Mt Hilary was and probably still is the home to one of the longest downhill tracks in the country and was built a good few years back by the 021 Racing team. It has hosted the downhill National Championship and a handful of NPS rounds and helped raise the standard of downhill tracks when downhill was starting to really take off in this country. The track itself is split into three sections, each divided by a crossing of the firewood.
The top section is on a fairly gradual gradient with a host of berms and small jumps and a nice scattering of roots and it finishes with a jump onto a steep cliff face, all of which is very rollable. Even though the gradient isn't that steep, it is very easy to maintain speed with very little need for pedaling which is a credit to the route picked down through this section.
Once you cross the fireroad you drop down into the second section which is steeper and a bit more twisty which reduces the speed but you need to be on your toes to avoid being flung onto the many stumps that litter the track. The section finishes with another steep drop which is a variation to the track used back in the day. I don't think this works that well at the moment but thats another story.
A quick burst down the firewood and you slingshot into the third section where the men are separated from the boys. This section has been a bone of contention between trail builders and the forestry commission alike due to the steep gradient and sandy soil type which leads to major drainage issues. The track traditionally took a very straight line down the mountain which is never ideal as the rain water will travel the same route and lead to massive gullies when you have surface that is easily destroyed by running water. Anyway, the section includes the famous open section which is rock minefield covered in sand. Anytime you rode down this section you could expect to be forced to take a different line to the previous visit due to the erosion and gullies….but it was amazing fun….flat out lunacy on some of the roughest terrain found at any race track in the country. From there the track got much steeper and technical with some massive berms saving riders from break neck speeds and burning up your already raw arm muscles from the heavy braking. It was the only track that i can remember racers complaining about arm pump in every uplift back to the top for another run down the amazing track.
I have not been back to the track for many years as other venues like Clashnacrona and Cahir have become the staple diet of downhillers in Munster. Myself and Alfred went back there today for a blast from the past downhill session with Alfred borrowing my 2-Stage Elite 9 and I brought my Morewood Mbuzi. The awkward fucker had to change the brakes around on my bike and being a 10 stone lighter readjusted the air pressure in the forks and the rear shocks. Its a serious hike to the top but spirits were high reminiscing on the fun we used to have booting down the Mt Hilary track.
We finally got to the top and the view was spectacular with the beaming sunshine and low lying fog below us. We hit the first 2 sections in one go, fairly gingerly as we sussed out all the old lines. It proved to be a trouble shooting run with me having to lower the saddle more, turn off pro pedal (muppet) and Alfred having to re tighten one of the swing arm pivots. Second run was way more fun and i followed Alfred this time, staying on pretty much the same line until he dropped me near the end of the second section. The third run was superb as we picked up the pace and started having more fun flicking the bikes around and hopping off and over stumps and roots, big beaming smiles at the bottom.
For the fourth run we decided to try a full run including the unknown third section. I planted myself early in the first section on a small awkward jump which brought me back down to earth. The third section was a disaster, we came in way too fast into it and was greeted by a maze of nasty roots and ruts. The open section was a mass of gorse and gullies and pretty much unrideable. We got to the steep chute and the gorse disappeared so we took off again, out of control, and i hit a nice sized pothole flinging me over the bars again. I didn't see Alfred again till the bottom where we exchanged stories of near death experiences and agreed not to try it again.
Another hike right back to the top which totally knackered us so we decided that one more go at the top two sections would be enough for the day. I crashed again on that stupid fuckin jump but not as bad as the first time and bate on down trying to catch the Latvian who was now flying as he got used to my bike. We got back back to the car totally wrecked but not as bad as my dog Jack who was as bate out as i have seen him in a long long time.
Welcome back Hilary.
Stan
