Inaugural Adaptive MTB Race Results
Sunday April 27th saw the first ever Irish Adaptive Mountain Bike Race take place in Kinnitty, Co. Offaly.
As part of the Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike festival and Biking Blitz organised by Biking.ie and Coillte, five wheelchair users had the opportunity to take to the trails.
The event was divided into two categories, with bike battery size of 1200w and 1000w being the dividing factor. The race took on an enduro format, with riders tackling five stages.
Adaptive mountain bike designer and Kinnitty native Noel Joyce took the win in the 1200w category ahead of Liam Casey.
The 1000w category was won by Declan Slevin, ahead of Rory Motherway in second and Ray Murnane in third.
Racing came on the second day of the festival, with day one featuring a come-and-try event, where wheelchair users were offered the opportunity to try out the adaptive mountain bikes.
This event comes off the back of a joint enterprise between Sunday’s winner Noel Joyce, and Cycling Ireland, which saw five of Noel’s designed bikes built in the second half of 2024. These bikes will be left at trail centres around the country for wheelchair users to access, and will hopefully lead to more racing in the future.
Read more about the project from last year here.
Noel Joyce from Project Mjolnir said: "To reach the milestone of hosting the first ever adaptive mountain bike race in Ireland has been nothing short of incredible. There's been a huge amount of people involved in the development of the bike in the 1st place, students and staff from NYU in different parts of the world, people who have rolled in and given us support on bike builds like Buckley cycles and Specialized in Dublin there's so many people who have been involved in the process of getting to this point where we have established the sport of adaptive mountain biking in Ireland. These people have helped us to breakdown what is arguably the big biggest barrier to entry into the sport which is access to the technology through our open source project at NYU to the support from bike shops and other people like Brian Stephens putting in funding for a bike at Glencullen Adventure Park we've been able to break this barrier down and with the help of Cycling Ireland able to build a whole fleet of these bikes that allow people with disabilities to get out onto the trails and enabled us to have Irelands first ever Adaptive MTB race.
I think the other part of it that has been critical has been the support we've received from Niall Davis and the team at biking.ie who run the biking blitz series. My first race in adaptive mountain biking was at the biking blitz in 2021 I think and to think that in the short amount of time between that time and now that we've established a race category is nothing short of a miracle. I thought it would take much, much longer!
What's next? To create a race series, to create more bikes to do more to allow more people with disabilities to get onto the trails. And who knows maybe even establish the National Adaptive MTB centre and build a generation of riders for a Paralympic sport that doesn’t exist yet. I'm sure with the support of Cycling Ireland, Biking.ie, Coillte and all the other people that have been supporting the project over the last few years we're going to achieve incredible things. We have a chance now to get in at the ground level of a growing sport and be the leaders in its development!"
One of the participants on the day, Ray Murnane also had his say: "It literally is all down-hill from here if you are a para-mountain biker, Sunday the 27th of April was the inaugural Adaptive MTB race held in Kinnity Castle Co. Offaly in association with Coillte Biking Blitz and Cycling Ireland. The two day event comprised of a come and try day for new riders on the Saturday. Then on the Sunday the serious business of racing on the four circuits surrounding the grounds four times with the best combined time winner takes all.
The classes were broken in to two categories’ the 1000watt MTB with Declan Selvin West Meath and National road racing champion and a strong contingent from Cork Rory Motherway and renowned crasher Ray Murnane. In the insane 1200 watt class compromising of the equally insane Liam Casey of Clare and Local nut case Noel Joyce also the engineer and designer of the mountain bikes and co-creator of the mountain bike racing.
In the four circuits both Noel Joyce and Liam Casey in the 1200 watt class were trading seconds on every segment never leaving each other’s sight throughout making for great racing with Noel pipping it on the final circuit. Initially it was the same in the 1000 watt class for the first two circuits with no less than 20 seconds separating the three riders. However Ray Murnane never to be undone when it comes to style, over cooked the seventh corner on mint crisp yes that’s the name of the circuit, and rolled the bike three times putting him out of contention. Leaving Declan Slevin with the win and a really solid performance by Rory Motherway to come second with bruised and battered Ray Murnane coming third.
A special thanks has to be given for the local MTB club for all there assistance with the para riders and also Paul Norton of Cycling and Cycling Ireland in initially backing this project with Noel Joyce and for understanding the community value of it for people with disabilities. Roll on the next one! Its all down hill from here. "
Rider Declan Slevin said: "What a day. When I was first asked to give mountain biking a go I was very apprehensive. But when i got on the bike and up in the mountains and in the trees the first time in twenty years since my accident the feeling was unreal. Coming down the trails of the Slieve Bloom mountains was exhilarating and thanks to Noel and Paul and all the lads for a great day out and can't wait for the next one"
Liam Casey added: "Fantastic event.. very well organised.. an absolute brilliant day of fun and craic on these amazing bikes."
A special thanks to Noel of Project Mjolnir, Biking.ie, and Coillte for making this event possible.