12Hour Bull Raid & Douglas leads FPM Summer League

The Ultimate Endurance Challenge, the Bull Raid held at Bellurgan Park last weekend proved to be a fruitful day for Cuchulainn Cycling Club. The outright solo winner was Athlone's Ger Jackson who completed a staggering 15 laps of the course over the 12hours. Not surprisingly his quickest lap was his 1st at just over 44mins, considerably shorter than lap 15 at 58mins! 2nd through 4th managed 14 laps each, so Jackson was a clear winner on the day. In the 2 man team the club had winners in Aidan Mc Donnell & Raymond O'Shaughnessy who covered 18laps of the course between them, surely leaving the riders with dizzy heads! The winning 4 man team was again a Cuchulainn affair & they covered 16 laps, the team comprising Alan Bingham, Glyn O'Brien, Seamus Mc Avoy, Daire Mc Caughley.
 
In the 6hr Bull Raid the winner was Oscar Macananey who completed 8 laps of the course. Behind him in 2nd was Cuchulainn's Johnny McCabe also on 8laps. Newry rider's Conor Campbell & Peter Mc Conville won the 2man 6hr event on 9 laps. Meanwhile Cuchulainn's Tony Mathews & Sandra O`Hagan were second mixed team home.  All in the day was superb and credit most go to Tony Kelly as the race director & the rest of his team.

 
In the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League 40 riders signed on for what will be the last road race of the league. Again 6 separate groups tool to the road. By the half way stage groups 1 & 2 had come together, while behind them super scratch set a fast tempo that had swallowed up the 3 groups in front of them. In the sprint for the win Barry Douglas took his second win in 3 weeks beating out John McKenna into 2nd, John Clarke in 3rd, Gary McNeill in 4th & Jimmy Campbell in 6th. Less than 2mins later Sean Loughran led the bigger bunch home, winning this sprint, & collecting points in the scratch race, ahead of Peter Tomany & Aidan Cunningham.
 
With neither Gerry McCabe or Colm Quinn collecting points on the night, Douglas was the big mover on the score board. His win sees him top the table ahead of McCabe, however with a 10mile Time Trial and the Hill Climb Championships to come it's hard to see Douglas staying ahead of McCabe or Quinn. The August 25th road race is not a round of the league but is a mass start event, serving as the Louth Road Race Championships.
 
Next Thursday (August 18th) will see a 25 strong group of club riders leaving Felda gym at 6:30am heading for Belfast by bike to catch the ferry to Scotland. There they will have 2 full days of cycling, before catching the Ferry back to Belfast & riding to Dundalk on Sunday the 21st. Trip organisers Padraig Kelly & Kevin Hamill have mapped out an exciting & challenging route for what is a training/leisure ride, which is sure to see the riders enjoy themselves.