überdog magazine - Vol1 issue 1

The Extreme Leisure Magazine for the Local Outdoor Scene Has Landed!

North & West Coast Surf Reports Climbing In The North Of Ireland Full 1996 MTB race Round Up

Free To Enter Competitions Lots of Goodies For The Taking

Beginners Guide to Scuba And Canoe December

1996

Issue No.1

Price

ÂŁ1.95 uk & Eire

Suppliers of Quality Outdoor Adventure Equipment

We’ve Got....

For Climbers

New Home Climbing Boards From Metolius Also New Lowa Plastics and Meindl “Super CrAcks“ From Germany!

For Off Roaders

...Have You? Ross’s Court & 43 Arthurs Street ( Off Cornmarket) Belfast

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Produced by

Pacesetter Publications Unit 45c Dungannon Enterprise Centre Dungannon Tyrone BT71 6JT Tele: (01868) 723489 Ext: 463 Fax: (01868)726346

Printed By Tyrone Printing Co. (01868) 722274 -

Contents: Info on the mag and the team ....................................4

Managing Editor Robert Doherty

Editor Alfie Donnelly

Scuba Correspondent

MTB news........................................................................6 Full year round up on MTB racing ................................7 Cannondale test ..........................................................18

Victor Hazelton

Mournetain Biking ......................................................20 MountainBike Correspondent Andy Lav

Canoe/Kayak Correspondent Ruth Mulligan

Fell Running Correspondent

Free pull-out calendar ................................................24 Surfers against sewage..............................................26 Improve your V2 max....................................................27

Paul McCullough

Team mechanic mark Greer

New for 97 ..................................................................28 Competition ..................................................................29

Surfing Correspondents richard Fitzgerald

Canoeing ......................................................................32

Fraser Duddy

Many thanks For Helping Get No. 1 To Press: Tony Brennan, paul

Surfing ........................................................................34 端berdog pic page ......................................................38

McArthurs, Uncle Christof,Christopher Stinson

Scuba diving ................................................................39

gary Johnston, David Conlon, Eddie Gilkeson, Unna hall,Trevor, Bryan & Tommy.

All Our Advertisers and Supporters.

Rock climbing ..............................................................42 Reader ads. bits and pieces ..................................46 December

1996

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Welcome To

überdog Magazine #1 I

n today's world young people have the ability to make more decisions about there life than they ever have before.

They can choose to further themselves in education or career, they can work nine to five and live for Saturday night down the Disco, some choose to waste it all growing up too quickly and settling down into premature hum-drum.

In amongst these young Students of Life, shines through the ever growing band of Adventurers, who seem to have got the meaning of life well and truly sorted. They know how to enjoy themselves, getting their kicks from salty surf, sweating up or panicking down steep mountains, whether over dirt track, white water or on the end of a rope.

To these people calls the outdoors with it's ‘Come on have a go if you think your hard enough!’ style dares.

They will grow old soon enough, they don't want their kicks from ‘Match of the Day’ down the pub on a Saturday afternoon, they want to, how you say, ‘Get out there!’.

Divide them into there

various pursuits and you have an impressive list.

Mountain Bikers, Canoeists, Surfers, Rock Climbers, Scuba Divers, Cavers etc..., the list goes on, all young people ‘Getting out there’.

Don't divide them and you have the largest group of individuals in the North of Ireland, united in their quest for mental and physical stimulation. überdog magazine aims to give this ever growing pack an interactive focal point.

Written, researched, designed and produced by young people who are already out there. For people who are, are going to be or just can't find there way out there.

We at überdog have no company backing, no guarantors, no flashy offices and no expense accounts. We just have the common desire to provide the North of Ireland with a publication worthy of our fellow lactic junkies. Coupled with a combined arsenal of talent capable of producing such a Mecca of a Magazine, after years of thought and much, much planning.... überdog the magazine is here!

We are the boys, we are the boys, Boys to entertain you.

Guys like us are put on this planet to make people like you happy. Let’s go to to work!

4 uberdog magazine December 1996

Dwayne’s Dream

Help Dwayne achieve his dream, subscribe now!

T

his is Dwayne, Dwayne Likes acetylene and hacksaws a lot, and his hobbies include communicating with aliens, stamp collecting and torturing small furry animals. His kitten juggling routine is legendary as is his unbeatable puppy tossing record of 34.3 metres achieved with a dalmation puppy. He prefers this breed not for it’s spots but for it’s aerodynamic properties.

Dwayne has a bike, he doesn’t like this bike, in fact Dwayne hates this bike. Nothing would give him greater pleasure that having a friendly cup of tea with a little green man from Mars and conversing about the day he reduced a once

wonderful bike to nothing more than than a pile of base metals. You the readers of überdog can help Dwayne achieve his dream. überdog issue one is the bench mark for things to come, the only way from here on is up. To make the magazine every thing we hope it will be, we realise that we are going to have to use some incentives along the line. In this magazine you will find a competition and a free pull out calendar.

But something was lacking.

We need an incentive capable of grabbing people by the scruff of the neck and saying “Buy this magazine, keep buying this magazine and don’t stop buying this magazine”.

Basically what the deal is, if we sell eighty percent of all the first issues

printed, the bike gets it. We hand Dwayne a shiny new hack-saw, light his torch and say “Dwayne, DESTROY BIKE”.

At which point he will enthusiastically begin a three hour ceremony of torture, based loosely on his Gerbil Processing routine that won him a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

What is left of the bike will be forwarded onto the faithful few among you who take the time to subscribe. Make a mad man happy, put a big toothless grin on his face today!

Please specify if you would like a bit of the frame, groupset or fully active rubber washer. Don’t delay, subscribe today!

Meet The Staff Do c

Alf ie

Ma n aging Edito r Vi c

Edito r

Alan Hinkes The Spirit Of Adventure Alan Hinkes is a qualified UIAGM Mountain Guide, and one of the worlds most experienced high altitude mountaineers, who has now successfully climbed eight of the world’s fourteen 8000m mountains, including K2 and Everest. Recently voted outdoor Sportsman of the year, Alan is on course to become one of the only mountaineers ever to have climbed all fourteen of the ‘8000ers’ - with a recordbreaking attempt to climb the remaining six in less than a year.

In addition to being a talented mountaineer, Alan is also well known for his ability as a speaker and he will be giving an illustrated

presentation (in association with Berghaus®, Trail magazine and Jackson Sports) in Belfast on Monday 2nd December. The evening will begin at 7.30 p.m. and tickets are available in advance from Jackson Sports, priced at £5.00 (£4.00 concessions) Venue: Lecture Theatre LG34, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast.

If any further incentive is required, every ticket holder gets a free copy of Trail magazine! For further details please contact Derek Fairley at Jackson Sports (01232 238572)

Ge n e ral Co rre spon de nt

O

rganisation is maybe not the sort of word used around the überdog office, well not in the right context anyway. It gets used in sentences containing swear words and the word ‘NO’ quite a lot.

Let me tell you some facts here. It’s six hours to printer’s deadline and we can’t find the photographs we have taken of ourselves anywhere. So after a fruitless search of all the usual nooks and crannies, innovation set in. If we did have the pictures we would have to scan them in, so why not cut out the middle man and just scan in ourselves!

Seen above is the fruits of our endeavours. Straight to computer disc via scanner, technology being used not the way mother intended.

Alfie D. the editor is the guy in charge of the public, unshaven face of überdog.

This is the guy who will

answer your queries and generally file a lot of them under ‘Bin’. With this man lies the future of überdogs sales figures and success. We are all doomed.

Doc - AKA Robert D. - Sits in the managers chair and enjoys all the usual manager perks such as cigars, biggest desk in the office and a girl friend who willingly plays the floozy secretary (The same girl we will meet in a future issue as a part time scuba and canoe correspondent).

Disorganisation and magazine deployment are this mans domain.

Vic - AKA Victor H.- Our general water sport correspondent and full time lard ass (Can I say that?). Vic is qualified scuba BSAC club instructor and his experience and willingness to play Fetch with any sport thrown for him will be invaluable to the publication.

MONSTROSITY STOP PRESS !

L

ook what we found lads. That scar on your knee, that crackly elbow on winter mornings, high speed wobbles all caused by one vindictive designer and creator of that legendary beast. überdog has the technology, we can rebuild it, the Raleigh Chopper!

It started with the rumours, fleeting glances in headlights late at night, speculation and double

talk. Our intrepid hunter has stalked this prehistoric fiend, eventually tracking it down in his Grannies hedgerow, the body of a badly decomposed 10 year old boy found nearby complete with flares & bad haircut, the bike coincidently forming a neat gate beside the rhododendron beds.

Uber#1 will be the ultimate restoration project, before your very eyes over the forth-coming months you can witness the re-incarnation of this December

1996

beast of legends.

Yes it’s happened that beast of bad taste is back and what’s more Alfie will ride the mechanical monstrosity at races next year after removing and wrapping his brain in abandoned christmas paper (He does this for 9 months every year anyhow’s ed.).

If you’ve got any chopper bits that you don’t want (Off a chopper or not give them to us, we love you). uberdog

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Meanwhile, down on the farm...

MTB NEWS Top English Snippets Stars to race

to the first issue of Welcome überdog magazine and to this the

Mountain Bike section. Inside you'll find race reports, results and a review of the 1996 season. Now we realise that not everyone is a race head so in future issues we'll be bringing you ride routes, bike tests - If offers for the loan of bikes are honoured, free classified adverts, rider profiles, the latest news and gossip and just about anything else that you'd like to see, if you write and tell us what you want.

In the meantime we hope you enjoy this issue and feel compelled to buy the next one (Out at the end of January. Ed!). Comments and feedback, be they good, bad or indifferent will also be welcomed but remember, if it's bad - we'll know where you live.

in Ireland ollowing their successful campaigns on the mainland, Richie McGlynn and Paul Gilsenan returned to Ireland to contest their home Championships at Ravensdale, complete with a party of ten or so English riders who had a successful and very enjoyable time. On the bas is of that, Paul is planning a Downhill fest to be held at Bray sometime in the early winter with a lot of the established stars of English downhilling pledging to come over and experience the race and party scene here. überdog will of course be there with reports and pictures. An in-depth interview with Kerry Bason is already a certainty.

F

MultiChampion ongratulations to Neil McCallum at the end of a Cbrilliant season of racing which has seen him become Northern Ireland Downhill Cham pion, All Ireland Downhill Champion and All Ireland Cross Country League Champion along with numerous other major placings. Mum and Dad are justifiably proud but the family car is glad to see the season end, having criss crossed Ireland numerous times on it's way to all of the events!

Neil in Downhill action at Garvagh Forest during August of this year (Photo by Andy Lav.)

ave you got the bug yet? If you think reading about the downhill scene is good, you should try to get to a race next year as no amount of words can adequately describe the spectacle of a downhill racer in full flow over a section of course that some people would question the wisdom of walking down.

Downhilling is a full on, in your face experience that is growing in popularity throughout the world. The Grundig World Cup series is the pinnacle of the sport and

H

regularly receives live coverage on Eurosport. For 1997, this series is being expanded to include eight races from the four of some 2-3 years ago. Having seen the sport have a successful first year in Northern Ireland, let's hope that 1997 will see it grow both in the number of races and competitors but also in the number of spectators. That's where you come in. It doesn't cost anything to watch so please come along and see for yourself why we get so excited about riding a bike! •

6 uberdog magazine December 1996

European Racing more serious competitors Forout the there, dates and venues for the

1997 European Championships have been established. For those who aspire to challenge the Rune Hoydahls and Caroline Alexanders of the Cross Country scene, then Silkeborg in Denmark will be the place to be from the 25th to the 27th of August.

For the Downhill brigade, the scene will be at Metabief in France on the 22nd to the 27th of August where dual slalom and trials title will also be contested. If you're there, you could emulate Dave Cullinan's famous World Championship winning run by timing your last jump to coincide with the gaps in the

passing, overhead Gondolas and gain extra kudos.

At the same venue, just prior to that event at Metabief on the 19th and 20th August, the French Cycling Federation will be holding a tracers session with their official training staff. Since the French are the dominant force in Downhilling at the moment, it would be safe to assume that you could learn a thing or two if you were to attend. A small organisation fee as well as your own travel and accommodation costs are the drawbacks but if you're interested, contact the Mountain Bike Representative of the Federation of Irish Cyclists for more information on (01) 8551522.

Bravado Sponsorship

a hardy bunch, these Newry They're arly news about sponsorship for downhillers. The Specialized Twins, aka., Glyn O'Brien and Davy E1997. The Specialized Twins will continue to ride Specialized O'Hara had eventful times at the last two downhills of the year. Glyn suffered a breakage on the morning of the All Ireland Downhill Championship but thankfully it w as on the bike as opposed to himself. A broken brace on his forks suffered on his first practice run of the day meant a panic ridden rush to get the bike shipshape before racing started. Old faithful, his GT RTS, was called into service but only so that the forks could be swapped over onto the FSR, just in time to compete in Run 1.

Davy however was another story.

He managed to shoulder charge a tree during a practice run on the day prior to the NI Downhill champ s at Coolaveely. He didn't think too much of it at the time despite the pain and raced on the following day and participated fully in the end of season party that night but continued discomfort convinced him to seek medical advice. Turns out he had cracked and chipped his shoulder blade - now that's hard.

machinery under the Cycle Shop umbrella. Andy Laverty will be piloting a full suspension Giant (Test report in a coming issue) at the Downhills due to the combined support of long time Northern Club sponsor, Dave Kane and Giant UK Ltd. Still on the Downhill front, rumours of extremely trick equipment that will be appearing on the '97 scene have yet to be confirmed but suffice to say that if true, they will rival Chris Watson's Missy bike for envy factor. On a grander scale, Derek Armstrong will be launching a substantial threat to the results sheets next year with the establishment of the Team Armstrong - Kona squad. Look out for an in depth team profile in the next issue but in the mean time, expect to see Lewis Ferguson, Gill Smith, Mark Smith and Andrew Yoong with others to be confirmed, competing in the blue and orange strip in 1997.

LATE TSprogs NEWS

Look out for a coming profile on Glen Curry, who retained his British Trials Championship during 1996 in a coming issue.

Big News! A new elite MTB team will be receiving it’s launch in late November/early December. Racing in Northern Ireland and England with full “Major Name” team back up!

Full details in next issue.

he highly successful and extremely popular Blaney Series of underage racing will again be taking place in Castle Park during January and February 1997. No specific dates yet but the usual format of 6 races on a fortnightly basis will again be followed. Loads of fun and a great way to introduce new kids to the sport as the races are short and not too technical. The Fun class will also be in operation again for those parents who have always wanted to give it a go but felt overwhelmed at the bigger events. A great family day out so keep an eye out in your local bikeshop for posters advertising the starting date.

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1996

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• Ards CC/Mike The Bike Cross Country Race •

No Picnic In The Park

T

he last cross country race of the 1996 calendar in the North was staged by Ards CC / Mike The Bike at Castle Park in Bangor on Saturday the 14th of September.

Michael Hamilton leads Northern CC's Stephen Burgoyne during the early stages of the race. (Photo by Jimmy Lavery )

8 uberdog magazine December 1996

(Photo by Jimmy Lavery)

Although it was mid September, the weather was more than kind with the odd sleeveless jersey finding it's way from the bottom of the kitbag as a result. Unfortunately, with the football season having started, the race organisers were seriously curtailed in their course designing with the result that an almost criterium like lap of about 3 minutes duration was devised and marked. This was great for the spectators as part of the BMX course was included in a lap and they didn't have to wait an eterni ty for the leaders to appear each time, thus keeping the interest and subsequent banter levels high but it wasn't so great for the timekeepers and lap scorers as leaders and tailenders got mixed up very quickly, nor was it so brilliant for some of the none too ser ious racers who, suffering from the odd Budweiser or two from the night before, felt like they had been spin cycled after going round and round so much.

The course started at the bottom of a hill, just to please the sadists amongst the crowd, and entered a single-track

section via a hedge break. A short sprint led to a sharp right hand corner followed by a drop down to a small jump, hairpin right, ditch climb and into a fast flick through the rhododendron bushes. From there it was through a section of trees to the drop down onto the BMX Course where the fast got some air, the brave or the showboaters added some style and the unfortunate experienced severe gravel rash.

The Under 12's started the day's proceedings at twelve o'clock and it wasn't long before a home club victory was established with a fine win by Stephen Adair from season long competitors, Jamie Scott and Lewis Ferguson. Neil McCallum was making amends for a disapp ointing ride at the previous week's All Ireland Championships where he was T-boned out of contention very early on by winning the Under 14 Category from Michael Dempster and Graham Belvoir. Dwayne McCreadie, a regular winner in this age group and indeed the winn er at the All Ireland's had experienced rear mech problems so having paid his entry fee, he elected to start in the next class up, t he Under 16's. He must have passed on the bug of the mechanical to his Toyota North Down team mate because Philip Geddis was forced to retire from what should have been an easy victory in that class. Instead it was Belfast MTB's Peter Jones who won from the home club's Graham McConaghy and Toyota North Down's Keith Leinster.

The Ladies race had taken place at the same time as the Under 16's and it was a new name to the scene, Ciara McManus, who was the victor from the ever smiling Heather Anderson and another new showing, Geraldine Jenning. Joanne McCallum finished a long season in which she had contested every event with a competitive fourth place.

The Seniors and Juniors lined up across the bottom of the hill in a scene reminiscent of Zulu Dawn for the start of their race. Philip Geddis took a leaf out of his team mate's book and lined up to compete against the more senior competitors having effected a repair while not having had enough punishment, or perhaps just to rub in the vitality of youth, Dwayne again lined up to start his third ride of the day. And then they were off like the Charge of the Light Brigade, only looking a lot less respectable, up the hill to the break in the hedge. Those experienced in American football push and shove tactics got through ahead of the bottleneck and sped onwards only to come across an errant dog walker at the sharp right hand corner. Forty shades of blue and a challenge to take all of t hem on were largely ignored

but a touching of wheels which saw James McMaster hit the ground extremely heavily, only to be hit by Brendan Doherty who had nowhere else to go couldn't be ignored and the race was stopped to allow first aid treatment to be administered.

Thankfully James was only badly shook up but he went off to the nearest Accident and Emergency as a precaution, returning before the race had ended to show off his cuts and scrapes.

A restart was ordered after oxygen had been administered to those who had inadvertently got caught up in the previous first lap rush so it was Scene 1, Take Two and action. The Organisers had sensibly held the Juniors and Vets back from the Senior starters this time to create less of a stampede but the going was still hot and heavy. Michael Hamilton from the Toyota North Down Club had been rec ounting tales of his week long randonee through the Pyrenees in the week leading up to the race before the start complete with the ob ligatory hitting the wall, murder picture description of his zig zag ascent up the Tourmalet but it didn't stop him going off into an early lead. The field streamed through the start/finish line at the end of the first of seventeen laps with the exception of Colin Starrett who had encountered a very amorous section of the rhododendron bushes which didn't want to let him go. He

Ross Blaney shows he can still handle an MTB, despite a lack of Off Road races during 1996.

eventually disen tangled himself after declaring his love and promising to phone the next morning and set off after the disappearing hoard in what looked like a hopeless task.

The relentless nature of the course soon took it's toll and the leaders started to mix it with the tailenders after 3-4 laps. Philip Geddis, riding in amongst some people old enough to be his dad was riding out of his skin, he was on the bike, the skin dragged along behind, and by half distance had come through the entire field to join up with his team mate at the head of the race to make it a Toyota North Down team time trial. Aidan McDonald had travelled up from Drogheda on the day and was riding well at the front of the field as was Michael Carroll who was debuting a new Klein that he had purchased in the States. Ross Blaney was chasing Philip in the Junior category having also endured a long season which had culminated in the Bronze medal at the All Irelands while

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DATA-TAG

(Photo by Jimmy Lavery)

Richard McKillen was riding after having played a full match of rugby that morning.

At this point Colin had moved through the field and was racing in the top six and looking strong. He was also looking stylish coming through the start/finish area with crossed up jumps galore for the crowd. James McCann was sitting in the back of the ambulance having soared over the same jump only to land on the front wheel, closely followed by his head, hands, hips and head again as he tumbled gracefully to a painful stop.

Plenty of war wounds to show in the pub that night. A few laps later and Colin had hit the front to hold on and claim the win that he had been threatening for all season. A superb picture in the following Monday's Newsletter pleased him no end as well.

Aidan McDonald moved ahead of Michael Hamilton to claim second while Michael Carroll just held off the attenti ons of all rounder, Simon Loughlin for fourth. Philip Geddis having the ride of the day won the Junior Category and actually placed second overall, striking fear into some of the Seniors for the day when he'll be racing against them on a regular basis.

Ross and Ri cky held onto their second and third places while Ryan Hamilton rode consistently to fourth.

A banter ridden prize giving ceremony later and that was the end of the racing season for some of the competitors. You can rest assured that the social season started with a vengeance for them that night but for others, the following days All Ireland Downhill Cham pionships and the following weeks NI Downhill Championships awaited. ■

Ricky McKillen, hard as nails after playing a full game of rugger.

Results Seniors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Colin Starrett Bann Wheelers/Cannondale Aidan McDonald Cuchullan CC Michael Hamilton Toyota North Down Michael Carroll Bann Valley - Clarke Bros Simon Loughlin Unattached Ronald Surgenor Unattached Conor O’Dwyer Cycleways Stephen Burgoyne Dave Kane / Northern CC Paul Curry Unattached Robert Adair Ards CC / Mike the Bike Nigel Somers Dave Kane / Northern CC Andrew Smith Unattached Peter Boyd Unattached Gary Crawford Toyota North Down Andy Potts Banbrige CC Michael Murphy Unattached Andy Laverty Dave Kane / Northern CC Kieran Murphy Unattached

Under 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Stephen Adair Jamie Scott Lewis Ferguson Matty Blaney Michaell Mulvenna James Wray Matthew Ferguson G. Hunter Lowell McCreadie Peter McKeown Andrew Adair William McKeown Gary Boden Peter Mearns Ciara Doherty (Lady) 16 David Holden

Ards CC / Mike the Bike Unattached Toyata North Down Toyota North Down CC Ards CC / Mike the Bike Unattached Toyota North Down Unattached Unattached Unattached Ards CC / Mike the Bike Unattached Ards CC / Mike the Bike Unattached Unattached Ards CC / Mike the Bike

Ladies 1 2 3 4

Ciara McManus Heather Anderson Geraldine Jenning Joanne McCallum

QRANC

Unattached Toyota North Down Unattached Toyota North Down

Juniors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Philip Geddis Ross Blaney Richard McKillen Ryan Hamilton Gareth Cross JJ Conway Francis Gilmore Mark McCallum

Toyota North Down Ards CC / Mike the Bike VC Glendale Unattached VC Deal Flogas Harps CC Ards CC / Mike the Bike Toyota North Down

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Peter Jones G McConaghy Keith Leinster Winston Copeland Richard Blaney Philip Marshall Will Richardson

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Neil McCallum Toyota North Down Michael Dempster Toyota North Down Graham Belvoir Belvoir RC Colin Ross Unattached Mark McKillop Glenarm CC-Bamford Cycles Keith Benson Toyota North Down Owen Jeffries Unattached Connall Watson Unattached Robin McNamee Unattached Dwayne Duncan Flogas Harps CC Jonathon Bailie Unattached Neill McCallum Unattached

Under 16 Belfast MTB Ards CC / Mike the Bike Toyota North Down Unattached Toyota North Down Toyota North Down Ards CC / Mike the Bike

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Tel: 01960 351844 December

1996

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GOING DOWN? S unday the 15th of October and a record 211 competitors signed on to compete in the BikeShak sponsored All Ireland Downhill Champion ships in glorious sunshine.

The course had been designed and marked by the Drogheda Wheelers Cycling Club and it was an absolute belter. It took 30 - 40 minutes to get to the top of the course and just over 4 minutes, for the quick riders at least, to get down so that should give some indication of the speeds that could be reached on the descent.

Riders started in the back of a box lorry, down a fairly steep start ramp and onto a section of gravel fire road.

A couple of fast sweeping corners and it was the first of two technical bus stop chicanes. The first had a rock strewn drop off entry that the full floater pilots were jumping before turning right and tackling a rooty exit back onto the fire road. A fast left and then a right sweeper brought riders to the second bus stop which had an inclined entry that naturally threw riders into the air before dropping left and then turning right back onto the fire road yet again. A fast right and a hairpin left then saw riders hit the fastest part of the course, a straight fireroad section that had l egs spun out, saliva dripping, eyeballs watering and hands death gripping the bars before it was hard on the V brakes and into the technical section of the course.

This part of the course was a singletrackers dream as the course wound its way over rocks and roots through a dense section of trees . The change in contrast from the bright sunlight to the darker light amongst the trees also added another element that riders had t o contend with along

The Bikeshak All Ireland Downhill Championships

with off camber corners and technical drops which brought the riders onto a final short section of fire road le ading up to the sting in the tail, a twenty odd foot drop that had a fallen tree with an option of lines at it's base. The faster lin e to the right involved jumping the tree whilst the option to the left meant going off line and speed jumping the tree before railin g around a berm and sprinting for the line. This section would catch out a lot of the riders, none more so than Chris Watson who ended up looking like a mole, such was the depth he headplanted to after getting it all horribly wrong. A very vocal crowd at this part of the course made sure everyone knew when a rider had got it wrong.

All agreed that this was truly a course suitable for a Championship title race and drew rave reviews from the English riders who had expressed surprise at finding a course and racing of this quality in Ireland. It seems they had driven North out of Dublin and wond ered what they could expect to race on as field after field of flatness stretched out before them to the horizon.

There was a great deal of success for the Northern riders who had travelled down to compete, particularly in the Underage classes.

Jamie Scott won the Gold medal in the Under 12 age group with an impressive winning margin over second place Mark King. There was a N orthern clean sweep in the Under 14's with Neil McCallum leading home Dwayne McCreadie and William Corry but here it was seconds that separated the Medal awards as opposed to the minutes that Jamie had won by. Simon Gill kept the Northern tradition going with Gold in the Under 16's, the fully

10 uberdog magazine December 1996

Photo by Jimmy Lavery

Photo by Jimmy Lavery

William Corry in a different style of Downhilling than that which produces Bronze medals

suspended Specialized that he had obtained earlier in the season helping his riding no end. John Ryder opened the first of the English raiding party's spoils with the Silver medal, giving his travelling companions a target to beat.

The Southerners hit back in the Junior category with John Lawlor taking the Gold astride an impressive Vario Downhill bike that Will Corry had brought back from the Cologne Bike Show that week, complete with Rond triple clamp forks. The five inches of rear and four something inches of front travel were just what was needed to tame the course but Karl Daly of Malahide was only marginally slower on more conventional equipment in second while Johny Matthews, another of the English guests was a further two seconds back in the Bronze medal position. The Belfast MTB duo of Mark Smith and Andrew Yoong were somewhat further down the finishing

Davy O'Hara with his Gimp suit still intact

order than they would have liked in fourth and fifth, Andrew's position perhaps explained by his experimental, face planting ploughing technique of riding around berms. He found this wasn't the quickest cornering method around to his cost.

Peter Purfield of the Mountain Bike Association of Dublin used only one of his runs to claim Gold in the Vets class while his club m ate, Richard Burn made it a double by winning the Masters award. Jenny Brennan, who hadn't raced as much during 1996 as previous years came out of semi retirement to win the Ladies class from Cross Country âžš

The Last Waltz • The Northern Ireland Open MTB Downhill Championships • finishing in a time of 2.23 which would have seen him finish ninth amongst the Senior riders. Simon Gill was happy with his Silver medal ride with Winston Copeland completing the podium in the Bronze medal position. A second separated Dwayne McCreadie from William Corr y in forth and fifth places respectively but possibly the most impressive ride of the class was by Under 12 rider, Jamie Scott who finished eighth in a more than respectable time of 2.54.

Neil's victory and the one hundred points that it earned also saw him clinch the Chain Reaction Downhill League.

William Corry moved up to finish a fine second overall while Joanne McCallum proved that she cou ld more than hold her own against the boys by finishing third overall. Just desserts for being the only Lady to compete in the Downhills on a regular basis.

There was drama in the Junior race right from the start as League Leader and winner at Ravensdale the

Colin Starrett didn't enjoy a trouble free day but looked quick nonetheless.

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aturday, the 21st of September and yet another day of warmth and sunshine.

That meant that Norman Atkins was back in organisational mode as the only two Downhills of the year that hadn't been organised and run by him had suffered from abysmal weather and subsequently, poor course conditions.

The scene was Coolaveely Forest, a favourite downhill course in the North for the rescheduled NI Open Downhill Championships which also constituted the final and compulsory counting round of the season long Chain Reaction Downhill League.

From the summit of the course, riders were straight onto a fire road plummet that involved a fast right sweeper before dropping straight down into a tight hairpin left corner with deep gravel that caught the unsuspecting out by washing out their front

wheel when they weren't looking, Fairy softness it wasn't. An open single-track bash into a right drop, left switch and it was another eyeballs out dash through a canopy of trees. A tight right switchback against the camber of the hill and yet more speed for the adrenaline junkies on a flat out technical double-track path before anchors on and dropping left into a dusty, tight single-track section. Onto the fire road for a quick change of direction before facing a 15 foot dropoff with a hard right at the bottom and a tree or two to avoid (Davy O'Hara take note). A final sprint to the line over a greasy section of roots and branches saw quicker times of around two and a quarter minutes. There's a lot of satisfaction to completing this course however quickly or slowly, its challenging and fun but there was more than enjoyment at stake for a few.

Neil McCallum was the first to be crowned Champion in the all encompassing Underage class to complete a Downhill title double

previous week, John Lawlor crashed heavily at the start of his first run. An errant tree stump had stopped John dead, throwing him over the bars and face first on to the ground. A lot of spilled blood gave hint to a suspected broken nose but hospital treatment thankfully revealed that the worst injury was a cut at the bridge of the nose which was obtained despite John wearing a state of the art, full face helmet. Injuries a side, John would no doubt have found it difficult to start Run 2 anyway as he had significantly shortened the wheelbase of his BikeShak supplied Vario bike by bending the stanchions of his triple clamp forks backwards, an indication of the speed at which impact ha d happened.

That left the Title and the League open for Belfast MTB teamsters, Andrew Yoong and Mark Smith to contest between themse lves, both being equal on points at the start of the day. As with any competition, there is the joy of victory and the disappointment of coming

Photos by Jimmy Lavery

starlet Tarja Owens and the other half of the McCallum double act, Joanne who took home a Bronze to help fill the family trophy cabinet.

It was closer than a Gillette shave in the Pro/Elite class.

More renowned as a cross country rider, BikeShak Rocky Mountain's Robin Seymour was riding another of Will Corry's Vario frames to set the standard in Run 1 with a time of 4 minutes and 8 seconds. Despite the best efforts of the home riders, it was left to English star, Anthony Oates who had competed at the French Grundig round of the Downhill World Cup at Les Gets in France earlier in the summer to challenge for the win. A mere second was the final winning margin in Anthony's favour at the end of run 2. With Ian Jones, another of the English crew in third, there was every reason for celebrations on the way home from Ros Laire. Having had a thoroughly enjoyably time, both by virtue of the renowned Irish hospitality and more importantly, due to the quality of the racing, the English riders vowed to return and promised to spread the word so that more of their fellow competitors would accompany them next time. Richie McGlynn and Paul Gilsenan who have spent their seasons based on the mainland made their trip home worthwhile with fourth and fifth places respectively while the stars of the Northern scene were in unc haracteristically lowly places, Glyn O'Brien being the best in sixth. Davy O'Hara was gravel sampling and testing the rip resistance of his Gimp suit on his way to ninth while Paul Manton of The Belfast MTB/Beaver Patrol squad completed the top ten.

There was a lot of post race discussion and race analysis taking place in the car park after the racing had finished. Everyone was f ull of praise for Eamon Lawlor and his Drogheda Wheelers compadres for staging a superb event on a course that rivalled some of Engl and's best. As ever, there were those who didn't feel they had achieved their best but it wouldn't be long before they had another chance to prove themselves as the NI Open MTB Downhill Championships were being staged the following weekend. Pride was at stake, it promised to be a biggie. ■

Colin Finlay takes tree avoiding action with a little Body English December

1996

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magazine 11

Photos by Jimmy Lavery

second. Andrew was the victor on this occasion, winning the race and the League by the smallest of margins, one second b ut Mark's achievements during the season proved that he will be a threat next year. His new Orange XI had proved to be a sound investment. John Jordan, a name that hadn't been heard of before the day made a successful debut in the North by claiming the Bronze medal after concentrated efforts at riding the drop off came to fruition.

Fifth place for Bann Wheeler's Alistair Barr earned him enough points to move up to and finish third in the League while John Lawlor's points total from before the race were enough to see him finish forth from another absentee, Richard McKillen of Merida - VC Glendale.

Geoff Copeland was, mystifyingly, the only Vet to sign on for the day and so only had to freewheel down the course to claim his prize and to reinforce his leading and ultimately, victorious place in the League standings.

There wasn't any such luxury in the Senior Class as Paul Manton and Glyn O'Brien were joint equal in the League standings at the start of the days proceedings. At the end of a hot and heavy day of racing, spectacular riding from Glyn (Witness the photo in the Newsletter) saw him claim the win in a time of 2.11. At the previous race staged at Coolaveely, Glyn and Davy O'Hara had been inseparable resulting in a dead heat. It was close again this time with Davy claiming second place and the Silver medal, a mere second behind, despite riding with a cracked and chipped shoulder blade.

Paul Manton was a further four seconds back in third but he had to share his podium place with an inspired Mark Dick son who had taken delivery of a new, fully suspended Rocky Mountain a week earlier. Paul's points for third place ensured he stayed second in the League with Davy finishing third while another of the Belfast MTB crew, John Harrison benefited from a borrowed bike and equal fifth place on the day to claim fourth overall in the League and a much needed Giro helmet as his reward. He shared his equal fifth with Chain Reaction's Michael Cowan who had his best ride of the season on his ProFlex, complete with new long travel RST forks. Paul Gilsenan couldn't repeat his form of the previous week and finished seventh on the day from Andy Laverty who was having his first competitive ride after breaking a wrist at Leitrum Lodge in July. Ninth place

everything you need to know about the local outdoor scene ...

... on the back of a stamp Northern Ireland Open MTB

Downhill Championships

Brian Curran of Drogheda Wheelers does his best to maintain the club's run of successes in the absence of John L awlor

was shared by three riders, Chris "Super Sexy Cannondale" Watson, Andy "I got a fully sussed Rocky Mountain as well" Reynolds and Colin "Happy to be in the top ten" Finlay.

Fifth in the League went to Mark Dickson thanks to some excellent end of season results while sixth was a disappointed Colin Starrett who had started the day in fourth but had suffered badly from unshipped chains on both his runs and had therefore been able to con solidate his place. Andy Reynolds, benefiting from high placings at the wet and technical rounds of the league finished seventh over all with Andy Laverty, Michael Cowan and Colin Finlay rounding out the top ten.

A substantial prize fund, courtesy of the League's sponsors, Chain Reaction, was dished out after the medal ceremony had taken place to cheers, applause and more than a modicum of piss taking. On a serious note, the riders expressed their deep gratitude to Norman Atkins and his small band of Bann Wheelers helpers for all their hard work in getting Downhilling off the ground (literally in some cases) in Northern Ireland this year, without them it would not have been possible.

12 uberdog magazine December 1996

Sincere thanks also to Chain Reaction whose prizes were certainly not of an insignificant nature. V brake kits, Marzocchi downhill forks, Hard Knox body armour and various other appropriate pieces of kit were shared out amongst a significant number of the placed riders. Their support and enthusiasm for this element of the sport of Mountain Biking ensured that there was something tangible for competitors to race for over the course of the season over and above the sheer thrill and enjoyment factors.

After that, there really only was one way to officially end the season. Yes you've guessed it - PARTY. A sizeable contingent of riders were last seen clutching carry outs and heading for the front door of a house in Portrush before taking their definition of style into the mainstream areas of Rogues and Kellys. It would be nice to recount some of the evening's more interesting happenings but it would mean changing names to protect the guilty. No, I'm afraid if you weren't there, it's your own fault. You missed a cracking night although the scene the next day was somewhat more subdued, I wonder why ? ■

Coolaveely Forest Saturday 21st September 1996

Results

Seniors 1 2 3 3 5 5 7 8 9 9 9 12 13 14 14 14 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Glyn O’Brien Davy O’Hara Paul Manton Mark Dickson Michael Cowan John Harrison Paul Gilsenan Andy Laverty Chris Watson Andy Reynolds Colin Finlay Simon Loughlin Nigel Wright Dale McMullan Michael White Steve Bell Keith Marchant James McCann Colin Starrett Paddy Crawford Robert McLaughan Glen Smyth Terry McCollum Bryce Irvine

Cycle Shop - Specialized Cycle Shop - Specialized Belfast MTB Belfast MTB Bann Wheelers CC Belfast MTB IMBRC Dave Kane - Northern CC Unattached Belfast MTB Belfast MTB Unattached Belfast MTB Bann Wheelers CC Unattached Belfast MTB Unattached Unattached Bann Wheelers - Cannondale Belfast MTB Unattached Unattached Belfast MTB Belfast MTB

2.11 2.12 2.16 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.18 2.20 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.27 2.28 2.30 2.30 2.30 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.36 2.39 2.42 2.44 2.54

Juniors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Andrew Yoong Mark Smith John Jordan Brian Curran Alistair Barr Andrew Moore Keith Lawrence

Belfast MTB Belfast MTB Unattached Drogheda Wheelers CC Bann Wheelers CC Bann Wheelers CC Bann Wheelers CC

2.19 2.20 2.25 2.33 2.40 2.42 3.02

Underage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Neil McCallum Simon Gill Winston Copeland Dwayne McCreadie William Corry Ali McDevitt Des Conlon Jamie Scott Gavin Nutt Mark McKillop Joanne McCallum

Toyota North Down Unattached Unattached Toyota North Down BikeShak - Rocky Mountain Unattached Unattached Unattached Unattached Unattached Toyota North Down

2.23 2.27 2.33 2.35 2.36 2.39 2.50 2.54 3.03 3.09 4.04

Veterans 1

Geoff Copeland

Unattached

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Glyn O’Brien Davy O’Hara

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1996

uberdog

magazine 13

April. aster and something was amiss, surely it couldn't be that warm and bright at Easter, at the foot of a mountain in the Mournes, after all, hadn't it snowed every Easter for the last 2 - 3 years. The first race of the 1996 Mountain Bike season was a first of it's kind in Ireland, a three day stage race. Stage one was a Downhill at Leitrum Lodge and glorious sunshine made sure that the nervous g got a full view of what awaited them, 1.5 miles of steep mountain path with gravel, stones, rocks and boulders galore as well as erosion bombholes, run off gullies and sections of rolling whoops. The sight of an ambulance parked at the finish line with it's back doors open and seemingly waiting didn't inspire confidence in those green to this aspect of the sport, nor did descriptions of the run as being "effing fast and hairy" or "likely to cause more hand cramps than an episode of Baywatch", though thankfully, there were n o serious crashes or injuries to treat at the end of the day.

Stage Two was an epic around Mourne Park in Kilkeel with the sun again making a strong appearance.

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James McMaster had a stunning debut in his Giant colours, winning the MTB Tour of Ulster outright.(Photo by Andy Lav)

The course climbed, dropped, climbed again and twisted through a technical section beside the river for a 20 - 25 minute lap. A Bann Wheelers contingent had camped out overnight and looking suitably the worse for wear, gave the park a Newbury bypass air of similarity. The demanding nature of the course and long race distance, too long for so early in the season, ensured that those racing all three days slept soundly that night.

Day three saw the travelling circus reach the Balancing Lakes at Craigavon for the final stage. The Mickey

National and Grundig World Cup races along with Martin Early and Ritchie McCauley in an effort to secure selection for the inaugural Olympic Mountain Bike race at Atlanta.

The domestic season continued in April with Cross Country races at Antrim Estate in Glenarm and a repeat trip to the Balancing Lakes at Craigavon. An amazing number of riders signed on to race at Glenarm on what turned out to be an uninspiring course but the racing was fast and furious nonetheless due to it being

The course was described as being “Effing fast and hairy!�

Mouse nature of the course which largely dictated big gear mashing with little or no technical sections had dissuaded a number of the riders from making the effort so numbers were down from the first two days. Continued Father Hackett impressions from the Bann Wheelers crowd also reduced the number of starters.

From those who had raced all three days, overall victories were claimed by Lewis Ferguson in the Under 12, Dwayne McCreadie in the Under 14 and Ben Morrow in the Under 16.

Heather Anderson, riding a new Barracuda for 1996 won the Ladies race but surprisingly, there was no prize for her - worrying as an oversight of this growing class of competitors could prove detrimental to the sport. In the Seniors, it was extremely close between Brian Stewart of the Phoenix Club and James McMaster who was competing in Giant colours, courtesy of Armstrong Cycles. It was so close that on the day, the two couldn't be separated in a sprint finish resulting in a tie for the overall victory, James getting the verdict after a stage placing count back.

Notable absentees from the start list had been Alistair Martin and Robin Seymour, both competing in the newly established BikeShak Rocky Mountain Team for 1996.

They were contesting British

14 uberdog magazine December 1996

the first round in the season long NICF Open League competition. It was a Southern benefit in all but the Underage classes as Joe McCall, Kevin Scott, Dennis Brennan and Tarja Owens all won their respective races.

Jamie Scott, Dwayne McCreadie and Philip Geddis salvaging some Northern pride in the Under 12,14 and 16 age groups respectively (Full list of final positions after). A dank day and the spreading news of the nature of the course meant that significantly less riders competed at Craigavon but it was worth going to if only to see the mass bathing of bikes and riders in the lake at the end of a muddy day of racing.

May unday the 5th and it was destination Binevenagh for the first round of the Chain Reaction Downhill League.

It was wetter than a crap Scottish band and hangovers were much in evidence as the derigeur Downhill party had somehow taken place the night before the race instead of after. Well, we were new to the sport.

Practice runs counted for nought as the wet conditions totally changed the nature of the course. It was tough, over seven minutes in duration for all but one rider, and included greasy, steep,

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off camber corners , a fast fire road section, an uphill drag and roots, roots, roots, rocks, branches, mud and carpet obstacles. Yes, carpet.

Belfast MTB's Paul Manton was the rider who broke 7 minutes, doing all sorts of heroic things on a completely rigid Cannondale to claim the win while Richie McGlynn travelled from England to get second ahead of an inspired Andy Reynolds. Tristan Forsythe who professes not to be able to descend won the Underage race with Richard McKillen winning the Junior race in a time that would have seen him 5th in the Senior class.

The next event turned out to be one of the best, if not thee best, races of the year, a cross country at Red Hall, Carrickfergus which was run

by Norman Atkins and the Bann Wheelers Cycling Club. A fantastic course saw a record 147 riders sign on to race in the second round of the NICF Open League.The course was a mixture of fireroad, technical climbs, stream crossings, copious measures of rolling singletrack and an absolute belter of a descent that involved a flat out section of cobbles which have proved treacherous in previously wet editions. For a lot of people, this would be the race they would contest if they were only able to compete once in the year.

Mind you, one man's meat is enough to get you charged with sexual harassment, I mean poison. Brendan Doherty or Big Doc as he is universally known was one rider who professed to dislike the course but it didn't stop him from taking an excellent second place in the Senior class in his first Mountain Bike race, behind Joe McCall, another BikeShak Rocky Mountain representative. Brian Stewart used his previous experience

Brendan Doherty in one of his rare, but successful MTB outings.(Photo by Andy Lav)

from motocross racing to good effect to take third.

Kevin Scott was again making his trip North worth while with victory in the Juniors while there was an air of familiarity in the Underage races with Lewis Ferguson, Philip Geddis and Dwayne McCreadie claiming more wins. There was a new name at the head of the Ladies race, Michelle Crinnton winning from Toyota North Down's Lisa Purnell who had purchased an extremely nice Fat Chance over the winter.

The Next weekend saw a reduced number of riders contesting the Flogas Harps Cycling Club staged cross country at Davagh Forest.

Part of that was due to some competitors getting lost on their way to the Forest while others having raced hard the previous week felt that they couldn't face the unrelenting nature of this course. This race signalled Robin Seymour's first domestic race in the North after returning from the European Grundigs. A heavy cold, picked up in Germany, didn't stop him from winning though and continuing th e BikeShak Rocky Mountain run of successes.

The last weekend in May saw a separation of interests.

Round three of the NICF Open League was taking place at Ballykelly while the first Joint Committee Representative Team was travelling to Scotland to participate in the British National Points Series race at Hawick. (Pronounced as

were 10th place for Tristan Forsythe in the Downhill, closely followed by 11th place finishes for both Andrew Yoong and Glyn O'Brien to raucous applause and very vocal cheering.

Dale McMullan was causing a collective inhalation at the bottom of the course's 40 foot drop by doing an Icarus impresson and buzzing the circling bussards before crash landing on terra firma.

Thankfully, he wasn't hurt and managed to remount and finish the curse, much to Eric's relief. Sunday's cross country race was run off in fairly dismal conditions and the peaty nature of the course meant there was a fair bit of hike a biking through axle deep gloop that didn't improve anyone's looks despite faces being liberally covered in it.

Best performances came from Philip Geddis who finished 5th in the Under 16's with Ben and Tristan finishing 8th and 11th respectively.

Richard McKillen was an excellent 11th in the Juniors while Brian was the best Senior finisher in the highly competitive Experts class in 20 th place. Alistair Martin, having received his Olympic selection confirmation alongside Martin Early was taking no chances and rode a conservative race to also finish 11th. A quick visit to the powerhose, a dunk in the river and it was non stop to Cairnryan for the boat home where the bus all but disintegrated on arrival.

June arely had the Toyota North Down minibus had time for a Ferrari speed pit stop and service than it was time to head back to Larne a nd another Team trip to Dalbeattie to contest a round of the Scottish Cycling Union series. The Team make up was similar to the previous expedition with Dwayne McCreadie and Liam Nelson taking the previously claimed places of Tristan Forsythe and Colin Starrett. A single-track dream of a course bred much more success with outright victories for Philip and James. These wins were backed up by a 6th place for Dwayne who had moved up a category when it was discovered his race was around the car park, 9th and 10th places for Ryan Hamilton and Andrew Yoong on courses that didn't play to their strengths and a joyful 5th for Eric the Boss in the Vets despite witnessing a head planting crash into a 26' by 13' ditch by one competitor who finished

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(Photo by Jimmy Lavery)

though you're clearing phlegm from the throat) Victory at Ballykelly saw Paul Manton become one of a very few riders to win both a Downhill and Cross Country race in the same seas on. Joanne McCallum was achieving the same distinction by winning her cross country race while Kevin Scott was making the League his own in the Juniors with yet another win as was Jamie Scott and Dwayne McCreadie. Philip Geddis was in Scotland so Fergal Kelly was a clear winner in the Under 16's while at the other end of the spectrum, Dennis Brennan was clearing up in the Vets.

An excellent race was however marred by the first serious injury of the year.

Mark Bartley, a regular competitor crashed on the first lap of the Senior race and received a fairly horrific gash to his forearm that was sufficiently serious to see him hospitalised for 5 days and receiving forty stitches.

Thankfully Mark was back on the bike and competing before the end of the season but it was a timely reminder of the dangerous side of the sport.

Over in Scotland, the Sports Council- Northern Ireland jerseys were being proudly displayed at the Saturday's Downhill and the Sunday's Cross Country races. The Team trips are enormous fun but also extremely beneficial for those that make the cut as they get a chance to experience the Sport at a higher level and compare their performances against some of the established stars.

The full line u p of participants included Eric Blaney, Team Manager and driver (who could teach Damon Hill a thing or two about overtaking), Under 16's, Philip Geddis, Ben Morrow and Tristan Forsythe, Juniors, Ryan Hamilton, James McMaster and Richard McKillen and Senior Experts, Brian Stewart and Colin Starrett.

Andy Laverty travelled with the Team as PR/Spokesman ( or mouthpiece ) and competed in both events as did Dale McMullan while Alistair Martin, Andrew Yoong and the Specialized Twins all made their own way across. This was no bad idea as it seemed a door couldn't be closed on the Team Bus without an impromptu trouser trumpet competition erupting.

Varying levels of success were achieved against the highest levels of competition. Notable results

Glyn O'Brien sharing victory at Coolaveely with Davy O'Hara

minus 4 teeth. Smoking tyres and glowing brake discs again accompanied the screeching halt at Cairnryan before boarding the ferry for home.

The Chain Reaction Downhill League was continuing on the home front at Coolaveely Forest, a new venue that was to become a firm favourite with the riders.

Brilliant sunshine, epic views and hot racing ensured a memorable and enjoyable day. Neil McCallum was establishing his Downhilling prowess by winning the Underage Class, Tristan Forsythe was again victorious in the U16 while John Lawlor claimed the Juniors scalps.

The Specialized twins ended a brilliant day in the closest possible way, dead heating for shared victory in the Seniors. As one wag put it, "I wouldn't like to be in the van on the way home". Friends they may be, but they're also very competitive are the Newry Boys.

The cross country scene was continuing with a new event at Barnett's Demesne in Belfast but unfortunately this race would be remembered more for the wrong reason than for the level of competition on the day. After the Underage classes had finished their races on a course that utilised all available resources in

what is a public park to provide a challenging and enjoyable ride, the Senior race was brought to a premature close due to an accident involving Gary Johnston who had fallen heavily and sustained serious head injuries, ironically on one of the flat, grassy field areas of the park. Gary was in a coma for some 5 - 6 weeks but thanks to the care and expertise of the Royal Victoria Neurological Ward he started the long road to recovery and although not 100% yet, he is out of hospital and making his presence felt on the MTB Scene again. Apparently he's mad keen to get back on the bike but his wife could well be putting the foot down, heavily. Still, it's great to see Gary out and about again, we wish him every best on his way to a full and complete recovery.

The month ended with the next round of the NICF Open league at Castle Park in Bangor and a Representative Team Trip to the British Championships at Eastridge.

The Castle Park race saw a lot of previous winners continue their dominance in the shape of Robin Seymour , Heather Anderson, Dwayne McCreadie and Fergal Kelly.

New names to the victors roster were Peter Purfield in the Vets, Karl Daly in the Juniors and Stephen Adair in the Under 12.

December

1996

The Team that was destined for Eastridge was a slimmed down version of the normal Team's composition due to ambiguity about license eligibility to compete.

A clear answer couldn't be obtained from the BMB so a lot of riders who would normally have attended felt it wasn't worth the expense to travel so far and risk not getting a start. Those who did travel in the dining room chair luxury of the back of Norman Atkin's van were Richard McKillen, James McMaster, Colin Starrett, Philip Geddis, Tristan Forsythe and Ben Morrow.

D.O'Hara and Andrew Yoong sensibly made their own way over.

Saturday was Downhill day and Andrew finished an encouraging 22nd in The Junior race on a ballistic course that words cannot adequately describe. All home eyes were on Davy O'Hara who was racing in the Elite class and had posted the 4th best qualifying time.

Unfortunately, luck never seems to run Davy's way and a seized rear shock only allowed a still very credible 26th place. Still, it was hard not to wonder what if. If the Downhill course is good, the Cross Country course at Eastridge is unbelievable.

Stiff climbs, super technical single-track and descents that made the eyes water just to look at ensured that anyone who even finished a race here could consider it an achievement. Once again, the infamous luck of the Irish deserted our Team. Poor grid positions despite good results on the mainland meant that our riders got caught in the start line bottleneck. After that, our best result was 18th for Tristan as a string of punctures and mechanicals conspired to eliminate Philip, James and Colin. Norman satisfied himself with a finish inside t he top 100 of the biggest field, the 190 strong Sports Class, despite not haven ridden in anger all year while Richard McKillen caused everyone a great deal of concern by pushing himself to such an extent as to almost need oxygen when he completed his race. All in all, the Trip had proved to be disappointing after the promising rides earlier in the year but racing is all about experience, both good and bad so determination to do better the next time was the resultant emotion as opposed to any sense of hopelessness. uberdog

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July here wasn't a lot to write about in July but the most news worthy item was our rider's participation in the Olympic Games inaugural Mountain Bike race at Atlanta. See next issue for an interview with Alistair Martin and his account of the race, the conditions and his season up to that point. On the home front, Glenarm CC were staging their second race of the year at their much better course in Glenarm Forest but for some strange reason the riders didn't support this excellent event. Some of the absences could be explained by an unfortunate clash with a downhill race at Ravensdale that same day while other riders were saving themselves for a cross country race at the same venue the following day. Lets hope that such clashes can be avoided next year as both events suffer as a result of diminished attendance as does a rider's performance since for riders to improve, they need to race against full fields of our best competitors.

The Chain Reaction Downhill League was the only other event in July due to the Cross Country race scheduled to take place at Kilkeel being cancelled. The Downhill race was held at Leitrum Lodge where the scene at the end of the day resembled a war zone more than a bicycle event. Broken wrists, mangled bikes, damaged cars and the Army dropping in, literally, ensured that this was no humdrum of a day. The day had started normally enough with brilliant sunshine again being the order of the day. Colin Starrett was the star of Run 1, equalling the times of the Specialized Twins on his rigid Cannondale to create a three way tie at the head of the leaderboard.

Chris Watson had debuted his new Cannondale downhill bike, similar to those ridden by Pro riders Missy Giove and Myles Rockwell, which received more than a few envious glances and lustful stares whilst the first casualties of the day, Richard McKillen and Dale McMullan were visiting the ambulance for attention to wounds, it was with only slight disappointment that they found an all male crew instead of the usual nurses.

All of this was merely a taster though as Mark Hendron, riding his first downhill race, running at the end of the start list had crashed at the switchbacks at

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the top of the course and injured the base of his back to such an extent as to require helicoptering off. It was like Apocalypse Now as one Army bird landed and two others circled before lifting Mark off. Again, Lady Luck was smiling because, although he was sore, Mark's injuries were no worse than severe bruising.

Hamburgers and sunburn later and it was time for Run 2. Glyn pulled out all the stops to claim another victory from Paul Manton and Davy O'Hara while Andrew Yoong was winning the Juniors race from Mark Smith and the ever present John Lawlor. Neil McCallum mangled a rear mech and caused his mother's purse strings to groan accordingly on his way to another victory in the Under 14's while Liam Baxter was winning the Under 16's. The drama hadn't quite finished though, Andy Laverty had crashed on his second run, breaking a wrist and then had the joy of finding his and another car had been broken into in the carpark. It was enough to put a damper on most people's day but some great events to look forward to in August took their minds off it.

August ugust seemed to be a month of firsts and was the busiest series of events in the year. A two day Northern Ireland Open MTB Champion ships event was staged at Garvagh Forest, a new course and event was established in the Merida Hidden Lake Classic at Hannahstown Hill, a dual slalom was staged at Glyn O'Brien's house at Newry, another round of the Downhill League was held at

A

Garvagh was a hugh success in it's first running. Bright sunshine again gave Norman Atkins the official Midas Touch as far as staging events was concerned since the weather was the final element in a first class event which had trade stands, an excellent course, good prize money, proper changing facilities and showers to ensure it stood out from the week in, week out races.

Although a Downhill Championship had been due to be decided on the Saturday, the course was deemed too flat and non technical to warrant such a title. The decision to postpone the Championship was taken (see report on the event at Coolaveely earlier in issue for title winners) although a race was run on the day which could still be used as a counting event for the League. Winner s were Liam Nelson, John Lawlor, Geoff Copeland, Joanne McCallum, Ben Morrow and Neil McCallum. Sunday's racing was a full on Title charge on the cross country course which certainly warranted the status of the race. The records would show Gold medals for Robin Seymour (Senior), James McMaster (Junior), Alan Cranston (Vet), Elmer Kilcoyne (Ladies), Lewis Ferguson (Under 12), Ben Morrow (Under 16) and Dwayne McCreadie (Under 14).

Following the Garvagh Championship Weekend was always going to be a tough act but the VC Glendale, Merida Hidden Lake Classic more than managed it. A great course, designed By Brendan Doherty and Colm Watson, changing facilities, a free drinks station, mechanical back up from

John Lawlor wins yet another Downhill at Garvagh Forest (Photo by Andy Lav)

Moneyscalp, the final round of the NICF Open Cross Country League was held at Woodburn Reservoir and a family fun day was staged at Craigavon.

The Two Day Championship event at

16 uberdog magazine December 1996

Slane Cycles, good prizes and tea and cakes afterwards ensured that another new event quickly established itself and it's place on the annual Calendar. Big Doc was a popular winner of the Senior race which also saw Alistair Martin's first race in

Alistair Martin competing at The Hidden Lake Classic, days after returning from participating at the Atlanta Olympics.(Photo by Andy Lav)

the North this season after returning from Atlanta while James McMaster, Dwayne McCreadie and Elmor Kilcoyne repeated their Garvagh victories.

The Downhill Race at Moneyscalp Woods suffered from dreadful weather which resulted in a muddy test of rider's skills (Norman Atkins didn't run it, hence the rain) where Paul Manton scored in the Seniors but new winners were in evidence elsewhere. Mark Smith winning the Junior class after a season of close calls, while

before, these results simply confirmed their positions at the top of their classes and the target for everyone to aspire to in 1997.

The September events have been covered in more detail elsewhere in this issue so that really is the season in a not so small nutshell for 1996. Three years ago it was hard to find enough interest to warrant a Mountain Bike race being staged. Now after three years of development money from the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the extremely hard work

The scene at the end of the day resembled a war zone, rather than a race......

Simon Gill became the first rider to beat Neil McCallum in a downhill this year by winning the Schoolboys race.

The final race in August was the last round of the NICF Open MTB League which was held at Woodburn Reservoir outside Carrickfergus on the 31st August. The race had been scheduled to run on the 7th of September but since this would have resulted in a clash with the All Ireland Cross Country Championships at Clonmel, it was moved forward a week, thus ensuring a complete start list at both events . Racing of the highest calibre followed, again with familiar names taking the spoils, Robin Seymour, James McMaster, Alan Cranston, Tarja Owens, Jamie Scott, Dwayne McCreadie and Philip Geddis have all been mentioned numerous times

of the Northern Ireland Mountain Bike Joint Committee, the sport regularly commands fields of over 100 riders travelling the length and breadth of the Country to compete in a sport that really is fun for all the family. There's always smiling faces and a lot of camaraderie on show at Mountain Bike races, no matter how serious or trivial the occasion. We have riders who can now compete and challenge the established riders from the Mainland and we have riders who turn up week in, week out to race at the back of the field, simply because they love the sport and the people. 1997 promises to continue the upward growth and development of the Sport. Ăźberdog will be advertising and reporting more events in the New Year. Hope to see you there, with a smile! â– Andy Lav!

Overall Results of the

Final Overall Positions in the

Open MTB Chain Reaction 96 NICF Cross Country League Downhill League 1996 Seniors 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 36 36 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 46 48 49 50 50 52 52

Glyn O’Brien Paul Manton Davy O’Hara John Harrison Mark Dickson Colin Starrett Andy Reynolds Andy Laverty Michael Cowan Colin Finlay Bryce Irvine Chris Watson Nigel Wright Paddy Crawford Keith Marchant James McCann Paul Gilsenan Simon Loughlin Dale McMullen Steve Bell Glen Smith Terry McCollum Richy McGlynn Gordan Roberts Robert McLaghan Gary Crawford Michael White Neil Wilson Owen Byrne Danny French Liam Nelson Brendan Doherty Malcolm Robinson Paul Johnston Simon McConnell Johnny Beckett P Grey Mark Forrestor Norman Atkins S McLoughlin Davy Tommins I McColumn J Loughlin Peter McConville Mark Smith Andrew Baird Eamon Gilfoyle Gary Johnston D Spiers J McKenna R Millar Joe Mullan K Campbell

Schoolboys 397 392 387 360 362 357 342 335 334 331 328 314 305 299 285 276 261 246 241 232 228 224 190 153 151 151 150 148 146 122 100 97 95 91 89 87 87 87 81 79 78 77 76 76 72 70 70 69 68 66 66 65 65

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 16 18 19 19 21 21 21 24 24 26 26 26 29 29 31 31 33 34 35 36

Neil McCallum William Corry Joanne McCallum Tristan Forsythe Simon Gill Liam Baxter Ben Morrow Michael Dempster Dwayne McCreadie Winston Copeland Wayne Morrow Graham Laird Mark McKillop Clay Scholes L Douglas Wayne Newall Peter Surgenor N Magee Peter Jones Lewis Ferguson Quentin Church J Wray Ali McDevitt P McKillop Des Conlon S Houston N Rocks Jason Scott S M Boyle G Nutt S Martin Brian Hunter D McCluney D Coyle P O’Loane Ricky Blaney

Juniors 394 368 348 295 294 267 190 185 182 182 184 176 174 163 97 95 95 93 91 91 90 90 90 89 89 88 88 88 87 87 86 86 85 84 82 80

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 13 15

Andrew Yoong Mark Smith Alistair Barr John Lawlor Richard McKillen Joe Mullan Brian Curran Keith Lawrence Andrew Moore Ryan Hamilton John Jordan C Campbell G McClarnon Des Conlon R Black

1 2 3 4 5 6

Geoff Copeland Andy Potts Ian Graham Willie Nelson G Jones D Cowan

394 391 360 297 288 277 273 268 181 179 95 91 88 88 87

Veterans 397 295 100 97 95 93

Seniors (Continued) 52 55 55 57 57 59 59 61 61 63 64 65

Paul Curry Paul Timmins P Walton D Coyle Mark Welsh Gareth Jones M Floodgate Jason McClean T Harbinson D Moore P Perron Colin Mason

65 64 64 63 63 61 61 60 60 59 58 57

Andy Lav on his way to securing 8th overall.

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Seniors 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 8 9 10 11 11 13 14 14 14 14 14 19 19 19 22 23 23 25 25 27 28 28 30 30 32 32 34 34 34 34 34 39 39 41 41 43 43 45 45 47 47 47 50 50 50 53 53

Joe McCall Robin Seymour David Maher Paul Manton Brian Stewart Aidan McDonald Malcolm Robinson Vincent McKenna David Tommins Paul Hicks Niall Quinlan Gary Johnston Colin Starrett Ritchie McCauley Brendan Doherty Liam Nelson Peter McConville Conor O’Dwyer Ray Brownfield Peter Cromie Simon Loughlin Eamon Gilfoyle Alistair Martin Alistair Irvine Tony Brennan Stephen Burgoyne Darren Quigg J Pennyfeather Kirk Sloan Peter Buggle Mark Dickson Phil Cardy Neil Wilson Michael Carroll Myles McCrory Colm Watson Mark Forrester Sergio Henriques Gerald Irvine Simon McConnell Stephen Jackson Don Travers D McClean Gary Crawford John Hatton James McCann Michael Hamilton P Reid Mark Kenny Clive Caldwell Ian Fleming Owen Byrne Mark Smyth Charles Wright

Juniors 123 70 53 52 41 41 41 40 39 37 33 33 30 29 29 29 29 29 24 24 24 21 20 20 17 17 16 15 15 14 14 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 4

NICF Open MTB X-c ‘96 Ladies 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8

Heather Anderson Lisa Purnell Gill Smith Tarja Owens Joanne McCallum Ruth Scott Michelle Crinton Liz Date

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 12 13 14 15 16 16 18 19 20 21 22

Jamie Scott Lewis Ferguson David Coyle Matty Blaney Mathew Ferguson James Wray David Hunter Michael Mulvenna Eamonn Bowe R Fotheringham L Fotheringham Stephen Adair Thomas Wray Lowell McCreadie Robert Linton David Hodsman Simon Goddard Philip McLaughlin Vikki Morrow Neill McCallum Richard McQuitty David McLarnon

112 82 82 70 69 40 35 20

1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 10 10 12 13 14 15 16 16 18 18 20 21 21 21 21 25 25 27

Kevin Scott Ross Blaney Keith Lawrence Ryan Hamilton Brian Curran Richard McKillen Roland Barr John Lawlor Mark McCallum James McMaster Karl Daly Alistair Barr J J Conway D Flynn T Laverty R Joblin Andrew Yoong Alan Clogher Francis Gilmore Gary McKeegan M Dempsey Gareth Cross Andrew Green Joe Mullan Alan Green Gareth McKay R Black

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 10 10 10 13 14

Dennis Brennan Tom Scott Michael Field Geoff Copeland John Hunter Willy Nelson Alan Cranston Peter Purfield Knud Jensen G Doherty Eric Blaney Dennis Bull Eamonn Lawlor Trevor Morrow

Veterans

1996

99 71 64 61 53 49 35 35 29 24 24 24 17 15

Under 16 1 Fergal Kelly 2 Philip Geddis 3 Peter Jones 4 Brian Hunter 4 Ben Morrow 6 Keith Leinster 7 Andrew Copeland 8 Wayne Morrow 9 Tristan Forsythe 10 Winston Copeland 11 Quentin Church 12 Shane Campbell 12 T Douglas 12 Lee Smith 15 Ricky Blaney 15 S Koplar 17 C McCrudden 17 Peter McKillop 19 G McConaghy 19 Robert Murphy 19 Quinton McFall 22 S McAllister 22 D McCluney 22 Gary Cranston 25 Mark Campbell 26 Des Conlon 27 Philip Marshall

Under 12

December

129 58 57 54 53 53 50 44 38 35 35 34 32 29 24 20 20 17 17 15 14 14 14 14 13 13 7

112 105 80 53 53 47 38 37 29 26 25 24 24 24 20 20 17 17 15 15 15 14 14 14 13 12 11

Under 14 134 122 74 68 62 56 55 43 42 38 38 35 29 28 24 23 23 17 15 13 10 8

1 2 3 4 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Dwayne McCreadie Neil McCallum Michael Dempster Richard Scott William Corry Daniel Coyle Mark McKillop Graham Laird Keith Benson Alex Peyton Thomas Clougher Owen Jeffries Damien Jeffries S Maguire-Boyle S Collins N McCluney Sean McAllister Colin Ross D Hendron John Mulcahy Connor Duncan Conal Watson Evan Forsythe Peter Kane

uberdog

140 111 97 68 68 55 52 48 38 29 24 22 17 16 15 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7

magazine 17

TEST Here we are, überdog finally hits the road and off we go in search of stories, features and articles.

How would you feel if in your first magazine (Which isn’t very likely because you probably will never produce a magazine) somebody entrusted you with a months wages worth of kit!

Of we trundle to do our first ever bike test, jaws trailing the floor.

We were about to learn as much about testing bikes, as about the Cannondale.

Many thanks to Chain Reaction Cycles for their help, You’ll get the bike back as soon as we find it!

In our quest to bring otherwise complicated statistics within the grasp of the average man/ woman we have quite cleverly made up this pictorial image to aid you in understanding of what excactly 13.2 kg looks like. ie. 13 bags of sugar and a bag of marshmallows. Vic ate the marshmallows

18 uberdog magazine December 1996

Choose a full suspension bike? But Y would you go and do a thing like that?

DAY Wet, cold and muddy the way that mountain bikers love it, the test was held on a day like this. Vis was fine going up and down the mountain.

The cold is no problem as long as you wear the right clothing and mud, that’s what your mum got the washing machine for !

FRAME You can have the X frame, Y frame or the V frame in full suspension bikes, the makers of the full boinging bike must like Star Wars? The frame that Cannondale use is the Super V Active and at 13.2 kg (29.1lbs) it’s not that hefty. A floating rear end means that the chain was hitting of the rear swing arm and this removed a lot of paint. No major problem, but the purchase of a chain tentioner moves to first place on the ‘Get Next’ list. Total of 80mm travel on the back shock and not a lot of travel for the chain. Superior to the old Unified Rear Triangle models which had the crankset moving when the back end moved. This is OK until you stand up on the pedals or is it, any time I stand up on the pedals I would like the back end to lock out and using the old URT bikes this happens, when you’re out of the seat all your weights on the pedals where it is not supported by the shock!

Happy days when you stand up on the UTR bike, it’s like the shocks not there, so how is the Super V superior? Any one that rides downhill fast is out of the seat 90% of the time, using the a UTR bike the shock would not work on the downhills so what was the point in having it? But saying that the up hills were no problem to this

full boinger, very little if no power loss through the movement in the swing arm, even in the granny ring. The front end worked outstanding, this MC60 unit uses mechanical damping. The damper control dial is on the top of the head stock, which is convenient to set, A big plus to get more damping and a big minus for less damping (NOTE:Damping is how fast or slow you set the spring in the shock to compress or release ).

The look of the frame the first time you see, it is as if you could do anything on it, it’s a big, mean beefy frame. All your mates will love it. It’s a cool looking bit of kit.

GROUPSET For the price in the full bonging bike market you

get a good groupset. All LX, a good and light groupset plus Grip Shift.

The only thing was the CODA 300M 22/32/42T crank, the crank broke after only two hours of someone jacking about on it (need I say more)!!! We were assured by Cannondale though that the crank was one of a few faulty items that actually made it onto the bikes, to be fixed under full warranty, no harm done.

1997 Shimano LX vbrakes are fitted, not as good as the XT V’s but for a bike at this price this is the best you’ll get.

Moving up and down the gears was excellent, no problem from gear jumping, not a crunch to be heard. Even on the move when the back end was working.

If you can’t pick up babes down the local shop then there is no hope for you. Alternatively you could try racing it downhill. Then impress the babes with your scars!

New Cannondale eats traffic jams for breakfast. It was very nice of the locals to leave us this vintage car, many thanks Hubert.

Well, we had to clean it someway before we left it back!

this it one for going down hills on and down hills fast. But somebody used to a Rigid Brigid the handing was funny, a lot of your weight is over the front wheel. For going down hill this is not where you want it, apart from that the bikes a good bundle of bits.

Downhill bars would make this into an excellant downhiller if that’s your thing !

OTHER THINGS No cool skewer on the seat post to get it down fast! If your a short ass like me a Allen key will be of use and a big hack-saw.

For what reason, to cut the end off the seat post. If you drop the seat post too low it interferes with the swing arm, your back end won’t work and you’ll fall off a lot!

Colour, it’s orangey, yellowy, redy? What ever they call it, it’s terrific. The paint work and decals are excellent.

Would I lick on this big orange ice cream, well at over £1,000 this is a pricey suck and you can get a ice cream for only 56p at the V.G ! But this is a mountain bike and not a orange ice cream.The cool factor is 100% for the look and the bike rides fine, but If you look very closely at the word Cannondale, really really closely, you will see the word ‘Fun’ written in there somewhere.

Go Boy Go! The rare orange crested V-frame is seen here in it’s natural habitat of non-vertical, herbaceous tracks. Not liking to be disturbed, it will disappear at great haste if annoyed. The sting is not poisonous.

DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, YOU CAN GET THIS BIKE OUT FOR NOT A LOT OF MONEY FOR THE WEEKEND!!!

JUST CALL

:01960 352976

CHAIN REACTION CYCLES December

1996

uberdog

Chris WatsonTop Bloke!

magazine 19

Taking the rough with the smooth,

“THE PIGEON ROCK RIVER ROUTE”

I

magine the scene, long long ago, when the earth was still in it's first throws of creation. All around lay rolling plains of barren landscape, never ending visual monotony, except for the odd earthquake here and there. Then good old chaos decided to brighten things up a bit. It caused the various plates that collectively make the crust of the earth to move around, producing great oceanic divisions between continents. It caused molten rock to spew out of volcanoes building and demolishing lands and islands, and it created mountains, lots of mountains, this is where our story begins.

car park sufficed as the prior mentioned Point "A".

I would be a good idea to get yourself an Ordinance Survey map of The Mournes. The one we will be using is sheet number 29, 1:50,000.

Although not as detailed as the 1:25,000 maps it is has all the tracks on it that are mountain bike acceptable. The 1:25,000 is only necessary should you want to do some serious off road trekking.

Using the above mentioned map, find grid reference 233 277.This point is south-east of Hill town, between Leitrim Hill and Hen Mountain, Beside Rockyriver Bridge.

Leaving the car and gullible mate behind, head up the track on the other side of the road until you

- Hen Mountain in background, babbling brook in foreground, gears being ground. -

When in the Mournes it's hard to imagine this dramatic and violent beginning to what is now one of the most peaceful areas in the North of Ireland.

Gone is the fire and brimstone, and in it's place lakes,valleys, moorland and miles and miles of tracks and lanes. One thing about these tracks though, they don't seem to go anywhere, they have a tendency to hit a dead-end half way up a hill side and leave you with no option but to turn around and head back the way you came, there is no such thing as a circular route that will bring you back to your awaiting car after a hard morning’s wheeling.

The ordinary mountain cyclist would probably find this acceptable and return back the direction from whence he came. But if one of your helpful, nay gullible mates is willing to drop you of at Point "A", and pick you up at Point"Z", this changes the situation to a great advantage. It makes a route, like the one that follows The Pigeon Rock River a viable mornings enjoyment.

About four kilometres outside Hill town, in the shadow of the oddly named Hen Mountain, a little 20 uberdog magazine December 1996

get to the gate. An ominous sign hangs on the gate post stating that no motorcycles are allowed beyond this point, you wonder how long before all sorts of bikes get banned. But for now mountain bikes are legal, so let's go to work. Make sure and close the gate behind you, or before you know it word will have got around and every sheep in the Mournes will have it's suitcase packed and be heading for the border before you can say "baa-aaaarbra!".

Ahead of you lies about three and a half kilometres of good Land Rover worn track. From the gate you will find yourself peddling up a constant gradient with only the odd level, breathcatching stretch. So don't set of at in a top gear sprint or a cardiac arrest could put a damper on the day's proceedings. if you set an average speed of six mph. or more for this part you're doing well.

After a while the track starts to turn from into river bed , which as many have found out, can be kind of wet should a submerged obstacle be

vandalism in the Mournes on mountain bikers, and we wouldn't want that now, would we? On clearing the wall start following the river running down towards your destination.

The final descent consists of two sections, the first is the user friendly, spongy, nice to fall off on, exceedingly mossy section. The "Nice to fall off on" aspect has been tested when Alfie's bike developed very powerful bog assisted brakes at an easily achievable twenty five mph. The resulting ejection resulted in nothing more than self inflicted knuckle marks to the forehead. Getting of lightly in anybody’s terms. This fast grassy stretch only lasts about one kilometre before turning into a scene more reminiscent of the Himalayas than the Mournes. What lies before you is a track similar to the first one, except for

Seen here is the only kind of ford capable of being found half-way up a mountain.

encountered. The meandering remains of the road soon disappears completely and mossy wilderness takes over. Your best bet, if reading a map isn't your forté, is to keep the river on your right and aim for the low point between Pigeon Rock Mountain and Slieve Moughanmore. This means carrying your bike on your shoulder on and off for approximately two kilometres, but real men laugh at such endeavours, where riding is possible anything above the Granny Cog just bogs you down.

Two kilometres later the same real men weren't laughing quite so hard. A bike might only weigh 25 lbs on paper, but after carrying it hold-all style across ground Mother Earth's finest swamp it feels more like Honda than a Dawes.

Meeting the Mourne Wall signals the peak of your climb, from here on it's down hill all the way. Be careful when crossing, it may be made out of stone but it does have a tendency to give way underneath you leaving you a rather sad, bruised heap on the ground. Please remember to replace any rocks accidentally displaced, it only takes a few mishaps of wall bashing to have the Ramblers blaming all forms of

Going of the beaten track can damage natural vegetation, but there are some places to practice your “Going over the handlebars while going slowly down steep hill” Technique.

the fact this one is strewn with boulders ranging in size from hamster to washing machine. Although this path is firmer than the previous mossy section, it is a great deal slower because of the prior mentioned wheel bucklers. An average ten mph is more of a realistic figure than the boggy twenty five achieved earlier.

Three and a half kilometres of rocky road later brings you down to Point"Z", with the ford on the river marking the finish line to your mornings adventure. Hopefully at this point your car driving buddy has done his map work and is waiting patiently with all manner of chocolate goodies, 'cause if he isn't, I don't fancy anybody's chances at going back up what you just came down! ♦

Sods Law #367. If your saddle is going to fall off your bike, it’s going to fall off going through a river.

The Pigeon Rock River Route Start Point....................233277 Finish Point ................263 206 Using 1:50,000 Ordnance Su urvey map, Sheet 29 “The Mournes” Distance Covered....app. 9km Start Altitude ..................125m Maximum Altitude..........400m Altitude Gain .................275 m Time Needed Approx. 1h 45m ------------------------Good Points: Scenery, River Crossings & Solitude.

Not so Good Points: Some Walking With Bike Required.

Some ramblers claim that there is no place for mountain bikes in the Mournes, at least they get a bloody bridge!

December

1996

uberdog

magazine 21

Tel: 01960 352976 Tel: 07000 REACTION Fax: 01960 352976

Marzocchi

Specialists In Suspension

Amp Research RST

• Ballistic •

Bikes by

come and find out for yourself why we’re Ireland’s

70 Main Street Ballyclare Co. Antrim BT39 9AA We all use it, But what exactly is

ADRENALINE? hen first biologically thinking

W

of extreme sports the "adrenaline rush" and "runner's high" come to mind. Although the main chemicals involved in these phenomena are produced in quite different areas of the body they are linked together with the body's coping mechanisms for the physical stress of strenuous exercise.

Usually hormonal regulation of the human body has wide ranging effects and a time span that can last years. However, an exception is adrenaline that produces quite rapid short lived responses which are sometimes referred to as the "flight or fight" response.

The site of production of adrenaline is the adrenal gland, one being situated just above each kidney. It is the central medulla

area of these glands that produce adrenaline and the similar acting, but less potent, noradrenaline. Both of these chemicals reinforce the areas of the central nervous system responsible for action in a stressful situation. Adrenaline's action is produced most notably by fear which creates changes in the frontal lobe area of the brain.This in turn is processed by other areas (hypothalamus and pituitary) that eventually act on the adrenal medulla to give its secretion into the blood stream and a rapid response by the organ systems.

The binding of adrenaline to receptors present on the surface of cells has a very wide range of results, these include: dilation of pupils, hair standing on end, blood coagulating more readily, airways dilate, blood pressure increases, skin capillaries constrict, blood is diverted to the muscles and brain, blood glucose levels increase, and

22 uberdog magazine December 1996

bladder evacuation.

Although adrenaline has been widely known and its functions elucidated, not so much is known about the actions of the "feel good" chemicals of the brain or endorphins. Morphine, derived from opium, has been used to relieve pain for 100's of years. In the early 1970's a number of scientists found a receptor present in the human brain that could bind morphine, and it was this that lead to the discovery of this group of natural high giving peptides.

Endorphins, enkephalins, and dynorphins have been shown to be involved in a few specific central nervous system areas involved in memory, learning, emotion (limbic system) and pain (dorsal horn of the spinal cord). The increased production of these chemicals during exercise is thought to give the morphine like lack of pain and euphoria of "runner's high". With

No.1 their involvement in the emotion areas of the brain they are thought to give a link to the psychological benefits participants in regular strenuous exercise describe and also give some evidence to the hypothesis of a link between mind, body and placebo effects. Also thought to be linked to endorphin imbalances are irritability, agitation, violent behaviour, alcoholism, and drug addiction.

Although adrenaline enables the body to carry out strenuous and stressful activity, endorphins help to reduce the pain and stress caused and give positive mental advantages. For anyone with internet access further information can be gained from the following web sites; http://www.sac.biz.com/stress.x/da mage.html http://www.etonhall.com/opin4.ht m

Dear Chris at überdog As a keen conservationist and hill-walker I am concerned about the effect that the increasingly popular sport of `Mountain Biking` is having on our natural environment. The expanding number of participants of this sport must surely lead to disturbance of natural habitat and contribute to erosion of already endangered areas such as the Mournes. Do you know of any studies which support or discredit this view since I wish to become involved in the sport if my conscience will permit?

Yours concerned Howard Smith Uncle Chris says: Well, this is how it is Howard, a size 8 hillwalking boot could possibly cause more damage than a mountain bike tyre, who knows? There are also more hillwalkers than mountain bikers. Howard, how many people do you know that have robbed a bank or post office on a mountain bike? 98% are on foot.

If you are concerned about the environment there are a number of purpose-built mountain bike tracks with excellent facilities. As you seem concerned about the Mournes, there is one of these parks very close to Tollymore. If you want to, Howard, you can ride round here all day to your heart’s content.

S

end your letters into Uncle Chris at überdog for a quick impartial view on matters that count or don’t. Plumbing tips a speciality. Uncle Chris was put on this earth to offend and offend he does. He does not intend to, he just does.

His views on life can be taken literally or if you can’t read or write, illiterately.

One point, he gets really pissed if anyone over the age of three uses crayons, so get out your kid sisters crayola and get writing to: Uncle Chris’s Impartial View service @ überdog, Pacesetter Publications, Unit 45c, Dungannon Business Centre, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone BT71 6JT. Uncle Chris has also been really kind and donated a case of Red Bull™ energy

Dear überdog Could you please enlighten me as to why in clubs and associations there is so much petty bureaucracy and bickering as I see no point in this.

Yours Mark ?

Uncle Chris says: The thing you refer to is called the Adolf Hitler syndrome. This is when someone is given power and they abuse it.

Also, it makes them very narrow minded to any new suggestions or new ideas that they haven’t come up with themselves, even if this will improve the sport or the running of the sport.

They should all get their heads out of their asses and take a good look around and see what would be good for their sport and the people in their sport, not just their egos. drink from his secret Spar store, underground at Tracey Island. We will throw in an überdog T-shirt, the colour of you choice, just to entice those letters to flood in (We really wanna see those letters). Above mentioned goodies will be posted to the person who sends in the wittiest and most evoking letter (Considering you remember to give your address).

Many thanks to the secretive Uncle Chris for this service to the ordinary mortals that we are. We must state that Uncle Chris is not, no way, connected to Christopher Stinson of Newry.

Team Greenhorn S o it’s your first time dear, it’s always someone’s first time so don’t be afraid, it probably won’t hurt much!

If you’ve never competed in Downhill MTB Racing before and you fancy a go now’s your chance, überdog is forming team greenhorn just for you and what’s better is that it’s totally free to join.

With a club like this

you’d expect membership to entitle you to expert tips and advice, as well as offers and competitions and such, well on the advice front were hoping for advice from you lot cause none of us in the office have raced before either, while as for competitions Alfie promises to take the winners girlfriend (Or boyfriend.ed) of them for at least one evening

spending money on fish & chips and real swanky stuff.

Seriously, team Greenhorn will be presenting advice and tips from hardened downhillers, the first article in the next issue for instance being on bike preparation.

One tip to get you started however is and wait for it, Don’t fall Off!

Fell Runner’s Update Blood on the Rocks ‘How the Ben was Conquered’

O

n Friday 6th September, the members of Newcastle AC set off to complete in the Ben Nevis Fell Race. It was the club’s second visit to the race, the previous occasion, a Newcastle runner being airlifted from the summit in 100 mph horizontal winds, and another getting involved with the local constabulary and a lamppost (you know who you are.)

This remarkable race was celebrating its 101st anniversary and conditions were certainly very trying.

A hot day with temperatures reaching the high 70’s meant pre-race preparations consisted of a high intake of liquid - water obviously!

Just under 400 runners set off on the 1 mile undulation road section before the gruelling 4406 feet of ascent to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain.

The majority of the runners preferring to take the direct route rather than the zig-zag

tourist route to the top.

The descent was a combination of rocky boulder fields and the infamous 800ft steep grassy slope. Horrendous thigh pain or a green backside were the options - I chose the latter. At one point ! was asked by a ashened faced runner how far it was to the top. “Not far!”. I lied, but the poor sod needed some encouragement. The winner was local man Davy Rodgers in a time of 1hr 31mins, the record being 1hr 25 mins, held since 1984. All club members recorded very respectable results and special mention must go to Paddy Rodgers and Frank Morgan who were invaluable with refreshments and moral support. As I lay flat on my face at the finish in a state of total exhaustion, someone shouted. “How did you enjoy that?” I closed my eyes and decided that they were insane.

Commedagh Donard Fell Race

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men were neck and neck at the top of Slieve Donard, and set off for Donard Forest at breakneck speed. He had a 25 second lead over McNeilly, but through the fast forest tracks, Ervine, self proclaimed pre-season favourite was passed by McNeilly who opened his legs and showed his class approaching the run-in home.

Ervine did not take the traditional route and finished 25 seconds ahead of McNeilly in a time of 63 minutes, breaking the record by a whopping 21/2 minutes.

After a lengthy deliberation, the judges were in total agreement to dock Ervine one minute and give McNeilly the race and the title of 96 champion among heated scenes.

December 1996 uberdog magazine 23

he final round of the NI Championship was shrouded in controversy when current champion Brian Ervine was stripped of the title. It concerned the final stretch of ground that Ervine had used as a shortcut to pass crosscountry Champion Dean McNeilly to win the race.

Going in to the final race the top three runners were separated by just one point from each other, Ervine from McNeilly and Belfast’s Neil Cartey in close proximation.

Thirty-eight hardy souls set out to climb two of Mourne’s highest peaks and McNeilly led the field over Commedagh by a margin of 20 seconds from Ervine.

Ervine managed to claw back the deficit and the two

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or changes, call Talking Pages free on 0800 600 900 - Ask the operator for detail on Armstrong Bike Dock - Race Event Selection •august•

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IMPORTANT: To check on event detail

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• Ben Morro

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KONA • ORANGE GARY FISHER • PACE AMP • X-LITE • ROYCE OAKLEY • XENO

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Surfers Against Sewage Know Your Facts !

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he campaigning group SAS has an aim, that is for the stoppage of sewage disposal and toxic dumping at sea, by increasing public knowledge of the consequences of this behaviour; to highlight and lean on those who are responsible and the big question - how the dispose of sewage safely, they investigate and advertise this. The group are not politically persuaded and making a profit is not an aim.

SAS has been growing rapidly and is now a national organisation working to benefit all you water babies including :windsurfers, yachtsmen, scuba divers, water skiers etc...

Even seaside residents.

Why Get So Worried ?

Every day 300 million gallons of sewage is released into the sea via

outfall pipes around the British coastline. This figure is the amount of sewage for almost one third of the population. As if sewage was not a problem on its own an estimated 2 million tonnes of toxic waste is released every year. Our seas are quite literally being used as dumps. This is particularly worrying when you consider the fact that Ireland is an island with the controversial Irish Sea ( which apparently is the most radio reactive sea in the world ) hitting half of our coastline, because we live in a small country, beaches are visited regularly, especially in the summer.

I can imagine some people saying “But I only go to beaches with EC Bathing Water Approval”.

There are nineteen points in this test, for a beach to pass the test they need to pass only 2 (The bare legal

Look Mummy, I can see my feet! Water this clear all round the world in every ocean, sea, lake, lough, river and stream would be wonderful. So would world peace and a cure for cancer, lets start working on them now!

minimum!). So really you go with your jet ski to beach you thought was safe when it could in fact be a breeding ground of

It smells, it gives you rashes, it can make you violently ill and usually physically sick, guessed what it is yet, correct! It’s sh•••y water!

diseases & infections which you could catch such as, ear, nose and throat infections, gastro enteritis (Diarrhoea), vomiting and skin infections being the most common with an added change of infections such as viral meningitis and hepatitis A & B (Catching hepatitis from a paddle in the sea might seem far fetched, but the evidence is there, people HAVE contracted the disease and in cases it has been traced back to the sea). Not to mention the damage to the marine ecosystem and the lasting impact on marine wildlife.

How many times have you been walking along a beach and spotted panty liners, condoms and other sewage related debris there is a massive health risk with all this debris as raw sewage contains between ten thousand and ten million viruses per litre. It also contains 4,000 million bacteria, including some that are pathogenic, causing the illnesses that I

have mentioned above.

The problem often starts in the rivers, so it is not just sea water users that should be interested in SAS. To all these paddlers out there including myself how many cases of skin irritations and illnesses have you heard about o some well known rivers.

I’m sure there are some rivers you would not even paddle in - would you ask a group of beginners to do a capsize drill on the lower Lagan? for anyone who has been lucky enough to paddle in Scotland compare the difference of water quality. In Ireland most of our rivers are a disgrace, we use them as dumps. What flows down a river ends up in the sea!

Is your body Want to get fit? Want to be able to breath after a hill climb? Want your muscles to work afterwards? Read on .....

Is your body due a tune up? ost of us who are involved in physical activity, will have had experienced at sometime that sudden awful realisation that you went out too fast" and now you are going to pay for it. The muscles feel like lead weights and you just know that you will have to slow down or else a worse fate may be in store, the dreaded D.N.F. (Did Not Finish). The ability to run, cycle, swim or do any physical activity is governed by the body's ability to take energy from the food we eat and transfer it to muscular work. There are a number of specific energy transfer systems which when trained accordingly may generate success in a chosen sport.

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THE AEROBIC SYSTEM

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ndividuals who need to run or exercise for more than three minutes rely on oxygen consuming reactions to supply energy. This is a steady state exercise and a balance exists between the energy required to supply muscles and the removal of waste Products(e.g. lactic acid), any lactic acid formed will be shunted back into the system and used so there will be no build up. Of course that final sprint to the line will need energy from anaerobic sources and so it is important to remember to time your effort carefully or else you will be forced to slow down before the line due to fatigue from lactic acid accumulation.

ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD.

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naerobic Threshold is one of a few names given to that point where lactic acid starts building up.

To be precise it should be named the "blood lactate threshold' or "onset of blood lactate accumulation" (OBLA). In a healthy but untrained person lactic acid begins to accumulate at about 50-50% of that persons maximum aerobic capacity.

This occurs because the formation of lactic acid exceeds its rate of removal. As exercise increases in intensity muscle cells cannot meet the energy demands aerobically and so they rely on the anaerobic pathway. In trained endurance athletes this build-up of lactic acid still occurs, but at a higher percentage of aerobic capacity, usually between 80-90%. This means that they can maintain a higher workrate for a longer period of time without becoming fatigued from lactate accumulation. There may be a number of reasons for this ability to withstand higher levels of lactate build up. It is likely that genetics may play an important role in the distribution of muscle fibre types. It may be that specific training may

influence the rate of production of lactic acid or even its removal. More likely training will improve the athlete's ability to tolerate lactate accumulation. Consequently these changes will regress if training is stopped.

OBLA - A PREDICTOR OF PERFORMANCE

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t appears that your OBLA can be increased with specific training without necessarily increasing the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max), which is primarily determined genetically. Muscle fibre types, the density of the capillary bed and the skeletal muscles capacity for chemical reactions all play a major role in determining the percentage of aerobic capacity that can be maintained during endurance exercise. Two major physiological factors will affect performance in endurance activity. First, the level of maximum oxygen uptake and second the level of steady state exercise at which OBLA occurs. There have been many studies on performance prediction using VO2 max. as the main predictor which have been

inconclusive with a wide range of results. The few studies that have been conducted on endurance athletes using the OBLA as a predictor have been shown to be very successful in predicting race times, some to within 0.6% of the actual finishing time.

THE HEART RATE MONITOR

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n essential piece of equipment, if one is to train specifically to improve performance is a heart rate monitor. Ideally the athlete would be well advised to attend an exercise physiology laboratory to determine the point at which lactate accumulation occurs. Whichever method is used, the heart rate at the point of OBLA is noted and so the athlete will know the intensity at which he/she can compete without causing a spill over of lactic acid which would lead to premature fatigue. Athletes can then compete at a level just at OBLA so they can tread a fine line between maximum performance and total exhaustion.

Many of the top endurance athletes habitually wear monitors for this purpose because in the heat of competition, a rival may begin a race

The Straight Arm Pullover Improve your V02 max. with this simple weights exercise.

1. With your head at the end of a bench, begin with a dumbbell held directly over the chest. Fig 1.

FIG.1

FIG.2

Remember: Exercise can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re at! Think First 27 uberdog magazine December 1996

2. Slowly and under control lower the weight backwards over your head.As the weight passes over the forehead begin to breath in. Fig 2.

3. Drawing in air all the way back until you reach full arm extension. Exhale full as you return to the starting position.

Beginners should start with 2 sets of 8 repetitions of the exercise and build up to 3 sets of 15. Use a weight that feels comfortable and that you can control throughout the exercise.

very quickly and you feel that maybe you should not let them get away to a big lead and so you follow at a pace far above your lactate threshold heart rate.

This may be good psychologically but physiologically it may be a disaster because eventually you will accumulate an excess of lactic acid and be forced to slow down probably allowing wiser or less compulsive athletes to pass you in the latter stages of the race. If you stick with your known heart rate, at OBLA you can be assured of finishing well, providing no other mishaps occur.

TRAINING

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raining at this lactic threshold has enjoyed general acceptance over recent years and is recognised as being very effective in improving the percentage capacity of V02 max. and also in reducing the risk of overtraining, common amongst endurance athletes. Threshold training can be conducted in two ways steady or intermittent.

STEADY OR TEMPO RUNNING

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teady running is also known as tempo running and usually lasts about 20-25 seconds per Km. slower than a 10K race pace, or if you are the owner of-a heart rate monitor a pace which elicits a response just above your threshold heart rate. This should be done at an even pace under normal conditions and allows the athlete to be stressed at a known.intensity throughout.

INTERMITTENT OR INTERVAL RUNNING

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his is done at the same pace as steady running but is a series of shorter runs (about 4-8- mins.) with a minutes rest in between bouts of exercise. Distances from 800 meters to 2kms are most often used. The idea is not to run at a pace that will elicit a response higher than the appointed heart rate, so when the intervals become easier, increase the distance. These sessions can last up to 40 minutes of training. Make sure to. warm up, cool down and stretch.

However the old enemy lactic powerful adversary once described

by David Coleman of Steve Cram, in the finishing stages of a particularly demanding race of “Cram enters the final 100 meters swimming through a sea of lactic acid”. Man's limits are not simply in his cells or even in his brain You can measure lactic acid and stimulate brain areas with an electrode and make a persons arms and legs move. But there is no place in the brain where stimulation will cause a person to decide. No substance in his blood that will cause him to believe 'just do it'. ●

This page contributed by TONY BRENNAN Y.M.C.A..R.S.A. Personal Fitness Trainer Total Body Fitness - The GYM, l Park avenue, Cookstown - 016487 62320, Many thanks!

The Activent Streamline The closest anyone has ever came to producing a fully protective, fully breathable, lightweight jacket.

STREAMLINE

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utdoor orientated clothing materials come and go. Some break, or claim to break, new ground and their name remains etched on weather suffering adventurers for all their wind worn days.

Names such as Goretex and Pertex border on being household names, and their properties will be enthused or diffused by anyone familiar with the outdoors.

Activent from Gore, the inventors of the original super material Goretex, is set to become the next name to join this prestigious list. Already anybody who has had the pleasure of wearing a product fashioned from Gore’s latest idea is raving on about it’s windproofing, breathbility and virtual waterproofing properties.

Activent is not a brand new material, but has been around for a while now, living mainly on the £200+ rail, well out the average Joe’s reach. But now

for what ever reasons, known only to Gore and Co., the price of production has fell to a level where clothes for the mainstream can be economically marketed. The Streamline from Karrimor, pictured here, is priced quite reasonably at around £80. It’s sister coat the Snowline, much the same as the streamline except it has a light lining, functional hood and is slightly longer in length, will run you about £100. Either can be worn on there own over a base layer for light protection or with a fleece and layers for more heavy duty protection. Both are well worth every penny considering what you get.

Activent is not marketed as a waterproof material, but as no material can truly claim to be waterproof this is of no consequence. What you do have is possibly the closest anyone has every came to producing a lightweight, fully windproof, fully breathable, VIRTUALLY waterproof garment. An ideal choice for anyone considering purchasing a new jacket, a must for hardened weather sufferers. Hopefully we will be seeing this material in more and more shapes and guises as time goes on. For more information on Activent, contact Karrimor on 01254 385911, or call into Surf Mountain in Belfast Tel: 01232 248877.

The Sprayway Powerstretch T-Top The Polartec fabric means added comfort inside with all the durabitiy you expect of a Sprayway Fleece on the outside.

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new breed of fleece is slowly making it’s way into today's market. For years the fleece has been immune to the yearly style changes suffered by many other garments and boots, for one main reason, it is very hard to better an already winning formula. No other article of clothing has such a wide range of uses; Inner garment, base layer, extra layer for severe conditions or just as a casual jacket.

So how do you improve such a seemingly perfect essential to the outdoor wardrobe? One angle off change that Sprayway has taken, involves not the basic design but the actual usability of the garment.

To add this usability and to maintain the durability that you expect of a Sprayway fleece Polartec’s new Powerstretch fabric has been used to it’s full potential. The Powerstretch T-Top looks like many other tops on the market but it’s combined qualities read like a real pedigree. The fabric makes a great insulation layer with a unique ability to stretch in all directions.

SPRAYWAY POWERSTRETCH T-TOP Which means it doesn’t bag or bunch up no matter how contorted you get. The fabric wicks away moisture and has an antibacterial coating so it can be worn next to the skin as a base layer. Seams are positioned to give a close comfortable fit. There’s a long front zip for ventilation and a scoopback hem to prevent the T-Top riding up. A very appealing garment , both visually and functionally, that is sure to be a hit with the more active and flexible amongst us. For more information on the Powerstretch T-Top or to find out your nearest dealer, contact Sprayway on 0161 2281211

SPORTS WATCHS

KAHUNA ACTION PRODUCTS

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he past few years has seen a massive increase in the popularity of so called “associated products”.

Large firms cashing in on their own name, advertising and popularity by producing spin off items such as wallets, keyrings, t-shirts, shades and, more so over this past couple of years, watches.

There is nothing wrong with this, for if it were not so, the cooler among us outdoor brigade couldn’t be separated from Joe Bloggs, and his Top Shop wearing buddies, whilst strutting down the High Street, HORROR. The only thing wrong with the above equation is the fact that certain companies seem to think that they can come about a price for and associated item by multiplying it’s cost price by ten, adding on their age and doubling it, ie. bloody expensive. Did I hear somebody down at the back shout “Rip-off!”. This however can not be said about the new sports watches from Kahuna

28 uberdog magazine December 1996

Action Products. Coming in a variety of colours, shapes and styles, they have a range capable of challenging even some of the registered brands already out there.

Both the fella’s and the girlie's come with the now obligatory velcro strap, called in this case the Kahuna Action-Secure Sports Strap. Having used one of these style of strap for many years now, I can safely say that this type of strap is a must on any sports watch. For comfort, ease of use and security they are just unbeatable. To test this point, next time you see you dad, ask him to remove his watch with his teeth!

Both the build quality and trick looks of these watches will endear them to many among us who have wanted a true sports watch, but couldn’t bring ourselves to writing a cheque with the word Extortion on it. For more info contact Kahuna Watches - 0121 500 6009 or contact Cicli Sport, 24 Market St. Moneymore on 016487 48748

Indy Rock Shox More Climbing Firsts New for 97, The INDY line. This is a good stiff and affordable shock.

All the Indy line use the new Rock Shox, Spring System II. Consisting of a spring, spring rate adjuster and a micro-cellular urethane (MCU) elastomer.

The system can be easily adjusted to any rider’s body weight using the new Preload Adjuster Knobs which is as standard on all the INDY line.

They can be made light and stiff thanks to the new ROCK SHOX one-piece Monocoque casting, no bolts, no glue, no joints, just a fork that will give you 100% when you need it. The INDY SL has 3mm more travel than last year JUDY SL and at only 2.7lbs it’s also 0.1lbs lighter. They are also available with or without brake cable hanger so the V-brake heads don’t have to cut it off.

The INDY's are aimed to fill the hole in market from The JUDY to MAG 21, as ROCK SHOX have used a lot of the new technology off the JUDY line like the new Resi-wiper seal but

also keeping the price down, for the MTB rider on a small outlay.

Three forks are in the line, INDY C Color: cream with blue decal, Travel: 63mm, Weight: 3.25 lbs, used for high-performance riding INDY XC Color: cream with red decals, Travel: 63mm, Weight: 33.1 lbs, used for cross-country riding INDY SL Color: yellow with black decals, Travel: 63mm, Weight 2.7 lbs, used for the serious crosscountry riding You can get your hands on these sexy forks in the flesh at Madigans, phone (01960) 351844.

At Beaten tra ck

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ew for the winter range from USA, training aids and holds from the Metolius Company including the Simulator and Pureforce Fingerboards and Rockrings in addition to a wide array of D.I.Y. holds.

Also the much sought after prAna climbing wear from California.

A name synonymous to any one

who has climbed in America, and is now sought after throughout Europe. Check out the Snake Bite Top, thee Hurricane Fleece and Schroomer caps, and make sure Santa has them on your list this Christmas.

For more info contact Beaten Track on 01232 236016

Climber’s Gear Free to enter competition to win these essential mountain bike goodies

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eing as usual far to generous for our own good at überdog, here is what is going to be the first of many free to enter competitions. Obtaining goodies blagged from various shops and organisations from around the country (legally or otherwise) and passing them onto you our loyal reader in a fit of madness. This month the goodies were procured from Bryan Turkington of C.B. Cycles in Tyrone. Just fill in and return the form over the page and then, considering Bryan hasn’t noticed the items missing from his shelves, with a bit of luck they will be winging their way to you courtesy of her Majestie's finest. Up for grabs is a state of the art CYCLE COMPUTER, with such features as remote handlebar mounted control button, analogue or digital speedometer, odometer, trip counter, maximum speed memory, average speed display, real time clock and auto battery shut off. Suiting all wheel sizes and with fully detailed manual, an essential addition to any cyclists arsenal. Cycle computers don’t work too well when you have a puncture, so to solve that we’ve thrown a BLACKBURN RAPID FILL, DOUBLE ACTION MINI-PUMP into the goody bag as well. A handy little tool whose ability to pump air on both the in and out stroke, halves the time taken to inflate a saggy rubber. Other features include the unique T-bar Power Grip™ handle, a very handy Grip Clip™ for firm attachment to the bike frame, precision aluminum barrel, twist-lock Schrader/Presta head fitting all valve types, pumps to 160 psi. Top rated by Bicycling Magazine. A set of C AT- E Y E S T Y L E LIGHTS, front and rear, essential for dark nights up the mountains, puts a cap on our generosity for this month. Good Luck!

this month’s goodies obtained from

42 main Street Moygashel Dungannon Co. Tyrone BT71 7QU Telephone

(01868) 725646 Rules & Regulations No multiple entries, no lying, no entries from Brian or his staff, or his wife for that matter. No bribes under £20 considered (Articles of girls underwear will however) no entries from anybody called Dwayne, and no, you cannot exchange any of the items for something else. The editors decision is final on all matters, so if he says it’s crap, then it’s crap, it’s in the bin. If you don’t want to cut up our beautiful magazine, simply photocopy the form, but please make it readable. If over the age of 3 then don’t use crayon.

STOLEN BIKES

COOL SITES TO SURF TOO!

Can You Help?

Jordanstown Mountaineering Club www.infj.ulst.ac.uk./^cbdw24/jmc/ Cool of 50%, lots to see

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QUB Kayak Club www.-dsp.ee.qub.ac.uk/kayak.html Cool of 65%, very cool site, lots to see and the MPEG movies of the QUB canoeing club at it, is cool.

ome enterprising guys decided to help themselves to some items that did not belong to them, ie. theiving gits! The police would like to hear from anybody who knows anything about the whereabouts of the bikes mentioned below, all phone calls will be treated in the strictest confidence. The bikes were stolen from the Cycle Zone in Dunmurray, Belfast, on Thursday night, the 21st of this month (November).

The bikes are all of the GT Brand and being brand new 1997 models,

should be easily noticable to anyone farmiliar with mountain bikes.

The first is a 16” Arrow Head in moss green, thought to be the only one in the country.

The second is a 18” Talera done in the Team Scream blue and yellow colour scheme. The last is a 16” Timberline done in Ghost Flame.

Anyone with information on these bikes can either contact the police at Dunmurry or Derek Robinson, proprietor of the Cycle Zone, on 1232 6238 .

Think That You Can Write For A Happening Magazine Like überdog?

See Our Advert On Page 46 ✂

To help überdog magazine live up to it’s claim as a magazine for young people by young people, please fill in this form as accurately as possible so we can find out just who you are. All details on the leaflet are in full confidence and will not leave the confines of the editor’s desk once read. So don’t expect to find half an Amazon rain forest of special deal leaflets on your door step in two weeks time! Feel free to include any stories or photographs you deem worthy of our mighty publication, Stick your name and address on the back of your photos so that there is some hope of you getting them back.

Name............................................

Address ........................................ .................................................... ....................................................

Postcode ......................................

Telephone ....................................

Male / female ..............................

Age ..............................................

Mental Age ..................................

Occupation ..................................

QUB Rock Climbing Club www-dsp.ee.qub.ac.uk/mountaineering.html Cool of 50% ,If you meed to know anything about climbing in The North of Ireland this site is a must.

Orange Mountain bikes www.cyclenet.co.uk/orange/ Cool of 65%, if you are an orange man you have to surf to this site ,it’s a must.

Kona Bike’s www.koaworld.com Cool of 20%, A page, thats it, all you get is one page. No info on the bikes, just the team!

GT Bike’s www.gtbicycies.com/ Cool of 75%, they have it all at this site, every thing you meed to know about GTs. BMX=Road=Freestyle=Mountain.The JPEG are very big, so it takes a long time to dowm load pics.

Trek Bike’s www.trekbikes.com.

Cool of 85% ,The best site on bikes I’ve seem .Anything you would ever want to know about Trek bike’s just surf it .Loads of JPEG and the site works 100%.

Do you on a regular basis: Mountain Bike ..........................❑ Canoe ......................................❑ Surf ..........................................❑ Bodyboard ................................❑ Rock Climb ..............................❑ Skateboard ..............................❑ Imagine girls/guys are naked ..❑ Other (Specify) ............................ ....................................................

If you could, would you do any of the activities you haven’t Ticked (Specify) .................................................... ....................................................

How often do practice your sport?

Every day ................................❑ Most days ................................❑ Just weekends ........................❑ When weather/attitude suits ....❑ How much did you spend this year on your sport - £ ..................

Will you or do you take part in any organised events (Specify).... .................................................... ....................................................

How many immediate friends have you that you practice with ..............

What do you think This magazine is lacking ............................................ ........................................................

What do you think are it’s best points .............................................. ........................................................

Is there anything you hate in it ...... ........................................................ ........................................................

Do you think that someday your photo will appear in überdog ..........

Where did you get this magazine? ........................................................

Why? ..............................................

Will you get it again? ......................

Tie Breaker: Complete in 15 words or less. I like the word überdog because ........................................ ........................................................ ........................................................ ........................................................ ........................................................ ........................................................

GRAVITY ASSISTED NON-CONTROLABLE FLIGHT? (THAT’S JUMPING TO YOU AND ME) or years people have engaged in various types of risk-taking sports, such as sky-diving, rock climbing, e.t.c., but very little research has been undertaken as to why individuals should do this.

Most psychologists would accept that there are a variety of variables which may dispose an individual to indulge in such behaviours and I intend to cover two prominent factors: personality characteristics of the individual and the individual’s motivation for engaging in risk-taking activities.

In Hans Eysenck’s hierarchical theory of personality (1947) he elaborated on the bi-polar dimension of: Extroversion (the personal qualities associated with being outgoing and social) vs.

Introversion (the personal qualities associated with being inwardly directed).

Extroversion is seen as one pole of a dimension on which introversion is the opposite pole. Each individual’s personality type may lie anywhere along the extroversion-introversion dimension and when research subjects are divided into a group of extroverts and a group of introverts remarkable differences in their performance on a variety of laboratory tasks can be seen.

For example, differences were reported on vigilance tasks where subjects were required to watch irregular appearing signals, such as “blips” on a radar screen.

Introverts were found to perform better than extroverts, especially when the task required lengthy periods of vigil during which few signals appeared. When the rate of the signal presentation was increased, or the length of the task was shortened, or social

F

stimulation was provided, extroverts’ performance tended to improve. It is as if the performance of the extroverts suffers if when the task is boring, in that they need a certain level of stimulation in order to be at their best. This introduces an interesting paradox in that extroverts’ nervous systems are slow to be aroused, yet extroverts are perceived to be active. According to Eysenck different people have

WHY DO PEOPLE JUMP ?

BY DAVID CONLON (STUDENT OF PSYCHOLOGY) different optimal or “preferred” levels of stimulation and he maintains that the optimal level of stimulation of the introvert lies at a lower point than that of the extrovert. The preference of the introvert is, therefore, achieved at a lower level of stimulation, whereas the extrovert must seek higher levels before their preference is met. In this way levels of stimulation either above or below a person’s optimum serve to motivate behaviour that will bring the level of stimulation back to the personal optimum. This is why extroverts run around “creating excitement” and take part in risk-taking sports and activities because calm and quiet are too boring and unpleasant for them.

Webster defined risk as: “. . .a dangerous element or

factor, possibility of loss or injury, hazardous speculation, danger or peril.”

It may manifest itself in variety of different sports and activities but there has not been many research investigations dealing with this area. In 1968 a psychologist named Singer found athletes to be higher in achievement need than nonathletes and that they seek sport as a situation in which to resolve their need. Closely associated with Singer’s idea, Klausner (1968) maintained that not only do athletes engage in sports as a means of satisfying their high need achievement but also as stress seeking. Stress seeking as it pertains to sport refers to the rational approach of individuals to a challenge.

Man has manipulated risk or danger in order to increase stress and this is accomplished by seeking faster speeds, gaining new heights, jumping further, in other words narrowing the margin of safety. In most cases the stress is clearly apparent and freely sought.

The goal is therefore sharp and visible and there is no doubt when one has succeeded or failed.

In some of his earlier work Klausner (1966) studied the transformation of fear. He describes fear and enthusiasm as negative and positive components of a continuum of excitement. He proposes that fear is transformed as the level of excitement increases.

Thus, the greater the degree of fear which the individual succeeds in generating within themselves, the greater the enthusiasm he may experience. This theory is particularly applicable to activities such as sky-diving.

Finally, Fenichel (1939) proposed a counter-phobic attitude. He maintained that the source of fear and anxiety is sought in order to master the effective reaction to it.

This refers specifically to people who participate highly in dangerous sports as counter-phobics and when faced with a challenge where injury and death are possible consequences, mastery or control of death and injury is a form of emotional selfcontrol learned through experience.

In conclusion, those people who

December

1996

exhibit extrovert qualities are more likely to “jump”, in an attempt to seek a higher level of stimulation or arousal. In addition, the different risktaking motivation theories illustrate how an individual may be motivated to participate in a risk-taking activity.

uberdog

magazine 31

Canoe • Kayak • Boat!

Canoe Kayak Boat

Another one of the great outdoor activities, used by many for fun, competition and leisure is the popular sport of canoeing. In future issues we will be looking at the sport in greater detail and with some help from yourselves, the paddlers of the North of Ireland, the sport will get all the in depth coverage it both commands and deserves. Here are some stories submitted by a local paddler,and fell runner, who has taken the time to put pen to paper and share a few of his experiences with the rest of us, it’s as simple as that. If you have got a story or some pictures you’re particularly proud of, stick them down on a piece of paper and post them to: überdog magazine, unit 45a, Dungannon Enterprise Centre, Dungannon, BT71 6JT. If the internet is your domain, contact us on uberdog_mag@compuserve.com

Launching Off I

f your idea of fun is gently paddling across a still lake or thundering down a raging inferno of white water or even dropping 30ft waterfalls into oblivion, but haven’t known how to get started, then this is for you.There are various channels into canoeing: 1. Tollymore Mountain Centre run different canoeing courses throughout the year. They can range from 1 star kayak to overseas trips abroad for experienced paddlers.

These usually last for a single weekend or a midweek course.

2.

The Education Boards run leadership courses that will take you from total beginner to 4 star and possibly to instructor level. These courses are 1 weekend per month and last for four or five months.

3. Join a canoeing club.

There are many clubs in the country. They will have someone who is qualified and experienced enough to help you get started.

Equipment

This set of canoeing equipment is aimed at the novice paddler who wants to get into the exhilarating world of canoeing. Each item of equipment has been chosen to offer the novice basic gear that will help them quickly develop their skills, while they decide exactly where their interests lie in paddling. After all, it could be an expensive mistake to purchase equipment for playboating, only to discover that slalom or canoe polo would be more interesting.

Paddle . . . . . . . £40 - £110 Helmet . . . . . . . . £20 - £80 Cag . . . . . . . . . . £25 - £110 Buoyancy Aid . £40 - £130 Spraydeck . . . . . £30 - £60

Liffey Descent 96

I

t may come as a surprise to some people to know that one of Europe’s most demanding and thrilling canoeing events takes place every year right here in Ireland.

The Liffey Descent attracts top paddlers from all over the world to challenge the River Liffey with it’s swirling waters, raging rapids and surging weirs. The start of the race is situated in Straffan, just above the Straffan Weir, which is infamous for its mass start for all competitors. All hell breaks lose once the race begins with over 100

competitors all fighting for the same stretch of water.

There are ten weirs to overcome and also a section of flat water, total distance being just under 18 miles.

This years event again attracted a large field and was held in good conditions, the flow of water being controlled by dam release. As ever, the legendary Irish hospitality lived up to its reputation with spectators lining most of the race route and cheering competitors on.

There were seventeen classes to be contested ranging from junior single

kayaks to veterans in open canoes.

The usual contingent of divers on rescue duty at all the weirs gave both physical and moral support when dragging out helpless paddlers like drowned rats.

They certainly earned their pints as broached boats and swimmers by the dozen were recovered. At the finish, the talk was of broken mountain boats, Canadians lost forever and other horror stories that only the Liffey can produce. And then there’s the after race party - but that’s another story.

Prices will of course vary from shop to shop. When you do get expert help, they will probably tell you not to buy expensive gear which is sensible as most canoe clubs will have some kind of equipment.

Of course paddling isn’t as important as life or death - it’s more than that!

J a c k s o n S p o r t s . . . . . . 70 High Street Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (01232) 238572 O u t d o o r A c t i o n . 32b New Street Enniskillen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (01365) 328188 S u r f M o u n t a i n . 12 Brunswick Street Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (01232) 248877 2-4 Bighan Lane Bangor . . . ( 0 1 2 4 7 ) 4 5 3 8 8 8 15 Castle Street Lisburn . . . ( 0 1 8 4 6 ) 6 6 7 1 7 1 M u l l e n M a r i n e . . . Kinnego Marina Lurgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (01762) 343911 N o t J u s t S p o r t . 2 Long Commons, Coleraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (01265) 328100

32 uberdog magazine December 1996

- Local paddler Martin McMullan battling his way down the Shimna River in October of this year. -

Pic. Cathy Stevenson

Canoe Shops In N.I.

Canoeing Clubs If You Are Interested In Starting Canoeing, Contact Your Nearest Club For Information And Advice.

Belfast Canoe Club c/o Damian Stafford 17 Woodland Grange Belfast BT11 9QI Causeway Coast Kayak Ass. c/o Robin Ruddock 12 Glendal Avenue Portrush BT56 8HL

Ca arrickfergus Canoe Club c/o A. McAllister 66 Bridgeend Road Ballycorry Carrickfergus Intercity Paddlers c/o Mary Doyle 27 Slievegallion Drive Belfast BT11 8JN

Mid-Antrim Canoe Club c/o Philip McKee 21 Portna Road Kilrea BT51 5SW 3 Mile Canoe Club c/o N. Boyd 3 Gortilaw Road Drumahoe Londonderry BT47 3LU Foyle Paddlers c/o Stephen Craig 1 Grange Avenue Londonderry BT47 17N

Coleraine Inst.

Canoe Club c/o R. Kane Castlerock Road Coleraine BT51 3LA

Craigavon Water Sports Centre c/o M.D. Brown 1 Lake Road Craigavon BT64 1AS

North Down Canoe Club c/o Bob Coulter House of Sport 2A Upper Malone Road Belfast BT9 5LA

Queens Canoe Club c/o Students Union Queens University Belfast

Devenish Canoe Club c/o D. Allen 69 Dublin Road Enniskillen BT74 6HN

Limavady Canoe e Polo Club c/o Paul Austin 275 Drumrane Road Dungiven Co. Londonderry

Pic. Ru Mulligan

Jordans C.C. c/o Students Union University of Ulster Jordanstown Newtownabbey BT7 QB

“It’s Not Really That Bad Lads” Members of Killowen Outdoor Education Group on the River Efive in Scotland, earlier this year. The group had a whale of a time going down what were described at the time as ‘Bloody big waterfalls !’. The one pictured above was not the biggest but never the less, it caused more than it’s fair share of brown trousers. For many this was their first trip to Scotland and certainly won’t be their last.

Canoe Sailing C

Pic. Cathy Stevenson

- Here we see canoeist Paul McCullough obeying the two basic rules of White Water Navigation; A. Point boat downstream. B. Paddle like buggery!

ANI (The Canoe Association of Northern Ireland) were represented at the first international Canoe Sailing Championships by Tyrone Currie, Phil McKee, James Townley and Andy and Daniel Corder. The event took place in Cumbria on Lake Windermere with some 40 canoes from throughout the UK and also a group from the USA. Conditions on the opening morning were too strong resulting in all races being cancelled.

However, the NI team did venture out with 5 other boats.

In the afternoon, the greater race expertise and December

1996

superior sailing rings proving faster that the NI squad although Andy and Daniel managed a respectable 14th place. In the sailing/paddling race, positions improved dramatically with the four CANI canoes in 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th after the paddling section. By the finish the teams had dropped back to 6th, 7th and 10th place. In the team relay race, Tyrone, Phil and Andy were narrowly beaten into 3rd place having led in the first leg.

The three day event was enjoyed by everyone and plans are afoot for an international canoe sailing meeting in the spring. uberdog

magazine 33

David O’Donnell doing what he does best at Strandhill, Co. Sligo.

W

ith over five hundred miles of coastline the north, west and south coast of Ireland has a truly perfect geographical make-up for surfing. Add this to a relative small population and a smaller still number of surfers per capita of the population and you are left with a veritable surfers paradise.

Our position is unique as a European nation. We are separated from the mainland of Europe by the sea and by our history. We have (to a large extent) escaped the over cultivation, industrialisation and development that ruined so much of Europe and Britain’s coastline. The Irish Coast is still largely clean, safe and very easily accessible to surfers. There are few areas where industry has damaged the

cleanliness of the water, sea-life and sea vegetation abound adding to the pleasure of surfing or indeed for all watersports.

Ah, one might say, what of the cold? Well yes, it does get very cold. Water

temperatures can go as low as 48 fahrenheit in winter and the wind chill is another major factor, However, thanks to superb wetsuit development the problem is eased greatly. One needs a 5mm wetsuit from

November to March but these are becoming so flexible that this no longer a handicap. Surfing all year round is no longer just the domain of the hardcore local but with a little guts can be enjoyed by anyone.

The highlight of Irish surf has to be it’s reef breaks.

The shallow reefs which stretch out to a deep drop create prefect conditions for hollow, shallow and very exciting tube rides. Add to this some long strands of many miles with great sand bars and so there are waves for all types of boards and every level of surfers.

The best surf breaks are Ballydavid (Co. Kerry), the Peak (Co. Donegal), Easky (Sligo, and Crab Island, Spanish Point (Co. Clare).

The finest beach breaks are

David O’Donnell (Irish Junior Champ) cuts back at Strandhill, Co. Sligo.

East Strand Portrush (Co. A n t r i m ) Tullan/Rossnowlagh (Co. Donegal), Strandhill (Co. Sligo) Tramore (Co. Waterford).

In truth, however, Ireland is littered with scores of secret spots just waiting to be explored.

North Co. Donegal and West Co. Kerry are rarely visited by any surfers.

Ireland is in many ways 34 uberdog magazine December 1996

Irish Surfing Association Officials President: Brian Britton 3 Jocelyn Place Dundalk Co. Louth Tel: 042 32700 Fax: 042 37512 Administrator: Roci Allan 1 Ardeelan Dale Rossnowlagh Co. Donegal Tel: 072 52522 Fax: 072 52523 Assistant Admin.: Zoë Lally Easkey House Easkey Co. Sligo Tel: 096 49020 Fax: 096 49020 Treasurer: Henry Moore Ocean View Hotel Tramore Co. Waterford Tel: 051 381358 Fax: 051 381 423 Surfing Clubs Bundoran Surf Club (Est. 1993) c/o Annamarie Stewart Surf World Bundoran Co. Donegal Tel: 072 41223 Fax: 072 4122 Causeway Coast Surf Club (Est. 1990) c/o Tania Ward 81 Causeway Street Portrush Co. Antrim Tel: 01265 824369 County Sligo Surf Club (Est. 1975) Catherine O’Reilly Rosemary Lodge Shore Road Strandhill Co Sligo Tel: 071 68302 East Coast Board Riders (Est. 1992) c/o Chris Loughridge 116 Upper Lisburn Road Belfast Tel: 01232 613413 Endless Winter Surf Club (Est. 1995) c/o Stephen Mulvihill Doon Rd Ballybunion Co. Kerry Tel: 088 527640 North West Stormriders (Est 1995) c/o Hugh McKendrick 93 Whitehouse Park Buncrana Road Derry Tel: 01504 268367 Rossnowlagh Surf Club (Est 1968) c/o Zoë Lally Rossnowlagh Co. Donegal Tel: 072 52112 South Coast Surf Club (Est. 1978) c/o Michael Kelly 4 Little Market Street Tramore Co. Waterford Tel: 051 388034 West Coast Surf Club (Est. 1972) c/o Tom Buckley Lahinch Surf Shop Lahinch Co. Clare Tel: 065 81543 Castle Warriors Surf Club (Est. 1995) c/o Richard Morrissey Fortland Easkey Co. Sligo Tel: 096 49028

One of Ireland's hollowest reef breaks. ‘3D’ Bundoran, Co. Donegal

Richard Fitzgerald throws a fan of spray on one of Ireland's best known waves, ‘The Peak Bundoran’.

Surfing Association organises 12 competitions per year to help train teams, learn competition and of course to meet and mix. The Irish team is formed from both sides of the border which is important for the development of the sports and the organisation of surfing.

Ireland's highest placed International Surfer ‘Joe McNulty’ who finished 39th out of 700 competitors at the world surfing games in California, September 1996.

virgin territory for travelling surfers. Locals are very friendly and helpful to outsiders. It is very rare to find any breaks overcrowded or any hassle over waves.

Irish surfers competed in

have every

European and World Championship since 1968 and are currently in the top half of the world ratings (17th out of 40 in Californian ‘96). Ireland has qualified to send a team to the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000! The Irish

The Peak Bundoran - An awesome sight at 6 to 8 feet.

There has been two European championships in Ireland and two European Pro-Am Competitions most lately in 1995. This was a prelude to the European professional and amateur championships involving 14 teams in Bundoran in September 1997.

For anyone interested in further information about starting, travelling or local surf conditions just contact your nearest surf club (there are twelve.)

Richard Fitzgerald

SAFETY HINTS FOR SURFERS • Never Surf Alone • Always leave word with somebody on shore where you are going and when you will return.

• Only go surfing if you can swim.

• If you get caught in a rip, do not try and paddle against it - paddle sideways.

• Paddle round a wave breaking area - never through it. You are less likely to be involved in a collision.

• Only surf waves of a size and power that you are sure you can handle. Don’t get too confident.

• Learn to observe the ocean so you can identify water currents, rips, and wind changes.

• Check with local people and the Life Guards for any possible dangers.

• Always check for spring tides - they have proved to be very dangerous.

• Do not enter the water when dusk is approaching.

• When you “wipe out” don’t come to the surface too soon - allow you board time to land and come to the surface with your hands above you head.

• Consider wearing a safety helmet especially when surfing near rocks.

• Never drop in on a surfer already on the wave.

• Never surf after the consumption of alcohol.

• Make sure your equipment, especially your leash, is in good order.

December

1996

uberdog

magazine 35

Want to Surf, Listen to an Expert!

Although an accomplished scuba diver, Vic felt more at home in the water when Frazer assured him that lard floats.

A

lthough there has been a small core of surfers on the North Coast since the early 60’s it is only since the 90’s that it has grown in popularity. Several surf shops have opened to meet the demand and he usual spin offs of surf fashion.

The Causeway Surfers have always been successful in contests through out Ireland and at the recent world championships in

East Strand and Whiterocks.

However the beaches at Portstewart and Portrushes West Strand are more suited for beginners.

Just like learning to drive, so with surfing it is best to have tuition from a recognized European Surf Coach. This qualification may be gained by an examination set by the I.S.A. (Isish Surfing Ass.).

So if you fancy surfing and don’t know where to go or what to do, or just don’t fancy making an asshole out of yourself in front of the local dudes, contact Fraser Duddy at 01265 836268 (After 6pm on week days).

Know The Lingo Grommet!

Goin’ Off - Really good.

Rad - Cool, Good.

Insane - Brilliant.

Bitchin’ - Having a good time.

Brew - Brother Gnarlly - Scary Dude - Person Stoked - Really happy Grommit - Under 18 Top to Bottom - Tubing Waves

california we had six reprsentatives from the area.

All the competative surfers come from local towns, but the vaste majority of North Coast Surfers travel from as far away as Belfast, Ballymena, Lurgan, Bangor and even from as far as Dundalk.

The coastline is home to some of the best beach breaks in Ireland such as Castlerock, Portrushes The expert shows us how it’s really meant to be done.

Twenty minutes before this photo was taken Vic could no more surf than he could walk up a flight of stairs without sweating.

Surfing is not easy, but with a little perseverance, and a bit of determanation one of the most enjoyable sports about is at you feet, literally.

36 uberdog magazine December 1996

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magazine 37

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38 uberdog magazine December 1996

Diving the

Alisdair T

ell me, what is it about people in the UK? Most individuals are always so obsessed by the weather, it's probably because it's always raining, not that it really matters so much when you go diving cause you inevitably end up getting wet any how, without the water you would need a bungie!

The weather is of particular interest for divers though as a group’s safety could quite easily be compromised should conditions change dramatically during the dive or when in passage to or from the dive site.

One site which can be easily dived in all but the most harsh of conditions is the wreck of the Alasdair which lies upright on the silty bottom in some 23 metres of water a short distance from the shore at Ringhaddy in Strangford Lough, Co. Down.

Ringhaddy Sound is a popular mooring point for pleasure vessels as it is well sheltered from rough seas and it is because of this that the Alisdair has survived relatively intact over the years.

For the above reasons and due also to the fact that the wreck is so easily accessible from the shore the Alasdair is a very popular site for divers and has probably been the first wreck dive for many aspiring divers including myself.

History The vessel, a 110ft long luxury motor yacht (One of three sister ships) which is believed to have at one time been the pride of the Guinness family, was apparently used by the Royal Navy in the second world war.

Some controversy surrounds as

“I don’t care how bloody cold it is, you’re here to enjoy yourself!” Preparing for the dive mightn’t be the warmest thing in the world, but for the experiance of seeing what’s down below, it’s well worth it.

be as little as 1 metre and moreover divers want to exercise care (And some buoyancy control) so as not to restrict the vis even further by stirring up the silt which constitutes the bottom and delicately rests on all surfaces of the wreck.

Driving to the site

“I’m sorry, I can’t seem to see your contact lens anywhere old boy!” - Always. always carry out all of your pre dive checks before entering the water. It’s too late to notice something wrong 22 metres down and dropping.

to why the vessel actually sank, one story suggests that the ships crew who collectively under the influence of rum (Or whatever sailors drink!) accidently set fire to the ship with an oil heater, another version suggests that the shifty crew who had stolen and removed all the valuables from the ship got wind of an impending inspection by the powers that be and to hide their sins set fire to the ransacked remains. Either way the fire which brought about the Alasdairs untimely demise raged for 2-3 days before she actually sank and evidence of this can still be clearly observed on the decking and wooden panels in the forward hold as charring.

Even though the ship is well sheltered from the ravages of the weather some planning has to be conducted prior to a dive on this interesting wreck, like the rest of Strangford lough the dive site is tidal and currents can be fairly strong particularly on

spring tides, however a slight run can be useful for carrying away the silt stirred up by careless fins during the dive.

A lantern should be carried out of necessity rather than luxury as the poor visibility restricts the amount of light reaching the ship, ' vis ' at worst can

Position Of Alisdair in Rinhaddy Sound

Wreck Bouy

Coming from Comber along the Killeagh road take the left-hand turn off for Ringhaddy (About 3-4 miles from Balloo House) turning left again at the end of this road takes one up an inclined gradient (Hill) at the top of which one wants to turn right, proceed for about a mile here but stop before you drive off the jetty as your car will rust quickly!

Line

Steps

Room For Parking

Jetty

Private Bungalow Not To Scale (Not Even Close!)

December

1996

uberdog

magazine 39

On a serious note however you need to bear in mind that this is private property and as a small section of divers have behaved poorly here in the past care MUST be exercised while in the area (See map & accompanying notes below).

regularly use this line to locate the wreck and the swim out along the bottom can be easily completed in 6 - 7 minutes. Care should be taken not to tug or pull on this line as again you

particularly around the midships section which have collapsed inward.

The wooden sections are quite literally decaying, a thought which should be borne in mind particularly

a variety of marine life and one would expect to see cockoo & ballan wrasse, cod as well as blennys and a variety of crab on any dive, with care you can locate congers near the

Access to the site From the small stoney beach on the left hand side of the jetty you will observe an orange buoy some 150m from the shore.

The buoy lies to the port side (Left, ye lilly livered land lovers!) of the wreck roughly to midships, kit up and surface swim to this buoy (Again the buoy is private property).

Descending along the mooring chain one will observe a small rope attached to the chain at about 4 - 5m, leave the chain and use this line as your guide to the wreck.

The line is fixed to the port side davits (Swanky maritime name for life boat bracket), from here the wreck is your oyster (Well more of a limpet).

Alternatively, a line runs from the steps at the end of the jetty to the stern of the ship, divers Small covered bow section. Hawse pipes below

plays host to a mass of soft coral and anemones in fact the metal sides of the ship have formed an artificial reef !

All in all the Alasdair makes for an good dive with something of interest for most divers, I personally prefer to dive this wreck at night as the darkness seems to help focus attention and nocturnal marine life abound.

Remember diving is a potentially dangerous sport, never dive :-

Alone Without adequate training With inadequate equipment

- Strangford Lough is home to many exciting varities of marine wildlife -

will stir up the silt and should you observe pipes on the bottom please don't touch as these bring fresh water to the land on the far side of the sound.

Decay is taking it's toll on the wreck and is evident

Forward Hold

if one intends to enter the forward hold which still affords access (The bulk of the vessel has become quite literally full of silt).

stack while rumours abound of massive lobster lurking in the shadows. On occasions divers can also expect to see cuttle fish while encounters with seals although rare do occur. The vessel also

Marine Life The ship plays host to quite

Davit with line to surface

Windows & door

Aft hold

When at Ringhaddy you are on private property so please treat with respect, do not block the road as it leads to houses further up the sound, parking space is available on the left hand side of the road (Opposite the bungalow). Do not make excessive noise or go to close to the bungalow, also stay of the jetty, otherwise ENJOY !

Aft winch bollards

Stern Locker

Starboard Walkway

Funnel

Port Walkway Winch

Line to shore

Wheel-house roof has collapsed in

Davit

Davit

Distance to Surface

22m to 25m

Depending on tide

Sea Bed Level

Anchor Hawse Pipe

Section of solid gaurd rail removed

Deck level behind solid gaurd rails

40 uberdog magazine December 1996

Access opening through solid gaurd rails on deck

Former porthole locations

Line to shore

So You Want To Learn To Dive !

W

henever you were young how long did it take for you to realise that actionman’s frogman kit didn’t work in the bath? Besides the fact that he couldn’t hold the regulator in his mouth his suit leaked, a consequence being that his joints rusted.

Really ! How was an all action superhero (with eagle eyes) meant to sabotage enemy subs with such defective gear? Many a brave action man drown beneath the Matey™ infested bath water, Learn from ACTIONMAN’S mistakes don’t just jump in the bath unprepared, get proper training!

There are over forty sub-aqua clubs and schools in Northern Ireland most of which are willing and able to provide membership/ training/ qualifications in exchange for your hard earned dosh (Unless you are a student, where it’s the tax payers hard earned dosh).

Local sport training is mainly provided by one of following organisations :(i) CFT (Irish Underwater Council) Governing body of sport diving in Ireland the CFT provides a very high standard of training with three clubs in the province. (ii) SAA (Sub Association).

Aqua

(iii) PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) PADI provides holiday type training in a number of schools, however PADI training does not necessarily entitle one to membership of a diving organisation or diving club. (iv) BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) The governing body of sport diving in Britain and the most represented organisation locally. The BSAC provides a very high standard of training and although traditionally

based around the club theme, the BSAC has authorised a number of schools in N. Ireland (many BSAC schools now exist worldwide) in both clubs and schools.

Clubs If you fancy yourself as a hardened sea fairing diver you’ll probably want to join a club where your membership fees will intitle you to training to at least sports diver level, use of club facilities and diving companions, in a club you may be expected to participate in some manner during club outings, this participation will vary with your experience and enthusiasm.

In the club scene you’ll make friends with like minded individuals and for many club members diving is their only / main hobby.

One should bear in mind that training to sports level may take a number of months.

Schools If the club scene doesn’t appeal but you still want to dive a school may best suit your needs. With a diving school your training may cost more than a club but for your dosh you’ll get intensive training from a professional instructor.

Training can usually be completed in one week after which you can dive as a sports diver, you may then wish to join a club or the schools own diving club. With a diving school one can be as involved or uninvolved as they wish.

Some people feel that the intensive training format of a dive school isn’t as effective a means of training new recruits as the club route, while others believe that it’s all down to the enthusiasm of the trainee/ instructor.

Levels of Qualification Different training organisations may use different names but generally qualifications are as follows :Novice1-Basic theoretical knowledge, assembling aqualung and using aqualung in sheltered water.

Novice2 - As above, introduced by qualified individual to the open water to a depth no more than 6 metres deep ( now permitted to take part in open water sports diver training).

Sports Diver - Competent individual trained to dive in open water with another diver (Sports grade or higher) to a maximum depth of 30 metres (Without decompression stops).

Dive Leader - Sports diver trained to lead less experienced divers, may dive with other dive leaders to a max. depth of 50 metres and may complete decompression dives.

(Higher diving and instructor grades may be achieved ) Generally, the requirements of sport diving (Non-commercial) qualifications are outlined

by CMAS (The World U n d e r w a t e r Confederation) of which both the CFT & BSAC are members and because of this qualifications are recognised worldwide (PADI qualifications are also commonly accepted ).

Buying Gear Never dive without first receiving appropriate training, never buy gear without first receiving instructional guidance from an experienced individual, however it’s fair to say that reputable dealers won’t knowingly sell dodgy gear.

Don’t buy secondhand gear if you aren’t sure of it’s history, some dealers may inspect it for you on request, remember your life depends on the reliable operation of your scuba.

People usually buy snorkelling gear for pool use first, any club will advise on fitting/ suitability of gear, one important point for spectacle wearers to bear in mind is that optically corrected/ perscription diving masks can be purchased.

Contacts A full list of NIFSAC member clubs and contacts may be requested from NIFSAC (NI Federation Sub Aqua Clubs), contact Randal Armstrong (01232) 448284.

The details of your nearest BSAC club can be obtained from the BSAC Coach, contact - Ralph McBride (01232) 232169 (That’s his work number but it’s OK to phone cause he’s the boss).

Details of your nearest CFT club can be obtained from the CFT Northern Coach, contact - Don McGlinchey (01504) 263929.

DV Diving (A BSAC Premier school), contact David Vincent - (01247) 464671 The above list is not exhaustive, other clubs/ schools operate locally, they may be located in yellow pages and local press. ●

DIVE NORTH

D

1996

ive North 1996 presented by the NI Federation of Sub Aqua Clubs took place in the Postforte hotel Dunmurry on the weekend of 26th - 27th October.

The show which boasted some of the top names in diving / marine circles speaking to the participants on their various specialist subjects.

Speakers included Kevin Gurr (I.A.N.T.D Director & technical diving instructor) gave a very informative insight into the latest 'techie' buzz namely rebreathers while Dr. Maurice Cross (Diving Diseases Research Centre Plymouth) spoke informatively & humourously on current diving disease research being conducted by the DDRC in the far east.

Other speakers included Reg Rea (BBC TV ), Dr Edward Bourke (Author, December

1996

CFT Subsea Editor & Scientific Officer), Des Quigley (Lusitania expedition) & Eileen Kelly (BSAC National Instructor, ND Committee).

Dive North also played host to an interesting trade show with some top equipment manufacturers/ distributors showing their wares, stands included D.V. Diving, Northern Diver, Jackson Sports (Belfast), RNLI, Malinmore Adventure & Dive Centre, Norsemaid Enterprises, Atlantis Diving & Suba Dive West.

The show which catered for most scuba diving tastes was appreciated by the crowds which attended the event and congratulations must be extended to Randal Armstrong for his efforts in organising this successful event. ●

uberdog

magazine 41

I

t amazes me the number of people whose first impression of a climber still seems to be of classic mountain scenery, big hob nail boots, woolly 'knickerbocker' trousers and, of course, Kendal mint cake.

Some also are clearly shocked to find out that you don't have a thick bushy beard and weigh at least 16 stone, their childhood memories shattered forever. This rather traditional look is probably the fault of the national press with their usual one sided views as well as their own misunderstanding of what climbing really involves. The press are only interested in the big headlines of adventures in the Himalayas, for example, were deaths and epic tales of survival can be virtually guaranteed each year. This makes for great reading and, to be fair, is what sells newspapers, but it is only a small piece from the very large jig-saw. Climbing a 30ft piece of rock just might not have the same impact for 'Joe Public' as scaling an 8000m peak in some far off land, but it maybe the more impressive feat in terms of technical and physical effect.

Many people have heard of mountaineers like Chris Bonnington, Alison Hargraves and even Dawson Stelfox, but have you heard of the likes of Jerry Moffet, Lynn Hill, Stevie Haston, Paul Pritchard and the late great Wolfgang Gullich, all top climbers responsible in pushing today's extremely high standards. However, climbing is steadily becoming more and more popular and with the latest fad towards Adventure Sports, is receiving increasing exposure through television and magazines. This publication itself shows the popularity and need for information on these 'so called' extreme sports. So much so that being a climber could soon be quite trendy. But climbing is a bit more involved than just being trendy, for many it's a way of life. Someone once said 'if there was no rock we'd all be surfers,' thankfully we have plenty of rock to go around, so no chance of that.

So what is climbing? Easy. Climbing includes: aid climbing; ice climbing; alpine climbing; big wall climbing; bouldering (not to be confused with walking up rivers); solo climbing and not forgetting your bog standard rock climbing. Quite a lot. Not really, rock climbing or free climbing, as it is sometimes called, is the basic and most important part of the whole climbing equation. All of the above mentioned activities involve free climbing to some degree, some clearly more than others.

Free climbing is clearly the most popular of the activities as it basically involves finding any piece of rock, whether 10ft high or 3000ft high and simply climbing it.

The only use for the hardware and ropes people sometimes associate when they see climbers is for their protection, in case of a fall. In the North of Ireland, climbing has been going on for the last 60 years, with the first recorded route, climbed in the Mourne Mountains, dating back to the

42 uberdog magazine December 1996

Left: Buzzard’s Roost - Mourne Mountains

1930s. Over the following decades only small groups of climbers have been continually active, but in the last few years there has been a noticeable increase of people taking up the sport. This, though, has helped boost the public's general awareness of climbing.

Unfortunately, some sporting organisations and local councils, still see it as a bit of an eccentric activity and not to be taken seriously even though in Britain climbing has become one of the biggest growing sports in recent years.

Wanting to climb is probably the hardest part of all. What the hell do you do? It is not the same as going into a sports shop, buying a ball, going to a park, getting ten friends and calling yourself a football player. Climbing, even at a basic level, requires a fair degree of fitness and strength and, of course, a head for heights, though funnily this is not essential. A lot of people quickly realise climbing is not just as easy as it looks, but like any other sport perseverance brings rewards and if you stick at it the rewards from climbing can be vast. So how do you start climbing? Most climbers seem to be introduced via other outdoor activities like hill walking. Climbing simply became a natural progression in wanting to try something more challenging.

Other people are introduced to climbing through groups like the scouts or more commonly through universities. The lure of catchy campaign slogans most university mountaineering clubs produce over the fresher's week, 'drink as much as you want and become a real mountaineer', can be too

tempting for many young wide eyed first years. Luckily some survive the first few weekends and go on to become very good climbers.

The other way many people get a taste of climbing is through friends who climb, and this can be a great way to learn, especially if the friend is experienced (you hope to learn from his mistakes rather than your own). But what happens if you have no friends who climb, are not a university student, hate the Scouts and the only hill walking you’ve done was up to grannies house when you were five. How do you start climbing? This was roughly my own background.

Before I climbed, I had managed a couple of hill walking trips to Scotland with my school, but as far as rock climbing and climbers went it was something I never even thought existed. The first time I ever saw a climber was on a weekend training trip to the Mournes, where I noticed two climbers on a small crag called Hare's Castle. I remember thinking "Wow!" and the image of two people hanging onto a side of a cliff stuck in my mind until the next encounter with climbing some six years later. By this time I’d left school and had been working for a couple of years.

The hillwalking fell by the wayside and over that period the most walking I ever achieved was up and down to the pub. In the civil service a group of work mates decided it would be a good laugh to go camping for a weekend and I was volunteered to go down to one of outdoor shops in Belfast and find out the prices of rucksacks and waterproofs.

Walking around the shop a magazine caught my eye. I

What Exactly is Bouldering? Bouldering is the simplest of climbing pleasures.You need only shoes, a chalk bag and a piece of rock - no gear, no partner.

The main emphasis in bouldering is on the single move or a sequence of moves and apart from the shear enjoyment from this movement across the rock. Climbers use bouldering to train, learn and practice various techniques that they may be required to use on a longer route. picked it up and opened it straight onto a full page photo of someone climbing . My immediate reaction again was "Wow!" and there and then I decided this is what I wanted to do. I forgot about the waterproofs and rucksacks, bought the magazine, read it and was soon back buying other magazines that showed climbing. In fact I read everything I could get my hands on to do with it. A few months had passed, but I still had no idea how to become a climber and wondered if I ever was going to.

I then heard of the Mountain Centre down in Tollymore and after a few phone calls found out that they organised courses. With pen to cheque I quickly booked my first climbing course, for beginners. That course was the turning point for me as I met other climbers for the first time as well as climbing my first ever rock route (Or was it dragged up my first ever rock route?) I knew at the end of the weekend that I wanted more and quickly signed up for the next available course.

On that second course I was told about the climbing wall at Queen's University and soon I started to go there twice a week, without fail. At the wall I had the chance to watch and talk to 'real' climbers. Using

the wall regularly I got stronger and started copying the other climber's moves. I met up with a few for weekend trips, soon getting my first taste of real climbing and leading. I slowly got better and better, working my way through the grades. Six years later I still go to a climbing wall every week and still climb every weekend, weather permitting. I've climbed all over Ireland, Britain and France, climbed some of the famous peaks in the Alps, and even scared myself on those semi-frozen winter routes in Scotland. I have never lost that sense of excitement and adventure from that very first day when I set foot onto rock, in fact the feeling grows and grows with every route.

Climbing is definitely one of those sports that can very easily change the course of your life and is for many the ultimate adventure sport. It doesn't matter if you are young or old, male or female, try it and find out what all the fuss is about.

You won't be disappointed.

Climbing Walls ndoor climbing walls are a good place to learn as it provides a safer environment compared to outdoors. Walls are now becoming quite high tech and give a rock like texture and features compared

I

CLIMBING WALLS IN THE NORTH OF IRELAND Queens University of Belfast.

PEC, off Stranmillis road. May need to be a student to use the wall or to get a student to sign you in.Very limited access time.

Embankment Climbing Wall.

Ozone Leisure Complex, Ormeau Embankment. Public access wall. Open 7 days a week (10am 10pm weekdays) St. Columb’s Park Leisure Centre, Limavady Road, Londonderry.

list of can be obtained from The Sports NB:ACouncil, House of Sport, Malone Road, Belfast A hard climb on the first accent only adds to the adventure sought by many climber

or write to Tullymore Mountain Centre, Bryansford, Newcastle, Co. Down BT33 0PT. December

1996

uberdog

magazine 43

to just pulling on brick edges from a few years back. Many indoor walls today provide both leading, top-roping and bouldering areas. Climbers normally use walls as part of their training so it is a good place to watch and learn.

Outdoor Centres etting yourself onto one of the rock climbing courses run by the various outdoor centres around the north of Ireland will also provide a good introduction to climbing.

A basic explanation of the different pieces of hardware climbers use as well as some of the rope techniques, plus the usual do's and don'ts, should give you a good idea if you want to continue climbing or not. It also gives you a chance to meet other beginners.

Rock Climbing Clubs here are very few active climbing clubs around at the moment except, of course, the various university mountaineering clubs. Most active climbers are quite independent and seem to shy away from the idea of organised groups. Some clubs may be unsuitable for beginners, so beware.

Books ooks are a brilliant source of information and alone have certainly inspired many climbing careers. Climbing magazines are also excellent source because they keep you up to date on what is happening throughout the climbing world as well as providing sections on learning techniques. Furthermore they usually give pointers on training and gear.

Equipment lot of people believe climbing to be a very expensive activity to get

G

T

B

A

involved in, especially when they see the various ropes, rock shoes and hardware climbers use. The gear is expensive, no doubt about it, but most of it is collected usually over a few years.

Many beginners simply start in a pair of trainers and once they start to get a feel for climbing would they think about buying a pair of cheap rock shoes.

Places to Climb he main two areas in Northern Ireland are the Mourne Mountains and the cliffs at Fairhead, just outside Ballycastle. The Mournes are an excellent place when learning to climb as most of the crags provide lots of easy grade routes and at an angle which most people can get their head around i.e. not too steep. Fairhead is really unsuitable for most climbers starting out due to the lack of easy routes. The usual scenario for climbing in the north of Ireland is that most climbers will start learning in the Mournes and then progress onto the harder and steeper walls of Fairhead. There are some small limestone crags around Enniskillen, but most are of little interest to many climbers due to their dubious quality. The mountains of Donegal are crammed with various crags, but due to the typical Donegal weather, midges and overgrown vegetation many crags see little activity. The smaller cliffs along the coastline offer some better alternatives and most provide excellent venues for people just beginning to learn. The most popular crag probably being at Malin Beg on the South West tip. Once you move down into the south of Ireland.... well that's another article some day.

T

Within an hours drive from Belfast, Fairhead is probabaly one of the best crags in Europe.

44 uberdog magazine December 1996

Terms To Get Aquainted With!

BOMBER Absolutely fail safe anchor, or big handhold.

CRUX The most difficult section of a climb.

FLASH Free climbing a route from bottom to top without falling.

JUG A large hold that feels like a ‘Jug Handle’.

ON-SIGHT To climb a route without prior knowledge or experience of the moves and without falling or otherwise weighting the rope.

WORKED Refers to the expense of time and effort on numerous attempts to piece together the moves of a climb. Usually on a hard climb.

WIRED Refers to when someone has learnt a sequence of moves off by heart and is able to climb them every time.

SCREAMER When someone takes a long fall.

DECKED OUT Sometimes what happens after a screamer ie. hit the ground.

FRIEND A cramming device used for protection.

DOGGED orr DOGGING When a leader hangs from potection to rest, then continues on without lowering down, No free ascent.

Climbing on a wall might look simple, but believe me, a couple of climbs has a beginner Knackered!

Queens PEC climbing wall, maybe not be the biggest about, but the different routes and complexity allow you to set your own limits and styles.

Queens mountaineering club in Scotland J

anuary 1996 saw the club travel to the Cairngorms, Fort William and Glencoe in Scotland.

20 mountaineers travelled from Belfast for a week long trip, many heading for their first ever Scottish winter experience, with heads full of avalanche risk assessment and ice axe braking, as it turned out ice axe braking was being a bit optimistic! A month of record low snowfall left the hills with only a scattering of snow and all the ski resorts closed, however a cold spell meant that many of the ice routes came into condition and the hard climbers, with their shiny new hardware, set of with a vengeance, eyes glazed with excitement.

John Mckeown, Oran Kelly and Michael Thornhill, completed one of the classic routes on the north face of Ben Nevis that came into condition, other climbers ventured to Aonach Eagach and Bidean nam Bian in Glencoe, enjoying good days walking and some solid ice climbing in the Hidden Valley. The trip was a major success with many climbers keeping their glazed eyes for weeks afterwards. With a Scottish winter trip now under their belts, bigger and better trips are being planned for Scotland 1997.

To contact Queen’s Mountaineering Club, e-mail Mick at m.thornhill@qub.ac.uk.

Fiacall Ridge, Cairngorms. Steph, Oran, Andy and Monica taking a break before the the final push to the top

Qubml on the Summit of Ben Nevis.

Darren Kitchen Buachaille Etive Mó2

Carn Mór Dearc arrete leading up to Ben Nevis

North face of Ben Nevis.

December

1996

uberdog

magazine 45

FOR Free Classifieds SALE Manitou mach 5 sx forks, alloy 1”,1/8” ahead set, immaculate condition, seldom used ; £300 ; call Andy Lav (01846) 671381.

14.5 LTS frame, 3 months old. £990 ; call Andy (01232) 683130 1993 RS 35AB suspension forks for sale £150 ono ; call Mark (01232) 718542 1995 Manitou 4”,1/14” steerer, grate nick £180 ; call Joe (01232) 836781 1995 Giant Cadex, XTR, AMP forks £700 ; call (01232) 729589 1994 Trek aluminium 7000 only 22lbs. Hope, Bullseye, Ringle, Syncros, Xt RF, Joes cantis,V.light,V.quick, ‘Intimidation’ forces sale £700 ; call Marty (01232) 836781 7 foot 6 inches Bullet T+C Custom surf board with Ceash, Bag +Deck grips. 10 months old, £250 ; call Norman (01265) 82549 Diving lamp, Undersea Verwood, £65 ; call Alfie 0410462121 13ft Coleman Canoe, suit one or two people. Includes 2 paddles, as new, £285 ; call Gary Harkness (01247) 811311 Karako Ram GT Mountain Bike. 16”, LX/XT RF, orange&yellow with black spangle. £400 ono ; call (01247) 816017 Canoe, paddle & spraydeck, £50 ; call (01232) 663057 Bodyboard(Slick).C/w finns & bag.£45 call (01247) 468625 Diving Cylinder. 12 litre. £50 ono ; call (01266) 862265 Diving Cylinder. 10 litre, in full test, cross flow valve & boots. £50 ; call (01574) 277847 Gull wetsuit. Ex lrg boys, also pair of Gull wet boots. £60 ono ; call (01396) 614116 Tub Thumper Wanted.

Maximum Surf Garage Trash Rock’n’Roll (Mid-Ulster Area) Tel 01868 784366

Got something lying in the corner of your bedroom that could be sold if you got of your butt and don ne something about it? Take the slackers way out, jot down rough details on a piece of paper send it to the below address and as if by magic your advert will appear in next times issue, for free. Don’t delay, send today to überdog magazine, Unit 45c, Dungannon Enterprise Centre, Dungannon, BT71 6JT. That was a public information message.

Support Your New Local magazine Send off £10 to the above address, enclose your name and address, choice of colour (navy, Maroon, red, White, Black Bottle green) and size (Medium, Large or X-large). Top quality, Cool garment. Buy one today, Please

Magazine Seeks Journalists überdog magazine seeks intrepid individuals as journalists for a variety of extreme leisure sports in the North of Ireland. If you think you're up to the job and can produce a witty, readable and informative story on: Mountain Biking; Canoeing; Rock Climbing; Surfing; Body Boarding; Snow Boarding; Skate Boarding or just whatever turns you on at the weekend then drop us a line.

In your personal items of clothing you must not have a black jacket with NASA or any other phosphorescent writing on the back. Send a short story about you and what you get up to with some pics if possible to: The editor, überdog Magazine @ Pacesetter Publications, Unit 45c, Dungannon Enterprise Centre, Dungannon, BT71 6JT.

46 uberdog magazine December 1996

What To Watch Out For In The New Year in Issue #2 Of überdog!

First Steps To The Downhill. Carefully Laid Out plans For People, Like Ourselves, Who Want To Get Started In The Crazy World Of Bust Rims And Dented Egos.

I Wanna Jump! How And Where To Parachute In the North of Ireland.

The Water Is Rising! More Canoe And Surf Frolics From The Coasts And Rivers Of Our Island.

Nazi Treasure. Off The Coast Of Malin Head, Donegal, Lies About Thirty Sunken U-Boats Scuttled After The Second World War. Can They Be Dived, And If So can We Do It?

- U-Boats in Strangford Lough, Circa 1946-

Gortin Glen MTB Tracks: We have been there and they are well worth a return trip. Full write up next issue on what are possibly the best purpose built MTB tracks in the North of Ireland.

Chopper Update: It shall live, oh yes because we will it to.

Snowboarding: How, What and where in Northern Ireland, plus lots of silly hats.

Dwayne Update: Dwayne takes another attempt to break into reality, and fails.

Multi Bike test: Lots of the new 1997 models tested and broken, Not! Big names in the bike world, and race prepared Downhill Monsters given a good thrashing by professionals, and us.

Going Up The Wallls: Indoor rock climbing in the North. We try it, so can you.

Something Possibly Illegal: Our lawyers are checking it out at the moment, so we can’t tell you or we would have to kill you, all of you. Watch this space for details Plus Much, much, oh so much more, to much for words!

MAIL ORDER BB GUNS A1

A2

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A1 Heckler & Koch SD3-A3:Shown above: Single shot, spring powered, 25 round magazine £55 A2 UZI S.M.G. Shown Above: Spring powered, single shot 42 round magazine £42 A3 COLT CAR 15 XM177 E2 Powered by spring with range of 150 ft £120 A4 GLOCK17 Spring powered with a 20 round magazine £20 A5 SigSauer P228 Spring powered £25 A6 Smith & Weston M4506 Spring powered £20 B1 Beretta Semi-automatic Shown Above: gas powered £40 B2 STEYR-GB Shown Above: Semi-automatic gas powered £60 B3 COLT 45 13 round magazine, Semi-automatic gas powered £40 B4 Smith & Weston 645 Semi-automatic gas powered 14 round magazine £40 C1 Green Gas, Large can £10 To order your BB gun write your title (Mr/Mrs/Ms), name and address clearly on a piece of paper, the code of the gun and quantity required. 100 BBs free with each gun, should you require more please state the amount.

IMPORTANT: Please write the following statement "I am aged 14 or over " and sign to confirm. Unsigned applications will be deemed invalid and the money returned. Price of gun includes P&P. Allow 14 days for delivery. No responsibility is accepted for applications lost, delayed or damaged in the post. Proof of posting is

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