Irish NPS – Maheramorne

It’s been a while since I last raced with exams and college work taking over life even more than normal. I’ve had to spend 12-14hrs a day 6 days a week in the architecture studio the last month or so, but was happy to manage to keep training all the way through (though hours were reduced quite a bit). It was a massive relief to hand in my thesis at 5pm on Saturday, just the viva on Thursday and then done with college forever!!

There wasn’t much chance for recovery before the long trip up to Maheramorne quarry on Sunday for the 4th NPS race with an amazing day and roasting sun. I’d done this course a few times before so knew what to expect – flat, a few fun kickers and drops, fast hard racing. I’ll withhold my opinion but I wouldn’t exactly call it mountain biking. I have to say as we drove past the Mourne mountains I wouldn’t have taken much persuasion to turn off for a long sunny mtb ride! Anyway a race is a race.

It was good to see a few girls in the Elite race. We set off chasing the juniors, with Mel Spath quickly moving in front. I got behind, fighting my way through clouds of billowing dust that kicked up from the stony quarry, but struggled to hold here wheel and it didn’t take long for a gap to open up. I felt as if I was going like crazy (true according to my garmin!) but didn’t seem to be going as fast as I’d have liked. Its weird, this has happened at exam time last year – legs rested and although not feeling completely rubbish, things just don’t click and the race seems like a lot of hard work. But I suppose its to be expected and I’ve a few days to sleep now before the British NPS in Wales on Saturday.

I got a bit bored on the second lap, stuck riding on my own, but it improved after that when some of the guys caught up from behind and I had some good battles with them. It was all fast and furious stuff, pushing as hard as possible without much chance for recovery since there were no real descents. I finished second but would have liked to be closer to Mel. Ah well, plenty of time to get fast now…!
Many thanks to the Epic pit crew for their help with bottles.

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