Excited that the 2025 Irish National Downhill Mountain Bike Championships will take place in my backyard in Ballyhoura, County Limerick, for the very first time! Get a sneak peek of the track from top to bottom, as I ride it with Max.
Shoutout to Ballyhoura Trailriders, LMBC and all the local legends who’ve helped make this happen.
Cheers for watching 🤙🏽
You can also follow my journey here:
https://www.instagram.com/oisinocallaghandh/
@oisinoc3
https://www.facebook.com/oisinocallaghanmtb/
Right, we’re here for the course preview of Balihau National Champs Track 2025. And we’re doing the course preview with Max. Ready to rip. Right, let’s go. There’s going to be a start ramp built here, so straight up to speed, so you won’t have to pedal quite as much as I am now. Double into these roots, which is I tell you, they’re slippy. So down here, there’s a line to the left, which got like kind of a a bit of a gully gap right there. I just rode the beine. You can see there gap if you want to be techy. So the top section is like pretty similar to Leo Gang to be honest. Lots of pumping, carrying speed around corners, little rhythm, double the roots into this fresh bit. Obviously the grass will be cut that should cut up really nice for the race just to add in that natural bit of fresh tech. um into more roots. As you hear, I could almost feel my rims ding through them. So, it’s all about being precise through the the roots. Another little inside line that’s going to be open for the race. Little tabletop into this another new section double. So, this is pretty fast. Hopefully, the race is going to be dry. So, kind of an off camera drop there into this big soft corner. Another drop into this fresh jump, which is We’ve got really into some high speed stuff now. Probably have to scrub these really hard to try and squash them. I would probably say that’s the the highest speed bit of track in an Irish downhill that there is. So, we’re kind of motorway section of Leo Gang pumping, carrying speed, which is going to gas everyone out before coming into the bottom woods. So, this bit we’re going to go straight. Just needs a little bit of work. And we go down into these fast corners on the fire road and across this section of track into the bottom woods which is super fast and flowy. Obviously we have some nice little bits or variations that we’re going to do for the race. You’ll just have to wait and see how it’s going to be taped. which are which is definitely going to make people think. I’m actually out of breath. Like uh I’m surprised considering it’s only a an Irish track. I thought this was going to be easier than what it was. But we have to pedal out that corner to get that last jump. And obviously here are going to be gas pedaling to the line techy corner and across the line. This is where the finish line is going to be of the national champs track 2025 in Balihara. So hopefully see everyone here for the the first ever downhill race in Balihara. And hopefully the weather’s going to be nice. Cheers.
11 Comments
Sick man looking forward to it great to have a race down south
Perfect Irish BBQ weather, I see.
Channeling your inner golden boy, I see!
But fr trying to do something like this and talk is hard. People used to love trying to chat to me whilst I was cantering on my horse, and I'm there like 'bro I'm a bit busy atm, can we chat in a minute?" whilst sounding like an asthmatic penguin. Took a few months before I could finally casually chat without sounding like a strangulated goose 😂
Yeah mush!!! Get it boy!! Get it!!
looking forward to the next practice, quali and race run POV
If you see him!!!! Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh Muuuuuuussssshhhhhh!!!!!
Just for those who may not know …tracks in Ireland are generally 1min 20 sec to 1 min 40 for WC elites .
So we picked this track as it adds on a minute for the juniors who aspire to race world cups
We also picked features so from the very start it will include discipline and lots of stress if you get anything wrong .There is alot for riders learn a lot over track walk with so many stumps and back ends of the roots and precise table top backsides .
We also included some 3 to 5 sec power efforts to get heart rate up but also the bottom will be extremely fast when you open up the throttle come race day .There will be lots of taping creating options which are not visible with the pov .
So to summarise this track will be very different ….
Niiice
looks fun!
That looks fast
Hey oisin my dad tried reaching out to u and you didn't respond. I have your old yellow commencal DH bike it has back coil and kashima on It. I just thought I will bring this to ur attention if u want it back cheers