Don’t miss out on your chance to be part of the 24^th edition of the only stage race in Ireland that is run entirely for women. This 3-day event takes place in Sneem and the roads will be familiar to anyone who has cycled the Ring of Kerry, taking in Molls Gap on friday evening, doing laps of a circuit through Sneem town on Saturday and heading out through Waterville and towards Caherciveen on Sunday.

The Ras na mBan is renowned for its friendly atmosphere as the whole race is based in Sneem Hotel and is thus a very sociable weekend. The incredible scenery, luxurious accommodation and great after-race party have proven irresistable to foreign teams and every year has attracted more and more international riders – this year we already have teams from Belgium, Germany, 3 Dutch and about 5 teams from the UK entering the event!

But WHERE are the Irish riders? To date only a few Irish teams signed up – a National squad, and regional squads from Leinster, Connaught, and Ulster. The only club teams entered are Usher and Orwell! Now we KNOW there are plenty of clubs with enough women to make up teams – there is no minimum number required, and perhaps some riders can team up together as guest riders on a club team? Individual riders are also welcome! We need Irish riders to support all the hard work done by Valerie Considine and Louis Moriarty to build up and run this event – it really is the best event on the womens calender and deserves our support. None of the stages are very long and although the racing will be hard there is no question that you will be not be able to complete the stages-the stages are 60km, 5km tt, 80km and 90km:

Friday, 17 September: Stage 1, Road Race, 60km – Sneem – Kenmare – Sneem mapmyrun.com
Saturday, 18 September: Stage 2 – 5km TT

Saturday, 18 September: Stage 3, Road Race, 80km
Sunday, 19 September: Stage 4, Road Race, 90km mapmyrun.com

Once again, Race HQ is in Sneem Hotel which offers a very generous rate for all those taking part in the race: €155 for 3 nights B&B including 2 dinners.You couldn’t live cheaper at home! You will live in 2-bedroom apartments w/ plenty of room for your gear, etc. To book your room, contact valerieconsidine@gmail.com.

Race entry is €45 for seniors and vets, €40 for juniors which you will pay along with your entry form (downloadable from the home page of this site).

Youth:
There will also be girls’ youth races, following last year’s success, this year we are planning some short fun events in the village green for the younger kids. We will cater for all riders from the very young to the under 16s. Youth races are free.

For further information contact:
Valerie Considine/Louis Moriarty email:rasnamban@gmail.com

So come on all the ladies and do your bit to support womens cycling in Ireland!

Hotel Proprietor and Ras na mBan race sponsor Louis Moriarty may have provided us with comfortable modern apartments with every amenity, a fabulous choice of breakfast and most excellent coffee in a silver coffee pot, but he could not hold off the rain on saturday morning when the girls headed out from Sneem Hotel on their first training spin of the weekend, when they recce’d the first and second stage of the Ras na mBan. Luckily it dried up very quickly and the girls soon got to grips with the first mountain of the day, the famous Molls Gap, which most agreed that with its good surface and gentler than expected gradient was not such a fearsome monster after all. All riders managed to restrain themselves from succumbing to the temptations of the conveniently placed Avoca handWeavers coffeeshop at the top of the climb, and regained their breath on the undulating road back towards Sneem.

A slight detour took in the climb used on the lap of Stage 2, before heading back to a welcome lunch and as an extra treat, Louis surprised us with a round of cakes – I think he’s trying to fatten us up!

After lunch, ex-pro Paul Griffin shared his vast store of knowledge when he gave advice on training and stage racing and answered all the varied questions put to him by beginners and experienced riders alike. The evening was free to spend how we wished and some took advantage of the beautiful surroundings and borrowed the kayaks available to hotel guests and paddled out on the inlet, around to the village for a coffee stop and back in time for dinner!

Sunday was the type of day that Bord Failte waits all year for so they can shoot their ads for The Heathers to sing to – incredible views of wild irish hills dropping into azure seas with rocky outcropping islands – simply magnificent. As on day one, the girls split into 2 groups, with the less experienced riders being drilled on group riding, pacing and gearing by coach Gillian McDarby, and coach Paul Griffin leading the more experienced riders with a faster paced spin. Today the route was that of Stage 3 of the Ras, completing the recce of the entire race route.

The incredible scenery was a welcome distraction on the slope of coomakiste, on which all groups rode hard and got a taste of how it might feel on race day. The groups kept up a strong tempo on the flatter roads after Waterville before tackling coomakiste from the opposite direction-all agreed it was a harder climb from this side, but a much more fun descent! Before long we were back eating sambos in Sneem Hotel again before reluctantly heading home – I think we all wanted to spend more time in this beautiful corner of Kerry, and are looking forward to returning in 4 weeks for the Ras na mBan!

Many thanks to Louis Moriarty of Sneem Hotel for his hospitality and making us feel so welcome, to Valerie Considine for her work in organising the training weekend and to coaches Gillian McDarby and Paul Griffin for all their advice and help. Thanks of course to all the women who came training for the weekend, it was wonderful to see some new faces and hopefully all are encouraged to enter Ras na mBan!

We will bring you for a hilly spin in Wicklow to give you an idea what to expect in Sneem, with coaches along to help you and give advice and encouragement. On returning to Bray, there are washing and changing facilities available in the clubhouse, and lunch will be provided. Afterwards there will be a talk on training and race preparation for the Ras and an opportunity for you to have any questions answered.

No matter what level you are at at the moment, this is the day to come along and get top advice on what you need to do to get through a stage race, you will have plenty of time to make a plan and put it into action before September!

This day will be a precursor to a more intesnsive weekend of training we have planned in August on the race course itself, so please come along, get motivated and get training and we will do our utmost to help you get into the best possible shape for the Ras na mBan in September!

Cost of the day’s instruction is €20, including lunch at the clubhouse, payable on the day.  Please contact jenzerwoman at gmail dot com to book your spot.

1-2 for Piner and Bates, photo courtesy Brendan Culleton

A one – two for Lakeside Wheelers with Sarah Piner taking the victory and Wendy Bates taking second on Sunday at the National League race in Navan

The women’s race started at approx 1.20pm – heading out on the main wide Navan/Kells road. The bunch seemed happy enough to trundle along until Jenny McCauley put in the first attack of the day; Valerie Considine – Usher IRC jumped across to her and the two worked together to maintain the gap – hoping to be joined by a few more riders….but not the whole bunch!

Wendy Bates – Lakeside Wheelers went away on her own and stayed away for a good while with nobody willing to chase her until Louise Moriarty (UCD) along with Sarah Piner – Lakeside Wheelers attempted to get across to her but the bunch was having none of it. The main move was made with Wendy Bates, Valerie Considine and Orla Hendron who were later joined by Sandra Fitzgerald – Leinster Team and Sarah Piner – Lakeside Wheelers. The five woman group worked very hard to increase the gap back to the bunch and stayed away for a lap. However, at the start of the second lap, the two ‘Wheelers’ being stronger than the rest of the break, rode away. The remaining trio were eventually caught on the main drag by what was left of the bunch – which included Fiona Guihan and Sandra Telford of the Leinster Team – great performance from the two girls. It also included Orla McEvoy who was riding her very first National League race and Mary Brennan – Castlebar who we hadn’t seen in Navan since 2006!

The bunch worked well enough to try to catch the two up the road but Sarah Piner and Wendy Bates were not going to be caught. They stayed away to the finish sprinting it out for 1^st and 2^nd place with Sarah netting 1^st place.

Meanwhile….with 10km to go on the main road heading back to Navan, the attacks started Louise Moriarty attacked several times but was chased down; Orla Hendron and Jenny McCauely put in several attacks but nothing was being let go. Mary Brennan at the 1km to go mark put in a strong attack from the back of the bunch just before the final sprint for the line. Valerie Considine was the first to charge for the line but was just caught by Aideen Collard – Orwell Wheelers and Jennifer O’Reilly. Louise Moriarty took the final placing.

Well done to the girls who rode their first National League race Sinead Calliau – junior rider on the Leinster Team and Wendy from Orwell Wheelers.

Many thanks to Navan Road Club for running a great event on a fantastic circuit…even if we thought it would never end!

Thanks to Brendan Culleton for taking some great action pics of the race, see them here.

Next Race is in Carlow – see youse there! (details to follow): Next League race Sunday July 4th part of Mark Hayden Memorial Race Kildavin Carlow, hosted by Carlow CC.

Results:

1. Sarah Piner(Lakeside Wheelers)

2. Wendy Bates(Lakeside Wheelers)

3. Aideen Collard(Orwell)

4. Jennifer O’Reilly (Ravens)

5th Valerie Considine(Usher IRC)

6th Louise Moriarty (UCD)

photo courtesy Brendan Culleton

Everyone interested in doing the women’s Dublin City Centre crit on the 19th June is invited to a skills/gears/cornering session with Paddy Doran on Monday 14th June, in the Phoenix Park. Meeting at the papal cross at 7pm… c’mon everyone – let’s get the numbers up for this crit and put women’s cycling on the map!

The exact details have still to be confirmed but as a guide: The men’s event is starting at 6pm and they get an hour beforehand on the circuit so that’ll be between 5-6ish.

The women will race for 30 minutes. The first 2 laps will be neutralised to keep everyone together and after that the racing will start.

Sign-on: will be either in Jury’s Inn or City Hall.
Sign-on time: around 3pm
Licence: Everyone must have a cycling licence – if you don’t have one, we can issue a on-day licence on the day – this costs 10euro.
Bikes: Road bikes only
Circuit: the map is on www.womenscycling.ie but in summary:

take a right at Lord Edward St – down the hill; take the second right which brings you up to Essex St – cross the road and continue on Essex St; take a right at Eustace St which brings you up to Dame St and off you go again for 30 minutes!

For safety:
When the racing starts, it can be pretty fast and with the circuit being short, there’ll be a lot of sprinting out of corners which could mean not everyone will be able to keep with the faster girls and you might find yourself off the group. This is perfectly normal BUT if the faster group come on you from behind – please stay to the right of the road and let them by on the left.
TS_Download_DUBLIN_V4

 Sign on is in Navan Rugby Club form 11am

Start time:  1pm

Winner Rita Boyle, photo courtesy Brendan Culleton

Newcomer Rita Boyle (Slaney) won the first road race of the Wicklow League tonight, riding through all the groups before her from semi-scratch. The racing was tough, with most of the groups breaking up at some stage, as a headwind and the hill took its toll over the course of the 4 laps. Wendy Barry(Orwell) hung on to take 2nd and 3rd was Mary Brady making a welcome return to bike racing. U14 Rachel Kaye-Mellor (Orwell) impressed as always, riding into 4^th place from the midgroup. The Orwell trio of Anne Dalton, Margaret Donnelly and Charlotte MacDonald rode great together to finish 5^th, 6^th and 7^th.

Many thanks as always to all the riders who support the race, and to all the marshals and helpers for keeping them safe. Thanks also to all the people who contributed cakes and goodies, it was wonderful to have such a selection afterwards!

We’re spoiled for choice with photos, thanks to Brendan Culleton (photos on www.cripsphotos.com) and facebook here) and Pat Fitzpatrick for taking pics of the event, Pats pics can be found on facebook here.  Must remember to smile through the pain next time!  ^_^

1   Rita Boyle

2   Wendy Barry                   @15secs

3   Mary Brady                       @23secs

4   Rachel Kaye-Mellor       @1:13   U14

5   Charlotte  McDonald        @1:23

6   Margaret Donnelly           ”

7   Anne Dalton                        ”

8   Jenny McCauley               @1:50

9   Mary Dawson                     @1:57

10 Catherine Devitt                 ”

11 Naoise Sheridan                 @2:26   U12

12 Caoimhe Ivory                   @3:13   U16

13 Deirdre Haverty                 @3:14

14 Eileen O’Sullivan                  ”

15 Eithe Dalby                            @3:49

16 Sandra Telford                      ”

17 Deborah Meghen                 ”

18 Fionnula ni Bhradaigh       ”

19 Orla McEvoy                         ”

20 Joanne O’Shea                     @4:18

21 Carmel Buckley                    @4:23

22 Aine Ford                                @4:15

23 Liz Ward                                   ”

24 Sadie Gleeson                        @4:43

25 Sinead Cailleau                     @4:57    Jnr

26 Ashling Fitzpatrick              @7:10    Jnr

dnf Aoife Sheridan

Winner Rita Boyle, photo courtesy Pat Fitzpatrick

Catherine, Jenny and Mary pass the 2nd group, photo Brendan Culleton

Ashling Fitzpatrick, photo Brendan Culleton

scratch,photo Brendan Culleton

Waiting to start, photo Brendan Culleton

Roisin Kennedy wins Rd 1 of Wicklow League

It was a case of Deja Vu for Roisin Kennedy (Lucan) as she won the Time Trial that was Round 1 of the Wicklow League, repeating her fine win from the outset of the Orwell League. Catherine Devitt (unattached) took a fantastic 2^nd place with a very impressive performance and it’s great to see her make such a leap of improvement since the league last year, definitely a rider that’s going places! 3^rd was the familiar name of Orla Hendron (Orwell) who concluded her unofficial tt ride from Dublin with the league tt and as usual managed to impress.

It was very heartening to have some juniors riding and Sinead Cailleau(South Dublin CC), took the honours ahead of Ashling Fitzpatrick (Slipstream). Caoimhe Ivory (Bray)recovered sufficiently from a recent bout of illness to take the lead in U16′s, while Naoise Sheridan(Orwell) rode very strongly in the U12′s.

Well done to all the women and girls who rode the TT today, for some it was their first race and we hope it’s inspired them to return and ride the next 4 handicapped races.

Many thanks to John O’Sullivan (Sorrento) for stepping into Danny O’Shea’s shoes to do the timing – all the best to Danny and we wish him a speedy recovery. Thanks to the many marshals for helping out, it’s an awkward circuit that needs quite a few people to help out and without whom we could not have run the race – Pat, Ruth, Claire, Catherine and Stephen, Brendan, Larry, Enda, Alan, Fergal, Ger, Dave, Denis and Richie, club president Ronnie Coates, and even Fionnuala who put in an extra shift once she finished her race! And big shout out to our official photographer, Brendan Culleton – these races wouldn’t be the same without the great photos to pore over afterwards!

Name            Time        Points

Roisin Kennedy        18:25.49    11
Catherine Devitt       18:53.60    10
Orla Hendron             19:06.49    9
Fionnuala ni Bh         19:12:45    8
Mary Dawson             19:12.93    7
Aideen Collard           19:24.58    6
Eithne Dalby               19:26.75    5
Deb Meghen                20:41.02    5
Sinead Caillean          20:52.73    5
Carmel Buckley         21:34.17    5
Leah Dempsey           21:36.24    5
Margaret Donnelly   21:38:30    5
Ieva Japarteite          22:18.20    5
Deirdre Haverty        22:44.72    5
Ashling Fitzpatrick   22:59.34    5
Eileen O’Sullivan        23:06.99    5
Caoimhe Ivory           23:18.07    5
Naoise Sheridan        23:32.13    5
Liz Ward                       24:01.05    5
Joanne O Shea            24:23.92    5
Debbie Crean              24:39.68    5
Anne Forde                 25:04.70    5
Sadie Gleeson             26:08.03    5
Luarena Murphy       27:02.75    5
Charlotte MacDonald -1 lap 11:96    5
Anne Doller -1 lap    19:31.83    5
Aoife Sheridan             dnf        0

For anyone who wants to dip their toe into mountainbike racing, this beginners series is for you!

Kippure Estate invites you to join their XC MTB Development Summer Race Series to be held over the next few months on the estate.

The races are open to beginners and intermediate racers of all ages. The 4 Race series takes place on the following dates:
Sunday 30th May
Sunday 20th June
Sunday 25th July
Sunday 22nd August.

After the success of the XC Championships in 2008 and K-Capital Challenge Race Series final stage in 2009, Kippure Estate has entered into talks with Coillte, Wicklow County Tourism and Wicklow Rural Partnership to develop permanent mountain bike trails in the Athdown woods opposite the entrance to the estate. Coillte are very open to the idea and in conjunction with all parties a feasibility study is to be commissioned to look into the routes available, costing, etc.

The course for the first round is approx. 3km loop within the grounds of Kippure Estate, loads of singletrack and one nice fireroad climb and will include some interesting features along the way. The climbs aren’t too hard, everything is rideable for beginners.
The relatively short loop will make it great for the spectators.

There is ample parking, acommadation & coffee shop on the grounds of the estate.

Race Categories

There will be an A and  B category for Sports:

A for riders who have reasonable experience on a bike
B for complete beginners

Other categories will be:
Women
Under 16
Under 14
Under 12
Under 10
Under 8.

Schedule
Sign On will be open from 10am. Make sure to get signed on as early as possible

11:00      Under 8/10/12
12:00      Under 14/16, Sports B & Women
13:00      Sports A

Race Entry

Entry fee will be minimal (all underage will be free entry) but one day licences will be compulsory.
Race Entry fee for the underage is free.
Race Entry fee for the sports A & B Women is €10

Day licences will be available on the day priced at €5 for underage, €10 for 16-18 year olds, €20 for adults
More information is available here:
http://www.irishxcmtb.com/Ref_docs/Irish_Offroad_Race_Licence_information.pdf

Online registration

We would really appreciate if you could take the time to fill in the online registration form. Firstly, this gives us an idea of who will be attending so that we can cater for everyone.
Secondly (and more importantly), We can put your details into the computer timing system in advance of the race to speed up the sign on process.

http://bit.ly/cEEEON

Directions

http://www.kippure.com/travel-directions.htm

Google Map – http://bit.ly/9WfkPX

More Info

Kippure Website
http://www.kippure.com

The Flyer
http://www.adventurewicklow.com/Summer_Series_Beginner_Mountain_Bike_Race.pdf

IMBRC – Post on the forum and we can answer any questions
http://imbrc.com/forum

Follow us on Facebook/twitter
http://www.facebook.com/kippure
http://twitter.com/KippureEstate

http://twitter.com/imbrc
http://www.facebook.com/pages/IMBRC-Irish-Mountain-Bike-Racing-Club/316207487946

Regards,

Development Series Team.

Every tue night in June, 5 in all, best 4 results to count.
1-Jun tt
8-Jun
15-Jun
22-Jun
29-Jun

Following on from the success of the Orwell Womens League in Sandyford, the Wicklow League will take place every tuesday night in June, with a slightly later start than the Sandyford races to give you time to drive down -start time is 7.30pm sharp with sign-on from 6.50pm.

This is a  handicapped race on a 2.9mile circuit, taking place just outside Ashford village, just off the N11.  The route is different to before as the N11 is now a motorway, but the circuit is right next to the previous one and the lap is just a tad shorter at 2.9 mile rather than the previous 3.1 mile.  Map is here
<a href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/-ashford,wicklow/792127333079412180″ _mce_href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/-ashford,wicklow/792127333079412180″>Wicklow League 2010</a><br/><a href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/ireland/-ashford,wicklow” _mce_href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/ireland/-ashford,wicklow”>Find more Bike Rides in Ashford,wicklow, Ireland</a>
As always all categories and abilities are catered for with the handicap system, ideal for all ages, first-timers, returnees to the sport and elite riders alike!  Entry is €5 per night, and free for youth and junior riders.  Points are awarded for first 6 over the line with prizes for top 3 on the night, and at the end of the league for the first 6 riders overall.  Tea/Coffee and homemade goodies will be available after the race each night.

The first night will be a Time Trial, and if you wish to take part in the league please do your utmost to attend, so we can ensure a fair and equitable handicapping system which will give every rider an equal chance for glory in the subsequent handicapped races!

To compete, a Club Racing Licence or Open Licence is required. However, unlicenced riders can purchase a one-day Cycling Ireland Licence on the night for €10. However this will bring your nightly expenditure up to €15 a race, so I would urge any riders without a Cycling Ireland licence to get one before the races begin – details on their website at www.cyclingireland.ie.

The next round of the league takes place on 2nd June. All competitors are reminded that they must have a working rear light fitted to their bike to take part.

UWA Caldwell Motor Factors TT League Results – Round 3 – 10 Miles (Woodgreen)
1. Orla Hendron (Orwell Wheelers) 22.49
2. Rachael Withers (westtyronevelo.com-FCC) 24.35
3. Kay Hack (Bann Wheelers) 24.52
4. Louise Fullerton (Ballymena RC) 25.24
5. Julie Mulligan (Omagh Wheelers) 25.29
6. Elle Forest (Bann Valley RC) 25.38
7. Gillian Orr (Ards CC) 27.38
8. Mandy Collie (Orchard) 28.06
9. Bernie Gribbin (Carn Wheelers) 28.18
10. Maeve Savage (Ballymena RC) 28.33

Patrick Withers (Admin Officer)

The venue is Slade Valley, Saggart Co. Dublin and the lads have been very busy putting in some great new singletrack and features.

The Dublin-based MTB club will also be running their very popular Team Relay on the Saturday (10 April).

This relay race proved very popular when ran in previous years and everyone should make the effort to get down on the Saturday and rip around as fast you you possibly can before handing over the throttle to the next member on your 3-person team!

Ensure to Register Online for this event as it saves a lot of time and hassle for the riders and the hosting club and it only takes a minute – please ensure to register for the correct race when using the online registration.

Race timing will be performed by www.chipit.ie.
Timing will also be performed using the Offroad Commison laptop & software.

More information (location/accomodation/photos etc..) can be found on the IMBRC website.

Race information (start times, race fees etc…) can be found here

WOMENS CYCLING WEEKEND INFORMATION LEAFLET

We would like to emphasise that this weekend is open to youth girls also. A dedicated experienced coach will be assigned to them.

Training weekend in Mullingar  at the Annebrook House Hotel 27-28th Mar-2010

This event is about getting women of all ages and fitness levels together for a coached cycling weekend; to build social links between female cyclists and to encourage participation in cycling be it in sportifs; leisure events; commuting or at competition level. 

 If you are not a member of Cycling Ireland, the rate is EUR100.00.  This will include the weekend plus a year’s membership.

If you’re only attending for the coaching spins and not staying in the hotel; it’s Eur40 for weekend or Eur50 if you don’t have a Cycling Ireland licence.

If you would like to attend the weekend, please complete the attached application form and return it with a cheque to the printed address.

Any questions, please contact queries@womenscycling.ie

APPLICATION FORM WOMENS CYCLING WEEKEND IN MULLINGAR

Please note in your diary “Gerard Brannigan Memorial Cycle” Date this coming Sunday 8th November’2009

Time 10.00am Sign-on McDonalds Pub Clonee Co. Meath for 10.30 start

Two routes will be available – 45 miles (75km) & 20 miles (35km)

Both routes will be marked and supervised at all junctions and refreshments will be available after the event

beginners spin with Epic mtb club

Epic MTB club are running a beginners spin on saturday, so any of you out there who have been meaning to give it a shot, this is your chance.  Visit the Epic website here for info.