Lynch and Callan are victors in opening round of Cuchulainn Bike Station Cycling League

Donnach Callan takes the sprint to win Race two

Thursday last saw the commencement of the Bike Station Summer Cycling League, with a short and sharp opener. There riders raced from the Fane Bridge out to the Dunleer roundabout & back, a distance of just over 26km. What the course lacked in distance it certainly made up for with a night that saw the riders battered by strong side winds. However despite this the speeds were still high, with the scratch group averaging 43.6kph for the night!

 
As has been the format the previous two seasons, there was two separate races, race one comprised the first three groups, while race two was made up of groups three through to six. Group one was first to hit the road and included a large number of women riders. Sensing she was the strongest in the group, newcomer Rosena Lynch attacked her fellow group one cyclists after only 7km. Behind groups three, two and one all amalgamated, yet their combined efforts was not enough to pull Rosena back and she stayed out front to take the win. Behind her Peter O`Donoghue led the rest of the group home to take second, with William Loughlin in third position.
 
Meanwhile in race two, group four just held off the rapidly advancing scratch group to take the top placings. Here it was Cuchulainn's Donnach Callan who toke a superb bunch sprint, ahead of Newry Wheeler's Ralph Gensi. Paul Dagg claimed the final podium spot with another fast finish. Eve McCrystal was first lady home in race two. 
 
The next round of the league is the significantly longer Greenore Circuit, which sees the race go from the Ballymac Roundabout to Greenore and back, a deceptively hilly course. Additionally as the road snakes along the coast the rider's are often subjected to strong winds, especially in the more exposed areas.