Drumbo Hill was the scenic setting for the final TT of 2014.

All riders completed the hill in well under 10mins. Miss Kerr started a few minutes behind everyone else after suffering (another) puncture minutes before the start. The expert opinion is that a rubbing brake block on the tire casing was the cause.

Thanks to the time keepers tonight (Claire, Enda, Vaughan and Joe) and everyone who has helped out.

"We are the champions.
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world."

- Freddie Mercury, 1977

Hopefully see as many as possible at the prize giving on Oct 17th.

Results

Girl

Emma Kerr          9:23

Boys

Mark Kane           6:32
Paul Carroll        7:14
Neil Weir           7:25
Gavin Browne        8:03
Steve Begley        8:30
Mark Hanna          8:34
Paul Hetherington   8:49
Peter McGucken      9:57

Temple - league#12 (26th Aug 2014)

Last of the summer at Temple.  

The late comer, named and shamed, this week is Peter McGuckin. We even spelled his name correctly so there was no chance of mistaken identity. 

There seems to be a slew of bike injuries in the last week or two for some TT regulars. Gavin Browne had a very nasty spill during the Inishowen 100 resulting in many stitches and a broken vertebrae. Mark Millar broke a collar bone when a spectator stepped out during a 70.3 in Europe. Wishing them both a speedy recovery. 

Results 

Girls

Judith Lonnen  29:54
Emma Kerr      31:45
Ali McConnell  32:50

Boys

 
Paul Carroll     24:45
Vaughan Purnell  25:50
Enda Marron      26:53
Steve Begley     30:39
Steven Smartt    32:08
Peter McGuckin   33:30
Carl King        34:49

Big thanks to sole timekeeper Bill tonight.

Carryduff - league#11 (19th August 2014)

The last TT on the Carryduff circuit this season and it was dry and windy conditions.

At the sign-on it looked very much like it was "ladies night" since the girls outnumbered the boys. Not that this is necessarily surprising in itself except for the fact that the usual tardy ladies all turned up in good time. To protect their anonymity we can only mention one appears to have a custom range of sports clothing and the other has taken to wearing calf compression sleeves.

There was no talk about carbon frames or disc wheels. The conversation quickly fixed on important things such as hair style. It turns out there is a serious hair condition in cycling called "Helmet Forehead" which is closely related to "Helmet Hair". This is no joke and can affect men as well. Messrs McHenry and McGreevy both had the extreme form of "Helmet Forehead" which resulted in evental loss of head hair. However there is still hope. Researchers have found in clinical trials that placing cucumber slices between the forehead and helmet will prevent the problem occurring. Even better is that the cucumber slices can then form the filling of a tasty post race sandwich - no need to add salt.

Next week is the Drumbo Hill climb. Meet at the Drumbeg car park and then make way up to the homestead.

Results

Girls

Judith Lonnen    31:50
Emma Kerr        34:50
Julie Stewart    35:07
Ali McConnell    35:10
Heather Bamford  36:42
Jenny McCreedy   36:59

Boys

 
Paul Carroll       27:18
Vaughan Purnell    28:45
Dave Lonnen        30:50
Mark Hanna         31:09
Desi McHenry       32:36
Paul Hetherington  33:23
Carl King          34:23
Stephen Smartt     34:44
Peter McGuicken    35:05

Temple 2LAP (12th Aug 2014)

At 1700 hours things were not looking good for the Temple 2 lap TT. However, a few prayers to the gods and the rain cleared, leaving a cool evening and calm conditions. Five hardy souls took to the start-line.

Meanwhile time-keepers Ali and Glen drank copious amounts of coffee and munched on tray brakes - triathletes in training!

First home was Paul Carroll in an excellent time of 52.53, followed by the ever improving Matt McKirbbin. Emma, dedicated as ever, flew the flag for the girls.

At the off Glen was admiring Emma's rear view as she disappeared into the distance! He can thoroughly recommend the light she uses - the Lezyne Micro Drive Rear LED. This had excellent visibility from at least 500m back. It costs £25, is charged with an integral USB charging stick (no cables) and gets rave reviews on Wiggle.

Ali & Glen

Girl

                 Lap 1          Total

Emma K     32.57          1.12.02

Boys

Paul C        25.45          52.53

Matt McK    27.50          57.37

Mark H       30.17          60.52

Peter McG  33.52           71.32

Killynure - league#10 (5th Aug 2014)

When the cats are away the mice will play....good work!

Results

Girls

Judith              22.09
Emma                23.26

Boys

Michael Sinton      20.27

Mark Hanna          21.19
Steve Begley        22.38
Paul Hetherington   23.19
Stephen Smartt      24.19
Peter McGuckin      24.43
Carl King           25.33



 

Annahilt (29th July 2014)

I would like to begin by quoting form the minutes of the pre-season meeting on 25th March 2014

Punctuality was discussed. Riders should be present to sign on between 6:30 and 6:40pm.

The TT starts sharp at 6:45pm. Anyone running late and not going to make it for 6:40pm should not bother and do their own thing for that week. We agree that TOUGH LOVE rules

Therefore in reality there were actually only six starters this evening, as some notorious timing recidivists (Ms Kerr clearly chief amongst them with Mrs Lonnen as her right-hand woman) were spared the aforementioned tough love and allowed to compete. Excuses for this lateness varied but mostly centered on the distance to the start at Annahilt – although clearly the geographic location at Annahilt is not subject to seasonal variations or temperature fluctuations and therefore if adequate time is allowed a prompt appearance for sign-on should not prove to be an insurmountable problem. There were, however some more novel excuses, with Judith’s mechanical tinkerings providing some amusement to the time-keepers and allowing her to start, and indeed set a new course record, as did Vaughan in the men’s category (Resplendent – is that the right word? – in Trisuit and arm-warmers!)

There were a number of excuses floating about that failed to be as amusing as Judith’s with Enda having undertaken a slightly overcooked 120km warm-up that morning ahead of the TT and was at pains to mention so (He tried to compensate by pumping his tyres up to 130psi+!). One man who always gives of his best and never is one for excuses is Peter McGuckin, who was in “classic” model on a much-admired Reynolds 653 frame, complete with down-tube shifters….none of this fancy STI malarkey, never mind aero-frames and bar end shifters! Much admired that is until 27 metres into the course he managed to un-ship the chain (Clearly too much power when shifting onto the big ring!) and stop for running repairs!

Timekeepers and Marshalls were plentiful this evening (although not available for mechanical support!) with Marshalls available at each turn and two time-keepers….nice to see everyone doing their turn for the Time Trial League.

-Gavin

Results

Femme Fatales

Judith Lonnen                22.44
Ali McConnell               25.19
Emma Kerr                   25.30
Jenny McCready           26.18

Men of Mystery

Vaughan Purnell              20.25
Enda Marron                  21.10
Chris McNevison            21.13
Mark Hanna                   23.35
Paul Hetherington            24.14
Peter McGuckian            26.00

Temple - league#9 (22nd July 2014)

Glorious weather for another Temple TT. The sun glinting off the lake at the sweeping banked left turn was a sight to inspire any tired legs.

Ali McConnell took the honours this week in the female category. It was noted that Miss Kerr in second place might have been faster had she not coasted down the hills.

Performance of the night goes to Gavin Browne who got a satisfying PB - is there any other type?

Finally, some lyrics to help Enda whose cycling has been going through a perceived rough patch this season:

"The line it is drawn
And the curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
 
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
 
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'  "

-Dylan 1963

Results

Girls

Ali Mconnell      00:32:16
Emma Kerr         00:32:22
Jenny McCready    00:32:49

Boys

Mark Kane         00:23:26
Gavin Browne      00:26:14
Vaughan Purnell   00:26:19
Enda Marron       00:27:02
Bill Rafferty     00:29:06
Steve Begley      00:30:12
Steven Smartt     00:31:39
Conor Preshaw     00:31:52

Carryduff - league#8 (8th July 2014)

Girls

Judith           31.20
Emma          34.58

Boys

Mark Kane          25.52
Mark Millar          26.30
Paul Carroll          27.09
Peter Morrison     27.11
Enda Marron        28.49
Michael Sinton      29.09
Chris McNev        30.07
Bill Rafferty           31.03
Dave Lonnen         31.41
Dessie McHenry   32.08
Conor Preshaw     34.11
Peter McGuckin    34.42

Temple 2LAP (2nd July 2014)

Most concise report to date from Cormac:

Temperature: 18 C

Humidity: 52%

Wind: 6.214mph (N)

 

"People cycled round in circles for a while"

Boys
Name	Lap 1	Lap 2	Finish
Mark Millar	00:24:51	00:26:18	00:51:09
Paul Carroll	00:25:35	00:26:05	00:51:40
Peter Morrison	00:25:59	00:27:30	00:53:29
Michael Sinton	00:27:07	00:28:34	00:55:41
Neville O'Neill	00:27:08	00:29:18	00:56:26
Mark Hanna	00:28:55	00:30:37	00:59:32
Desi McHenry	00:29:59	00:30:47	01:00:46
Peter McGuckin	00:33:12	00:35:40	01:08:52
Carl King	00:34:50	00:38:11	01:13:01
Stephen Smartt	00:32:13	00:43:33	01:15:46
Girls
Judith Lowry	00:29:13	00:30:46	00:59:59
Emma Kerr	00:32:39	00:34:43	01:07:22
Jenny McCready	00:34:12	00:35:40	01:09:52
1 Lappers
Bill Rafferty	00:28:34
Ali McConnell	00:32:33
Claire McLernon	00:32:34

       

Killynure - League#7 (24th June 2014)

Back to business this week after the relaxed spin and BBQ of last week. Weather conditions were reasonably calm but also dull and cloudy.

Mechanical of the night went to Glen Pollock who experienced chain problems with his Madigan TT bike. A close runner up was Peter Morrison who had a team of mechanics servicing his Argon in the Carryduff pit lane minutes before the start. Hopefully they found Morrisons "missing" rear brake.

Good performances are not normally mentioned in this blog lest people develop big(ger) egos. However, Mr. Kanes sub 17:40 time seems a bit special and worth a mention. Just being called "Mark" seems to be worth 30 seconds in a TT.  Also, in the "super-duper-vintage" vet category it is great to see Messrs McHenry and McGuicken putting in big performances and useful times.

Finally just a mention of thanks to our sponsor McConvey cycles. Their sponsorship provides some cash which goes towards the prizes at the end of the season. Please visit their shop on the Ormeau road and mention the TT league. Ask for "Mike Millar" in McConveys for some TT advice.

Results

Girls

Judith Lonnen     00:21:51
Emma Kerr         00:24:12
Ali McConnell     00:24:54

Boys

 
Mark Kane         00:17:35
Mark Millar       00:18:59
Vaughan Purnell   00:19:09
Peter Morrison    00:19:26
Gavin Browne      00:19:48
Enda Marron       00:20:03
Michael Sinton    00:20:45
Mark Hanna        00:21:58
Desi McHenry      00:23:04
Peter McGuicken   00:24:00
Conor Preshaw     00:24:12
Glen Pollock      dnf

BBQ (17th June 2014)

Layby louts

Croquet (Invictus won)

The chill sisters

Emma scoffing

Temple - League#6 (10th June 2014)

Next week is the BBQ. These social occasions are an important part of sport; the competition part should not be all consuming. If you are going can you please complete the doodle poll that was emailed out by Friday13th!

Anyhow, here's something more cheerful. A special guest blog courtesy of Ireland's answer to physicist Brian Cox, namely our own Stevie Smartt!

My wife doesn't like me in lycra. Not surprising as it's not a pretty sight, although the male competition on Tuesday evenings doesn't look an awful lot better to me. But I would guess the TT girls were unhappy not to see me in the figure hugging outfit tonight . Of course this is not because they have any different opinion to that of my wife, quite the opposite. I'm one of the weak animals at the back of the MAMIL pack that they have a chance of hunting down and picking off. Survival of the fittest on Tuesday evenings. The weak are encouraged to participate, but only for a ritual beating. 

Thankfully the human route out of the African savannahs was not led by bike pedalling apes or who knows what path our evolution would have taken. Would MAMIL dominance have meant we would all be called Mark and walk around in garish catsuits ? I don't think I'll ever be able to pull off the Morrison-Carroll look of a seriously fast TTist, so I'm staying well away from the one piece. The invention of the wheel was a probably good idea but using it as an instrument of weekly punishment was not what the Babylonians had in mind.  Why is it so hard to get faster ?

It's very simple. Power = velocity cubed. On a reasonably flat course, the limiting factor to increasing
your speed is air resistance. Rolling friction from the road is negligible and the force you
are up against is fluid friction which is proportional to your speed squared. Total energy needed to cover the course is just force x distance, so your instantaneous power output  is energy divided
by time. This means power = force x distance/time, so that's another speed factor. Which means
your power output to maintain a certain speed is proportional to speed x speed x speed.
This is why it's so hard to get even 10% quicker. You would need to increase your power output
by 30% (1.1 x 1.1 x 1.1 = 1.3). That's pretty tough - burning out 200 Watts on a stationary
bike is good going in a spin class, but to get 10% faster you need to push this to 260 Watts, constant.

Enda's power pedals are at least good for something, he's about 15% faster than me and
tells me his pedals read about 280W average. Sounds about right as I reckon I would be
down around 180-200W. Of course, better to be more efficient. So aero helmet, get lower,
pull in the elbows and …. the one piece.

Is it worth it ? Not on Killynure, once the gradients start then beating gravity dominates your power
budget. And you can't draft gravity. If you're reading this and thinking there must be some
truth in Vaughan's jest last week, you're probably right. I do have a new bike.

The results then ...

Girls
1. Judith Lowry 29.39
2. Emma Kerr 33.16

Primates
1. Mark Kane 24.28
2. Mark Millar 25.03
3. Vaughan Purnell 25.52
4. Gavin Browne 27.08
5. Enda Maron 27.12  **KHD**
6. Michael Sinton 27.30
7. Chris MvEvison 27.54
8. Dave Lonnen 28.43
9. Bill Rafferty 29.16
10. Mark Hanna 29.59
11. Steve Begley 30.18
12. David Morrisey 30.22
13. Desi McHenry 30.58
14. Paul Hetherington 31.24
15. Johnny Boylan 32.03
16. Peter McGuicken 32.33
17. Conor Preshaw 32.56
18. Carl King 34.20

**KHD = kept head down **

Carrduff - League#5 (27th May 2014)

A cool dry evening for the Carryduff TT.

Many people are reasonably serious about the TTs but tonight it was refreshing to be reminded that the time keeping remains often amateurish at best. Miss Kerr and Mr. Hillis were in charge tonight and apart from a constantly revised list of top three times, wrong winners called out, missed times and incorrect time subtractions everything went smoothly. Calls to introduce a timing chip RFID system were somewhat premature and uncalled for.

It was discovered that Desi McHenry is missing a vital piece of kit in his arsenal; namely a soft shell bag for his aero helmet. Upon finding out all the top people have one McHenry is now in the market. Like most of McHenry's kit, once acquired, you can be sure he will get a good 20 years out of it!

It's a bit of a tradition to do one joke a year in the blog so here goes:

Professor Smartt and Dr. Hanratty were walking across the Queen's University quadrangle when Hanratty said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"
Smartt replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, just thinking about superluminous supernova, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."
Hanratty nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit you anyway."


Results

Girls

Judith Lonnen     00:31:08
Ali McConnell     00:34:43
Jenny McCready    00:35:35
Heather Bamford   00:36:31

Boys

Mark Miller       00:26:21
Vaughan Purnell   00:26:41
Peter Morrison    00:27:58
Matt McKibben     00:28:41
Sean McGreevy     00:29:09
Desi McHenry      00:30:02
Glen Pollock      00:30:03
Joe Henry         00:30:05
Mark Hanna        00:30:20
Bill Rafferty     00:30:38
Davy Calvert      00:30:43
Dave Lonnen       00:30:58
Johnny Boylin     00:31:46
Steve Begley      00:32:07
Carl King         00:33:11
Paul Hetherington 00:33:18
Stephen Smartt    00:33:22
Peter McGuicken   00:34:00
Shane Quinn       00:40:19
Enda Marron       THU

*THU = Through Head Up

Temple 2LAP (20th May 2014)

Thanks to Judith for the results.

Girls
                              Lap 1             Finish

1. Emma            32:17            1:06:11
2. Julie               32:28            1:06:57
3. Ali                 33:41            1:08:03
4. Jenny             34:16            1:08:42
5. Heather         34:52             1:11:50
6. Rachel           41:38              -

Boys

1. Mark Kane    24:11              49:00
2. Mark M         25:09             50:59
3. Paul C            25:41             52:14
4. Peter M          25:42             52:32
5. Mark D          -                     52:42
6. Kevin E          26:23              53:04
7. Cormac         27:03               54:10
8. Neville           26:39               54:30
9. Enda              27:12               55:42
10. Neil               27:31               55:55
11. Sean              27:27               56:09
12. Colm             27:37               56:31
13. Michael          -                     57:05
14. Matt McK     28:53              57:34
15. Davy C          28:51              58:47
16. Ronnie           28:53              59:06
17. Desi               30:20              1:01:16
18. Stephen B     30:59               1:01:29
19. Bill                 -                     1:01:47
20. Carl               31:46              1:05:20
21. Peter McG    32:21               1:06:12
22. Paul H           33:16              107:45
23. Shane            34:00              1:09:26
24. Chris McN    30:23               -

Killynure - League#4 (13th May 2014)

Never let it be said that the TT crew lack a moral compass. Those present tonight witnessed two selfless good deeds. The first was Heather Bamford stepping in last minute to marshal. Note: teamed with Desi at the finish line there were very few arithmetic mistakes made proving that maybe the education system used to be better than today (not being ageist). The second was Emma Kerr who played domestique to Chris McNevision. Miss Kerr was quick to give her front wheel to McNevision who broke a spoke on his ride in from Lisburn. Not quite sure how Miss Kerr then went on to get the fastest girls time!

Regular training nights at the TT should definitely improve bike speed. A good example is Rachael Sands who did her first ever TT on Killynure less than 2 months ago and tonight took 3 mins off that first time. Rachael is also recovering from a nasty collision with a car door just over a week ago.

In brief,
 - looks like Neil Weir will go back to the road bike on the Killynure course
- Mark "Magnets" Millar has definitely raised his game this year (but can he swim amd run still?)
- Enda is going through a period of soul searching but we are confident he will be back, especially with his favorite 2 LAP at Temple coming up.

Risultati

Ragazze

Emma Kerr       00:23:53
Joanne Bingham  00:25:24
Jenny McCready  00:25:25
Rachael Sands   00:31:44

Ragazzi

 
Mark Millar       00:18:58
Mark Diamond      00:19:12
Vaughan Purnell   00:19:20
Neil Weir         00:20:02
Michael Sinton    00:20:08
Matt McKibben     00:20:30
Enda Marron       00:20:45
Chris McNevision  00:21:02
Colm Hanratty     00:21:32
Ronnie Smart      00:21:41
Mark Hanna        00:21:46
Steve Begley      00:22:13
Dave Lonnen       00:22:52
Peter McGuicken   00:24:10
Stephen Smartt    00:24:33
Carl King         00:24:50

Annahilt (6th May 2014)

As giro fever infects the country the TT series continued on the Annahilt course. Despite the dire weather warnings the weather stayed dry; sorry Angie and Cecilia. Who could predict that!

The Annahilt course looks flat on paper (like every 2D representation on paper) however there are plenty of bumps and potholes to keep the riders from falling asleep.

Well done to all those who completed the Big Italian Bike Ride at the weekend.

It looked like Enda put his helmet through the washing machine - this had the undesired effect of shrinking his helmet. The other school of thought is that Marron's head has expanded since last week. We leave it to the avid reader to decide which to believe the most likely. Of course this folly does not excuse Marron borrowing Peter Morrison's good aero helmet and ripping the visor completely off during the course!

Finally a hello to the professional triathletes in Malaga this week.

Results

Girl

Jenny McCready      00:26:49

Boys

Vaughan Purnell    00:20:35
Kevin Egan         00:20:49
Enda Marron        00:21:12
Chris McNevision   00:21:59
Keith Bradley      00:23:51
Mark Hanna         00:24:01
Desi McHenry       00:24:13
Cark King          00:26:09
Peter McGuicken    00:28:33

Temple - League#3 (29th April 2014)

Superb weather for the first time this season on the Temple circuit. The Sun guaranteed a good turnout and the riders blasted off in 30 second intervals. Good efforts all round.

Thanks to the marshals tonight. So far the roster is working well although there are plenty of gaps to fill in the spreadsheet. You know who you are (and so does everyone else).

No witty banter in the blog this week as this is being typed in a very uncomfortable position.

BTW: the results have been re-calculated on the computer.

Results

Girls

Judith Lonnen         00:29:11
Emma Kerr             00:32:19
Ali McConnell         00:33:07
Claire McLearnon      00:33:14
Joanne Bingham        00:33:57
Heather Bamford       00:35:37
Rachel Sands          DNF

Boys

Mark Kane             00:23:30
Mark Millar           00:24:44
Peter Morrison        00:25:09
Paul Carroll          00:25:22
Neville O'Neill       00:25:34
Vaughan Purnell       00:25:57
Neil Weir             00:26:26
Cormac McGarry        00:26:41
Michael Sinton        00:26:45
Eamon Hill            00:26:53
Sean McGreevy         00:27:08
Colm Hanratty         00:27:28
Mark Vandrey          00:28:31
Ronnie Smart          00:28:49
David Calvert         00:28:52
Joe Henry             00:28:53
Desi McHenry          00:29:09
Jeff Hillis           00:29:16
Dave Lonnen           00:29:24
Mark Hannah           00:29:59
Stephen Begley        00:30:45
Carl King             00:32:04
Stephen Smartt        00:32:04
Conor Preshaw         00:32:48

QUB brick session (22nd April 2014)

This week we join our brothers in arms for a QUB brick session. A brick session is a mix of cycling and running, so bring your running shoes!

Start time: 18.30

Location: Harbour estate. First industrial estate on the left if you are heading North on Heron road, roughly were the marker is on google maps.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Heron+Rd/@54.6268863,-5.8676589,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486109f6f57b8115:0x39d9f14e44242faf

Format:
There are 3 sessions that people can choose depending on if you are training for sprint, olympic or long distance. For example, the olympic distance set is:
10min Easy Jog Warm Up
Main Set
3 Laps Bike as 1 Lap Steady / 2 Laps @ Olympic Effort
Transition
1 Lap Run @ Olympic Effort
2-3min Rest
3 Laps Bike as 1 Lap Steady / 2 Laps @ Olympic Effort
Transition
1 Lap Run @ Olympic Effort
Cool Down
Optional Easy Spin / Jog

Carryduff - League#2 (15th April 2014)

Dry and bright conditions were on offer for the second league race on the Carryduff circuit. Unlike last weeks course there was no sissy coffee break at halfway.

Neville O'Neil performed an intense warm up on the turbo trainer oblivious to the smell of burning rubber from his rear wheel. It was perhaps no surprise when just outside Ballygowan the Olympian's journey ended with a puncture.

Also of note was the pre-race banter between Team Velo Cafe-magasin and Team Kaners. The main conversation seemed to be about how pretty their cycling shorts and jersey's were rather than anything worth reporting on!

Next week we join the QUB brick sessions at the harbour estate. Details will be posted here before next Tuesday.


Results

Girls

Emma Kerr       00:35:01
Ali McConnell   00:36:18
Claire McLearn  00:36:45
Julie Stewart   00:36:52
Rachael Sands   00:46:20

Boys

Mark Kane       00:26:12
Mark Millar     00:27:19
Paul Carroll    00:27:33
Peter Morrison  00:27:56
Vaughan Purnell 00:28:04
Neil Weir       00:28:53
Enda Marron     00:29:05
Gavin Browne    00:29:10
Michael Sinton  00:29:28
Joe Henry       00:30:17
Colm Hanratty   00:30:24
Sean McGreevy   00:30:54
Tony Wilcox     00:31:02
Bill Rafferty   00:31:39
Desi McHenry    00:32:01
Mark Hanna      00:32:25
Johnny Boylan   00:33:35
Stephen Begley  00:34:35
Karl King       00:35:43
Stephen Smartt  00:35:54
Peter McGuicken 00:36:26
Conor Preshaw   00:37:04
Neville O'Neil  dnf

Carryduff-Ballynahinch (8th April 2014)

The somophore TT started in dry conditions with an edge of crosswind on the run down to Ballynahinch. The TT also started several minutes late. Please arrive and sign on between 6:30PM and 6:40PM. Next week the marshals will not take entries after 6:40pm. Tough Love is in effect!!

The strength and depth of the Invictus ladies was evident tonight with Judith, Emma and Jenny taking three of the top four positions.

In the non-girls category the old rivalry between Glen and Bill resumed. Glen took first blood this week but Rambo Bill won't be giving up.

A big thanks to those who have put their names down for marshaling in the roster.

"I used ta do a little but a little wouldn't do
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin' ta get a little better
Said a little better than before"
- Axl Rose (Mr Brownstone)

Results

Girls

Judith Lowry    00:15:32 00:17:52 00:33:24
Emma Kerr       00:16:59 00:19:31 00:36:30
Claire McLearn  00:17:24 00:20:41 00:38:05
Jenny McCready  00:17:59 00:20:51 00:38:50
Joanne Bingham  00:18:10 00:21:30 00:39:40
Heather Bamford 00:18:44 00:21:47 00:40:31
Rachael Sands   00:21:57 00:27:49 00:49:46

Boys

Mark Kane         00:12:58 00:14:42 00:27:40
Paul Carroll      00:13:38 00:15:08 00:28:46
Vaughan Purnell   00:13:42 00:15:35 00:29:17
Gavin Browne      00:14:12 00:16:20 00:30:32
Michael Sinton    00:14:03 00:16:34 00:30:37
Eamon Hill        00:14:41 00:16:52 00:31:33
Neil Weir         00:15:14 00:16:51 00:32:05
Mark Vaudrey      00:14:44 00:17:31 00:32:15
Matt  McKibben    00:15:22 00:17:11 00:32:33
Tony Wilcox       00:15:11 00:17:30 00:32:41
Glen Pillock      00:15:31 00:17:34 00:33:05
Bill Rafferty     00:15:39 00:18:22 00:34:01
Dave Morrisey     00:15:36 00:18:44 00:34:20
Steve Begley      00:16:48 00:19:01 00:35:49
Peter McGuicken   00:18:17 00:20:47 00:39:04
Peter Williamson  00:17:32 DNS 

Killynure - Legaue#1 (1st April 2014)

In "Game of  Thrones" the character Arya, daughter of Ned Stark, trains to become an assassin. Part of the training is to learn three new things everyday and report them to the "kindly man".  This is not a bad idea, so what three things did we learn today?

1. The TT season has started!

2. Claire 'Bear' has a new pink bike

3. Jenny and Rachael completed their first TT. Well done to them.

Results

Girls

1    Emma Kerr         24:28
2    Jenny McCready    25:14
3    Claire McLernon   25:46
4    Heather Bamford   28:17
5    Rachael Sands     35:05

Boys

1    Mark  Kane       18:06
2    Mark  Millar     19:29
3    peter morrison   19:45
4    Gavin Browne     20:15
5    Neill Weir       20:28
6    Enda Marron      20:41
7    Chris McNevison  21:00
-    Matthew McKibbin 21:00
9    Eamon Hill       21:12
10   Desi McHenry     22:29
11   Mark Hanna       22:34
12   Steve Begley     23:05
13   Carl  King       25:35
14   Peter McGuckin   25:53
15   Pete Williamson  26:39

online entry closed

This is the final day for entering the TT and there are two or three spaces left from the 60 allocation.

A few final points before the Killynure TT on April 1st

Please bring your current TI MEMBERSHIP CARD up to your first TT. You will need to show it one time before taking part.

NO ENTRIES will be accepted on the night. Please do not turn up and shove cash at the marshals. Don't put your friends in an awkward situation. Everyone has had weeks to enter and we don't need to hear why you are more important and busy than everyone else!

Remember your REAR LIGHT.

Don't park your car in front of houses or block driveways. Use the CARRYDUFF LAYBY and make your way over to Killynure for sign on.

pre-season meeting summary

For those that could not make the meeting last night here is a summary:

• Eamon outlined the rational behind the new safety measures being introduced and explained the insurance criteria.
• Enda showed off the new roadside lights and LED armbands.
• We agreed that on each night there will be 1 safety officer and 2 timekeepers. Some courses may need one more marshal.
• The role of the safety officer will be:
• bring the 2 equipment boxes containing lights, stopwatches, disclaimer form, timesheets, hi-viz vests, etc
• recce the course and report any hazards to the timekeepers or brief the competitors directly before the start
• sweep the course at the end collecting lights and and potentially any riders with a mechanical
• If the equipment boxes cannot be handed over on the night they should be left to QUB PEC asap, where they can then be picked up. QUB Tri have a store room near the dry changing we can use for this.
• An online spreadsheet is going to be available soon so people can log their preferred marshaling dates. Otherwise marshals will be assigned on the night for the next week.
• There are about 50 people entered into the TT. We do not require marshals for the BBQ night or the three QUB Tri duathlon nights. Hence, people should only ever have to marshal once per season.
• A few commonsense suggestions were made:
• when overtaking, shout to the person "STAY LEFT", to alert them
• put your name and blood group type on a label inside your helmet
• a RED REAR LIGHT is compulsory but if you have a front light then use it
• Punctuality was discussed. Riders should be present to sign on between 6:30 and 6:40pm. The TT starts sharp at 6:45pm. Anyone running late and not going to make it for 6:40pm should not bother and do their own thing for that week. We agree that TOUGH LOVE rules.
• Bad weather. If it looks like a washout is certain a post will go on the website around 5:30pm. The organisers will cancel the event on the evening if the weather turns bad just before the start.

The above ensures things run safely and  smoothly. Don't get bogged down by the rules and just enjoy getting out for a blast on a Tue evening.

It's quite simple

Places are filling up fast. If you know you are going to take part this year then get entered, don't talk about it!
It's quite simple.

Registrations must be in ASAP as there is a restriction by TI insurance on numbers .

The TT committee also need to assign Time Keeping & Marshal duties in advance of TT start date !

It's quite simple.

The TTs are not about making money - they are club training sessions open to everyone who meets the criteria for insurance. To have people signed up before the start of season really helps the organisation.

It's quite simple.

A question that seems to be constantly asked is "can I use my Cycling Ireland insurance?".
Answer:  no, you need Triathlon Ireland membership and be a member of QUB Tri, OTC or Invictus.
It's quite simple.

There is a meeting at Queens PEC for 8.30pm on Tuesday 25th.
The room is booked under QUB Tri.
Meeting room 4
The meeting will focus on the courses and safety plus you can have your say on how you think the TT should run. Please try your best to attend.

Online registration open

Registration for the 2014 TT series is now open.
Please click on the EntryCentral logo on the right hand side to enter.
Closing date is 25th March 2014.
Entries restricted to 60.

Due to a change in Triathlon Ireland insurance the following criteria must be meet:

1. All particapants must hold a current TI membership license, either training or race license.
2. All particapants must be a member of either Olympian Triathlon Club, Invictus Triathlon Squad or QUB Triathlon club.

This obviously affects Lunchtime Legends which ironically is were the TT originated. There is a possible solution to this problem which we will look into; don't despair.

No guests.

Pre-season briefing on the 25th March - venue and time to be confirmed.

2014 Provisional Calendar

Please see the calendar at the bottom of the page for provisional dates and courses.

The format will be much the same as last year including:

• online entry
• sharing of duties
• league with best 6 results from 12
• a couple of shared sessions with QUB at the harbour estate
• BBQ night
• prize giving

A few of the changes are:

• improving safety - front and rear lights, better signage and a safety officer assigned on the night.
• meeting a week before the TTs start to discuss safety, courses and format
• being very strict on the start time - late comers will miss out!
• introducing a separate 3 session league for the Temple 2 Laps