On Sunday last the Nire Valley Drop took place in Ballmacarbry co Waterford. It has become one of if not the best MTB sportives in the country. This is the fourth year in which this event has been run and keeps growing in numbers year on year.
Myself and Noel looking very clean at the start
After a quick safety briefing we set off shortly after 11am. The first few kms were on the the road as we headed for the hills. We took off in pursuit of the group at the front but realized fairly quick we weren’t catching them. There was a few big hitters like Sean Kelly in the group. We settled into to a nice pace and soon enough we were climbing away through the forest. The first bit of single track was like a mud bath, people having to get off there bikes and pull them from the mud. After a while the rain started to come down heavy and made the course more challenging. It didn’t dampen the spirits by any means though as we were having too much fun on the trails. The Marchalls were doing a great job cheering us on all day long. By the end of the day coming near the end the bodies were wrecked. Your brain was telling your legs what to do but there was just nothing there, sign of a good days training. We arrived back at the community centre covered in muck head to toe. We threw the bikes into the back of the jeep and went inside looking for the soup everyone had been going on about And by god it was divine. I will definitely be back next year to give it another lash.
Aubrey in good company at the food stop
