11 June 2011
Almost 50 members of Dromara Cycling
Club gathered to help host 3 open road races on Saturday 11 June 2011.
As per last year race heaquarters was in the excellent
Hillsborough Village Centre which has a large car park, adequate
meeting rooms, kitchen, toilets and shower facilities. Sign on
was open from 9:45 am and there was a steady stream of riders from
all across Ulster signing on for one of the 3 races. The Emma
McMullan Trophy race was for riders in race categories A1, A2 and A3. The Ronnie
Smyth Trophy was going to the winner of the Over 50s race and the women's race was part of the Ulster Woman's Association League.
The trophies have been kindly sponsored by KJM Electrics of Crossgar
and RS Contracts
Ballynahinch.
The day had started with some showers but they had dried up around 9 am and by 10:30 the sun came out. At 11 am the
riders were escorted from the Village Centre and
taken along the Ballynahinch Road to Annahilt. From the
crossroads in Annahilt the races were started. The club had to
alter the7 mile route from last year as the back roads were in a poor
state of repair and had opted for a 15 mile circuit which took the
riders into Ballynahinch before turning left up the Magheraknock Road
for the long drag to the Comber Road where they turned left again and
then at the next crossroads they turned left onto the Upper
Ballynahinch Road before passing the Pheasant Inn and finishing at the
top end of the Glebe Road opposite Glebe Motors. (route map).
The Over 50s and Women had to complete 2 laps of the course and the A'
race riders had to complete 4 laps giving them a tough 60 mile race.
On
the escorted roll out to Annahilt David McKnight from Team Vision
Racing collided with a car and had to be taken to hospital. He
sustained a shoulder injury and the club wish him a speedy recovery.
The
A' race set off first and contained 38 riders with Gavin Magowan
the only Dromara CC representative. The club are very
thankful to the local PSNI officers who came along to help marshal the
riders around the busy circuit. The officers were very supportive
of the event and were a huge help in keeping the riders safe. The
circuit was busy as there was a wedding in the church on the Comber
Road and a flower show on in Annahilt.
Starting around 5 minutes
later were the 21 riders aged 50 or over, among them were Dromara's
Stephen Wallace and Raymund Martin. The women sorted themselves
into 2 groups with a time gap of around 3 minutes between them.
Mary Hunter was the club's only representative of the 15 riders.
There
were a few breaks in the A' race with a small group of riders left to
fight it out for the final sprint to the line with Simon Williams
(Team Basso) taking the win by mere centimetres from John Madden
(Curran Racing). Third was Cathal Smyth (Phoenix CC) with
Damian McDonald (Team Vision Racing) fourth and John Heverin
(Clann Eireann) fifth with John Smyth (Phoenix CC) sixth.
Gavin Magowan was second in the bunch finish. First
unplaced junior rider was Matthew Heaney from Apollo CT with the first
unplaced A3 rider, Jim McConnell (East Antrim Audi) finishing 7th
overall with first unplaced A2 rider Conor Campbell (Newry Wheelers)
finishing 8th.
The
Over 50s race was another close sprint to the finish with Geoff Hewitt
(Phoenix CC) denying the host club's Stephen Wallace the win
with Paul McGuckin (Banbridge CC) third. Desi O'Hagan
(Apollo CT) was fourth with Finbarr Cummins (Phoenix CC) fifth
and Davy Cartmill (West Down Wheelers) sixth.
The women's
sprint finish was the closest of the day with Amy Brice (Phoenix CC)
and Geraldine Gill (Bohermeen) crossing the line at the same time.
After a prolonged checking of video and photographic evidence the
organisers could not separate the riders and they were awarded joint
first. In third place was Mandy Collie (Team Basso Today)
with Julie Mulligan (Omagh Wheelers) fourth and the host
club's Mary Hunter in fifth.
Once
the races were over the riders could return to the Hillsborough Village
Centre where there was a great spread of food laid on for riders and
volunteers. After the deliberation over the results a prize
giving ceremony took place outside the building in the sunshine.
Well done to all the riders and a big thanks to the officers from the PSNI and to the staff at the Village Centre.
Results A Race - Emma McMullan Trophy
1. Simon Williams (Team Basso
Today's Cyclist)
2. John Madden (Curran Racing)
3. Cathal Smyth (Phoenix
CC)
4. Damian MacDonald(Team Vision Racing)
5. John Heverin (Clann
Eireann)
6. John Smyth (Phoenix CC)
First Junior Matthew Heaney
(Apollo CT)
First Unplaced A3 Jim McConnell (East Antrim Audi)
First
Unplaced A2 Conor Campbell (Newry Wheelers)
Results Over 50's
Race
1. Geoff Hewitt (Phoenix CC)
2. Stephen Wallace (Dromara CC)
3. Paul McGuckin, (Banbridge CC)
4. Desi O'Hagan (Apollo CT)
5.
Finbarr Cummins (Phoenix CC)
6. Davy Cartmill (West Down Wheelers)
7.
Pat Dunnion (North Pole CC)
8. Andy Templeton (North Down)
9. Jack Regan
(Team Madigan)
10.Cormac McCann (Phoenix CC)
11. John Hunter (North
Down)
12. Campbell Armstrong (Apollo CT)
Women’s Results
=1. Amy Brice (Phoenix CC)
=1. Geraldine Gill
(Bohermeen)
3. Mandy Collie (Team Basso Today)
4. Julie Mulligan (Omagh
Wheelers)
5. Mary Hunter (Dromara CC)
6. Heather Gould (Ards CC)
7.
Therese Smyth (Phoenix CC)
8. Hannah Francis (Bikeworks)
9. Maeve Savage
(Ballymena RC)
10. Gillian Orr (Ards CC)
11. Karen Hull (Phoenix CC)
12. Dawn Gregg (Spires CC)
Martina Elliott (Phoenix CC) DNF
Kathleen Croal (Bohermeen) DNF
Many thanks to the volunteers:
Drivers:
Nigel Sudlow, Peter Bryson, David Fisher, Gary Gray, Phillip Wilson,
Brendan Monaghan, Mervyn Cantley (TVR).
Motorbikers:
Noel Gibson, Dennis McMullan, Ivan Bradford, Colin McAlister,
Gordon Barlow (guest) and Eamon Burns (Phoenix).
Head marshal:
Neill Currie
Static marshals:
Alan McMullan, Andrew Wilson,
Anne Maguire, Barry
Kellett, Bernie Monaghan, Craig McDowell, David Chambers, Davy Robb, Denis Rankin,
E. Grimley, Eddie Doyle, Gary Gibson, Ian Gibson, Jim McMaster, John Heaney, Kevin
McDonald, Marcus
Magowan, Martin Marner, Michael McGlynn, Neil McAlister, Paul Gick,
Paul Jess, Phil
O'Neill, Roisin Boyle, Ryan Mallon, Stephen Kelly, Tom McClean, Tony Mallon, Trevor
Wright, John Ruddell (Ards CC)
Timekeepers:
Derek Hanna and John Clyde
First aid:
Conor Rice
Catering support:
Cathy Wallace
Report by Martin Grimley
Photos by Martin Grimley and Neill Currie
Links to reports on Cycling Ulster
By Marian Lamb here
By Warren Francis here
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Emma McMullan
Trophy
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