Teenager too quick for Cian in cup race

STAMULLEN Road Club’s Cian Delaney continued his impressive form when featuring strongly at the business end of Sunday’s Dundalk Traders Cup race.

Cuchulainn Cycling Club promoted this event, which in former years would always have been an early season event. However, due to the high volume of clubs wishing to promote their races at the beginning of the year, Cuchulainn CC kindly agreed to hold back their event until the end of the season.

This plan proved to be a winner, as on Sunday the club moved to a totally new circuit, taking the riders out on a new 24km course around Darver, Castlebellingham and Haggardstown.

It was a combined Senior A1, A2, A3, Junior race and held on a handicap basis and at the end of the 72km course it was 17-yearold Harvey Barnes from East Tyrone CC who blasted his way to victory, with Delaney back in sixth place.

Next weekend sees the last of the National Road Race championships for this season and the venue for the Junior Time Trial and Masters, Over 40s, 50s and 60s will be Maghera, Co Derry on Saturday.

On Sunday, also at Maghera, the Senior A3 and Junior Road Race championships will be held and both championships will be held over 110km.

Each race will cover five laps around the Tobbermore, Desertmartin, Magherafelt, Tobermore circuit. On the last lap the race will depart the circuit where there will be a sting in the tail for the riders as they have to negotiate a very severe climb up to the finish at Coolnasillagh, wadjacent to the Glenshane Pass.

On Sunday next Drogheda Wheelers CC will also promote the Skoda Tour de Boyne Valley, with a 150km cycle and a 95km cycle to choose from, starting off from Western Motors in the M1 Retail Park.

Already there is a huge entry of more than 700 riders scheduled to sign on for this popular event - although it should be noted that this is a leisure cycle rather than a race.