DROMARA
RIDERS ARE THE FOLKS ON THE HILL AT TON
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DROMARA
RIDERS ARE THE FOLKS ON THE HILL AT TON | |
| 7 April 2010 By Zak Hanna The Tour of the North International Cycle Race 2010 kicked off on Good Friday evening in atrocious weather, with the heavy winds and rain bouncing off the roads like bullets. But the competitors, some of whom came from mainland Britain and Europe, did not let the weather dampen their spirits as they warmed up for the prologue of the tour which was set in the scenic grounds of Stormont Estate in Belfast. Stage 1 - The prologue got underway at 6:30 pm with riders starting from the Prince of Wales gates and racing individually to the finish outside the entrance to the main parliment buildings at Stormont. The first rider to go off was reigning Tour of the North champion Martyn Irvine, now riding for his new team, Planet X. He managed to get to the top in a quick time of 2 minutess 15 seconds. Dromara Cycling Club had four riders competing, namely Davy McKnight, Darren Weir, Ronnie Smyth and Damien McDonald (who was competing in his first Tour). Davy completed the hill in a time of 2:30, and that put him into 39th place. Darren got a time of 2:33 and 49th place, while Ronnie got 2:32 and 47th place and Damien got 2:36 and 55th place. The winner of the stage was Dubliner Phillip Lavery, riding for Cycling Ulster/Dave Kane/Slane Cycles team, who achieved a time of 2:13, putting him into the ‘Yellow Jersey’ for the next stage. Nigel's Stage 1 YouTube video here Stage 1 Results (pdf - 300 kb) here Stage 2 (Easter Saturday) got underway from the Moat Pad Bowling Club near Dundonald, and this time Dromara had the assistance of a back up car during the race. The driver for this stage was Derek Hanna, the mechanic was Michael Pyper, the reporter and photographer was Chris Weir and Zak Hanna. After the presentation of the jerseys, the race was neutralised to Ballygowan before it kicked off with a tough 75 mile stage around County Down. The circuit had two "King of the Hills" climbs in it, and the main climb was Dree Hill, at the bottom of Slieve Croob outside Dromara, where large crowds gathered to watch the riders tackle this energy sapping ascent. The Dromara riders rode very well in this stage, but unfortunately Ronnie Smyth got caught up at the back of a crash, losing very valuable times and the bunch. He managed to finish the stage, finishing 76th. Davy finished 26th, Damien finished 28th and Darren finished 50th. The stage winner was again Phillip Lavery, and he got to keep the ‘Yellow Jersey’. Neill's Stage 2 photos here Nigel's Stage 2 YouTube video here Garmin stats Stage 2 (Damien) here Stage 2 Results (pdf - 300 kb) here Stage 3 (Easter Sunday) took the riders up to the snow capped hills of Limavady, with the riders tackling 4 laps of the 20 mile Drumsurn circuit. The snow lying on the verges did not stop Matt Cronshaw, from the English team Rapha Condor Sharp, from sprinting to the line to take the win. Phillip Lavery lost the Yellow Jersey by finishing 1 minute 32 seconds down on the winner, giving the Yellow Jersey to former British Champion Hamish Haynes of Scottish outfit VC Ecosse. As for the Dromara riders, Damien and Davy finished in a similar position as to yesterday, Ronnie finished but Darren retired from the race. The driver for this stage was Nigel Sudlow, the mechanic was Brian McGrath. Nigel's Stage 3 YouTube video here Garmin stats Stage 3 (Damien) here Stage 3 Results (pdf - 300 kb) here Stage 4 (Easter Monday). The final stage took the riders into Ballymena, and Phillip Lavery attacked from the drop of the flag, and was closely followed by Australian Dean Windsor (Rapha Condor Sharp) and Martyn Irvine (Planet X). Davy McKnight and Damien McDonald finished in the main bunch and they both secured their overnight positions. The driver for this stage was Brian McGrath, the mechanic was Darren Weir. Neill's Stage 4 photos here Garmin stats Stage 4 (Damien) here Stage 4 Results (pdf - 300 kb) here The overall General Classification and the Yellow Jersey went again to Phillip Lavery (Cycling Ulster/Dave McCall/Slane Cycles), 2nd went to Hamish Haynes (V.C. Ecosse) and 3rd went to Tom Last (Sigma Sport Specialized). King of the Mountains went to Martyn Irvine (Planet X), and the Best Young Rider went to Phillip Lavery. Davy McKnight finished 31st and Damien McDonald 33rd. Congratulations must go to all the Dromara riders, and to the drivers and mechanics in the team car who supported the team. Well done to Damien, who successfully completed his first Tour. For more details of the tour see the dedicated website here |   |