The final XC NPS race of the year (NPS round Eight) is being ran in Djouce Woods, Co Wicklow by EPICMTB on July 12th 2009.
Online registration is now openHEREThe 2009 NPS has been the most successful and hotly contested XC NPS in years and all riders are focussing their energies on putting their best performances in for this last race.
Richie Byrne and his team of expert trailbuilders have been very busy mattocking, raking, lopping and shovelling some amazing additions and extensions to an already excellent MTB venue that is Djouce woods.
Djouce is undoubtedly one of the best venues in Ireland to ride and race your mountainbike, and this year’s course is will pay testament to that.
The course for NPS 8 is a different one to previous years, with the emphasis as usual on technical riding and almost DH style descents.
EPICMTB believe if it’s not hard and it’s not fun, then it’s not worth doing.
This course is 100% rideable, fast and twisty in places with only one handy fireroad and the hard-working club have built at least 4 new sections.
You will love it.
EPICMTB are also running a one lap Introductory category alongside the sports race for complete beginners.
The start will be in farmer Keegan’s adjacent to the lower car park, big thanks to Michael Keegan for letting the club use his field again.
Red Tag Timing will once again be looking after the timing, MTB Philanthropist Mark Kenny and K Capital Source are sponsoring the event.
Course preview:
From the field, the course will take you up XTC and left to the middle car park, then over the humps beside the road, Robin used for his Djouce Trail Challenge, then there’s a right hander into a new stretch of single track called Vertex.
This twists through the trees and comes back out on to part of the existing trail but straight away turns right onto the start of one of the fastest singletrack anywhere.
After a good long blast you come onto Robin’s Catskin trail – a bit of off camber mayhem and then on to the double track on the side of the dried up lake.
Then its rightwards and onto the walking track with the short steep climb, then a hairpin right on to an old, old singletrack that leads you to a bit of a fierce singletrack climb, this is the start of Supernova, which will bring you up and on to an area of felled forest.
Across this at a gallop until a fast descent brings you back own on to the walking track, then its a lefthander back along the walking track and then a handy right on to an old DH track built by either Ross Rosengrave or Keith Brock or maybe both.
Its deadly, watch the roots.
Then back on to another old track, called Gwangi..along this and up towards the middle car park before turning left on toLimeJuicer hold on to your hats!
Then right back on to Gwangi at warp speed, before a sketchy fast left turn on to steep track with another almost immediate left hand turn and in to Fartknocker.
Take the turns fast and drifty till you drop steeply on to a fireroad, then right away on to the savage climb made famous by the K Cap Cup last year, up over the jump and back on to Gwangi again, then down on to the fireroad climb for a rest.
Up towards the lower car park before hanging a right beneath XTC and up the double track..then onto another Robin trailBulldog but only for a short time before you take a quick left and on to Screwtop and a singletrack climb back up on to the doubletrack, and away you go back up to the finish line.
You have to do this race even just to ride the amazing course.
Sign on will be available online and on the day from 9:00am
Schedule:
Sign-on opens at 9.00am
Youth races start at 11.00
Sports, Under 14, under 16 and Introductobots at 12.00
Elite men 1.30
Elite ladies 1.31
Experts 1.32
Juniors 1.33
Vets 1.34
Masters 1.35
Thanks to the Offroad Commission of Cycling Ireland, Coillte, Mark Kenny, Grange Motors for their support in running this event
