Gortin Glen

Date: Sunday 30 June  2013
Event: Ulster XC Championships
Venue: Gortin Glen
Host club: Caldwell Cycles

Caldwell Cycles is proud to host the 2013 Ulster MTB XC Championships at Gortin Glen Forest Park, near Omagh County Tyrone.  This is the first open cross country run by the club but course designer Paul McMenamin has had many years in building and constructing race courses.  Many thanks to the Northern Ireland Forestry Service for granting permission to use this site.

Course Description: Car Parking will be at the Ulster History Park which has ample tarmac surface.  Sign on will be inside the nearby cottage which will also have the finish line and race timing located outside.  The start of the races will be on a closed tarmac road.  Riders will start with a start loop in which they speed off up the road and the drop in left into a section of forest which heads them back towards the parking area.  Along this section there is an established wooden bridge which will lead onto a river crossing over a purpose built bridge for the race.  The course then winds up past the finish line, crosses the tarmac road and enters the forestry land on the far side.  Here they make their way up the winding climb which will get the hearts pumping.  There is little rest on this section as it periodically climbs up to the fireroad at the top.  A short section of open fireroad descent before dropping into the trees again for more twisting sections through the trees.  The course finally makes its way down past the caravan park and back to the tarmac road to drop into the start loop section and then back to the finish line.  Much of the trail will just be opened for this race but there will be sections that have been established in the forest over 15 years ago.  Pre-riding the course will not be allowed until the day of the race.

Directions: Gortin Glen
From Omagh you drive up the B48 Gortin Road and then onto the Glenpark Road. The Ulster History Park will be on your left
From Cookstown take the A505 Drum Road heading for Omagh, turn right at Creggan onto the B46 Crockanboy Road towards Gortin.  In Gortin head down the Glenpark Road.  The History Park will be on your right near the main entrance to Gortin Glen Forest

Click here to view in google maps
Co-ordinates: N54.682962, W 7.254431

Race categories: See table below
d

Race Timetable:
09:30 – sign on opens (see note 2 below)
10:45 – Under 6 / parent assisted / fun
11:00 – Under 8s race
11:15 – Under 10s race
11:30 – Under 12s race
12:00 – Under 16s, Under 14s, non-championship races for Senior 4 males and Senior 3 females
13:30 – Prize giving (1)
14:00 – Elite male, Elite female, Veterans, Masters, Junior male, Junior female, Espoirs, Experts (non-championship race)
16:00 – Prize giving (2)

Race Fees:
Adults: £15 (€15) *
Juniors: £10 (€10)
Under 14s & Under 16s: £5 (€5)
Under 8s, 10s & 12s: £2 (€2)

NOTE 1: ALL SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP RACE CATEGORIES WILL BE PRE-REGISTER ONLY.  NO EXCEPTIONS ON THE DAY.

NOTE 2: SIGN ON FOR ALL RACES CLOSES ON THE DAY 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE START OF EACH RACE.

Race timing: Laptop

Prizes:
Under 6s / parent support / fun race – top 3 medals
Under 8s – Top 3 males, top 3 females – medals 
Under 10s – Top 3 males, top 3 females – medals 
Under 12s – Top 3 males, top 3 females – medals
Under 14s – Top 3 males, top 3 females – medals
Under 16s – Top 3 males, top 3 females – medals
Juniors – Top 3 males, top 3 females – medals

Ulster Championship medals
Championship medals will be awarded for the following races:
Elite men, Elite women, Espoirs, Junior men, Junior women, Veterans and Masters
Ulster medals will only be awarded to riders who satisfy the following criteria
(a) belong to a club based in Ulster, or
(b) are unattached but currently resident in Ulster

Criteria for winning championship medals
Championship medals will be awarded irrespective of the number of entrants in each category.

Race licences & one-day licences
To race in the championship categories (Elite men, Elite women, Espoirs, Junior men, Junior women, Veterans and Masters) riders must have a Restricted competition licence or a Full competition licence.  Riders cannot take part in the championship category races using a (£17/€20) day licence.  Riders wishing to compete in the championship categories who have a “club competition” licence can ‘upgrade’ their licence on the day (£9/€10).

Gridding: Gridding for the juniors, youth, senior 4 and senior 3 women will be based on the 2013 Ulster league tables. Gridding will only be used for riders who pre-register.

Pre-entry: From 22 June 2013 – 28 June 2013.  Pre-registration does not require pre-payment.

Riders entering the senior championships categories ( Elite men, Elite women, Espoirs, Veterans and Masters ) MUST pre-register. No entries will be taken on the day for these categories.

Full day licences and upgrade licences (from non-competition and club competition) are available for non-championship categories.

To see who has entered so far click here

Catering: Food will be laid on after all the races in the cottage

Facilities: Gortin Glen
Car parking: Ample at the Ulster History Park
Toilets: Females inside the cottage, males – portable toilets
Showers: No
Bike wash: No
Café: No
Gazebos: By arrangement

Host club website: Caldwell Cycles
Race organiser: Dermot McKeogh (email)
Contact number: 07517 389808