Matthew wins first round of Spring League

Vitus sponsored rider Matthew Adair started his mountain biking race season with a win over the weekend at the first round of XMTB’s Spring League. Here’s Matthew’s report of the race:

Vitus sponsored rider Matthew Adair started his mountain biking race season with a win over the weekend at the first round of XMTB’s Spring League. Here’s Matthew’s report of the race:

“So, it was my first mountain bike race of the season today, and I was feeling confident. The morning of the race was good and it was looking like a dry day until the rain started on the way up to Belfast, which turned the course slippy and very muddy in places.”

“The race started well and I got into the lead going into the first technical section while all carnage unfolded behind. With a field of 60 riders, places were hard fought for, and by the end of the first lap of the eight-lap race I had a lead of about 30 seconds over top veteran Robbie Lamont.”

“Throughout the next few laps the lead began to grow and at the end of the fifth lap I had a lead of about a minute and a half.”

“In the following laps I had a funny felling in my foot, and after a quick feel I knew the sole was starting to come off my shoe! I pushed hard anyway and by the end of the race I had a gap of two minutes over Robert Lamont, who finished in second place.”

“All in all a good start to the season and an enjoyable race to start with.”

Annaclone GP road race report

In a departure from his familiar mountain bike racing, Matthew Adair rode in the Annaclone GP road race over the weekend, so read on for his report from the day…

“Today I took part in the Annaclone GP road race, five laps of the very hard, hilly Annaclone circuit. I’m not a big fan of road races but I decided to do it anyway as it was a local race.”

“From the start the pace of the race was high and at the foot of the main climb the first attack went, which also turned out to be the winning move. I got into this move and a group of myself and two others went clear and quickly established a lead.”

“In the next few miles the group was slimmed down to two riders; me and the eventual winner of the race Sam Craig (Curran Racing). For the next few laps we worked well together extending our lead to over four minutes over the chasing group, but three-and-a-half laps into the race I was suffering, and on the next rolling section of the course I lost contact with Craig.”

“As I pushed hard to try and catch up I did what every endurance athlete dreads, I hit the wall.”

“So I suffered on, and by the time I got round to the start/finish area again I still hadn’t been caught by the other riders chasing (a measure of how big a gap we had opened).”

“I went on round to finish the last lap knowing I would be caught soon, and I could have just packed it in on the fourth lap but I’m not one to not finish races.”

“So overall a bad race but I’m pleased with the gap we managed to open, but still a little disappointed.”