an amazing bike and does everything brilliantly. A true ‘Do it all’ bike that can do everything from dirt jumping to XC to DH racing.

Built it up with Chromag components, WTB saddle, Gamut dual ring chain device, Schwalbe tyres and Fox 32 Talas from OC Tuning (www.OCtuning.ie)

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Frame pictures

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Full Bike pictures.

You can check out the Snyper 140 and the rest of the Tomac range at – http://www.hotlines-uk.com/Brands.aspx?BrandID=153

Round 4 of the Irish NPS took us back to Cahir, the venue for NPS round 1.

The weekend didnt start well, the accelerator pedal snapped off in the camper van as we were about to leave, so we had to take everything out, pack the car and unload the trailer which was full of branches and soil. After that was done we went to bed to get up at 6 am ready to leave for Caher.

The track was great – flat out, dusty with some good jumps.

I had some spanking new saddles on my bike this weekend, I was running the WTB silverado saddles, Sweet az!

I had a great day on Saturday, busting out loads of runs and having lots of fun. We packed up and headed home again (2 hour drive each way, bit of a pain!).

Up again at 6 on Sunday morning, another 2 hour drive to the race. It had rained a bit over night but didnt really affect the dusty track.

I did 2 practise runs on Sunday morning, crashing on the second and hurting my elbow.

My first race run went pretty good, my elbow was still hurting me so I found it a bit hard, I came down in first and was winning by 10 seconds.

My second run went better, but about 2/3s or the way down I snapped my chain, right before a flat pedaly section, so I lost a few seconds there. I went 1 second quicker as I pinned the top bit.

I ended up winning my category by 11 seconds, my time put me 2nd in Juniors and 5th in Elites.

All in all a very fun, sunny weekend riding and racing with friends…doesnt get much better than that.

The bike went amazing as usual, Novatec wheels went strong and Chromag steering kept er on course while the Knox armour was keeping me safe for when i went off course!

Round 2 of the ‘British Downhill Series’ took us to the famous Fort William in Scotland. I was at the British NPS there last year so I knew what to expect.

My dad, James OC, Dennes O Shea and I headed off in the van on Friday morning, we arrived in Fort Bill 11 hours later at 7 pm. We set up the pit, had some dinner and got ready for the weekend ahead.

Saturday morning went well, Myself and Gavin Carrol got a uplift que jump pass as Dennis was marshalling, which was great as we didnt have to que up for the Gondola, Cheers Dennis!

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Track headcam with Ben Reid and Dan Stranbridge.

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I got 7 good runs in on Saturday, I felt quick on the track through the corners and the rocky bits, but I hadnt done a full run during practise so I wasnt sure how id cope in a full run.

I rested up for the rest of the day, checked my bike and got ready for race day on Sunday.

Up again early Sunday morning and I got 2 practise runs in, felt good so I rested up for seeding. Gave the bike a check, got some food and then went up for my seeding run, ready for my first full run of the weekend. I came down and went into 8th place, which I wasnt too happy about but I had bent my mech during the run so I couldnt pedal much at the bottom.

Race run went even better, I went strong out of the gate and pinned all the top section, still not pedaling too much trying to save some energy for the bottom, but even still I was dead, I struggled through the bottom pedaly section and went into the hot seat. I stayed in the hot seat for a while and ended up in 4th place, which im pretty happy about considering I struggled alot on the long, physical track.

As usal the tomac went amazing all weekend and everything held up great, my Novatec wheels went strong even on such a rough track!

All in all a good weekend, except for when we missed the ferry on the way home and had to wait till 3 in the morning.