Aberdelghy Golf Course, Lisburn
Dromara Cycling Club played host to the third round of the 2010 Ulster Cyclo-Cross Series at Aberdelghy Golf Course in Lisburn. This was a new venue for the club and the club are indebted to Lisburn City Council for their support in allowing access to this picturesque site as well as the use of the club house which had excellent shower facilities, kitchen and club room. The golf club has sufficient car parking facilities, with overflow capacity at Bell's Lane Park, and is easily accessed from all routes into Lisburn. The weather in the lead up to the event was very wet which made for very 'soft' going along the grass sections in the main course but the area near the club house was in good condition for the youth races. On the day itself the weather was superb for November, clear skies and bright sunshine which put riders and spectators in good humour even before racing began. This was in sharp contrast to the previous year when the club's event had to be cancelled at the last minute due to extreme downpours.
The first race of the day was for those riders aged under 8. Seventeen eager young participants, 6 girls and 11 boys, lined up for two laps of the course which had been designed near the car park beside the club house. The riders were gridded using the latest Ulster league table into rows of 4 and with parents and spectators looking on the whistle was blown. The short course twisted around the site across the grass, gravel and tarmac and included a manmade obstacle in the form of a pallet covered in carpet which the riders gleefully rode over. The top 3 positions were hotly contested but crossing the line in first place was Fraser Harrower, from the host club, who finished just ahead of Sarah Elder (Carn Wheelers) with Daniel Donnelly (Newry Wheelers), the current league leader, in third. Dromara Cycling Club then had two more riders cross the line in fourth and fifth, Adam McCaughtry and Lewis Armstrong respectively, with Shea O'Kane (Pheonix CC), winner at round 2, finishing sixth.
Next up were the Under 10s and this event had attracted 12 riders from 4 clubs with Carn Wheelers and Dromara CC the most represented. These riders had 4 laps of the mini course to complete and were also gridded using the current league standings. Drew Armstrong (Dromara CC) had a great start and lead the pack around the first corner where his closest rival Cathir Doyle (Carn Wheelers) took a tumble on the gravel, lost position, but recovered to stay in the top 3 at the end of the first lap. Drew kept his head and stayed at the front with Cathir moving up to second position to finish just ahead of Craig McCarthy (Castlereagh CC) who had slowly made his way up from 6th to 3rd. Michael McNicholl (Carn Wheelers) was fourth with Stefan Wills (Ballymena RC) in fifth and host club's Max Melville sixth.
There were just 4 riders in the Under 12s race, two from local club XMTB McConvey Cycles, and they were lined up to complete 6 laps of the mini course. The pace was high from the 'off' with most of the action taking place in the first two laps with the final positions coming together in lap 3. Greg Bell (XMTB McConvey Cycles), the current league leader in this age category, took the win ahead of Stuart Dunlop (Banbridge CC) with Jack Lamont (XMTB McConvey Cycles) in third and newcomer Charlie Watson (Dromara CC) in fourth.
The next races then started on the access road at the bottom of the slope a few hundred metres from the club house. The access road and many of the paths around the course were very muddy with large puddles but this is to be expected with cycling at this time of year and is part of the attraction of the sport during the winter months.
First away, just after 11:30 were the riders in the mountain bike support race. This race is for those aged 16 and over and had attracted 19 entries including 3 females. They had 7 laps of the course which measured just over one mile and took in large sections of the access road around the course, some rough sections along the side of unused fairways, some short sections through the trees and the public path which ran along the side of the railway track. The terrain was varied in terms of conditions under the wheel and the elevation making for an energy sapping circuit which tested all riders. The riders were gridded and started by Derek Hanna. Seasoned veteran Robbie Lamont (XMTB McConvey Cycles) missed the first two rounds of the season but showed that he still possessed the necessary skills and stamina by leading the race from start to finish. Ross Blayney (North Down) was impressive taking second ahead of the round 1 winner, Gareth Blair (ChainReaction Cycles). Cathal Doyle and Ryan Walsh, both from Carn Wheelers, were fourth and fifth respectively and the final two to complete all 7 laps. In the woman's race Claire Oakley (XMTB McConvey cycles) and Andrea Harrower (Dromara CC) had a close battle for all the laps with Claire just taking the win ahead of Andrea. Julie Murphy (Maryland Wheelers) enjoyed her second race ever to finish third.
Behind the MTB support race the Under 16s and Under 14s were lined up. There were only 4 in the Under 14s race and they had 4 laps of the main circuit to complete and just 3 riders in the 5 lap Under 16s race. In both races the final finish order was set at the end of the first lap. In the Under 14s race Aaron Donnelly (Newry Wheelers) improved on his second place at the last round to take the win with Alex Bell (XMTB McConvey cycles) the current league leader second, Jonathan Collins (Dromara CC) third and Marc Heaney (Carn Wheelers) was fourth. In the Under 16s race Chris Oakley (XMTB McConvey cycles) completed his hat trick of wins finishing ahead of Zak Hanna (Dromara CC) and Curtis Bell (XMTB McConvey cycles).
At 1 pm the main event of the day took place with the cyclo-cross race itself. This took place on the same course as the MTB support race except that a set of steps was included which meant that the riders had to dismount, carry their bicycles over their shoulders, then remount their bicycles all without losing momentum. This portage section is what defines cyclo-cross and was a great place for the spectators to watch the skills on display. Riders were gridded using the current Ulster cyclo-cross league standings and duly took off at a frantic pace for their 9 laps of the course. Among the 35 riders gathered there was Matthew Adair (Banbridge CC) the current Ulster league leader, Ray O'Shaughnessy (BikePure) who was second at Round 2 and Ryan Sherlock (MAD) runner up in the 2010 Irish Cyclo-Cross Championships held in Dublin at the start of the year. Matthew was the first rider to appear at the end of the first lap in less than 5 minutes. He was closely followed by Conor Campbell (Newry Wheelers), with Ryan Sherlock third, Ray O'Shaughnessy fourth, Ray Brownfield (North Down) fifth and Peter McConville (Newry Wheelers) sixth. Matthew and Conor stuck together lap after lap with Matthew leading in all but one lap (after a fall). Ryan and Ray O'Shaughnessy swapped positions throughout the 9 laps but Ray Brownfield maintained his fifth position throughout. Peter McConville only got 6 laps completed before having to pull out with a mechanical issue with his new bike, caused by excess mud built up around the gears, a condition that affected a number of the riders on the day. In the end Matthew pulled away from Conor to claim the victory. Third went to Ryan Sherlock, Ray O'Shaughnessy was fourth, Ray Brownfield fifth and young Cormac Clarke took the sixth position. Between the women it was first time racer Katie Steere who took the win when Gill Smith (who had lead for most of the race) also suffered a mechanical problem with her bicycle and carried it back to the finish line. The top unplaced junior rider was Jack Wilson (East Antrim) who finished 9th overall, completing all 9 laps along with unplaced veteran rider John Bogues (Phoenix CC).
With racing over the riders and spectators returned to the club house, the riders making use of the excellent shower and changing facilities before joining the rest to tuck into the soup, rolls, biscuits, tea & coffee that was supplied by the club. Prize giving got underway inside the packed club room as the evening temperatures were falling outside.
Many thanks to all the club members of Dromara Cycling Club for all their hard work in setting up and running this event. A special thank you to Lisburn City Council, especially Brendan Courtney, for supporting our sport with the use of the excellent facilities at Aberdelghy Golf Course. Many thanks to the Red Cross volunteers who were able to enjoy the spectacle without having to treat any injuries.
The next round of the Ulster Cyclo Cross series will be held at Barnetts Park in Belfast on Sunday 14 November 2010 and hosted by Phoenix Cycling Club . For more details see www.UlsterCycloCross.com.
Commissaire: Aaron Wallace
Assistant Commissaire: Ronnie Ogilby
Full results here
Report & photos: Martin Grimley
More photographs here
Video here
** NOTE: A black coat was found in the sign on area and a pair of blue full finger children's gloves were found outside. Can the owners please get in touch to arrange return?
Email martin@dromaracc.co.uk
Many thanks to the following club members for their help:
Adrian Finnegan, Andrew Wilson, Chris Magowan, Davy Robb, Derek Hanna, Gavin Magowan, Gillian Armstrong, Jim McMaster, Joanne McCallum, John Clyde, John McGuigan, Jonny McBride, Kevin McDonald, Massimo Manganaro, Paul Jess, Phil O'Neill, Rodney Stewart, Stephen Gabbey, Stephen Philips, and not forgetting Trevor Annett (and my parents). Also thanks to non-club members Stephen Prentice and Johnny Bogues.
