Ben McKenna

Having pre-rode the course earlier in the week I had a fair idea of what to expect. I knew the race was going to be selective with small groups coming to the finish. It was extra important to be aggressive from the outset to avoid getting stuck in a negative group.



I'm starting to make a good habit of picking the right move. I don't know how this change has come about but it's certainly something I have tried to work on. No one magic bullet has brought about the change. The main thing I am focusing on is being more observant in races. It's amazing how many lads just drift through a race without being fully aware of what's going on in front or behind them. Hopefully I can continue this nice habit as the season progresses.



The race sprang to life for me after a large enough group of the scratch riders caught the A2 bunch. I managed to jump clear of the A2 bunch with Paídi O’Brien (Sportactive) and Mark Dowling (Team Dectek). After some serious work on the hardest part of the course we were joined by Martin Irvine (Giant Asia). The four of us worked fairly well together and made contact with the early breakaway with around 70km of racing still to go.

I remember when I started cycling I bought a magazine with Paídi O’Brien on the cover - it's amazing to be in selective groups with a man of his pedigree.

We had a big advantage back to the next group on the road so the pace wasn't flat out. On the way down the main road just before we began the last lap the breakaway split. I am not entirely sure what caused the split - it didn't seem like anyone attacked but I know I was on the wrong side of the split. Once the front half realised what had happened they drove hard to increase the gap. Game over!




I was now apart of the second group on the road. We never regained contact with the leaders, probably as a result of our half hearted, disjointed chase. We sprinted it out for 6th place in the race. I lead the uphill sprint from the front early but two hundred meters was too early to open up into a headwind. I placed 8th.

It's a good result on a tough course with another top class field. Maybe it's a measure of how I am progressing, i'm not sure, but I was fairly disappointed at the finish to have not been apart of the group contesting the race win.

For the power geeks, I had an average of 284 watts for around four hours of racing.

1, Sean Downey (Cotes Demour)
2, Adam Armstrong (Eurocycles)
3, Paídi O’Brien (SportActive)
4, Greg Swinand (Usher IRC)
5, Martyn Irvine (Giant Kenda)
6, Mark Downing (Dectek)
7, Thomas Lavery (Comeragh)
8, Anthony Walsh (UCD)


photos from Irishcycling.com

Jazzer Wherity Memorial

Friday evening saw the return of the Balbriggan town center criterium. The course was just over two kilometers per lap with forty five minutes plus five laps set for the evenings agenda. The event was superbly run from start to finish and in return the gathered crowd were treated to some great racing.

The pace was fast from the off as the contenders attempted to maintain position near the front of the bunch. The course proved to be very technical with fast sections and hard cornering. Mid way through the fifth lap I had a mechanical issue - my rear tubular tyre rolled off and I nearly ended up going for a swim in the harbor. As per crit rules I took a lap out to sort the issue and rejoined what I thought was my group on the road. The problem was at the time I had the mechanical the front group of the race was changing a lot with riders bridging and being dropped. The commissaire made a call - he felt I was in the second group on the road, so after some misguided adrenaline fueled protests I returned to the second group on the road.



The second group on the road weren't working very well together and were struggling to make any inroads into the advantage of the leading four riders. With about twelve laps remaining I attacked and tried to close the gap which was under the minute mark. Despite a chase,which hurt like you wouldn't believe, I never made contact with the leading four riders. The race turned into some nice time trial practice and I rolled across the line in 5th position.




This was the most enjoyable race of the season so far. A great circuit coupled with a superb atmosphere made this the race which other organisers must strive towards.


1, Paídi O’Brien (Sportactive)
2, Daniel Clifford (Sporactive)
3, Mark Dowling (Team Dectek)
4, Stephen O’Sullivan (Team Dectek)
5, Anthony Walsh (UCD)







Pictures from Irishcycling.com

Track in Canada

It seems with the economic boom a distance memory in the Irish psyche and the recession touching everyone in a unique way the opportunity to build an indoor velodrome in Ireland has passed. The selection of London for the 2012 Olympic games brought an optimism in the Irish cycling community. The project made economic and political sense in the run up to the games. It seems that Irish athletes now face an unfortunate dichotomy; travel abroad in search of appropriate facilities or endure sub-standard facilities at home.

The Irish track commission have made the best of a bad situation and used limited funds available to great effect in re-surfacing the track in Sundrive Park, Crumlin. Unfortunately a minority of local youths seem intent on destruction, vandalism and theft. A series of regretable incidents has culminated in serious damage to the racing surface caused by a deliberate fire a couple of months ago.

I have been lucky enough over the past couple of months to be based near a velodrome in London, Ontario. The track is a lot more compact than traditional two hundred and fifty meter Olympic tracks, measuring a mere one hundred and twenty five meters. The angle of the banking on the track is also more severe than I have become accustomed too.

The compressed nature of the track serves to exaggerate and magnify any mistakes made on the track. A poor change in a team pursuit drill sees one trail meters behind team mates, while holding the black line for a pursuit is almost impossible with g-forces forcing one onto the red line at every corner.

Most of the work I have been doing on the track is skills based with intensity far from one hundred percent - this suits me fine considering it is still November and many months away from my first A-priority race of the season.

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The Edge

The beginning of the off-season draws a line under the previous years racing and gives everyone an opportunity to start from fresh. Poor winter preparation is the excuse I hear most frequently advanced for sub optimal 'in season' performance.

A solid winter is the basis upon which success can be built upon as the summer approaches. For most Irish based cyclists' their top priority race will be the eight day An Post Ras, starting at the end of May.

Base training has been described to me using the analogy of a pyramid. The wider one builds the base of the structure, ie the amount of base miles logged in the legs, the higher the potential peak. A good winter training does not guarantee success later in the season; it merely facilitates it. One must increase the specificity of the sessions as ones top priority race approaches. My template for the coming season will resemble that of last season. The early part of my season will focus on road racing while the latter part will become more track specific.

I recently completed a performance review for last season. One of the areas which I feel I can make big strides in is nutrition. My nutrition last season followed no structured plan. I ate whatever was convenient with little thought to the nutritional quality of the food I was ingesting.

This season I have starting working with the guys from The Edge Fitness (www.theedgeclontarf.com) on a new nutrition plan. The plan has at its core fresh produce. I have started eating large quantities of nutrient dense, alkalising foods. The difference it has made to my strength and overall well-being is immense. By eating wholesome foods I am hunger less often, have less cravings for sugary snacks and have increased energy.

I have realised the stress placed on the body from cycling is significant. The body seems unable to distinguish between mental stress (work concerns etc), physical stress (produced from training) and nutritional stress (produced from eating bad foods). By eating foods that require little or no work to digest I am able to remove nutritional stress from the equation. The absence of nutritional stress has the effect of speeding up my recovery as the blood required to aid recovery in my legs is not diverted to my stomach to help digest a bulky processed meal.

Reduced recovery time invariably means improved quality in the upcoming session. By focusing on small details I am hoping to make big strides for the coming season.

iBlogger

Excuse the condensed nature of this post. This is my first update from a new app I have found called iBlogger.

Training was been going well here in Toronto. The conditions at the moment are pretty much ideal for cycling; it's dry almost every day but I do have to endure single digit temperatures most days.

The key is dressing for the weather and the absence of rain makes that job a lot easier. I have had to invest in a pair of lobster style gloves and some heavy wind proof over-shoes but everything else is the same as I was wearing back home.

Multiple but breathable layers are the key for staying warm and dry in this weather.

I will try get a blog post up about how I am adapting to track racing soon.

Annual Awards

Last week I was lucky enough to be voted UCD rider of the year. The award was made all the more ponient by the fact that the honour was voted on by my peers.

Ciaran O' Conluain picked up the special achievement award for an outstanding season consisting of in excess of fifty races including eight grueling Ras stages.

The season has finished up for most of the UCD riders and reflection can begin. Most riders will take a short break in an attempt to mentally and physically recuperate from a draining season while others will throw themselves into track or cyclocross for the off-season. Regardless of ones preparation, all will endeavor to be in decent physical shape for a domestic training camp in December and a foreign one in January.

The talk at the UCD awards night was of tales from this years Ras and the swell of opinion seemes to be that a second consecutive Ras could be a possibility.

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Lenister Track Championships

The Lenister Track Championships took place last Saturday at the outdoor track in Sundrive, Crumlin. The problem with having the racing surface exposed to the elements is, on occasion, weather necessitates that racing must be postponed or even cancelled.

The forecast for the day was for a scattering of showers but as the day unfolded it was clear racing could proceed - largely uninterrupted. I was planning on riding just the Scratch Race as the other event offered to the Senior men was a sprint event, to which I am not well suited. It turned out that the five hundred meter time trial was scheduled to take place before the Scratch race. I decided to race the time trial event as a warm-up for the scratch race.

I rode the five hundred meter time trial with no expectations. I went hard in the race but as soon as it finished I began my warm-up for the scratch race and did not concern myself with the results from the previous race.

The scratch race consisted of twenty two laps of the Sundrive circuit. The race was aggressive from the beginning with attacks going inside the first lap. I did not respond to any of the early attacks and relied on my competitors to close down the moves. On the third lap as one of the early breaks was caught I launched a speculative attack, not sure of the impact it would have -the purpose was to test legs around me. I opened a substantial gap immediately and was soon joined by John Lynch and Derek Cunningham - this was to develop into the race winning move.

Our group of three worked well together, sharing the pace setting and it soon became clear that this move would contest for the Lenister title. After some attacks and counter attacks the decisive move was made by John Lynch, attacking two laps from the finish for a fine solo win. I placed in the silver medal spot beating off Derek Cunningham in a sprint finish.

As I was standing around watching the five hundred meter presentation I heard my name being called. In my rush to get warmed up for the scratch race I had overlooked a bronze medal.

All things considered, it was not a bad day at the track. I would have liked to take a win in the scratch race but the unexpected bronze in the five hundred meter time trial lessened my disappointment.

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Lenister Track Championships

The Lenister Track Championships took place last Saturday at the outdoor track in Sundrive, Crumlin. The problem with having the racing surface exposed to the elements is, on occasion, weather necessitates that racing must be postponed or even cancelled.

The forecast for the day was for a scattering of showers but as the day unfolded it was clear racing could proceed - largely uninterrupted. I was planning on riding just the Scratch Race as the other event offered to the Senior men was a sprint event, to which I am not well suited. It turned out that the five hundred meter time trial was scheduled to take

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Brendan Campbell Memorial

This past Sunday I made the short journey for the Brendan Campbell Memorial. The race was run off over an undulating 80km course on a handicap basis.

I got a chance to ride a lap of the course for a warm-up and it soon became apparent that I was going to be in for a tough day; the layout of the course provided little rest break with rolling hills, technical corners and fast decents.

The race attracted probably the best field of competitors for a one day race since the National Championships; when the quality of the field was combined with hot humid conditions and the difficult terrain, it was going to be a day that would sting the legs for a while.

The race was aggressive from the off in the scratch group with attacks going from the drop of the flag. Early in the first lap I followed the right wheels and found myself in what would become the main break of the day. The group was comprised of, amongst others, David McCann, Neil Delahey, Tim o`Regan, Paul Kennedy and Colm Cassidy.

The group didn`t work especially well together but the pace remained very high. I wasn`t having one of my best days and every lap was torture. The only rest bite came when we caught the A3 and A4 group. I was very thankful of the shelter provided in the larger group but this cease-fire would not last long. The elastic holding the scratch riders to the A3/A4 group soon broke and we were on our way again.

The race was thirteen laps long. In the early part I suffered really bad (as can be seen from the pictures) but as the laps ticked past my legs began to come around. David McCann made his move with 4 laps to go - no one in the break was strong enough to follow his `pro tour`legs and he soloed to a well deserved victory.

The rest of the placing would be decided in the last couple of kilometers. Keith Fox and Neil Delahey may a good move just before the group began to wind up for the sprint and secured 2nd and 3rd place. I finished in 10th position after poor position leading into the sprint effectively meant I never contested it.

I learn a couple a couple of lessons at the weekend. Although I did suffer, almost immeasurably, for over half the race I did come around and the legs were getting better.

Secondly; Sprints are all about position. Next time I am in a situation that requires a sprint I am going to try put myself in a bag to get good position into the sprint and hopefully that will be a more successful strategy.

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Need for Reform

There is a danger that WADA’s utilitarian approach to athletes rights, exemplified by the code, and justified by nebulous concepts such as ‘the spirit of sport’, has resulted in an imbalance between sport and the rights of athletes’. In my view, the current situation needs to change; From the sporting legislators point of view, an alternative to the current system of simply listing banned substances is needed. There has been a move toward a system which looks for general abnormalities in samples and I believe this is where the answer lies. This system will undoubtedly result in innocent athletes being caught up and tried for doping offences, however, the sporting community as a whole needs to move away from the stigma attached to a doping allegation and advocate thorough, impartial judicial proceeding. Athletes should be innocent until proven guilty and incur no ban for mere unfounded suspicion, prior to a hearing.

The current approach advocated by WADA needs reconstruction. I propose an altered version of the current system. The powers currently contained within WADA should be divided among three agencies; they could serve to act as a system of checks and balances. Each agency regulates the behaviour there counter-parts. This would ensure more democratic outcomes. The working relationship would resemble the legislature, executive and judiciary in Ireland, in terms of structure.

Any proposed overhaul must ensure that as sport increases its anti- doping regulatory framework the rights of athletes are protected and vindicated.

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Life time ban?

A system which operates a policy of handing out life time bans leaves little room for flexibility. The problem of doping in cycling has become so widespread that drastic action is needed and justified. With such a system in place there would be causalities, their would be innocents who, through stupidity and ignorance, are caught by the system. The question should be posed: Has the problem reached a level which necessitates such action? Drug cheats, in order to maintain their way of life, look to exploit any legislative shortcomings for their own gain. The system needs to be ‘excessively harsh’ to eradicate not only dopers but also the would-be dopers. The penalties for failure to comply with the rules must be so harsh that cheating becomes incomprehensible. Athletes at such a high level are subjected to so many controls that they are acutely aware of everything they ingest. Anybody who comes into modern sport or who aspires to participate in sport at its highest level must take responsibility. It is more important to protect innocent athletes from competing against dopers than to implement a flexible system to accommodate those lazy individuals who have failed to check the nutritional information on labels of food supplements correctly.

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A Fair Hearing?

The impartiality of the hearing process is governed by Article 8 of the World Anti Doping Code. Article 8 of the World Anti Doping code has potential for conflict with principles of natural justice. The goal of the article is to outline the standards expected and procedural entitlements of athletes accused of doping. The most controversial inclusion within Article 8 is provision number two; ‘fair and impartial hearing body’.

Most democratic nations presently employ a separation of powers. The separation of the executive, judiciary and legislator ensures that too much power is not vested in one organ. It operates as a system of checks and balances, each organ exercising a supervisory role over the other. The World Anti-Doping code fails to adhere to this separation of powers.

Failure to implement a separation of powers does not in itself symbolise corruption, however, if coupled with weak, ineffectual policies it can lead to a perception of corruption. The Irish interpretation of WADA guidelines (Irish Anti Doping Rules) has borne out a situation where an athlete may be tested by Irish Cycling to ascertain whether they have ingested a prohibited substance, the case will be prosecuted in the name of ‘Irish Cycling’ and Irish Cycling will make the determination on the athletes guilt. This situation is not compatible with the principles of natural justice.

Nemo iudex in causa sua has been long recognised as a fundamental principle of natural justice; it translates as ‘no man shall be a judge in his own cause’. This Latin phrase has direct implications for the Irish Sports Council. One of the cornerstones of our justice system is that justice must not just be done but it must also appear to be done. Applying this rationale to doping laws, regardless of whether justice is in fact done, the lack of separation of powers gives an objective perception of bias.

The UCI and WADA should lead the way and set an admirable example for athletes to follow. Currently the opposite is true. Successful anti doping legislation should be based on respect; respect by athletes’ for the rules but also a respect by authorities for the principles of natural justice. Without a system of mutual respect there exists little chance of winning the war against drugs.

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World Anti-Doping Code. Provisional Suspensions

One of the foundations of natural or constitutional justice is that once an allegation affects an individual’s good name he/she is entitled to a complex, if undefined, set of procedural safe guards. An allegation of doping is an accusation which could profoundly affect the good name of the athlete involved. It characterises the individual in question as a dishonest person and compromises their integrity. This instalment will examine the merits of Article 7 of the World Anti Doping Code (Provisional Suspensions).

Article 7.2

‘A signatory may adopt rules, applicable to any event for which the signatory is the ruling body or for any team selection process for which the signatory is responsible, permitting provisional suspensions to be imposed after the review and notification but prior to a final hearing.’

The application of provisional suspensions is one of the primary areas where reform of the Code is needed. The Code empowers governing bodies to suspend athletes’ prior to any formal hearing. This action from governing bodies must be viewed against the backdrop of the severity of being accused of a doping offence. Imposing a period of suspension pending analysis of a ‘B’ sample is inherently wrong. At this stage only tentative evidence of any wrong doing exists. It is my respectful submission that the paramount issue in question relates to judging between two rights; balancing the rights of athletes’ to fair procedure against the right of WADA to advance its core objectives.

WADA, on the one hand, is endeavouring to eradicate drugs from sport, but in this instance, athletes’ rights are being compromised in the pursuit of utopia. WADA has decided that the consequences of allowing a suspected doper to continue competing, pending a formal hearing are too great. They have favoured a pre emptive suspension. In making this decision they have failed to fully appreciate the severity of the consequences that ensue for an athlete accused of doping.

The eradication of drugs from sport, especially cycling, is an uphill battle. The task is one which requires carefully formulated legislation; athletes’ rights are paramount in the battle against dopers. For authorities to compromise athletes’ rights in the pursuit of a clean sport (which is essentially vindicating athletes’ rights) is for them to lose sight of the rationale behind the anti-doping movement.

The introductory memorandum to the Code places heavy emphasis on the ‘spirit of sport’ and seeks to protect it. Surely, at the heart of the spirit of sport are the athletes’ and athletes’ rights, by implication. How can a Code which seeks to advance and preserve the spirit of sport also advance policies which fundamentally undermine the natural justice rights of athletes’? Although WADA is entitled to considerable credit for its work in the fight against doping, in this instance, they have failed to correctly access the merits of Article 7.

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Strict Liability. A flawed System?

This installment will look at the strict liability nature of anti doping within sport.

Article 2 is entitled Anti-Doping rule Violations. The key provisions within Article 2 include Article 2.1.1.

Article 2.1.1 reads: It is each athlete’s personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his or her body. Athletes’ are responsible for any prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers found to be present in their bodily specimen. Accordingly, it is not necessary that intent, fault, negligence or knowing use on the athletes’ part be demonstrated.

The pragmatic implications of Article 2 mean that the mere presence of a prohibited substance in the athletes’ specimen is proof of doping, unless the contrary can be proven. This has the effect of reversing the burden of proof from a traditional starting point of innocent until proven guilty, to a draconian, guilty until innocence can be established.

The consequences for an athlete convicted of doping are severe and can extend to incarceration. The scale of the problem is often cited as a rationale for the implementation of this strict liability rule. I would suggest that just because the problem is widespread it is not sufficient justification to reverse the burden of proof. Clarity is the main attraction of a system where the mere presence of a banned substance in an athletes’ system leads to a positive finding.

Imagine a situation where crime levels had increased to such a level that the legislature enacted laws where citizens could be convicted of murder despite having no moral culpability (moral culpability being one of two essential elements for murder, the other being a guilty act). Athletes’ are not given a chance to show a lack of intent or lack knowledge and receive bans for the mere presence of the prohibited substance.

WADA say that to prove intentional ingestion as well as presence of prohibited substance would undermine the fight against drugs. I would suggest that administrative inconvenience and disciplinary convenience cannot be advanced as legitimate reasons for the removal of the mens rea.. Athletes’ must be given an opportunity to show a lack of fault or intent. The raison d’etre for the World Anti- Doping Code is punishment for those administering substances with the express aim to improve performance. The current system punishes athletes’ regardless of their intention to improve performance.

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