There will be 3 more sessions. The first 2 sessions will be led by cycling coach Martin Tohill who will take members through their paces in preparation for moving into the pre-season and early racing season. The skills taught will also be beneficial for club members thinking of competing at club level or undertaking the club TTs and also those wanting to increase their fitness levels in general towards Leisure cycling events. See you all there.

This year the PhoenixCC sponsored by Lease Options and McConvey’s Cycles are proud to host the Phoenix GP on Sunday 26th Feb.

Sign-on: – will be in the Crumlin Community Centre ( BT29 4UP ) from 9:00. The sign-on fee is £10 for everyone except juniors who pay £5. All riders must have the appropriate licence, one day licences can be bought on the day at an additional cost of around £10 which goes to Cycling Ireland.

Women’s and 50+ Masters Races – there will be spaces for entry on the day. A club competition licence is sufficient for these events and sign-on will close at 10.20.
A4 race – is now full with a waiting list in operation – please see the separate thread on the Phoenix CC message board. Sign-on closes at 11.50.

A3 race – is not yet full and it is anticipated that there may be a few places for entry on the day. Please watch the Phoenix CC message board for any further information. Sign-on closes at 11.50.

A1/A2 race - there will be spaces for entry on the day. Sign-on closes at 11.50.

Licences and Race Numbers:

Hopefully most riders will have received their licences and race numbers before Sunday but if not, please print off your licence details from the Cycling Ireland website or obtain a covering letter from your club secretary.

If you have not obtained your race number, it would be a great help if you could bring an old number with you.

Course details:
The course will be the usual Nutts Corner > Seven Mile Straight > Long Rig Rd course finishing at the top lay-by. For a map click on: www.mapmyride.com
(The distances on this map are in Km.)

Race Details:

Women’s race.
Phoenix are again proud to host the first round of the Ulster Woman’s Road Race League. This race will be handicapped and will be 3 laps in distance, approximately 25 miles overall. This race will start at 11:00.

Time Square 50+ Masters race.
Phoenix are also proud to be offering a race to riders over the age of 50. A4 riders over the age of 50 can choose to ride this race or the A4 race. These races had a very successful introduction in 2011 and we wish to build on that success. The race will be 3 laps in distance, approximately 25 miles overall.This race will start at 11.00.

A race.
For A1, A2. This race will be handicapped and will be 6 laps in distance, approximately 50 miles overall. We intend to start this race at approximately 12:30

A3 race.

There will be a separate A3 race over 5 laps, 42 miles starting at approximately 12.35
A4 race.
For A4 riders. This race will be a scratch race and will be 4 laps in distance, approximately 34 miles overall. We intend to start this race at approximately 12.40

Neutralised Roll-Out

There will be a neutralised roll out from the Community Centre to the start/finish area.

Women and Over 50’s departing at 10:40

A1- A4 category riders at departing 12.10.

As the A1-A4 races will be starting immediately following the completion of the Women’s and Masters races, it would be appreciated if riders used the roll-out. This will help avoid having riders and cars making their way to the start line whilst other races are under way. It is also important that drivers do not park in the start/finish lay-by. This will help facilitate the safe assembly of riders before and after their races.

Once the racing has finished we will return to Crumlin Community Centre for refreshments and the prize giving.

The number of prizes for each race will be awarded based on the number of entrants in multiples of seven. If a race only has around 7 riders then there will only be a prize for the winner, if there are around 14 riders then the top 2 riders will receive a prize, if there are around 21 riders then the top 3 will get prizes, and so on.

Most aggressive rider – there will be a prize for the most aggressive rider in the A3 and A4 races (this does not mean as it reads! – an aggressive rider is someone who attacks the race

To keep the variation of these training sessions different we have started using training DVDs as well as sessions taking by Coach Martin Tohill. The Videos are shown on a large screen where everyone is engaged with the onscreen coach so every person can achieve true health and fitness and reach his or her athletic goals.

We are building an atmosphere in which every rider feels comfortable to train at his or her own individual level, push limits and enjoy the process.

They are proving to be very popular indeed and enjoyed by everyone.

The sessions are open to Spires CC club members (who hold a current licence) and members of other clubs by prior arrangement. Non cycling Ireland Licence holders can pay £5 for liability cover if attending more than 1 session. The cost of the series is £20 and 6 further sessions are planned between now and the start of the season. Contact club secretary and coach Martin Tohill for details on 07894907739.

See you next Wednesday

The Saturday morning cycles are at a more leisurely pace and split into two groups depending on numbers, a touring group and slightly quicker group. These cycles give a good opportunity for new members to try group riding and advance their cycling skills. Great to see so many new cyclists joining our Touring Group on a Saturday.

The Sunday cycles now have an A and B group, these cycles are aimed at being longer and a faster pace depending on ability. This Sunday seen two fantastic groups providing a great atmosphere for a great mornings craic, well done everyone.

Next Sunday we will have the two groups along with the riders from the Capital Cycle Challenge. Spires CC would like to welcome them on any training run and try help them to prepare for their mammoth challenge ahead.

Event dates
Round 1 – Sunday 19 February 2012
Round 2 – Sunday 26 February 2012
Round 3 – Sunday 4 March 2012 (Series Prize Giving)

Pre-registration
Pre-registration will open at least one week in advance of each round. Laptop timing will be provided for the senior race. All riders are encouraged to pre-register to greatly help with the administration on the day.

For the senior riders the incentive to pre-register will be a £5 discount on the race entry free.

Sign on (on the day)
Sign on will open on the day at 10:00. Sign on closes 15 minutes before the start of each race.

Race times
Under 8s – 11:00
Under 10s – 11:15
Under 12s – 11:45
Under 14s – 11:45
Under 16s – 13:00
Senior Fun Race (16+) – 13:00

Race fees
Under 8s, Under 10s, Under 12s – £2
Under 14s, Under 16s – £5
Over 16s – £15 on the day, £10 if pre-registered

For more details go to www.ulsterxc.com