The 2014 Nire Valley Drop - NVD
Well done if you took part, if not hope to see you next year.
As a summary of the 2014 Nire Valley Drop, NVD, we are putting up what others wrote about us or videos they took of the event. The first video is our promo video, Enjoy.
Ger Jackson, from Dublin, wrote on Facebook:-
"A couple of weeks ago I went into the Giant Bike Store Dublin to buy a cassette and chain and left with a demo 2015 carbon fibre Giant XTC (fantastic service where else would you get it !). So the last two weeks have been spent getting in as many spins as possible to really try out the bike in as many different conditions as possible. ….. so on Sunday I headed to Ballymacarbry in Waterford for the Nire Drop. Technically it’s a sportive and not a race but if there are two people it’s always a race! I think we could do with more events like this on the calendar, 260+ people and I knew maybe ten, and half of them were local savage roadies I only knew by sight.
11AM start and away we went, it was very civilised and very social with a bit of banter, a couple of kilometres in we went off tarmac onto fire road, it looked like everyone was waiting for someone to do something so I said feck it and overtook Chris from epic and shot off the front shouting back c’mon Chris c’mon - and then it was a race! The fire-road pointed downhill and the poor marshal on a quad in front was suddenly under pressure to stay in front. Another few kilometres and four riders had gone ahead of me and I was chatting to a man from Deenside wheelers who also left me behind.
I made my way round at a good steady pace and enjoyed testing the bike on the "drops"(every descent had a sign with its name like, coffin drop, Nire drop etc. Around halfway I passed Johnny Mason fixing a puncture and about 10k later on a climb I was surprised to see Stephen Murray up ahead, I was even more surprised when I left him behind. Another few drops before a choose your own line descent across two fields which led to a couple of river crossing and new single track and a bridge , we finished off with around the edge of the football field with a herd of cows spectating!
I crossed the finish line to a round of applause from a bunch of children who were spectating. I was fourth back and Chris Campbell was first, it’s about 25 years since I was last beaten by a school teacher! I have to say we were very well fed and watered afterwards, there was a fantastic spread laid on, i had to abandon my brave attempt to finish a tray of fairy cakes they were just too rich. Hot showers also sure what more could you ask for. The bike was great too, well able for the climbs, great descending it’s very easy to throw around and manoeuvre and very eager to take off at any opportunity, I think this is the weapon of choice for 2015.
Big thanks to my sponsors The Giant Store & MSL."
More video from the day covering the first 5km.
Barry Meehan in his blog, The Cycling Blog, gives you a feeling about the community involved in organising this great event:-
"Ireland is full of small village communities. Very often a group of neighbours in a rural village can come together to create something unseen in larger towns and cities. Being in such close contact with your limited amount of neighbours can create bonds that make the impossible seem possible. Ballymacarbry in County Waterford is a small village. A place that, until the building of a modern community centre you could easily drive through and hardly notice. But, out there in the shadow of the Comeragh Mountains, at the foot of the Nire Valley lies a community that knows no bounds.
From the Nire Valley hiking festival to the very successful Comeragh Tour, ‘Ballymac’ welcomes it’s visitors with open arms and puts on events that much larger towns could only hope to emulate. The secret is the participation and the volunteering mind-set of the entire community. Everyone steps up to marshal a junction, make sandwiches, drive the lead car, or quad, or do whatever else is asked of them. Ballymac is an example to all.
On Sunday( Oct 26th) the Ballymac Community are once again hosting The Nire Valley Drop. A unique event the likes of which is unique on these shores. A sportive for mountain bikers. With a choice of either 25k or 45k routes, I can say from experience that it is a fantastic day out on a bike. The course provides plenty of manageable challenges and brings you into some of the most untouched, scenic parts of Ireland.
Local man Paudie Halpin is raising funds for the Haven charity to help people in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti. Not alone does Paudi raise money for the charity but he walks the walk too by going out to Haiti each year putting his carpentry skills to good use by helping to build homes for the homeless. That is where your entry fee is going on Sunday, along with also helping the local children improve their football field."
Another great video from the day.
If you want to be added to our mailing list for next years event just send us an email to thenirevalley@gmail.com.
