Racing

Race Report | Round #3 Vitus First Tracks Enduro Cup, Rostrevor

10.07.2015
by

We all know from Wicklow just how gnarly Ireland can get, and Round #3 saw the First Tracks team head to the scene of Rostrevor in Northern Ireland for its penultimate round of the First Tracks Enduro Cup. With such an open field, all abilities were welcome and it looked absolutely awesome!

The summer is buzzing past in a haze of mixed up weather, but this hasn’t slowed the First Tracks team from forging ahead with another great weekend of Enduro action.

"Rostrevor is the home of mountain biking in Ireland and needs little introduction! 6 x 3-10min stages, 40km loop on fire road, trail centre and natural singletrack, fitness rating 10/10, skill rating 8.5/10."
“Rostrevor is the home of mountain biking in Ireland and needs little introduction! 6 x 3-10min stages, 40km loop on fire road, trail centre and natural singletrack, fitness rating 10/10, skill rating 8.5/10.”
Colin Ross and Dan Wolfe of the First Tracks team actually took 1st and 2nd place.
Colin Ross and Dan Wolfe of the First Tracks team actually took 1st and 2nd place.

For Round 3 we rolled into the scenic village of Rostrevor, which lies just below Slieve Martin Mountain on the shores of Carlingford Lough. With world class views we really do feel privileged to ride our bikes here! As usual practice kicked off on Saturday morning – the team got the riders registered and motivated for the day and they headed off up the mountain to see what lay in store.

On Saturday evening the campsite was alive with the sound of happy people basking in the sun and burgers cooking on the BBQ. The chat about the day was positive – the riders were loving the trails – and even accepted that the climb was well worth the reward! With everyone stocked up on Vitamin-D from the sunny Saturday evening everyone was up and about bright and early looking forward to the race.

"The team got the riders registered and motivated for the day and they headed off up the mountain to see what lay in store"
“The team got the riders registered and motivated for the day and they headed off up the mountain to see what lay in store”
The pro’s and the ladies were away first at 10am, with the rest of the riders following shortly after – everyone enjoying the craic on the journey up to the start of stage 1.
The pro’s and the ladies were away first at 10am, with the rest of the riders following shortly after – everyone enjoying the craic on the journey up to the start of stage 1.

The weather, being a constant topic of conversation, was holding out with only a few cracks of thunder to liven things up and getting the AC/DC classic “Thunder Struck” playing in racers heads. However the luck of the Irish was with us and the sun shone all day long.
“It was a brilliant event the trails were class, and everybody loved the long climbs sure that’s what ENDURO is all about” – James MacFerran, Vitus FirstTracks Race Division

There were plenty of thrills and spills along the way, with some of the big guns like Colin Ross and Dan Wolfe of Vitus Bikes hitting the dirt. The five stages were a good mix of the most challenging trail centre sections, some natural classics and a few new surprises thrown in along the way. It was one of our toughest courses to date – but everyone enjoyed the challenge and arrived back with a smile on their face! “Best day I’ve had on my bike in a while. natural stuff was brilliant cheers everyone for a good weekend” – Louis Gray, Chain Reaction Cycles

Leah Maunsell, Orla McClean and Sophie Bagnall took to the podium for the Women.
Leah Maunsell, Orla McClean and Sophie Bagnall took to the podium for the Women.
Colin Ross, Daniel Wolfe and Nathan McComb took the top three for the Pro Men.
Colin Ross, Daniel Wolfe and Nathan McComb took the top three for the Pro Men.

Another hugely successful event organised by FirstTracksMTB.com and Vitus Bikes. No rest though as the next event for the team will be the Nukeproof Irish Downhill Champs also at Rostrevor Mountain Bike Park on the 18th and 19th of July. See you all there. The final results as follows:

Big congrats to the Vitus First Tracks Race Division riders:
Glyn O’Brien 1st Masters B
Alistair Baron 1st Junior Men
James Mac Ferran 4th Pro Men

The winners were:

Hard tail Men: William Houston (Boyce precision engineering)

Junior Men: Alistair Baron (Vitus First Tracks Race Division )
Masters A Men: Colm Bradley
Masters B Men: Glyn O’Brien (Vitus First Tracks Race Division)
Senior Men: Scott Wallace (Expert Cycles)
Veteran Men: Edmund Hawkins (Shimna Wheelers)
Super Vet Men: Garry Ennis (Giant Dublin)
Women: Leah Maunsell (Team Maunsell)

PRO Men:
1st. Colin Ross (Vitus Factory Team)
2nd. Dan Wolfe (Vitus Factory Team)
3rd. Nathan McCombe (Rock and Ride Outdoors)

Many Thanks to all our marshals, the riders for coming along, Keith of Mourne Heritage Trust, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Forest Service NI and all our sponsors – Vitus Bikes, Acti-Snack, Erdinger, Advantage Control, Dennis Wilson of Glenavy, Point 1 Athletic Development, East Coast Adventure, Think Studio, My Life bathrooms, Grrana Energy, Biostore.ie, Rapid Racer Products and FirstTracksMTB.com!

For more info, visit: firsttracksmtb.com

Words & Photos: FirstTracksMTB

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