Cycling: Round 4 of the 2014 Bluegrass Enduro Tour this weekend in Dublin consisted of two races, one race on Sunday for the men and one for the women on the same course the day before. This was both a world premiere and the dreamed-of opportunity for novices to try their hand at enduro racing for the first time, without any fears and in an idyllic setting.
In Dublin, Bluegrass and local promoter Biking.ie got down to business by offering participants a route curated from the finest trails to be found around the Irish capital. The start and finish area was at the spectacular Powerscourt waterfall. The number of participants was deliberately limited to 50 due to logistical constraints in order to be able to stage the race at three different locations around Dublin in a single day.
Two days of "fun" dedicated to competition with all the ingredients that make the Bluegrass Enduro Tour a success: impeccable organization, a great atmosphere and, in keeping with tradition, a race without exploring the routes beforehand.
The day started with breakfast at the foot of the falls before heading to Ticknock by bus.
After unloading the bikes from the trailers, the riders took to the 2km uphill transfer leg to get to the 1st start of the day. The stunning view of Dublin Bay alone was worth the trip.
Evaluation test 1
With a very technical part in the forest, which required repeated accelerations and then, a little further on, a very fast part and finally a climb just before the finish line, where you had to pedal hard, the riders got down to business straight away!
Michelle Muldoon set the fastest time, less than three seconds ahead of Germany's Hannah Roether. The fight for overall victory should be very close.
Daniel Wolfe prevailed from the start. New Zealand's Reon Boe caused a surprise with the second best time on his DH bike!
After this warm-up, the participants were in high spirits. The ensuing 2km uphill transfer leg was tackled with a smile!
Evaluation test 2
The fast track layout allowed the best to absorb the bumps in the terrain without ever losing speed. For the others it was to be a long and difficult day!
Michelle Muldoon was again the fastest ahead of Hannah Roether.
England fixie star Juliet Elliott posted a promising fifth best time in her first ever enduro race.
Daniel Wolfe was the quickest, closely followed by Pearse Griffin, who was determined to challenge his dominance.
Another shuttle bus took the participants to Ballinastoe for the lunch break. Pasta salad and sandwiches were on the menu to recharge the batteries. After that it was on another shuttle bus, then another 1km of pedaling to reach the next start.
Evaluation test 3
A new landscape with hills full of flowers and lakes almost made you forget the difficulties of the route, which was very technical from the start. This was followed by a good minute of pedaling and then a long, fluid section to the finish.
With her third best time in the first three special stages, Michelle Muldoon's overall victory was almost impossible to deny.
Daniel Wolfe prevailed again and seemed untouchable. The battle for the places of honor should be hard fought.
A 3km climb further…
Evaluation test 4
The longest of the day. A mix of technical and fluid sections full of jumps, long sections to pedal and a very fast finish. This is where the last reserves of energy come into play.
After a disastrous start, Orla McClean brought the other favorites of the race back to mind with fourth best time of the special stage.
All special stages were hard fought. In the juniors, Conor Lavelle finally seemed to have the upper hand over his rivals. The provision of bananas and fresh drinks came just in time before the 5km transfer leg from Ballinastoe to Djouce.
Evaluation test 5
The shortest of the day A fast route at the beginning followed by a short abrupt incline should put the body under extreme strain again. The end of the track, on the other hand, was very fast and pure fun. Michelle Muldoon again set the best time by less than three seconds ahead of Germany's Hannah Roether.
As in the previous special stage, Jonathan Maunsell achieved the second-best time behind Daniel Wolfe. A final effort, a 2 km long, steeply rising transfer section led the drivers to the start of the last stage.
Evaluation test 6
Undoubtedly the most technically demanding special stage with many roots, very tight corners where it was difficult to maintain speed, then a very steep descent in the forest and finally the liberating final sprint.
A victory for 'honor' for Orla McClean on this last special. Overall victory went to Michelle Muldoon in 33:11. The German Hannah Roether, regular guest of the Bluegrass Endura Tour, took 2nd place in 35:34 minutes. New Zealand XC Champion Kate Fluker was rewarded for her very consistent performance throughout the day in 36'31'' with third place on the podium.
With a flawless race, Daniel Wolfe prevailed in the overall standings in 25:43 minutes ahead of New Zealander Reon Boe, 3rd in the last Megavalanche, with 27:02 minutes. Pearse Griffin completed the podium with a time of 27:15 minutes.
[iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/103842727" width="620" height="349" iframe]After the race, big smiles could be seen on their faces. An Italian ice cream to regain strength before the awards ceremony. After that, eyes quickly turned to Niall Davis and his team from Biking.ie, who announced a stage of the Enduro World Series for next year on the courses of the Bluegrass Enduro Tour Dublin. Great news for enduro in Ireland!
The next date of the Bluegrass Enduro Tour 2014:
Guebwiller - France - September 21
Castelbuono – Sicily – 26./28. September