APRIL 2005
BAD LUCK FOR CUCHULAINN (April 25th 2005)
It was another busy week for the Cuchulainn Cyclists although not as fruitful as the previous few weekends. On Sunday most of the club took part in the Waller Cup race in Bohermeen, as usual the Dundalk men were in the thick of the action from the start. Despite numerous attempts to escape a break never managed to form on the flat circuit. On the run in to the finish Alan Bingham and Alan Gray were both well placed for the sprint, however two riders at front of the group touched wheels resulting in a crash. Both men came down with Alan Gray coming out the worse as he required the attention of the red cross. Karl Dolan travelled to Wicklow to take part in the Shay Elliott Memorial Ireland's toughest one day race through the Wicklow mountains, as part of his ongoing preparations for the Rás in less than a months time. The Mc Cabe brothers also travelled to Wicklow to take part in the second round of the Irish Cross Country Mountain Bike League. It was a difficult course through Ballinstoe Wood with a lot of mud as a result of the rain during the week coupled with a testing twenty minute climb. In the sporting event Gerry Mc Cabe continued to demonstrate his impressive fitness when he worked his way up to second place with only two laps remaining, however bad luck intervened in the form of a puncture. Gerry still managed to finish in seventh place. Brother Johnny and Declan both took part in the veterans race with Johnny crossing the line in fourth place and Declan in twelfth. The second round of Newry league was run off last Tuesday with another time trial along the carriageway and again the Cuchulainn Club performed well with Karl Dolan and Alan Bingham both finishing in the top 6. Karl Dolan 22.43, Alan Bingham 23.45, Martin Gray 24.15, Aidan Cunningham 25.04, Liam Murphy 26.55 After two rounds Gerry Mc Cabe is lying third over-all despite missing last weeks event after his fantastic performance in the opening time trial. Cycling skills for underage cyclists are on this Saturday in the Marist School at 10am everybody is welcome to come along, all you need is a bicycle in good working order (any type including mountain bikes) and a helmet. For further information contact our Youth Development Officer Alan on 087 7603487.
PERSONAL BEST FOR GERRY MC CABE (April 18th 2005)
Last Sunday local cycling club Cuchulainn travelled to Stamullen for the Joey Whyte Memorial. Weather conditions on the day were atrocious and when combined with a very tough course the racing was always going to be demanding, however yet again the Dundalk men did not come home empty handed. Alan Gray and Karl Dolan both collected prizes for seventh position in their respective categories. Last Tuesday night saw the first round of the Newry League kick off with a ten mile time trial along the Warrenpoint dual carriageway. Conditions on the night were reasonably good with a light wind facing the riders on the way out and favouring them on the return leg. The Cuchulainn riders once again did themselves proud, placing three cyclists in the top five. Karl Dolan set the fastest time on the night with 22min 29sec. The biggest surprise however was Gerry Mc Cabe who rocketed out and back in a time of 23min 15sec to knock over a minute of his personal best. This week's league event will be another time trial when everybody will once again be hoping for a calm night so that they too might improve their personal bests. Newry League Round One. Karl Dolan 22:29, Gerry Mc Cabe 23:15, Alan Bingham 23:29, Damien Pottier 25:21, Aidan Cunningham 25:22, Johnny Mc Cabe 26:07, Mark Quinn 26:18, Declan Mc Cabe 27:16, Liam Murphy 28:00 Cycling skills for underage cyclists will commence again this Saturday in the Marist School at 10am everybody is welcome to come along, all you need is a bicycle in good working order (any type including mountain bikes) and a helmet. For further information contact our Youth Development Officer Alan on 087 7603487.
JOHNSTON IS BACK (April 2005)
Rory Johnston former club member has been promising for the last number of years to rejoin Cuchulainn CC but it was proving difficult to get him to put pen to paper. We finally managed to track him down on his wedding day and got that elusive signature. Good Luck to Rory & Helen from Everybody in Cuchulainn Cycling Club
GREAT WEEKEND FOR CLUB (April 11th 2005)
Cuchulainn cycling club had their more successful weekend so far this year, with a total of 5 riders collecting prizes. On the road racing side of things the action took place in Bohermeen just outside Navan in Co. Meath. The race was run around the traditional ten mile circuit. The second category race was contested over six laps of the circuit. A group of thirteen riders escaped from the main pack almost as soon as the race started including local rider Karl Dolan. The group worked well together and built up a considerable lead on the bunch over the sixty miles. On the run in to finish Ritchie Malone from Newbridge managed to slip away from the group to take the win, Karl Dolan was second across the line leading the chasers home. This is Karl's best result of the season and sees him moving to fourth in the All-Ireland rankings for second category riders with another one or two results meaning he'll join the ranks of the first category and elite racers. The combined Junior and third category race was run over five laps of the circuit and resulted in a tight bunch finish. Alan Gray was once again in the thick of the action crossing the line in fourth place, closely followed by Alan Bingham in sixth. This result now means Alan Gray has eight points from the required ten points required to move up to the second category ranks and sees him moving to sixth place in the Irish rankings for third category riders. Elsewhere the mounting bike season kicked off with the first round of the Irish cross country league, in Castlewellan in Co. Down. A massive field of almost two hundred competitors were assembled to battle out the various races. Johnny Mc Cabe was once again amongst the front runners and finished in third place following a great tussle with his old adversaries Robert Lamont and Judd Jensen in the veterans event. Declan Mc Cabe also had a good day crossing the line in tenth place. The other member of the Mc Cabe trio Gerry was also in the prizes finishing in sixth place in the sport event, and should be the first of many results for him following his impressive performances last year.
ALAN GRAY HAS BEST RESULT YET (April 4th 2005)
It was a busy weekend for Cuchulainn Cycling Club with riders taking part in races in Newtonards and Balbriggan. Sunday proved to be a very successful day for the club with three riders collecting prizes. In the Jazzer Wherity Memorial Cup contested over 2 laps of a demanding 18 mile circuit, Alan Gray sprinted home in third place closely followed by Stephen Carroll in seventh. This is Alan's second result of the season and follows his sixth place in the opening race of the season. These results combined now give him a combined five points towards the ten he requires to be upgraded to second category status. Karl Dolan took part in the Ben Mc Kenna memorial race over 4 laps of the same circuit and collected the B prize. This coming week sees the start to the eagerly anticipated Newry League with a 10 mile time trial along the Warrenpoint dual-carriageway. The competition will run until the end of the Summer with a good mix of events, including time trials and road races over a variety of courses including some routes through the Mourne Mountains. With a change of rules to encourage outside competition and a record number of Dundalk riders registered to take part it should be an enjoyable event.
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