Annette Dawe winning her race in the Orwell Wheelers Ladies League

Dundalks women cyclists dominated the latest round of the Orwell Wheelers Women’s League on Tuesday last. The races were held in Corkagh Park and the main race was held over 15 laps, with 12 for the B race. In the A race Eve McCrystal started in the first group, whom had a handicap over the chasing scratch group. After 6 laps Eve jumped away from our group and soloed to an impressive victory holding off all the chasing riders. Despite having only competed in 2 rounds this result sees Eve move to 9th overall in the league table. Meanwhile in the B race Annette Dawe started in the scratch bunch, and like Eve took off on a solo effort bridging the gap to both the first and second groups. Annette kept such a pace that no one was able to hold her wheel & she continued on to take another win for the club. In the B league Annette sits in 3rd position.

Round 4 of the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling league took place over 3 laps of the tough Ravensdale circuit. Group 4 managed to catch up to the 3 groups who preceded them and hold off the fast groups behind. On the line Val Gargan, a guest rider who started in group 4 took his first win of the season, ahead of Kevin Traynor who had been in group 3 and Niall Casey. Not far behind Michael Barry led home the scratch bunch.

Meanwhile the off-road MTB league kicked off this week in Bellurgan Park with a time trial to seed the riders for the upcoming rounds. Quickest on the night was veteran Johnny McCabe, completing the lap in 21:32, followed by Stephen Kelleher and John Grace. Gary Shiels and Junior rider Aaron McCann rounded out the top 5.

June 3rd will see the club hosting the annual Tour of Louth, an event which was voted by Irish Cyclists as the Leisure Event of the Year in 2010. Sign on and race start is from the Fairways Hotel on the Old Dublin Road. The tour rolls out at 10:00am and the 100km route goes to Dunleer and Ardee before coming back through Dundalk and heading for the Cooley Mountains. As before 4 different medals are available for the finishers, based on their time and hot food awaits the riders back at the Fairways Hotel. Entry is €15 and riders are advised to pre-register. Also on the day is a shorter 50km route. All details can be found at www.touroflouth.com

Club newcomer Michael Barry continued his impressive start to the season by taking 10th place overall in the international Tour of Ulster over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The race consisted of 4 stages held over 3 days in and around Dungannon. The race is traditionally the last big hit out before The Rás held later in the month. Cuchulainn had their 5 man Rás team on the start line and in each of the stages Barry posted a top 15 finish with his best individual result being 6th on the final 90mile stage, which featured no fewer than 4 king of the hill sprints. The last stage of the event, held in torrential rain and winds was so severe that of the 100plus starters only 55 riders were able to make it to the finish line.  Myles McCrooy also had a good tour finishing in 31st position overall. The severe weather on the last day mean’t that neither Colm Quinn or Ray O’Shaughnessy made it to the finish line. Overall the team is looking good for the upcoming Rás, which kicks off on May 19th.

Returning to IVCA action 5 club members lined up in Batterstown, Co. Meath on Sunday. The result of the day went to Martin Gray whom finished 5th in his race, having attacked the bunch with 10km to go and bridged the gap to the main bunch. In the other race Ray Fedigan went on the attack from the gun and came home eventually in 6th spot, in the winning break.

Eve McCrytsal travelled to Limerick recently to compete in the Gadra/Defence Forces Championships and came home with the gold medal in the time trial. Eve, a gada based in Ballybay, Co. Monaghan was in commanding form & had over a minute on second place, in a field which included a number of riders who have represented Ireland on the international stage.

Finally on Sunday last the club had over 40members travel to Carrickmacorss to complete in the Drumlins Challenge Sportive. The 100km route tackeled the rolling roads of Cavan & Monaghan. However this was not enough for some club members who cycled firstly to Carrick, completed the cycle, then cycled home!

Not content with putting on the race the club had entrants in the vast majority of races. The elite event was won by Peter Buggle of the Rocky Mountain club, but his was pushed all the way by Dundalk’s Ray O’Shaughnessy. With Bandridge’s Roger Aiken rounding out the podium. Cuchulainn’s Aidan MacDonald was slightly further back in 5th position.

Other Cuchulainn riders to finish on the podium were junior sensation Aaronn McCann whom was second in the junior race and Sandra O’Hagan with a 3rd position in the senior ladies race.  In the senior 4 race John Sharkey was just pipped for 3rd. The club’s youngest entrants were Kristian Grace and William Lenox-Conyngham racing in the under 8s! The facilities in Bellurgan Park mean that all underage off road cyclists have excellent safe facilities to hone their skills.

Afterwards as riders swapped war stories & lies with a cup of tea in the marquee erected for the event, the one point of agreement amongst all was the the track was in excellent condition & had the perfect balance of technical sections and fast track but was not too daunting for beginners. Pictures of the day can be viewed on the club’s facebook page.

The FPM Accountants Summer league continued with it’s second road race, held on the Ardee to Dorians circuit. Once again, despite the bad weather, a field of almost 70 riders assembled and was split across 6 groups with 14 minutes separating those first off to the last group on the road. In a repeat of last week’s performance, group 2 were the big winners on the night, with the group’s strong riders pulling back group 1 and holding off the faster moving riders behind them. Group 3 were the second group to arrive home, with literally seconds to spare over the other 3 groups, whom had all together.

In the sprint for the line Kenny Sullivan was first home, a remarkable feat, giving this was only his second race ever. Kenny had been riding in group 2 and beat fellow group 2 rider Seamus Byrne into second. Jim Loughran, the winner the previous week, rounded out the podium in 3rd position. Barry Dunne was 4th and Gary Morton scored points for the second week in a row with 5th position.  Annette Dawe was first lady home in 8th position. The road race next week is the demanding Ravensdale Circuit, which usually sees a Strong ride from the scratch riders given the difficult terrain.

Tuesday May 8th will see the Mountain Bike league kick off, running for the next 12 weeks all rounds will be held at the Bellurgan Park off-road track. As with the road league, action will get underway with a time triEve McCrystal takes 4th Position in the Orwell ladies Leagueal so as to calculate handicaps for the rounds ahead.  Full details can be found at www.dundalkcycling.com and those interested are asked to register before hand.

On the road racing front, the club’s ladies had a successful outing in the Orwell Wheeler’s Ladies League on Tuesday night. In the main event Eve McCrystal and Annette Dawe were taking part with Eve taking 4th position in her first race of the year. Meanwhile in the support event Suzy Mackin and Breda Dawe competed, with Breda taking 7th position.

The IVCA racing moved to the Curragh on Sunday last with over 6 club men signing on. Dominic O’Brannigánh was to make his racing debut, however with a race official having a medical emergency prior to the start Dminic, a doctor when not tearing up the roads of Louth with his sons, was on hand to ensure the official was properly looked after. Sé Weston and Martin Grey, the club’s National Champions, had the best results of the day finishing 4th and 8th respectively in their race.

Up front the sprint for the finish line saw Jim Loughran take the win. Jim was off in the frist group & when the second group bridged up to them he reserved his energy to win the sprint, narrowly ahead of Kevin Black. Third spot home was Mark Duffy, followed by Gary Morton in fourth and Terry McEnaney in 5th First women home was Suzy Mackin, who lead Annette Dawe and the fast improving. Finally behind the leading group Paul McGee was in commanding form seeing off all other sprinters to take the scratch prize.

So it will be Jim Loughran in the first virtual yellow jersey as the league heads into the next round on Thursday April 26th on the Ardee Road, Dorains circuit. This route features a number of stiff hills on the way out to Ardee before a flat and fast finish home, with the line awaiting the riders on the old Dublin road.

On the open racing front club newcomer Michael Barry continues to show good early season form, taking a 6th place in the A race over the weekend in Drogheda. The next big stepping stone for the club’s elite team of Barry, Myles McCorry, Colm Quinn & Ray O`Shaugenessy, as they prepare for the upcoming An Post International Rás will be the Tour of Ulster on the May bank holiday weekend. This long running event, which is regularly regarded as the countries second biggest event, is held in around the mountains of Tyrone. The last club man to achieve outright success in the event was Kevin Dolan back in the 60s. Given Barry’s excellent 6th place overall in Easter’s Rás Moon, he could be a dark horse for this event.

Thursday last saw the 2012 FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League kick off with a 10mile time trial, with over 60 riders competing. The results showed it was one of those strange nights when weather conditions meant everyone was slower than expected. Gerry McCabe was quickest on the night, however riders didn’t beat their times set on New Year’s Eve. This was unexpected as at this time of year everyone is much fitter than during the dark depths of winter, however it proves whatever your fitness, a strong wind trumps all. Gerry had 15seconds to spare over Colm Quinn, with Newry’s Kevin Lynch in 3rd. The first lady home was Celine McPhilips, with Sarah Fagan in 2nd & Lisa Neary in 3rd. Next Thursday night the action moves to the Ballymac for a race out to Greenore & back. Those interested in racing need to register beforehand at www.dundalkcycling.com

On the open racing front the result of the weekend went to Jimmy Flynn in the IVCA in Batterstown. Having missed the break Jimmy jumped from the main bunch and rode hard to bridge the gap to the leaders. In the sprint for the line Jimmy was narrowly edged out into second. In the other IVCA race Sé Weston finished in 7th position, the same position Sean lighran claimed in Sunday’s A3 race in Stamullen. Two of the club’s ladies, Annette Dawe & Suzy Macking travelled to Dublin on Tuesday night to take part in the first round of the Wheelworx Women’s Cycling league. The 6 ropund event kicked off with a time trial where Annette took 8th position, finishing less than a minute off the podium, with Suzy mackin a bit further back.

A new date for the calendar is Sunday May 6th, when Carrick Wheelers will promote the inaugural North East Cycle Challenge. Riders can depart Carrickmacross & choose between a 100km Drumlin Challenge or a 30km Oriel Challenge. Entries can be got in Carrick Cycle Center

Aaron Treanor takes 3rd in U8 Race

While Dundalk’s older cyclists were doing themselves proud racing around the country over the Easter weekend, the club’s next wave of cyclists were also racking up the podium finishes. Aaron Treanor finished 3rd in the U8s race held in Rathfriland on Saturday.

The race finished on Easter Monday with a relatively short 50km stage & from the gun Ray went on the attack. Going into the final; stage Ray was in 2nd place overall, only 12seconds back off the leader, Galway’s Derek Joyce. Initially he formed a 4 man group from which the yellow jersey was absent. The race was 5 laps of the a 10km circuit & despite the best efforts of the yellow jersey & his strong team they could not halt the progress being made by the riders up the road. By the finish Ray had gained over 30 seconds & was the winner of the final yellow jersey. Ray is no stranger to wearing jerseys of this colour, having been part of the winning team in the 2011 Tain Team Tour. Dundalk’s Gerry McCabe also had a good race, finishing 5th overall & first vet.

Meanwhile on Easter Sunday Cuchulainn hosted the 3rd round of the  Irish Veterans Cycling Association league. The race featured 2 events, with Irish Champions Sé Weston & Martin Grey racing in the first event. While both missed the winning move they did finish in another chasing group, coming in some 15seconds behind the winner. Jimmy Flynn, Damien Faulkner and Ray Fedigan were the club competitors in the second event. This race, on the same course, was a lively affair with many riders trying to break away. No one escaped until, with 8k to go, a brave lone rider slipped away and made it to the finish with seconds to spare. Ray Fedigan used his local knowledge to great advantage and was second in the bunch sprint and third overall.  Jimmy Flynn and Damien Faulkner both came home in the bunch.

On the club scene this Thursday (April 12th) sees the start of the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League, which starts with a 10mile time trial on the old Dublin road. Full details of the league can be found at www.dundalkcycling.comand those interested in competing need to register online.

Ray O`Shaughnessy Ras Chonamara Winner 2012

Also on Sunday last over 30 members of the club took part in the Tour of Carlingford. This 80km event was organised by Slieve Gullion Wheelers and followed a path from Silverbridge to Newry, Carlingford and through Dundalk. The leisure group were using this ride as preparation for bigger summer events such as the Wicklow 200 and the club trip to the Alps this August, where the riders will be tackling climbs that the Tour de France passed over less than a month before. A few places remain on this trip and those interested should go to www.dundalkcycling.com for further details.

The FPM Accountants Summer CYcling League will be starting on Thursday April 12th. Since it’s reincarnation, this will be the 10th running of the league. The mix of road races, time trials and hill climbs means that there is something for everyone and the handicap system ensures that newcomers are able to race against the more experienced members. Riders looking to particpate should go to www.dundalkcycliong.comto sign up.

Tour of Carlingford 2012