Harbour estate duathlon - 20th Aug 2019

Multi-skills, running and biking and breathing, 2 lap run going with Earth spin, cycle to the shop, roundabout and back, one final run lap and enjoy the Sam Thompson chute.

Newcomer Ciara put in a strong effort and showed great potential; just a pity it's toward the end of the season!

Peter McG wasted several seconds forgetting to take his helmet off at the start of the run and missed out on an classic win.

Desi also did very well.

What would a blog be if it were not for quote.

"Don't the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out?
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around"

- Foo Fighters

Results for the training session

          R1   R2   B      R3    Overall
Mark G    7:20 7:36 24:22  9:35  48:53
Peter McG 7:26 7:40 24:59  8:50  48:55
Michelle  7:55 7:20 ###    ###   50:06
Desi      8:55 8:52 23:38  9:17  50:42
Emma K    8:26 8:16 26:03  9:40  52:25
Ciara     8:47 9:26 31:42 10:29  60:24

Timekeeping were brought to you by Vaughan and John.

Harbour Estate 30th July

Every week seems to bring a new legend to the party, with the crew able to offer a warm welcome to Fiona McCrystal for her first outing tonight. Fiona misunderstood the concept of a TT, proudly proclaiming that she was just out for a wee spin... needless to say it didn’t take her competitive spirit long to kick in and go full throttle! Welcome to the joyous pain of the time trial!

Vaughan led the posse home tonight in typically blistering fashion, followed home by the Conor’s McGandy and Preshaw - whatever happened to the Preshaw - Pollock rivalry?

Emma used the motivation of having Michelle start ahead of her to take the ladies honours.

Mezczyzni
Vaughan P - 30:48
Conor Mc - 31:02
Conor P - 33:15
Glen P - 34:09
John McC - 34:48
Mark G - 35:40
Peter K - 36:00
Peter Mc - 37:09
Ryan C - 40:50
Gary H - 41:17

Kobieti
Emma. - 37:40
Michelle - 38:54
Fiona - 45:05

Thanks to Steve and John for marshalling duties and to Ronnie for taking the action shots.

Killynure - 23rd July 2019

Back to "Hillynure" after a two week recess and nine eager beavers turned up to bath in the pleasant sunshine.

Nicola undertook timekeeping duties for the first time. Not one to settle on what has gone before she made the suggestion that riders could shout their own times at the finish. Oh what a night of PBs that would have been. In the end the traditional way of timekeeping was taken and once the discovery made that mins only update every 60 seconds it was plain sailing. Everyone got home safety and got a pretty accurate time (thanks to the use of mobile phone technology for doing time subtraction - and to think astronauts made it to the moon 50 years ago with less computing power!).

Worthy call out to Stevo (ex-QUBTRI, ex-Invictus) who turned up from nowhere and posted a solid time on a road bike.

Keep on movin' 
Keep climbin' 
Keep the faith, baby 
It's all about — it's all about the climb 
- Miley C

Results

Vaughan    20.02
Stevo      21.06
Conor P    22.43
Adam       23.39
Ronnie     23.45
Mark G     24.02
Peter McG  24.28
Michelle   25.45
Emma K     26.28

Thanks to time keepers Nicola and Mal.

Legends Duathlon July 2

A nervous night for the organisers bringing the inaugural outing of the Legends Duathlon.. Happy to say that there were plenty of useful ideas from all to help the event run pretty well.

Despite some last minute changes to the plan to the ensure safety, the competitors, sorry, the training participants, coped well with the challenges that came. Peter Morrison had a ding dong battle with John Connaghan with Peter just about coming out on top by just 48 seconds.

The battle for third was no less intense with Olympians, Mark Gormley, John McCullough and Ronnie Smart all appearing in transition after the bike lap within 30 seconds of each other. Mark eventually came out on top to claim the final podium spot. (Unsubstantiated allegations of drafting were made!)

Ryan Campbell was comfortably in 6th spot a couple of minutes of the next bunch of closely matched competitors; 1 minute separated Emma Kerr, Peter McGuckin and Michelle McCoy with some remarkably consistent running from Emma and Michelle in particular. Desi also showed some consistent running pace as well, coming home just behind.

Congrats to Emma McWilliams who chose our first duathlon to make her first appearance! Challenges don’t much bigger than that.

Thanks to Aidan and Nicola for helping Gary keep it all ticking over.

Name.            1st Lap.     2nd Lap.    Bike Lap.        3rd Lap.      Total
Peter M.        6:38.           6:47.          21:05.             7:30.             42:00
John C.          6:44.           6:48.          22:01.             7:15.             42:48
Mark G.         6:48.          7:05.          24:26.              8:10.             46:29
John McC.    7:24.           7:30.          23:38.              8:12.             46:44
Ronnie S.       7:35.           7:40.          23:04.              8:42.             47:01
Ryan C.          7:28.           7:28.          25:13.              8:13.             48:21
Emma K.        8:14.           8:20.          24:58.              8:39.             50:11
Peter McG.     7:36.           7:54.          26:03.              9:18.             50:41
Michelle McC. 8:09.           8:13.          26:27.              8:33.             51:11
Desi McH.       9:05.            9:05.          24:15.             9:47.              52:12
Emma McW.   9:14.            9:28.          29:38.              10:36.           58:56

Two weeks summer break now. Hope the sun remembers to come out and play!

Harbour Estate 25th June

A cracking night for a gentle cycle along good roads with little traffic... well most of that is true!

A welcome return to the time trials for Mark Millar showing off his skills on his new wheels.. pity he hadn’t checked his battery beforehand! Michelle also had one or two issues, with her brakes..(who uses brakes on a TT anyway?)

A warm welcome to a couple of new faces making their first time trial, Micheal Cullen and John McCullough, may there be more appearances to come.

Conor Mc and Emma went head to head with Conor taking his place in the semi final. The other races didn’t happen for a variety of reasons, holiday, Ironman, marshalling... so, those who couldn’t make need to make arrangements with those who did to have their match up before the next round at the end of July.

Conor Mc - 31:13
Conor P - 33:20
John C  - 34:14
Mark G - 35:52
Ryan C - 36:34
John Mc - 36:48
Desi Mc - 37:12
Peter Mc - 37:35
Emma K - 37:40
Michael C - 37:41
Michelle Mc - 43:14
Nicola Mc - 46:40

Timekeeping and marshalling done by Gary and Peter M.

Next week sees our first duathlon at the harbour estate.

Annahilt TT 18th June

Fewer numbers tonight with some on holiday, others not able to make it puncture free and a couple of timekeepers preparing for a weekend away in Cork!

A magnificent seven turned up, although there were mishaps a plenty.. more than one rider took a turn left too soon, McGandy being the first to make the mistake, followed a short time later by Ms McCoy. Conor had a bad evening all round, leading off and struggling to get locked into the pedals.. Morrison didn’t show any mercy however, nor did fast improving Gormley who followed in for a creditable 2nd place.

A welcome return for Sharkey saw him just pip Kerr by just 7 seconds.. there’ll be more to come from that pair before the summer is over!

Peter Morrison: 21:45
Mark Gormley: 23:16
Conor McGandy: 23:45
Frank Sharkey: 24:33
Emma Kerr: 24:40
Michelle McCoy: 25:45
Gary Hazlett: 26:55

Good luck to timekeepers Peter Kelly and Brian Ross at next weekend’s Ironman in Cork.

Next week sees a return to the Harbour Estate where the quarter finals of the head to head will take place. Gary and Peter Morrison will keep things in order.

Head to Head results 28th May

7 matches were completed this evening, with Ryan C the only person not able to make it. 

Results: 

Steve Begley triumphed over Peter McG with a winning margin of 1:28

Nicola McG beat Vaughan by a margin of 1:16 - Nicola posted a new best time, improving by over a minute on her previous best.

Conor McG came out on top over John M in a close contest, winning by just 18 seconds

Emma K beat Aidan Mc in another close contest winning by just 20 seconds

Conor P got the better of Paul Mc by just 51 seconds

Brian R beat Michelle by 35 seconds

And John C beat Gary H by 38 seconds 

All the winners progress to the next round which will take place on the last Tuesday of June. 

Harbour Estate 28th May

A bumper night with a bumper turnout - 20 riders took to the start line, with the added incentive of a number of head to head races also taking place.

Glen and Leeanne officiated with able support from accompanying fans Gareth and Master Morrison,

Perfect conditions helped the competitors to focus on applying power to the pedals with some super times and performances.

Vaughan took the honours although he was pushed hard by Conor Mc with Paul McA taking the third spot. There will be another post with the head to head results to come.

Vaughan - 30:39
Conor McG - 30:52
Paul McAl - 32:05
John M - 33:10
Conor P - 33:34
Peter M - 33:41
Ronnie S - 34:12
John C - 34:14
Mark G. - 34:33
Peter K - 35:54
Steve B - 35:55
Desi Mc - 36:27
Emma K - 36:41
Aidan Mc - 37:31
Peter Mc - 37:53
Paul K - 38:03
Brian R - 38:29
Michelle Mc - 38:34
Gary H - 41:52
Nicola Mc - 44:11

Annahilt (athletes TT) - 21st May 2019

It's all about the bike! An athletes TT is the perfect opportunity to justify the expensive bike and fancy aero gear. This is the TT were everyone hopes to be a minute slower on their regular bike. Most people that is. Two turned up in the aero gear much to the barely concealed contempt of the rest of the riders.

For the new riders this year:- keep your focus, improvement is guaranteed and don't get pulled under by the minor stuff.

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” 
– Muhammad Ali

Finally a timely thank you to Gary for keeping the TT series going. Being an organiser is a thankless task! However, it remains to be seen if this TT/golf scoring "business" will finish better than Game of Thrones.

Timekeeping tonight was brought to you tonight by Vaughan and John M, and the number 3!

Results

Peter M      21:55
Ronnie S     22:52
John C       23:18
Ryan W       23:47
Peter McG    25:03
Mark G       25:38
Brian R      26:31
Desi McH     26:50
Emma K       28:05
Nicola McG   29:42

Titanic & Head to Head

A bumper turnout tonight with 14 riders taking to the start line. Unfortunately with so many away on a training trip to Spain, only two of the head to head races were completed tonight, more on that later.

A very warm welcome to first time rider, John Connaghan registered a respectable 34:16 to finish in 6th place in the TT. Vaughan set a new course record with a fantastic 30:46, taking 58 seconds off last week’s time. Most riders improved on last week, with Ronnie believing he had done enough to beat Aidan by improving his time by 1:44 - however, he hadn’t planned on Aidan also improving his time as well, by a whopping 3:36! That will bring his handicap down significantly for the next round against either Mary or Emma. Ryan also brought his best time down significantly, also taking 3 and half minutes off his previous time.

The other contest of the evening went Gary’s way, with Leeann unfortunately taking a detour into Heron View. Leeann wasn’t the only rider to lose their way, with John M completing the course in a slightly different order than the others; both riders have completed the course correctly before, so they must have just got carried away with the occasion!

VP - 30:46 * new course record
PM - 31:23
CP - 33:24 *new PB
JM - 34:00 *unofficial time due to taking a different route
RS - 33:32 * new PB
AM - 36:29 *new PB
JC - 34:16
EK - 37:00
PMcG - 37:21 *new PB
RC - 37:11 * new PB
PK - 38:00
MM - 38:22
GH - 41:34
LS - DNF

The next round of the head to head is due to take place on the 28th May - those who haven’t yet completed their matches should make arrangements with each other to race each other before the 28th. Matches need to be independently timed and results fed back before the next head to head night.  It’s important that we keep to the schedule as the final is timed for the last Titanic TT in August.

Many thanks to Paul McAllister and Steve Begley for timekeeping and marshalling duties. Next week is Annahilt and is an “Athletes TT” - meaning that the bikes should be back to basics, no TT bikes.

Vaughan Purnell and John Magill will marshal.

Head to Head draw

The draw for the head to head knockout competition took place this evening.

The draw is as follows: 

1 - Peter McGuckin (13)v Bye

2 - Stephen Begley (12) v Glen Pollock (7)

3 - Desi McHenry (12) v Vaughan Purnell (2)

4 - Nicola McGuigan (31) v Bye

5 - Conor McGandy (2) v Bye

6 - Mark Gormley (13) v John Magill (8)

7 - Emma Kerr (10) v Mary Carey (25)

8 - Aidan McManus (18) v Ronnie Smart (9)

9 - Ryan Campbell (20) v Mark Hanna (1)

10 - Peter Morrison (1) v Bye

11 - Peter Kelly (16) v Conor Preshaw (6)

12 - Paul McAllister (0) v Bye

13 - Brian Ross (16) v Bye

14 - Michelle McCoy (18) v Matt Brown (TBC)

15 - John Connaghan (TBC) v Bye

16 - Gary Hazlett (20) v Leeann Stewart (32)

Most matches will take place next Tuesday 14th May. Some riders are away in Majorca next week so if any rider is unavailable, they can arrange another date to complete the race over the Titanic TT Course - they must have an independent timekeeper  - races MUST be completed before the first round is due to take place on the 28th May, otherwise both riders will be eliminated from the competition and the competitor waiting in the first round will receive a bye into the quarter finals. 

The numbers after the riders name indicates the handicap - each number represents 30 second blocks of time against the course record time which is currently 30:56. For example, in the last match, Gary Hazlett has a handicap of 20, while Leeann Stewart has a handicap of 32, a difference of 12 - this means a 12 x 30 seconds head start for Leeann, meaning she has a 6 minute advantage. 

Rearranged Titanic TT

Another great turnout with a few new faces joining in. A very warm welcome to Mary Carey and Nicola McGuigan who have joined the ranks of the Tuesday night torture club.

Very different conditions tonight resulting in slightly slower times than last week but with no less effort.

Vaughan took the honours from Peter Morrison chasing him down hard having started near the back.. the price of arriving late! Conor P completed the podium.

Vaughan P - 31:44
Glen P - 34:47
Conor P - 34:15
Aidan McM - 40:05
Gary H - 43:29
Desi McH - 38:25
Peter McG - 38:07
Nicola McG - 46:18
Mary C - 43:21
Peter M - 32:17
Steve B - 37:34
Brian R - 38:45

Next week is back at the Harbour Estate, for the preliminary round of the Head to Head competition - The draw for the preliminary round and first was made tonight - A separate post will publish the details.

Thanks To Ronnie S and Mark G for the timekeeping duties.

Titanic TT

Peter McGuckin and Gary Hazlett officiated on a dark, but thankfully rain free night, marshalling a dozen dazzling riders speeding their way around the Harbour Estate TT.

There was a warm welcome for new riders Paul McAllister and Michelle McCoy, with Paul taking the honours from Peter Morrison at the end to take first place. Conor Preshaw, (not McGandy) completed the podium. Even the late arriving Peter Kelly managed to complete the race ahead of those who stayed at home fearing a downpour!

Paul McAllister - 30:56
Peter Morrison - 31:23
Conor Preshaw - 34:20
John Magill - 34:45
Ronnie Smart - 35:16
Steve Begley - 36:41
Mark Gormley - 37:18
Desi McHenry - 37:22
Emma Kerr - 38:35
Peter Kelly - 38:51
Michelle McCoy - 40:10
Ryan Campbell - 40:46

All riders confirmed their entry to the head to head competition - the first night of racing is 14th May with the draw taking place at next week’s race at Killinchy.

Ronnie has volunteered to marshal next week, we need another to help out, so please let Gary know if you can do this.

Killynure TT

A bumper turnout tonight with 13 racers taking the start line and a very warm welcome to Ryan Campbell, making his first TT. A welcome return too for Leeann, Frank and Geraldine all making their first race of the year.

Honours tonight went to Vaughan, with Conor and Ronnie pushing him hard.

Vaughan. - 19:52
Conor P. - 21:48
Ronnie - 22:46
Mark - 23:20
Frank - 23:41
Geraldine. - 24:01
Peter - 24:22
Desi - 25:28
Ryan - 25:35
Brian - 25:47
Paul - 25:48
Gary - 28:53
Leeann - 32:33
Thanks to Peter Kelly, Peter Morrison and Mark Hanna for marshalling.

Next week sees the first of the Titanic TTs. Any riders who haven’t completed this one before should come along next week to get a registered time ahead of the head to head competition.

Anahilt TT

The first night out at Anahilt thankfully saw the strong winds of the past few days die down... a little! the rain also held off to make it a decent night for those who turned out.

Peter Morrison took the honours with Ronnie and Conor P completing the podium.

It’s hard to say which rider should hang their head in shame after tonight’s race... Mark G, who having competed here last year, missed the turn or Aidan “I live around the corner” McM who also took the detour into Ballynahinch - extra training miles though lads, right?

Peter M - 21:39
Ronnie Smart - 23:30
Conor P - 24:21
Peter McG - 25:33
Gary H - 29:11
Mark G - 33:07
Aidan McM - 35:12

Thanks to Emma, Desi, Frank and Geraldine for safety and timekeeping duties.

Next week is back to Killynire - Peter Morrison and Peter Kelly have volunteered to marshal.

Killinchy TT

The 9th of April brought an evening that was near perfect for cycling, clear skies, lightish wind, great visibility... just a pity about those hills and other racers pushing us all to exhaustion!

Great to see new faces appearing again this week, with Brian even risking the start of the big match to attend. Conor, Peter Morrison, Vaughan, Desi and Ronnie made their first appearances of the season as well. Welcome John and Ryan to the legends hall of pain!

Vaughan continued where he left off last season posting the fastest time, with Peter M (“I haven’t been on the bike much”) and Conor McG pushing him hard. Special mention to Ryan who rode more than most by heading to the turnaround to begin the race and just about making the start line in Ballygowan!

Runners and Riders
Vaughan - 21:10
Peter M - 21:38
Conor McG - 22:00
Ronnie - 24:34
Peter K - 24:41
John M - 25:38
Desi - 25:50
Peter McG - 26:08
Brian R - 26:40
Ryan W - 26:48
Emma K - 26:52

Thanks to Gary and Mark for timekeeping.

Next week is Annahilt with Desi and Emma officiating.

Season Opener - Killynure TT

The first night of the TTs brought a few welcome new faces and returning legends from yesteryear turn out at a blustery Killynure track, with all riders able to beat the rain and hailstones.

Plaudits for the racing goes to all who raced, but especilally for Paddy, who had dressed for a Majorca training session instead of a chilly KIllynure! Paddy was also involved in the night’s controversy as well, having been penalised by timekeeper Desi for jumping the gun at the start line - This cost Mr Dewar an outright 2nd place - Peter Kelly wasn’t complaining as he now has a joint 2nd to his name! I think there may be some rivalry between these two over the summer!

Newcomer Matt took the honours of the night. Fellow newcomers, Peter, Aidan and Paul Aldo “enjoyed” their first Killynure run. Mechanical of the night went to Mark Gormley whose bike wasn’t quite running as it should and he took the sensible decision to withdraw.

Matt Brown - 21:50
Paddy Dewar - 23:49 * penalised for jumping the start!
Peter Kelly - 23:49
Aidan McManus - 24:15
Peter McGuckin - 24:59
Brian Ross - 26:11
Emma Kerr - 26:24
Paul Kelly - 26:28

Thanks to Gary, Desi, Conor P and Conor Mc for timekeeping and marshalling. Killinchy next week

It’s getting close to that time of year again, where we get ourselves tuned up, our bikes cleaned and greased to compete in the lunchtime legends time trials. 

The clocks go forward this coming Sunday, 31st March, meaning our first Time Trial is at Killynure on Tuesday 2nd April - first rider takes off at 18:45 - please arrive early to register and show off those shiny new 2019 Triathlon Ireland licences!

The schedule for the year is as below: 

April
2 - Killynure
9 - Killnchy
16 - Annahilt
23 - Killynure
30 - Titanic
May
7 - Killinchy
14 - Titanic (head to head 1st Round)
21 - Annahilt (Athletes TT)
28 Titanic (head to head round 2)
June
4 Killynure
11 - Annahilt
18 - Possible mid summer BBQ tbc
25 - Titanic (head to head QF)
July
2 - Titanic Duathlon
9 and 16 - summer break
23 - Killynire
30 - Titanic (head to head semi final)
August
6 - Annahilt
13 - Killinchy (Athletes TT)
20 - Titanic Duathlon
27 - Titanic (Head to head final)
September
3 - Drumbo Hill Climb

The TTs are covered under Triathlon Ireland’s insurance and we can confirm that this is a series of TRAINING EVENTS that will help riders improve their time trialling abilities throughout the year. Each event is timed. To help with the competition feel of these training events, we are introducing a head to head competition this year which will take place on the Titanic Route - Riders of different abilities will be able to practice their race mode by being paired with another rider on a one to one basis - the stronger rider will have a time handicap to balance out the ability levels between riders. The rider who completes the course in the fastest time will progress to the next round. Full rules will be published in due course. 

This year, we have introduced two duathlon races again based on the airport road. I appreciate that not everyone who attends the TTs are runners, however, this should give those people a good opportunity to marshal the evening’s events :) 

Marshalling

These events would not be possible without participants taking their turn to marshal. Duties of marshals include, keeping the time records for the event, checking the course beforehand to identify any hazards and communicating these to the riders before the event, putting up the safety signs and ensuring the participants have signed in correctly. If everyone takes their turn at marshalling, then each person should only need to volunteer 2 to 3 times through the season. 

I will timekeep this coming Tuesday and Conor Preshaw has agreed to marshal the turnaround point.

Course Recce

For those new to the TTs, a course recce will take place on Sunday 31st March, leaving from the Carryduff Roundabout at the top of the Saintfield Road. This will leave at 09:30 sharp on Sunday - please drop me a message if you intend to come along. 

Rules

You must have a TI licence (a training licence is sufficient), be a member of a triathlon club and have working front AND rear lights on your bike. Cycling helmets are also mandatory.  For events marked (ATH) - this means it is an athletes TT, meaning that no TT equipment should be used, such as TT bikes, TT bars, aero helmets etc. You can of course turn up with TT equipment, however, you should be prepared for general teasing and mickey taking as the penalty for doing so!

As we are riding on public roads, the rules of the roads apply. The committee have notified the PSNI of our plans for the season; being seen and riding safely are of paramount importance - these events are very enjoyable and will improve your time trialling, but we should all stay safe when participating in them and we all have a responsibility to ensure that this happens.