It was a warm summer evening, yes the kind we haven’t had since the great Sun, the type of dry night that never seems to occur during a 24hr 36hr or soon to be a 96hr Race. It was a pre-planned training night. Tonights agenda was testing lights over technical terrain and originally a bit of night Nav a le Finbar but it wasn’t to be. Finbar had been summoned home to translate some Scottish rants from the weekend before on his mothers mobile. So while he was gounded he took the opportunity to rest a wounded knee.

Another strange site arrived at my house , a KTM SCORE strapped on to a Micra, another 1^st for adventure racing. Karen had swapped her mother 2 bottles of freckle blocking sun cream for a lone of the Micra. Karen had payed the price of ignoring her own Cars crys over the previous weeks and now like all flogged horses, it had gone to the Knackers yard of no return. This didnt prevent her from purchasing a super rod of steel ….on which she spent the night gliding up and down the hills !!

So enough of the world cup we were off to Seans, as we approached the Summit of Murray, you could see the Sun start to set out across the lake. What a scene Sean has created up there upon the lakes for his friends to get lost in. The scenery was spectacular and after stories of eating blue cheese and how Brian Keogh got him lost on Monabane, we set off into the evening in the direction of lacken, yes in the direction of the hill of Death, its much more apetising on a mountain bike.

As we climbed i had to shake out a cramp, bizarre given that Sean dint stomp off at his usual pace, was missing his stomping partner in crime. It was a lovely cycle up and we horseshoed up the bottom of Sorell taking in our first technical cimb. Is worth mentioning that Sean was post a night on the beer and I still was catching up on sleep having flown in from Chicago the day before. This didn’t interfere too much as it really was a superb night. Over on to Blackhilll was our first real challange, Sean blasted up it while Karen and I went in persuit, we tore into it shouting at the rocks  as we climbed over the moon rock like bolders. It was a great climb and you could see our biking is improving as we got further and further up towards the top. The stop at the top provided a fantastic view and the good news was that we were going o blast our way back down in the twilight. It was a class spin, as we avoided the rocks that were been thrown up from the walloping that duggan was giving them. I Don’t know how the railers survived but we were down in seconds grinning at the rock grinding that had been achieved on the descent.. . .definety an improvement.

Next was sorel hill, over as the night grew darker, lights were on at 11 as we came down along the same course we did in the TEAR. It was a lot less manageable in the Dark, but we worked our way down off Carrig and onto the main road, i had no idea it was the main road that we sped down onto, from there . I think its safe to say that Karens light was working well, it light up the whole road as we zoomed like hooded terrorists along the road.  We were in and out of blessington and my brain got kind of lost as we sped out past Tulfarris in the direction of Hollywood, we were at full belt until we climbed up around holiwood, Karen taught we had got away from the hills but Sean always knows where to find them. It wasn’t long before we were on another 20 minute hike u some hil. Sean will need to need to verify but I think it was up around kiernan’s hill . .

We completed a circuit around Hollywood. We had a good laugh . The guys had been round here before, but I am not sure that conversations of shaving ones nuts and loud bouts of decompressing were experienced on that occasion. The temperature was great I had a HH top on for the night, that was it. Well shorts also pervs !! Sean took us along some interesting trails some of which i was glad it was dark, as I am not sure I would have been as brave in the bright …  Anyway one of the highlights around this trip was zooming in the dark down a trail that Karen had to get off and walk down last year in the bright. Now she was gliding down it in the dark – Improvement !! Still shame about the car . . . somethings just can’t improve.

Then it was back on the road 1:45, along Kevin’s way in the direction of Wicklow GAP. The week was catchin up  Tiredness for me was starting to creep in and I needed to stop around 2:00am to put on a layer. I didn’t really get going after that and I was pretty happy to see the sign for Ballyknockan as we headed for home. I reckon the guys could have done another few hours, but I was done decompressing and the hike a  to bike up to Seans at 2:30am across the Roar course was welcomed. Fair play to Sean who had risen midday from a nast hangover, at 2:45 he was sill the excellent host providing  Tea,  Toast and Jam… all good!! A great nights training, more please !!! Reckon we have the Light thing sorted and glad that we are improving !!!!!