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Post date: May 30, 2013 1:51:34 PM
(By Billy Cunnane)
On what was a very buy week for racing for club members, see eports below on some fantastic performances and results achieved by Lakeside Wheelers riders.
Emyvale Grand Prix
On Sunday 19th May Emyvale Cycling Club hosted the Emyvale GP in Tydavnet Co. Monaghan. We were represented in A1 by John Murray, in A3 by Billy Cunnane and in A4 by Tosh Kiernan. The weather conditions on the day were perfect with a slight wind to contend with. The A1's set off first with 6 laps to complete of a draggy 16.5km lap. John was in a break early on in the race but they were caught. Numerous attacks were attempted with John just missing out on getting across to the winning break of the day. John finished in the chasing bunch. Next race off was the A3's. Billy lined up in the 100+ group which was definitely the largest group of all the categories. The A3's had 5 laps of the 16.5km lap to complete and from the drop of the flag the attacks started. Each one in turn was brought back in as the bunch weren't eager on letting anyone get away. A 3 man breakaway went clear on the last lap and pulled a 30 second advantage only to be caught 5km from the finish.
A crash on the uphill finish disrupted the bunch a strung it out with Billy finishing inside the top 20. All the action however was to be in the A4 race with Tosh Kiernan lining up for 4 laps of the 16.5km circuit. From the drop of the flag the pace was high and on lap 2 a 5 man breakaway broke clear of the main bunch. Tosh managed to get across to the break but after around half a lap the breakaway started to faultier with numerous riders not willing to do their turn at the front. The chasing bunch made contact with the breakaway on the 3rd lap. The bunch stayed together on the final lap with Tosh well placed on the final sharp hairpin before the 1.5km uphill finish. Tosh managed to follow the right wheels and got a well deserved 3rd place in the sprint. This is a bitter sweet result for Tosh as luck hasn't been on his side in the first few open races of the season. Tosh has now earned himself 6 points and is edging closer to the A3 category with only 4 more points to collect. I have no doubt this will not take him too long.
Midland League - 16th May
On Thursday 16th May Wolftrap CC hosted round 4 of the Midland league in Birr Co. Offaly. Numbers at sign on were down due to the bad weather and our own club league which was also on in Dysart. First race off on the evening was the A/B category which was contested over 3 laps of a 16.5km draggy circuit. The 12 strong B group set off first with a 2.5 min advantage on the Chasing A group containing 6 riders. The A group caught the B group after just 1.5 laps after some really strong riding from both Paul and Peter who kept the pace high and done more than their fair share at the front. Numerous attacks were tried but were all brought back by the bunch. The finish came down to a bunch sprint with Billy Cunnane taking 5th, Paul Crowley 7th and Peter Rimmer 9th. The next race off on the evening was the C/D category who had to complete 2 laps of the 16.5km testing circuit. The D group containing 8 riders set off first with a 4min advantage on the chasing C group of 15 riders. The D group worked well together and managed too stay away to the finish with John Tully taking 5th in the sprint. The remaining points were fought out by the C group in a bunch sprint with Paddy Whelan finishing just outside the points. Next Midland League report will be from Clara.
Wheelworx Orwell Ladies Criterium League 2013
On Tuesday 14th May Claire Malone and Muirna Walsh travelled to Sandyford in Co. Dublin for the final round of the Wheelworx sponsored and Orwell Wheelers ran event. Open to all female cyclists, the Wheelworx sponsored Orwell Ladies Crit League 2013 kicked off on Tuesday 9th April and ran for six weeks starting with a time trial, followed by five Criterium. These races were open to female riders of all fitness and ability levels including beginners, youths and juniors. With expert advice on hand, the League was aimed at those interested in getting into racing for the first time and turned out to be great for improving fitness, cornering and bunch skills. With a riders best 5 out of 6 races counting to the final placing, it was still all to play for in the final round. Claire lined up in the B group and from the drop of the flag the pace was high with numerous attacks but nothing being let get away. It came down to a bunch sprint with Claire finishing 7th. Claire finished a very creditable 14th overall in the B league table. Next race off on the evening was the A group in which Muirna was competing. Muirna acquitted herself very well finishing comfortably in the bunch and in doing so secured 4th place overall in the A league table. After a barbeque and light refreshments in the Blue light Pub in Barnaqullia it was down to the prize giving with Muirna also picking up an Award for the Most Improved Rider. Well done to all the Wheelers who took part in the league over the 6 weeks.
Mondello Bikeworx open race series
On Tuesday 14th May Billy Cunnane, Charlie Sheridan and Ken Berry travelled to Mondello Park in Co. Kildare for round 2 of the Bikeworx open race series. This event was hosted by Usher Irish Road Club and Naas CC on the full international race circuit. The race is run for 1hr +3laps. Numbers were high at sign on as the weather was dry with a slight wind. This is a handicapped event with the A4's setting off first with a time advantage on the A3's, who in turn have an advantage on the A2's and the A1's then setting off last. A breakaway from the A3's was successful on catching the A4's early on and in turn rode through the group bringing 2 A4's with them. This breakaway managed to stay away to the finish. The A1, A2's A3's and A4's were all together after 45mins of racing. A few attacks were attempted from the bunch but were brought back every time. The remaining places were contested in a bunch sprint with the best placed Wheeler on the night being Charlie Sheridan who was just outside the prizes again with 3rd unplaced A4. Round 3 of the series is on 11th June at 7pm.
Brendan 'Tosh' Kiernan recives his prize for 3rd in the Emyvale Grand Prix
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