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(September 9th 2010)
If you happened to be in Malin Head on Sunday September 6th at about 5:00pm you would have been greeted by quite a site. Watching the road leading up to the lighthouse you would have seen a large group of thirty three cyclists all glad in the green, white and red of Cuchulainn Cycling Club. Behind these cyclists were a number of support vehicles & all in the party would be forgiven for looking a little tired and supporting bags under their eyes. This is because the previous Friday at 8:00am they had been standing in Mizen Head, some 650km from where they where on Sunday evening. And all thirty three cyclists covered that distance on two wheels!
Day 1 saw the group tackle a monstrous 230km from Mizen Head to Castleconnel in Limerick. Setting out from Mizen Head in high spirits the group was greeted by a steady wind and cloudy sky. However as the day progressed the skies brightened and the wind thankfully changed direction and was actually an aid. The route saw the riders moved up through County Cork with a nice relaxing stop in Millstreet for some refuelling. Tired bodies eventually arrived into Castleconnel and glad to know after all the training and anticipation the event had well and truly started.
Day 2 was again an early start and wouldn't finish for 205km in the Ulster town of Cavan. Once again the weather was very co-operative with only the threat of rain being as bad as it got. What a site the riders were as they arrived into the hotel, the contrast of the tired riders, dirty from the road versus the glamour of the wedding that was arriving at the same time! Showered and changed everyone had a relaxing evening and spirits were high with only 1 day to go.
Finally Sunday had arrived and a trek through the Ulster counties and to the far tip of Donegal was all that remained of this epic journey. Everyone threw their legs over the bike one last time and set off on the road out of Cavan, with the first port of call being the lunch stop in Lifford. Refueled after this the last 80km really was a test of both character and strength as a combination of fatigue and a strong wind made the last haul to the lighthouse a tough journey. However everyone stood up to the elements and with a bit of team work and dedication everyone rolled into Malin Head together and enjoyed a well earned glass of champagne.
Overall the trip was a huge success and raised in excess of €5,000 for Dundalk Simon Community, The Irish Cancer Society and Down Syndrome Louth. Event organisers Padraig Kelly and Kevin Hamill deserve recognition for the amazing route they planned along with booking hotels and food stops along the way.
(August 30th 2010)
With defending Champion Colm Quinn on holidays a new winner would be declared. The quickest time on the night was set by Bohermeen's Chris Quinn who crossed the line in just under eight and a half minutes. First club man home was Alan Bingham, a former winner of the Hill Climb Championships. Completing the podium was Newry's Ross Collins who just beat out Paul Dagg by the narrowest of margins of only one second. Celine McPhilips was the first lady home in a very respectable time of just over thirteen minutes.
With the second leg to come it looks to be a two horse race between Bingham and Dagg of the Hill Climb Championships. Bingham has a 25second advantage going into next Thursday nights second round. Should Bingham take the win and score maximum points it should move him up to second overall in the league table.
Meanwhile on the mountain biking front, Cuchulainn organised the annual Cooley Thriller Mountain Marathon on Saturday last. This year saw a record field of over 200 riders sign on for the 52km trip around the Cooley mountains, starting and finishing in Carlingford. Two time Olympian and seven time national cyclo-cross champion Robin Seymour was the event winner, completing the course in two hours and forty nine minutes. In second position, just four minutes back was loacl man Raymond O`Shaughnessy and Joe Mc Caul in third. Melanine Seplate was the first lady home. Cuchulainn had two winners on the day with Gary Shields winning the Sport Category and Johnny McCabe, edging out brother Declan, for the Super Vet Category. The club also had winners in the short course event with Celine McPhilips winning the female event and Ciaran Gormley the male event.
Friday last saw the club host a fund raiser event in Courtneys bar, in an effort to raise funds for the upcoming Mizen to Malin head trip, which commences this Friday with the riders rolling out of Mizen en route to Limerick the first night and Cavan the second. Almost €3,000 was raised on the night and special thanks goes to Sherli Muldoon for her organising of the event and to the brave cyclists who stepped up to have the legs waxed, in particular Kevin Hamill who went the extra mile with the waxing just to get a few more euro in the pot.
(August 16th 2010)
Once the first two groups had amalgamated all eyes were on league leader Jordan Flood, in situations like this in the past Flood has set off alone to claim the victory so he was being closely watched. With one eye on Flood the riders were also circumspect to the groups behind them that were closing in on their lead. However riding together they did manage to stay away until the line and from the mass sprint Trevor Kane unleashed a turn of speed to leave all the others in his wake. Second home was Paul Dagg who just held off the challenge from Flood. Paul McGee and Tim Murray took fourth and fifth respectively, there by ensuring Cuchulainn had a clean sweep of the top five placings. The scratch group was led home by Peter Twomeny from Aidan Cunningham. The night's racing was marred by a bad accident and the club wishes Mick O`Connor a speedy recovery.
Kane's win will see him move up the leader board, which is still topped by Jordan Flood. The last road race of the league will be held next Thursday night before the season is wrapped up over the following two weeks with the annual Hill Climb Championships.
As the Summer League enters the business end of the season over 30 of the club's riders are also putting their final touches to their Mail to Mizen head preparations, the length of Ireland cycle that kicks off September 2nd. This ride is part of the club's 75th Anniversary Celebrations and is raising money for three charities, Irish Cancer Society, Down Syndrome Ireland and Dundalk Simon Community. Event directors Kevin Hamill and Padraig Kelly have finalised the routes and have arranged three support vehicles so that the riders only have have to focus on the miles and nothing else. Day 1 sees the riders depart from Malin and will spend the night in Limerick. Day 2 ends in Cavan, before the final trek on the Sunday to the most northern point of County Donegal. Hamill and Kelly did a recon of this route last summer and said it is a route that has it all, epic climbs, spectacular scenery and roads that will test the riders complete fitness.
August 9th 2010
Endurance
Challenge at Bellurgan Park. Race Director Tony Kelly saw the potential
for such an extreme event on the newly built mountain biking course in
Bellurgan. How many laps of the park could an individual or team of
riders complete in 12 hours? There was 3 separate categories,
individuals, along with 2 or 4 person teams. With the teams as one
person completed the course the other would rest up waiting to go again.
The answer was 17, completed by the two man team of Carlingford Lough
locals Aidan McDonnell and Raymond O`Shaughnessy. Just being them was
the first 4 man team of Alan Bingham, Myles McCorry, Glynn O'Brien and
Connor Campbell. The winning ladies team was comprised of Belfast duo
Julie McCorry and Andrea Harrower, whom completed 12 laps. The outright winner on the day was Dublin's Richie Close. Riding non-stop over the off-road terrain for 12 hours he completed 13 laps of the course. All in the event was a huge success with masseurs laid on for the teams, bike washing facilities, music and a post race bar-b-q, with many commenting that it was more like a festival than a race! As well as hosting an excellent event Tony Kelly along with Niall Clarke, also manged to finish second overall in the 2 person team event, completing 16 laps of the course.
Meanwhile on Thursday last the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League set out to answer a question, does all the aero equipment really work? The league includes many time trials over the summer and the riders are seen sporting the most aerodynamic bikes with special disc wheels, along with body hugging suits and strange alien shaped helmets. This equipment, while not cheap, is designed to make the rider more aerodynamic as they move through the air by reducing the drag. However the biggest factor in cycling drag is the rider themselves, accounting for 80% of the drag with the bike contributing the remainder. The latest round of the league was a 10 mile time trial and rules on the night stipulated that participants could only use their road racing bikes, with all other aero equipment baned. The results proved that the aero equipment does work, but not by that much. Bohermeen's Chris Reilly was quickest on the night by just dipping under the 23minutes. In second place was Gerry McCabe in bang on 23minutes, the last time Gerry completed this distance on the same course his time was 34 seconds faster. Third place was Stamullen's Gary Gorman. In 7th position Karl Dolan was only 31 seconds slower when comparing times and Se Weston 29 seconds. Some riders, such as Robbie Caraher and Alan Bingham were actually faster in the "old school" time trial. While there is numerous other factors to consider such as time of year, weather conditions, the riders fitness, it is hard to do an exact analysis, however another question is raised, is spending over €5,000 on a space age bike worth it to go 30seconds faster?
The next big event on the club's calendar is the Malin to Mizen Head Challenge, where the club will have over 30 riders cycle the length of the country in just 3 days. A number of spots for this event have become available and details can be found online at www.dundalkcycling.com
(August 3rd 2010)
Stage one was won by the Tyrone team, where despite the Dundalk team being fractionally faster over the 30km, Tyrone collected bonus points along the route by being fastest at certain check points. Stage 2 was won by Ciarán Ó Conluain of the UCD team, however the Tyrone team had two men placed in the top four as well as winning the third prime some 20km from the finish. This haul of points saw the Ulster team further cement their lead at the top of the general classification. Antrim's Dessie Foley finished second on the stage as well as placing in some of the bonus sprints along the way and his Antrim team had climb upped to second overall. Despite not placing any men in the top six on the stage the Wexford team were very active in picking up bonus points along the route and had moved up to third position. It was a poor day for the Louth team where bad luck on the road saw them drop from second overall to 9th position.
Leading into the final stage the top 3 teams were all in the hunt for the win. Local riders on the Louth team were also determined to make amends for their bad showing the previous days. From the gun the Louth riders started to attack and by the 20km stage Gerry McCabe had placed himself in a seven man move. First and second placed teams Tyrone and Antrim had also placed men in this breakaway so the bunch was happy to let this go. Newry man Kevin Lynch on the Down team was also in the break and being local to the area knew the roads very well. Lynch used his local knowledge to win two of the three bonus primes along the route, and placed in the third one. The New Ross team were again very active in scoring points at these bonus primes.
As the break ploughed ahead the gap between them and the main bunch continued to grow at one stage stretching out to over five minutes. On the climb out of Omeath, Antrim's Dessie Foley attacked the break and pulled away with Louth's Gerry McCabe. Foley set a ferocious pace and McCabe was unable to hold onto him as they made their way up the Claimont Cairn climb. Foley took the chequered flag with McCabe in second and another local man, Ray O'Shaughnessy, of the Carlingford team in third position. Kevin Lynch rolled in in fourth position securing more points for the Down team.
When all the riders had rolled in and the points added up the Tyrone team had just about held onto their yellow jerseys over the Antrim team to take the win. Thanks to the fine riding of Dessie Foley the Antrim team had cut the deficit to just six points. The performance of the day belonged to the Down team, whom having started the day well down the general classification had hauled themselves up to third place overall. The race was a huge success with the riders being most impressed with the Tour de France style stage finish at the Mast. Also the team concept was new to a lot of the riders and was definitely an enjoyable break from the norm.
The action doesn't let up for the club this weekend with another unique event being held on Saturday. Race Director Tony Kelly has organised a massive endurance event where teams or individuals will try to complete as many laps of the Bellurgan Track as possible in 12 hours. Team riders will operate a rotation system were as someone completes the circuits the others shall rest. Meanwhile the individuals will just keep going as fast as possible over the 12 hours. An event of this nature is as much about survival as it is about speed. Kicking off at 8:00am Saturday morning, the riders will be going non-stop until 8:00pm that night. All event details can be found at;http://twelvehourmountainbikerace.wordpress.com/bellurgan-park/
(July 18th 2010)
The Dundalk riders also got their chance to ride on the closed runs, with the warmup event being used as a round of the FPM Accountants Summer league. Again the bad weather meant that the number participating were well down on the usual Thursday night, however it didn't mean that the racing wasn't exciting! Dundalk's Alan Bingham and Bohermeen's Chris Reilly made a mockery of the wet conditions to sail through the corners and quickly catching up on the early starters. In the sprint for the line Reilly edged out Bingham to take the win, with Fergus McCann in third. The league table has a familiar look to it with underage ride Jordan Flood on top with one point to spare over Gearoid Harvey. These two have a sizable gap over the rest of the field with Paul Creighton in third place some 18 points behind Harvey. However there is still a lot of racing to be done, but can Flood be the first rider to ever successfully defend their league title?
With the main league in full swing, the club's beginner's league finished last week and after six weeks of very competitive racing amongst the newcomers it was Francis Murphy. Francis had posted good results in the first four round and sat in second place overall going into the fourth and final round. A win in this round catapulted Francis past John Sharkey to be the inaugural winner of the event. Sharkey finished ins second with Donna Bates finishing in third spot overall. The beginner's league was deemed a huge success and has introduced male and female cyclists of all ages to road racing and time trialing.
Wicklow was the scene on Sunday for the Irish Mountain Biking Championships. Unfortunately the club did not take home any medals, but impressive riding by Seamus McAvoy & Frank McGuiness in the Sports Category means there could be medals in the future. Niall Clarke give a good account of himself in the highly competitive Expert Category, while Gary Sheilds & Tony Kelly competed in the Masters Category.
(July 12th 2010)
A
superb individual effort by underage rider and defending league champion
Jordan Flood saw him win round 13 of the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling
league, his second win in as many weeks. Reduced numbers saw only four
groups from the usual six take to the road, with Flood starting in the
first group off. The route was out to Greenore and back, and a
relatively calm night mean't that the pace was high from the get go.
Despite working together the first group was caught by the second by the
time they had reached the exit for Carlingford. Meanwhile behind the
super scratch and scratch groups had quickly joined up together, however
this group was not making a lot of inroads on the riders up the road. Not long after the turn around at Greenore, Flood decided to test the legs and opened a small cap. However being a marked man the group quickly upped their pace and pulled him back in, thanks to hard pulls on the front by Declan Grey and Fergus McCann. Also riding well was another former league winner, Aidan Martin who was the victor in the 2008 season. As this group made their approach into Lordship on the small rise the pace stalled slightly and Flood decided this was the time to go for the win. He jumped from further back in the bunch and a slight moment's hesitation by the other riders let him get away. The group kept riding after him but with the finish line quickly approaching no one was willing to waste previous energy and pull the rest of the group up to Flood.
Flood kept his head down and set a blistering pace and held them all off to take the chequered flag alone. In the sprint for second place Oliver Murphy was dominant with Kevin Traynor in third. The first lady home was Bohermeen's Marie Reilly in sixth position. The scratch group was led home by Gary Gorman with the club points going to Aiden Cunningham who just edged out Gerry McCabe. It was a frustrating night for the scratch riders as it was one of those races when for some reason they made up very little time on those infront of them.
(June 28th 2010)
Super scratch quickly set about pulling back those in front of them and despite missing a few regulars had reeled in the scratch group by Lordship. Up front the first group were riding well to hold off the second and third groups. However once the first group hit the climb their rhythm was disrupted and the group fragmented into individual riders.
Winner of round seven Gearóid Harvey attacked out of the first group and was followed by Gary Morton. By the mid way stage of the climb the super scratch group had caught all those in front bar the two attackers. Harvey was riding hard to hold off Morton and was slowly building a lead. Behind these two a group of the strongest riders was forming as super scratch picked up riders along the way, with only the strongest being able to hang in. Driving the pace was Gerry McCabe and Aidan Cunningham returning from their recent success in the Newry three day. Also in the group was Bohermeen's Chris Reilly, Reilly was the favourite for the win having sprinted away from everyone else to take the victory the previous week a top of the Flagstaff climb.
Despite the relentless pace behind Harvey did hold out to take his third victory of the league. A tiring Morton held on for second place, coming home with thirty seconds to spare over the fast charging group. This group was sprinting for third place and it was local Omeath man Myles McCorry who pipped Ray O`Shaughnessy on the line. Gerry McCabe was sixth across the line and took the scratch points.
Next Thursday will see the league held on the Ravensdale circuit. On Sunday the club promoted the annual Tour of Louth Cyclosportive. Starting from the JJB Sports Complex over 180 riders tackled a testing 100km route, which took the cyclists to Dunleer and Ardee before tackling the much feared Jenkinstown Hill and Cooley Mountains. All finishers were awarded a bronze medal, but those seeking an extra challenge chased the silver or gold standard. Everyone agreed that the event was a top class affair and the post race refreshements were greatly appreciated.
The club will also be officially launching the Tain Tour, a three day cycle race being held the last weekend of July. This event is a unique event in cycle racing as it is a team based event as opposed to the traditional individual event. Teams of four will compete in road stages, time trials and a unique finish at the mast, a climb last used by the professionals in the old Nissan Classic back in the early nineties.
While
the road cyclists were doing the business in the Tour of Louth on
Sunday, the club's mountain bikers were in action in Round 6 of the
Irish XC NPS Series. Results included a fourth for Nial CLarke in the
Expert Division, thrid for Declan McCabe in the Veterans and another
third place for Stephen Kelleher in the Sport category, which was all
the more impressive considering this was Stephen's competitive debut.(June 21st 2010)
L-R Alan Gray, Gerry McCabe, Aidan Cunningham and Over-All Winner Bryan McCrystal
Saturday
morning commenced with laps of the tough Kilkoo circuit which saw the
bunch cover fifty two miles, four laps of the thirteen mile circuit. Mid
way through the third lap a group of ten riders managed to escape the
bunch and Cuchullainn were represented by both McCrystal and McCabe. The
lads worked together to ensure the club took the honours and sure enough
McCrystal was first home to claim the win and take the leaders yellow
jersey. The afternoon was the four mile time trial from Warrenpoint into Newry and again that man McCrystal was unstoppable winning the time trial and further increasing his overall lead. However second to McCrystal was McCabe, which meant that in the overall classification Cuchullainn held the top two spots with only one stage to go. Not only that, good rides also by Gray and Cunningham meant that Cuchullainn was leading the team classification as well.
On the final stage, a seventy mile journey around the Mournes the club rode superbly to protect its general classification men and team position. Any dangerous moves by riders looking to steal the yellow jersey were covered by the Dundalk men and they showed exactly why they were the strongest team in the event. By the time the race finished up on Sunday afternoon the Dundalk club had claimed the yellow jersey, second overall, top team and Bryan McCrystal had also claimed the green jersey for collecting the most points over the weekend. This was a superb performance by McCrystal, whom is only in his second season of open bike racing.
On Friday night Belfast hosted a round of the Halfords City Center racing. This series comprises professional teams from across England racing on tight city center criteriums circuits. The series moved to Belfast for Friday and an Irish team also competed along with a Leinster, Ulster and Munster team. Lining up in the blue and white jersey of Leinster was Cuchullainn's Colm Quinn, fresh from his recent performance in the FBD Insurance Ras. Once again Quinn proved that he is fit to mix it with these high calibre riders and finished well up the placings.
The success actually kicked off for the club on Thursday night where at the Leinster Time Trial Championships the club claimed three provincial medals. In the A4 category it was a one two for the club with Owen Martin taking the gold ahead of Peter Tomany. While in the under sixteen event Jordan Flood claimed the bronze.
2010 LEINSTER TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONS
A1 CHAMPIONSHIP
Gareth Enright Kilcullen CC A1 20:41
Colm Cassidy Usher IRC A1 21:44
Tim O'Reagan Engraveit.ie/Jade.ie/Cycleways A1 22:00
A2 CHAMPIONSHIP
Con Collis Ravens CRT A2 20:45
David Duke South Dublin Cycling Club A2 22:06
Anthony Walsh UCD A2 22:11
A3 CHAMPIONSHIP
Colm Laverty Navan Road Club A3 21:27
John Oram Team Sportsmed Ireland A3 21:53
Séamus Kelly Usher IRC A3 22:44
A4 CHAMPIONSHIP
Owen Martin Cuchulainn CC A4 22:04
Peter Tomany Cuchulainn CC A4 23:01
Shaun Gilbride Swords CC A4 23:16
U16 CHAMPIONSHIP
Craig Arrigan DTC Orwell Wheelers U-16 24:54
James Lynch Navan Road Club U-16 26:03
Jordan Flood Cuchulainn CC U-16 26:50
As part of bike the club also launched a new begginers and ladies league that will run for four weeks. The first event int he series was a 5 mile league from Felda to Castlebellingham. 33 Cyclists took part in the event with Celine McPhilips posting the fastest time.
Celine McPhillips 13:00 , Alan Gray 13:17 , Jordan Flood 13:26,Dean Gray 13:27, Anette Dawe 13:55, Michael Bent 14:02
Finally the weekend was rounded off by Dundalk's next generation of cyclists in Saint Helena's Park. Dundalk Town Council organised a Cycling day in the Park and over sixty children were introduced to the sport. The young riders got a chance to undergo a skills course, some racing and finally a trip out on the roads to use Dundalk's bike paths. The future definitely is looking bright for Cuchulainn Cycling Club!
As
part of their 75 year anniversary celebrations Cuchulainn Cycling Club
are promoting the Leinster Time Trial Championships. Time-Trialing is
known as the race of truth, as all riders must ride individually over
the same course and the rider with the fasted time is declared the
winner. The event will be run on the old Dublin Road on a 10 mile (16km)
course. The route is flat with a reasonably good surface starting from
the Felda Health & Fitness Spa beside The Fairways Hotel with the
turn in the village of Castlebellingham. Expect to see ”state-of-the-art-bikes”
as riders employ the latest technology to try and shave seconds off
their times. Leinster Time Trial Championships
Date
Thursday June 17th @ 7pm
Prizes
Medals will be awarded on the night to 1st three Leinster riders in the following categories: A1, A2, A3, A4 & Under 16.
Entry
Cost of entry is €15 and competitors must pre enter here: http://www.runireland.com/events/leinster-time-trial-cycling-championship-0
Map & Directions
Competitors travelling along the M1 should take the Dundalk South exit of the motorway (Exit 16) heading towards Xerox, turn right after Xerox towards Castlebellingham along the R132. The Felda complex is located 500m along this road on the left had side.
Click here for Map
Contact
|Karl Dolan | 087 2219810 | karl@dundalkcycling.com
(May 31st 2010)
Super scratch where in flying form and before Greenore had caught the scratch and fourth group on the road. Defending league champion, Jordan Flood in the second group knew that at this rate they would not catch the first group and would be caught by the fast moving scratch group behind. This is the advantage of the out & back courses as it gives riders an opportunity to see how the race is progressing. Flood set off in pursuit of the three riders in front of him. Meanhwile up front Harvey was chasing his second win of the league and not fancying his chances in a sprint against the other two he attacked the small group coming out of Lordship.
Harvey's gamble paid off and he opened a gap which he held to the line to take the chequered flag. Horgan and McAdam were next home with McAdam winning the sprint for second place with Horgan in third. Flood was right to go it alone as he held on for fourth position, while the rest of his compatriots were caught by the scratch group. The large group was led home by Bohermeen's Chris Reilly, who opted for a long sprint in an effort to hold off those with faster finishing speed. So it was night that proved he who dares wins!
The next round is Dunleer to Ardee on Thursday.
(May 17th 2010)
With
the visit of the FBD Insurance Ras to Dundalk this Sunday, many will ask
what exactly is the Ras? Well firstly it's a bike race, but what makes
the Ras so special is that it is one of the oldest bicycle races in the
world! The first edition of the race was run in September 1953. The
first ever stage brought the riders from Dublin to Wexford and finished
the next day back in Dublin. The inaugural event was only a two day
affair and the winner was Dublin's Colm Christle, riding for the St.
James Gate Cycling Team. By 1954 the race had become the eight day
affair it remains to this day. Kerry riders were dominant in the early years of the Ras, but it was the tenth running of the event when an international rider took home the winner's yellow jersey. Zbigniew Glowaty of Poland beats Dan Ahern Of Kerry. In fact the four man Polish team placed all it's riders in the top ten overall. 1967 saw the great Shay O`Hanlon, one of Ireland's cycling legends win the event for his fourth time, a feat which no other rider has achieved. 1979 saw the race won by a fresh faced Dublin rider, Stephen Roche, who would go on to much bigger things in his career. In 1987 Roche won the professional Tour of Italy, Tour of France and the World Road Race Championships, which had previously been done by the undisputed greatest cyclist of all time Eddy Mercx. When Mercx complemented Roche on his achievement he said to him "you have now equaled my achievement", to which Roche replied "No, you never won the Ras!" 1984 was the year that FBD Insurance first became involved with the race, when it was known as the FBD Milk Ras. The nineties was a golden period for Irish riders in the Ras with all the winners being Irish, however this Trend was reversed in the first decade of this century with only three Irish men winning the overall title.
This year's edition of the race will cover 1,250km in the eight days, cross 24 tough categorised climbs, and features stage finishes in Dundalk, Carrick on Shannon, Ougherard, Tipperary, Seskin Hill/Carrick on Suir, Gorey, Kilcullen and Skerries. The real "meat" of the race will be the Friday and Saturday where over the two days the riders will tackle no fewer than ten climbs in and around South Leinster and Wicklow. The penultimate stage will see the riders set out from Gorey to Kilcullen and ascend the much feared Wicklow Gap en route. The final stage sees the riders depart Kilcullen for Skerris where a grand finale is guaranteed!
The first-ever pro teams from Japan and Spain will be included in the huge field of 170 riders representing teams from Ireland, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Belgium, USA, Britain, IOM and Wales when race gets underway from Dunboyne. The Japanese-registered Team Nippo squad will be managed by Alberto Elli, who held the yellow jersey for four days in the 2000 Tour de France.“The goal of Team Nippo in the race will be to win as many stages as possible” said Elli, who is clearly determined to leave a mark on the race. The Spanish pro team Burgos 2016-Castilla y León is lead by Byron Patricio Guama de la Cruz. He is a former national champion of Ecuador and double winner of the 2.2-ranked national tour there, and last year won two stages of the 2.2 Vuelta a Guatemala. He was also fifth in the South American Games road race in Medellín earlier this season.
With
the first stage of this year's race finishing in Dundalk, locals have a
great opportunity to watch the race. Day one of the race, on Sunday 23rd
May, will begin in Dunboyne, home of one of the greats of Irish cycling
and twice FBD RÁS winner Philip Cassidy. The race will be first
entering Dundalk via Collon, Ardee, Tallanstown and finally Louth
village. Collon village would be a great first spot to pick the race up
as there is a hot spot sprint at the top of the long ascent out of the
village. Points are awarded at each of these sprints throughout the
eight days, which go towards the green jersey sprinters competition.
After the riders first passage through Dundalk they head out the main
road to Carlingford, where more sprint points are available in another
hot spot sprint. At Cornamucklagh the riders make the dreaded left hand
turn to start their ascent of the Long Woman's Grave climb. Along this
climb would be another excellent spectator point as the speed will be
well down going up this hill. Once over the top the route descends down
into the Bush before heading back in the Carlingford road. The finish
should prove to be specatular as the riders battle it out for the
antipated bunch finish along Clanbrassil street, with spectators
enjoying what will be one of the fastest stage finishes of the week
(May 17th 2010)
A wet and miserable night saw numbers down on the previous rounds however six different groups set out from the start on the Carlingford. The climbs along the Ravensdale road meant that the groups were broken up and the riders well scattered throughout the course. Super scratch were chasing hard and by half way through the first lap had caught the scratch and fourth group. At this stage the groups ahead had disintegrated into individuals and pairs and out in front Creighton rode hard to maintain his lead.
As the rains pured down the scratch group continued to set a fierce pace sweeping up all the riders in front. On the last lap at the turn for the finish McCrytsal broke away from this bunch in search of the win. A small group of Alan Bingham, Liam Dolan, Newry's Kevin Lynch and Bohermeen's Chris Reilly set off after him. By the finish line all had been caught bar Creighton who toke the chequered flag, with McCrytsal in second and Bohermeen's Paul English in third. Round six is a twenty five mile time trial this Thursday night, held on the Carrick to Ardee road.
Meanwhile on the touring front plans continue for the end of season Mizen to Malin head trip. Event directors Padraig Kelly and Kevin Hamill have announced that funds raised from the event will be going to Irish Cancer Society, Dundalk Simon Community and Down Syndrome Louth/Meath Branch. Money can be pledged through mycharity.ie
(May 12th 2010)
In
two weeks on Sunday the International Cycling Race the FBD Insurance Ras
will be rolling into Dundalk for the end of the first stage. The race
starts from Dunboyne that morning and some ninety three miles later will
cross the finish line on Clanbrassil Street. The route takes the riders through Slane, Collon, where tough climbs in both villages will impact the race and could see an early break away. The race continues on to Ardee, and then through Dundalk town center before heading out towards Carlingford. At Omeath the bunch will take a sharp left hand turn to climb the Long Womans Grave. This climb is sure to split the bunch up, especially the very steep first five hundred meters. It is most likely that the winner will get away at this stage. Once over the top of the climb the riders will descend back into Lordship and head back to Dundalk for the finish. The race is projected to finished in a time frame between 3:45 and 4:15 depending on the strength of the wind that day. Dundalk town center will see live music cheering the riders on and entertaining the crowd. There is sure to be a special atmosphere in the town as people come out to watch these athletes battle each other, the roads and the fickle Irish weather. The spectators may as well enjoy the day, as the riders will be suffering!
Earlier this week the Subway sponsored Irish team for the event was announced and it has a slight local touch to it with Newry Wheelers rider Mark McKinley having being selected. Mark has shown great form this season and as he is still in the under twenty three category he is definitely a rider for the future. Mark is a regular competitor in the FPM Accountants Dundalk Summer Cycling League and his brother Drew actually road with the Louth Ras team back in 2006. Also on the team is Dublin rider Neil Delahyae, who has won the Cuchulainn promoted Traders Cup in the past, and Northern riders Adam Armstrong, Conor McAllister and Armagh's Simon Williams. Former Ras winner, Banbridge man Tommy Evans will be the Irish Team manager for the event.
Cuchulainn
rider Colm Quinn will be competing in his second Ras as part of the
Meath/Stamullen team. Colm is still a relatively newcomer to the sport,
this being only his fourth year on the bike. Prior to this he was a
competent GAA player & it was while doing some rehab for a knee
injury that he discovered the joys of bicycling. He completed last
year's Ras with the Down team and found the racing very tough. "The
biggest difference with the pros is that didn't seem to get tired as the
week went on" was a post race comment from Quinn last year. With
another year's worth of racing and training Quinn will be considerably
stronger. His form has been building nicely leading into this year's
race with a second place in the Stamullen Grand Prix in April and a good
ride in the Tour of Ulster over the May bank holiday weekend. Just this
last weekend Quinn was part of the winning move in the Blair
International Red Hand Trophy and in the sprint for the line came home
in fifth position. He will be targeting a good ride on the first stage
as the Long Woman's Grave climb features regularly in his training
rides. While Quinn will be the sole current Cuchulainn man in the bunch, there will be a former Cuchulainn rider there also. Tony Brady, originally from Cavan, rode with the Dundalk club back in the late nineties. Since then Brady emigrated to the US where he continued to race his bike. His first team when moving to Ventura County, California was the prestigious Rock Racing Masters Team. This team was sponsored by the high end clothing retailer Rock Rebel Clothing, which also supported a full time professional cycling team in the US. Unfortunately the Rock Rebel company pulled its sponsorship at the start of this season and Brady is now part of the Franco Factory Team. His form is also building nicely and most recently he won the San Dimas Stage Race. Brady took the yellow jersey in the opening stage, a mountain time trial and held onto it to the end. He is back in Ireland this May and will also be competing in the Ras as part of the Meath/Stamullen team. Brady last raced in Ireland in March 2009, when while home on holidays he came second in the season opening Anaclone Grand Prix.
(May 10th 2010)
Unlike
previous weeks were other clubs had slipped riders into the top placings
in the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League it was a clean sweep for
the local club this week, with the first six across the line all being
Cuchulainn riders. Another clear sunny night saw over seventy riders
sign on and split into six different groups. The circuit was out the
Ardee road, across to Doirans pub and back in for a sprint to the line
at Sextons Pub. The first bunch having been caught the previous week
worked both smarter and harder to ensure that they stayed away. To make
full use of their handicap the riders formed an efficient paceline and
sharing the work ensured that they kept the pace high. This tactic
worked and the group approached the line all together. It was last
week's runner up Trevor Kane who opened the sprint, but having started
too early faded a bit to eventually finish third. On the line Gearoid
Harvey had only half a wheel to spare over Paul Creighan, with Kathleen
Byrne first lady home in third place. While the first group was battling for the win, the second group was somewhere in no mans land. By not catching the first group or being caught by those behind them they were left to their own devices for the night. At the back end of the race super scratch quickly closed the small gap to scratch and these two groups, working together quickly caught groups three and four. As this big bunch crossed the line Bryan McCrystal easily powered pass Stamullen rider Gary Gorman to be first home. Colm Quinn, using the league as training for this month's Ras was second placed club man in scratch. The league continues this Thursday night and moves to laps of the undulating Ravensdale circuit.
(May 3rd 2010)
Such is the popularity of the league now, that the first three riders home represented three different clubs with Newry Wheelers rider Daniel McConville winning from Cuchulainn man Trevor Kane and Bohermeen Cycling Club's Paul English in third. These three riders had started in the second bunch on the road who quickly got their pace line going to set about catching the first group. It was after the turn around at Greenore when the tired first group riders hit the above mentioned long drag that the gap really began to come down and the second group eventually caught up with them, not long before Lordship.
Behind the front runners the newly formed super scratch group were absolutely flying and had closed the gap up to the scratch group by Gyles Quay. When these two groups combined the pace jumped up even further and not long after the turn around groups three and four had been reeled in. The gap to the front group was quickly coming down, however they managed to stay away for McConville to take the win in the sprint. Alan Bingham was first Dundalk man home from the chasing pack. Round four will be held on the Ardee Corians circuit.
Meanwhile excitement grows for the FBD Ras that hits Dundalk on Sunday May 23rd. This will truly be an international spectacle as thus far, teams have been confirmed from Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the USA, Britain and most recently Germany with the Thuringer Energie team signing on. In 2007 Tony Martin riding for this team won the overall in the Ras, where is Mr Martin now? Training hard for July's Tour De France where he will line up listed as one of the dark horses for the overall victory! More international teams will be announced in the final run-up to the race and these will line up alongside the Irish county teams plus our national cycling team.
Also returning to the race after a year out with medical problems is Stephen Gallagher.
Gallagher
was the last Irish man to win the Ras in 2008. His win was achieved on
an epic day in the Donegal mountains, when ably supported by his An Post
Sean Kelly Pro Cycling team, Gallagher rode away on arguably Ireland's
toughest climb The Glengesh, to open a significant gap over his main
competitors, which he held to the finish in Skerries. This year
Gallagher will be riding as part of the Sigma Sport Pro Cycling Team
from the UK. For more details on the riders and routes, check out
www.fbdinsuranceras.com (April 26th 2010)
Also in action in road racing was Martin Grey who finished sixth in the IVCA race in Kentstown on Sunday last. Martin was contesting the main race and instigated the move of the day, which stayed away from the main pack to fight it out for the win. Having done most of the work to make sure that the break succeeded Martin was pushed out to sixth place in the sprint for the line.
The second round of the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League which was a ten mile time trial, held out to Castlebellingham and back, saw another large turn out of riders. A stiff wind on the way out meant that people were not matching their personnel bests, however fast times were still recorded. Fastest of the night, despite not using the ubiquitous Time Trial bike, was Bryan McCrystal covering the distance in 21:45. Next home was Gerry McCabe in 22:26, with Owen Martin just breaking the 23minute barrier by one second in third. Fastest lady was the Bohermeen visitor Geraldine Gill in an impressive time of 25:22, with Eve McCrystal just over a minute back. In the battle of the brothers, Barry Rafferty secured bragging rights over Mark by going three seconds quicker.
The next round will be out to Greenore and back on Thursday. The first group will go off at 6:45.
(April 19th 2010)
The first group of almost twenty riders departed at 6:45 and quickly settled into a good rhythm with most of the riders taking their turn on the front of the group. Slowly the pace began to take its toal on this group as the number of riders at the front started to whittle down. The stronger riders here continued to forge ahead and managed to hold onto their advantage. Michelle Dolan riding her first league race, some fifteen years after watching her first league event, was unlucky to touch wheels with another rider and come down. Michelle was riding very strongly and would definitely had been amongst the placings at the end.
At the finish a small group of three battled it out for the win and first home was John Mckenna, followed by newcomer Joe Meehan and in third sport Andrew Flood, father of defending champion Jordan Flood. The remnants of the first group took up positions fourth through sixth, with Sonya Rea the first woman home in fifth position.
At the back end of the race Bryan McCrystal was moving at such a pace that one rider commented "I thought he was on a motorbike". Very few were able to hold his wheel and he simply rode away from the super scratch group, catching as many as possible by the finish at Sextons Pub. Bryan was the first scratch rider home and now leads this sub-section of the league from Peter Tomeny and Robbie Caraher. The next round this Thursday night is a ten mile time trial which will go along way to organising people into their respective groups. Within the club the beginners group continues to depart from Felda at 6:30pm on Wednesday evenings.
(April 12th 2010)
Defending Champion Jordan Flood will be back in 2010 eager to defend his champion. Also rumoured to be returning, after a years hiatus will be 2008 Champion, Aidan Martin. The usual suspects in scratch will also be looking to be crowned champion come September and anyone of Aidan Cunningham, Colm Quinn or last year's runner up Bryan McCrystal could easily top the leader board. What is knowing is that there will be some exciting racing in the months ahead!
Sunday last saw the start of the 2010 National Points Series in Dublin's Slade Valley. In the Sport Category Cuchulainn's David Dollard was unlucky to puncture while in second place, eventually coming home in fourth position. In the same race Gary Shields was also unlucky to puncture while in fifth position. Without a means of fixing the puncture Shields decided to run the last three kilometers with his bike rather than not finish and crossed the line in twenty ninth position. In the elite race Gerry McCabe posted a fine seventh position. In the Masters race Tony Kelly and David McKeown were in action, while the vets race had bothers Johnny and Declan McCabe racing.
Starting this Wednesday evening a cycling group aimed for beginners will be departing from Felda Gym at 6:30pm. This group is designed for those with little or no prior experience of cycling and will be lead by experienced cyclists, whom will give tips on positioning and mechanics. All our welcome, details can be found at www.dundalkcycling.com
(March 29th 2010)
Gary Shields and Frank McGunniess both made their competitive debuts in Wexford, with both placing in the top twenty in the sport race. At the pointy end of the field Niall Clarke was an excellent fifth in the Expert race against Ireland's top off-road cyclists. Meanwhile another one of the evergreens of the club Declan McCabe took second in the Vets race. Declan rode strong throughout the race and was closing hard on the winner in the final lap but eventually he ran out of road, dirt road in this case.
On Sunday the club's road riders headed for Balbriggan for a very challenging race in and around the hills of the Naul and North County Dublin. In the A3 race Gerry McCabe was very active throughout but didn't figure in the placings in the end. Alan Martin also rode a fine race to finish in the bunch while Robbie Caraher was unlucky to get caught up in a crash. In the main event Colm Quinn was involved in the thick of the action, but again didn't feature in the results.
Easter weekend sees the traditional stage races held around the country. Colm Quinn is bound for Kerry for the daunting Ras Mumhan, a four day event with a stellar field of domestic and international riders. Meanwhile Liam Dolan will head North for the Tour of the North, again to contest another tough event.