McCrystal in the frame for Time Trial honours
CYCLING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
THERE will be great North East interest in this week’s National Championships as top riders from Meath and Louth do battle for coveted Irish titles.
Every year come the month of February when Cycling Ireland release all the race fixtures for the season ahead, cyclists, cycling fans and fanatics alike, all scan their yearbook to see when the Irish National Championships will be held and which club has been chosen to promote the most important and prestigious events of the season.
This year it will be the turn of Scott Orwell Wheelers CC in Dublin to take on this mega task. This same club happens to be the club that Stephen Roche launched his fledgling career before going on to major victories, winning the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and World Championships, all in the year 1987.
The action begins this Thursday evening as the 40km Individual Time Trials get under way at exactly 4.01pm on the Athy Road out of Kilcullen, Co Kildare.
In this particular race Ryan Mullen, whose family members all hail from Duleek, will return from the continent where he competes with the Cannondale team, to defend his title.
In the Ladies Individual Time Trial, which will also be held on Thursday evening, one cannot rule out Eve McCrystal from the Asea Wheelworx team.
Then on Saturday these championships continue with the Masters Over-40, Over-50 and Over-60 and here there will be a host of riders from the North East lining up for the various grades.
The final event of the weekend will be the eagerly awaited Elite Men and Under 23 championship (combined), held over a staggering 188km, six laps of a tough circuit, starting at 10.45am.
The promotion of these championships is probably the only time in the season when Irish professionals who are based over different parts of the world travel home to line up with the very best of the home-based riders, with all vying for the illustrious gold medal and champions jersey which will be worn with great pride for the entire year.
Among the riders who have been confirmed on the entry list are the very popular Nicolas Roche from Team Sky who won this championship back in 2009 at Dunboyne, while Matthew Bremmeier, who has won this particular championship no fewer than four times in the past, will be hoping to add to his already impressive tally.
Conor Dunne, who at 24 years of age measures 6ft 9in tall, is another rider who has tremendous ability and who has just returned from competing in the Tour of Korea with his JLT Condor team.
Eddie Dunbar from Banteer in Co Cork is another prolific and exciting young rider, who at the age of just 20 years is well capable of taking both the Elite and the Under 23 championship. In this same discipline the aforementioned Ryan Mullen, who won this same race just two years ago, is another very strong contender.
However, our own North Eastbased amateur riders will not be feel daunted or intimidated in the present of such a pool of talented riders and are well capable of matching any performances on the day. Men like Dundalk businessman Bryan McCrystal who oozes strength and ability, recent Ràs Stage winner Eoin Morton, Mark Dowling and Javan Nulty.
•The Bike Station Cycling League passed the halfway mark last week 10 rounds completed.
The latest event was especially tough with a finish atop the Long Woman’s Grave, while a punishing headwind on the road to Carling- ford added to the rider’s pain.
In race one group four used their handicap and numerical advantage to stay ahead of the chasing groups and take the win. At the top of the climb first home was Dunleer rider Andrew McAffee of Whiteriver Wheelers, taking the win from Ardee CC’s Patrick Gorman, with South Down Armagh rider Johnathan Carroll in third.
League leader and junior rider William Loughlin was just off the podium in fourth to add to his points tally.
Behind group four, the scratch group swept up group five and were bearing down on group four. However the circuit was just not long enough as Alan Grey led the charge.
In race two Cuchullainn CC had a clean sweep of the podium, with Mickey Laverty taking a fine win ahead of Brian Grogan and Niall Clerkin in second and third respectively.
Junior rider Lorcan kilkenny put in a strong display on the climb to take fourth. The next round is the longest of the league, a 50km route that goes through Carrickmacross, Ardee and back into Dundalk.
On the leisure front the club has been very active with the sportive season is in full swing. The big one every year is the Wicklow 200 and this year cyclists braved 200km of Wicklow mountains along with wet and windy weather. Ten riders from Cuchulainn fought and beat the conditions.
On the same day the club had over 40 riders take part in the shorter 100km Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust Cycle. Held on local roads it also featured a section in the Cooley Mountains to ensure all those who finished experienced a hard day in the saddle.