Date: Sunday 24 August 2014
Event: Ulster XC MTB Championships 2014
Location: Castlewellan Forest Park
Host club: Banbridge CC
A great day at Castlewellan Forest Park with dry conditions for the 2014 Ulster Cross-country mountain bike championships. Event headquarters was placed prominently on the hill in front of the castle which then had a great vista overlooking the lake and forest. Banbridge Cycling Club have worked closely with Down Council and the Forestry Service to create a course which used parts of the trail centre trails, fire roads and sections of forest single track. Features of the senior course included the steps beside the castle, the bombhole and the infamous S-bend drop. Races for the Under 14s, 16s, juniors and seniors started at the bottom of the slope near the lake on a wide section of grass. Riders were gridded using the latest Ulster XC league table and were set off in age categories to fight for space as the course gradually narrowed as it ascended the hill past the finish line and on up to the castle terrace. The youth races took place near the lake side path with different course laid out for each of the age categories (Under 6s, 8s, 10s and 12s). Banbridge CC had organised special t-shirts for the top 3 winners in each category with the actual Ulster medals being given out at the Cycling Ulster awards dinner at the end of the year.
Commissaire: Martin Grimley
Results
Results here
Photos
Toby Watson (Facebook) – here and here
Michael Armstrong (Facebook) – here and here
William Boyd (Facebook) – here
Lisa Millar (FlickR) – here
Report by Martin Grimley