Team WORC is staging the fourth round of this year’s Irish National Points Series MTB XC series in Ballinastoe Woods, near Roundwood, County Wicklow this Sunday, June 18 - the event will be based at the Luggala entrance to the forest on the Sally Gap Road.
In past years this event has been promoted as the Pog Chase, a very long, single lap, mass start race that had proved very popular as a 'change to the norm'. This time around, however, the event has UCI E2 status and as a result has to conform to the more usual multi-lap format with separate start times for the various classes.
The elite men’s race will feature another encounter between perennial favourite Robin Seymour of the promoting club and young pretender, Niall Davis, racing for IMBRC. Both competitors have been competing abroad in recent weeks and have scored some impressive results.
Seymour has secured a sponsorship deal this year with the UK-based Endura Voodoo Singletrack Team that means he'll ride the British National Points Series plus the Trek Marathon series, events that are held on consecutive days of the same weekend. Two weeks ago at Margam Park in South Wales, a fifth place in Saturday’s cross country was followed by an excellent second in the marathon event the next day. The women’s elite race is perhaps more open, depending on who makes the start. Tarja Owens (Team WORC), Jenny McCauley (Bray Wheelers) and Beth McCluskey are all capable of winning on their day.
Sign-on starts at 10am, with underage and sports classes starting at 12pm. All other classes begin at 1:30pm.
