caitelliott.co.uk » Dublin

Christmas skids on the islands

Cait — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 20:12:56 +0000

My ribs finally healed in time for some hardtail action in Ireland and Scotland over Christmas. So so good. The weather was perfect, the people fun and the trails every bit as good as I remember.

Not so stoked to be back in snowy wet cold Zürich

Irish Gravity Enduro Championships

Cait — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 16:25:04 +0000

Finished 3rd in the Irish Enduro championships. You don’t need big mountains to make great mountain biking. Awesome race and great week hanging out afterwards.

Love Dublin!

Report on Devil in a dress for the women’s race. Thanks to Action Pictures Ireland and Adrian Van der Lee for the photos.

Dublin!

Cait — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:35:46 +0000

I may live beside the Alps, a dream cycling destination for most people but a trip home for Christmas confirmed what I’ve said before. Ireland is the best place to ride bikes. Seriously. There are so many deadly trails in such a small area right beside Dublin, always changing improving and being added to. You can ride year round with non of this seasonal cycling nonsense and winter schlomp teaches you great technical skills. Views of mountains , the city and the sea are amazing. The road biking is good too. Most importantly the people are great fun.

Go to Ireland, ride bikes!

Ireland vs Switzerland Part II

Cait — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:39 +0000

My last blog post seemed to raise a few opinions so I’d better explain further. As I said before Ireland and particularly Dublin is one of the best places I know for xc riding and training, with a great cycling community and a great variety of technical trails within easy access of the capital city. So why do Switzerland have a handful of both male and female xc riders in the top 20 in the world from junior through to elite level whilst Ireland has… err, well, none?! Elite racing is given so much more prestige and recognition here, achievement in sport seems to be more desirable and encouraged. The national newspapers frequently cover mountain bike racing and national races frequently attract 7,000+ spectators.

Swiss racing

There are 8 UCI ranked xc races attracting top riders from all over the world in Switzerland this year and none in Ireland. This allows riders to compete in their own country whilst gaining experience of world class level racing, providing inspiration and increasing ambitions. It gives the events more prestige making it easier to attract public and media attention as well as associated funding and financial support. The availability of support not only from the National Cycling body but also from teams from amateur through to professional level cannot be underestimated – making racing financially possible (it is almost unheard of here for an elite rider to work full time), providing valuable expertise and allowing riders to focus on performance.

Development from a young age is well considered in Switzerland. Nationals races have kids races which include skills testing as well as other entertainment to keep them interested throughout the day. Many clubs have a good development structure offering technical coaching, training and race assistance for underage riders. This is only beginning to get going in Ireland.

Up to a certain level the Irish race scene is quite good, it is not considered elitist so there is a wide variety of people taking part, there is a good sociable atmosphere at races, and participation is rapidly increasing. Having raced all over Europe I would still say Djouce, Castlewellan or Kilruddery are amongst the best national standard races courses I’ve ridden, technically and physically challenging as well as great fun to ride.

racing - Dublin mountians

Its when you get to the top level of the sport that things are lacking with very few riders competing at a real international level, especially for elite women. There is little understanding of the standard of international racing and what is involved to get that fast. There is no structure or guidance and little experience of coaching for riders wanting to compete at that level. Without our own UCI races and with low numbers of elite riders it becomes essential to travel to Europe for anyone wanting to progress in the sport but there is no encouragement to do so. It is logistically and financially difficult with riders left to make their own way. This takes a lot of determination, often leads to doing things the hard way and ultimately often affects results negatively. It is easier to stay at home, win a race all be it at a slower pace and be happy with what we have rather than really progressing and being internationally competitive.

Some of these factors come down to wider cultural economical differences between Switzerland and Ireland (some of which you would never dream of trying to change!), but I’m sure that Ireland has the potential to gain a reputation for being at least as good a place for mountain biking and racing as Switzerland, and develop some top level riders to go with that.

Zürich vs Dublin

Cait — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:00:05 +0000

Alpine mtb

I’m starting to get annoyed with people telling me I must be in heaven coming from ‘flat’ Ireland to go mountain biking in Switzerland. Actually not quite. Think of Swiss mountain biking and you think of spectacular mountains, massive climbs and long technical Alpine descents. There is that but firstly I don’t live in the Alps, the hills around Zurich are similar size to the Dublin mountains. There are a few good trails that are very easy to get to from the city but far less of them and less variety than in Dublin. The hills are very steep so you climb from ages by fireroad because the singletracks are too steep to ride up, do one long descent and then repeat. I miss technical climbs and xc rides where you go for hours and barely see a bloody fireroad.

Powerscourt, Wicklow

Admittedly Ireland has no Alpine size mountains and there really is something amazing about riding in such spectacular scenery, but when it’s limited to 3 or 4 months of the year due to snow then its less of an advantage. For downhill and freeride Switzerland probably wins, uplifts and long descents make far more sense for this than small hills. There is also has the advantage of an extremely reliable and extensive train network so its easy to get to different riding locations at the weekend to get some variety.

Dublin mountains singletrack

Cycling is not a seasonal sport in Ireland. I can’t get my head around the fact that here everyone puts their bike in the cellar between November and March. Summer dust is all very well but mud and wet roots are my favourite biking conditions and make for good technical skills. We don’t have the option of skiing so you just toughen up (actually that is possible here 95% of the time too but most people seem too weak!).

Then there is the social side. Clubs here seem to be only for serious cyclists and most people ride alone or in small groups. There are a lot of people riding but so many of them can only ride downhill or else tear around the fireroads on pimped out bikes but have no skills or appreciation for what the sport is really about. I couldn’t imagine anything like the Epic Club race with 50 or 60 people turning up for some hardcore xc mtb fun and then having a laugh in the pub afterwards. I really think that for xc riding and training Dublin is one of the best places you can live. No matter what level you are riding at there are club rides, races and training buddys to make things more fun.

There is so much potential for mountain biking in Ireland, which is perhaps beginning to be recognised internationally, but not anywhere near as much as it deserves. But actually maybe we should keep quiet about it, keep Irish mountain biking for real mountain bikers – an influx of Eurogoobers could seriously ruin things…

Lugnaquilla, Wicklow

appreciate your back yard

Cait — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:45:51 +0000

Proper big mountains, hot weather that lasts all summer and not having to get on a plane every weekend to get a decent amount of competition in a race can make living in Europe look attractive but I haven’t left Ireland for a whole month and sometimes its good to appreciate what you have.

There are not many places you can live in walking distance of a big city centre but ride from your front door to mountains like these, which are rideable for 95% of the year. The variety of trails is amazing from woodland singletrack, to manmade trails, to big rocky open mountain tracks and with the bonus of plenty of other elite riders to go training with.

Its not just the mountains though, I have an increasing appreciation for the sea. You can swim in the sea without leaving the city, the water is even warm at the moment (17 degrees according to one of the enthusiastic locals!) and there is a whole Dublin subculture to be discovered down there with hardened old guys who swim everyday even when temperatures are below freezing in winter.

If only we had a bridge to Europe Dublin would be perfect.
Ok and a better economy too.

Track cycling

Cait — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:45:15 +0000

On Saturday I took part in Cycling Ireland track training day and to my surprise found it to be great fun. The only track in Ireland is a slightly makeshift affair, outdoors and surfaced with tarmac rather than a fancy velodrome, but its 10 minutes from my house and having shallower banking than normal makes it a good place to learn. We began with an accreditation session to learn how to ride the bikes safely – there is no free-wheeling, no gears and no brakes and you ride very close together so it takes some getting used to.

After a morning of riding around in circles and some elbows out skills sessions we were thrown into the deep-end with a training session involving several different track disciplines. First up, flying start sprints, here you get a lap to build up speed and are timed for the last 250m. This requires a lot of skill to know how much speed to carry, how to use the banking of the track to help you, and when to attack, so a few practice runs would be useful. Next a short standing start sprint that means heaving the bike to get up to speed before powering to the finish over a distance that is barely long enough for the pain to register. Third was four laps at the fastest speed possible, a painful interval session that could get quite addictive in trying to knock split seconds off your time. Finally the most exciting, a 12 lap keirin, a bunch race (still no brakes and riding very close together!) that if done properly should involved lots of aggressive racing and attacks as people try to breakaway on the short laps. For this I was a bit too cautious, waiting for more experienced riders to attack and then following, so missed the winning break at the end – next time attacking is the way to go!

To do any of these events well involves quite a lot of skill, the tiniest mistake or mistiming can cost split seconds which make all the difference (youtube tutoring may be in order before I return!). It seems that track could like a condensed version of road racing with more action, excitement, and technical skills. I’d certainly recommend heading down to Sundrive to give it a try!

January images

Cait — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:16:22 +0000

York Racecourse

Welcome home from Spain – A foggy, dark day for some drills on country roads in Yorkshire.

Boat leaving Hollyhead

Rail & Sail – the paupers solution to last minute travel with lots of luggage to Dublin. A 14 hour trip rather than a 30 minute flight.

A nice day for a road spin converting the brother that doesn’t normally cycle.

5 hours of sunny mud-free singletrack – not bad for a Tuesday morning in Irish January.

Coaching the rapidly improving ThinkBike beginners spin in Ballinastoe.

A slightly epic tour of Wicklow on the road bike on yet another pleasantly mild day. It was great until I had to ride alongside the Miners Trail singletrack descent in Glendalough and really wanted to be on a mountain bike. Rounded off by a wrong turn, a big main road and nasty headwinds – I was glad to get home.

attacked by ice

Cait — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:06:53 +0000

Looks pretty? NO, its evil! The crazy cold weather continued this with unusual subzero temperatures in Dublin turning snow from a last week into hard ice and freezing all the puddles. I’ve had to acquire cold weather survival skills – setting off with boiling water in my water bottles meant they didn’t turn solid quite so quickly. I’m also considering undertaking a mince pie diet to try and keep warm, skinny cyclists are not suited to this weather!

For 98% of the time its fun to bike on solid frozen ground without worrying about getting muddy, the only problem is you have no idea when a patch of ice is going to pop up at ruin things. This is what happens when it does:

back to the turbo trainer?!

Training in the snow

Cait — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 18:02:19 +0000

streets of Ranelagh

River Liffey & Calvatrava bridge

The snow didn’t stop after last weekend and a week later there is more snow in Dublin than I’ve ever seen outside of the Alps. The city is in total chaos with public transport not working, streets blocked with snow, pavements turned to sheets of ice etc. Commuting to work through the snowy streets on a road bike with skinny tyres has been great fun although once it started to get icy the mountain bike was a safer option. At least the snow makes everywhere look pretty and gives people something to think about other than the country’s economic doom.

frozen canal

interesting commute

Training wise I cracked big time and was forced to embrace the inner roadie for some turbo training madness. I bought a turbo trainer 2 years ago but this was its first time out of the box. Rather than sitting indoors staring at four walls for hours on end, I set it up outside under the porch in front of my house so that I could look out at the snowy street and watch people go by. It helped to stop me looking at the clock but I did get a few funny looks as people slide around fighting through a blizzard and I sat there in a t-shirt pedalling away like crazy!

turbotastic

It’s actually almost enjoyable once you figure out how to play mind games with yourself so that time doesn’t come to a complete stand still. In my head I’ve spent the week doing laps of race courses all over the world – shut your eyes and use your imagination it comes as a shock to open them again and realise 20 minutes has passed and you actually haven’t moved anywhere!

Some good pumping music is another essential. At the moment my playlist includes Holy Fuck, Girl Talk’s new mix, Leftfield, Deadmau5 and Underworld. Any more suggestions welcome…

view from my bedroom

Thanks to the guys in the Think Bike workshop for putting the turbo together, the most complicated piece of apparatus imaginable.

thankfully real biking again at the weekend