Ulster Cyclo-cross season starts this Sunday

The 2013 Ulster Cyclo-cross season kicks off on Sunday 6 October at Lurgan Park, hosted by Apollo CT. This is first of 8 rounds and the return to an excellent venue which has played host to cyclo-cross (CX) races for many years, including national championships. Many thanks to Craigavon Borough Council for their continued support.

The main cyclo-cross races take place at 1 pm however there is a full schedule before this with sign on opening at 09:30 the first race of the day will be the fun race for the Under 6s which starts at 10:30. There will be races for the Under 8s, 10s, and 12s. At 11:30 the Under 14 and 16s will compete alongside a mountain bike support race. Food will be provided after all the races.

CX races are set around a short lap (2.5-3.5 km) and is great for spectators. The popular areas to watch some action are around the planks (to watch the skills in dismounting) or around some sketchy corner where there is a good chance of seeing some fallers. The sport is growing across Ireland with the racing already started two weeks ago at Grange Castle in Dublin.

Riders are asked to pre-register for each race. This will speed up the administration on the day, help the host club ensure there is enough catering and, for Round 2 onwards, will have a direct bearing on the race gridding. The courses are not technical, the main cyclo-cross race finishes within the hour, the MTB and youth races would be shorter in duration. These are great events for newcomers to try off road racing with the main obstacle being mud. It is hoped to see lots of new faces on the start line.

For more details of the series see UlsterCycloCross.com

Lurgan Park was used 2 weeks previously for a cyclo-cross training day. A report from that day is given here

Martin Grimley