|
|
|
Last Updated: 6 Apr 2018 - 3:10:13 PM |
The sun is certainly shining on the Irish cycling scene. This weekend we have a number of top class promotions. The action kicks off in Omagh tomorrow evening with a three-day for A4s'. Fast forward to Castlebar for the Tour of Connacht on Saturday and Sunday. Again on Sunday we have a double header with Donore for the Brendan Campbell promotion and also a full list of other events courtesy of the organiser Gerard Campbell who if he ever falls out with cycling! He can go and write a column on PREDICTIONS. Plus of course to round off the Sunday programme you have Ras Clar back on the agenda after many a year!
OMAGH THREE DAY
This coming weekend, Omagh Wheelers Cycling Club promotes the third edition of the Tour of Omagh 3-day racing event. Starting on Friday 27th July, the event once again has the main sponsor Costcutter Omagh onboard. Mark McAleer from Costcutter Omagh, and Omagh Wheelers CC has been the driving force behind the event since it’s origin. Speaking of the 2012 edition, Mark commented “this year the Tour of Omagh will be bigger and better than ever before! It’s great to have Stephen McKenna onboard as Race Director, and together we are both working to make this a great event that has a professional approach to organisation and safety, and I’ve no doubt it will provide some great racing action for competitors. The success and reputation of the event is reflected in our entries being sold out within 3hrs!”.
Newly appointed Race Director Stephen McKenna also added “We are very lucky in Omagh Wheelers CC to have some great volunteers and helpers behind the scenes who make events like this possible. I’d also like to thank the co-operation and assistance of the PSNI who will help make this a safe event. I’d like to thank David Prentice BMW, and the SilverBirch Hotel for their support, and together we are making this one of the best races of it’s kind in Ireland! It’s great to see such a high-level of interest of cycling in Tyrone, and I would encourage everyone to come out and see some great racing action on your doorstop.”
The 3-day event has a more challenging route in 2012, with plenty to race for including Sprints and King of the Hills competitions, prizes for stage results, first six riders overall, first unplaced Lady, Vet and Junior. This year will also see the biggest edition yet with 90 riders taking to the start line from 24 different clubs across Ireland including teams from Wexford and Mullingar.
The race will start on Friday 27th July at 7pm with a 30 mile road race starting from the Silverbirch Hotel Omagh and going to Beragh, Sixmilecross, Carickmore, and Creggan, before finishing on the Coostown road at Omagh Youth Sport.
Stage 2 on Saturday 28th July rolls out of Omagh at David Prentice BMW at 2pm going to Dromore, Irvinestown, Trory, Ballinamallard, Kilskeery, Dromore, finishing at the Omagh outer speed limit on the Dromore road.
Stage 3 on Sunday morning will be a short 2.5 mile individual time trial on the Dromore road at 9am at Clanabogan with the main Dromore road being closed for this stage as each rider races against the clock on the race of truth.
Stage 4 on Sunday evening will be a tough 40 mile starting 1pm at the Omagh Cinema before going to Drumquin, Lack, Ederney, Irvinestown, Dromore, Clanabogan with the finish at the top of Pigeon top mountain. The morning TT and the top mountain top finish will mean it will be all to play for, and it will test any rider in the leaders yellow jersey trying hold on to it.
The event has successfully teamed up with David Prentice BMW this year who will be providing official vehicles for the event. Speaking on behalf of David Prentice BMW, Adrian Pollock said “David Prentice are very pleased to be associated with such a successful event as the Tour of Omagh which is attracting athletes from across Ireland to the county town of Tyrone”. The event has also teamed up with the SilverBirch Hotel on the Gortin road which will be the Race Headquarters over the weekend.
----
THE TOUR OF CONNACHT (Saturday-Sunday)
No sooner has the Junior Tour packed its bags after the hospitality afforded to it by none other than the Taoiseach Enda Kenny who came and chatted with hopefully stars of the future! The JT has that hidden ingredient (that makes Coca cola so unique). The location was Lough Lannagh Holiday Village in Castlebar. But, on Saturday the location will be the unique 'McHale Park' which is synonymous with the town and the GAA.
On this occasion it will be for the Tour of Connacht. In years past it ran under the banner of Ras Connachta. If the new issue is anything like its predecessor, we are in for a humdinger.
The Tour of Connaught 2012 has been launched by the Connaught Cyling Federation for 2012. The race will be held using a two day format this year, based in Castlebar Co. Mayo on the 28th and 29th of July.
The race will comprise of two 100km stages on challenging and interesting routes, that will start and finish in Castlebar, as well as a time trial stage.
The Tour of Connaught is a reinvigoration of Ras Connachta, a race which has its origins in the 1950s, and in its heyday attracted a large international field. This year’s event is seen as a stepping stone towards rebuilding this race towards its past glories.
Interest has already been expressed in The Tour of Connaught 2012 from all four corners of the country.
Their also promises to be a strong Connaught contingent at the race, with teams from Castlebar CC, Western Lakes CC, Galway Bay CC, Eire Og CC, Seven Springs and Donoman all keen to keep the yellow jersey in its home province.
Route information, stage details, accomodation listings and an entry forms will be available on www.connachtcycling.com, For further information please contact John Brennan at brennan.john56@yahoo.com , David Brennan at brennan.jd@gmail.com
Last weekend I caught up Chris Troy of TFH Castlebar CC at the Danny O'Shea Memorial Time Trial in Kilpeddar, Co. Wicklow. "Yes, it is a great innovation that Connacht are behind the promotion. At least you'll be familiar with some of the terrain that was used recently in the JT. The tt course is a that bit longer and you would have noticed that the road has recently been tarred . There is a good surface. And, of course you have the 'Windy Gap,' said Chris.
The event facilitates A1, A2 and A3 riders plus juniors. Note A4 are not on the agenda.
TOUR OF CONNACHT 2012
STAGE 1 SATURDAY 28/07/2012
SIGN ON; 1.30 – 3.00pm An Sportlann, McHale Cycling Park, accommodation Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Managers meeting will take place at 2.30pm. At 3.15pm all cyclists to follow lead cars from car park to Newport Road. 3.30pm race start at 80km sign; Road Number 311 Newport road, Castlebar
STAGE 2 SUNDAY 29/07/2012
9km Time Trial Starts at 9.30am. Riders will start in reverse GC order at one and two minute intervals, no sign on. Start at Morans Garage, Pontoon Road, Road No. 310, 9km from Castlebar, and comes back into Castlebar.
STAGE 3 SUNDAY 29/07/12
Sign on; An Sportlann 12.30 – 1.15 pm. At 1.30pm all cyclists to follow lead cars from car park to Pontoon road. 1.45pm race start from Sion Hill Junction on Pontoon road, road number 310.
Hopefully the Junior Tour competitors particularly from the province will be on the start line They all competed very well and should put their opposition to the test, includinhg the likes of Niall Kilkenny, Thomas Walsh, Stephen King, Liam Corcoran and Jason Prenderast.
----
THINGS GO BETTER WITH Coca Cola
YES! The Brendan Campbell Memorial Races is upon us and this Sunday is the day! Gerard Campbell and team have on my reckoning got all the i's dotted and the t's crossed. includingPrendergast
It will be like a military operation in the Donore Village which once again is the location and the event is kindly sponsored by Coca Cola International Services.This is the 16th staging of the event and sign on will be at the local Donore National School. Sign on for the youth races will open at 10 30am and also for a new addition to the programme this year an A4 only race which will be run at the same time as the youth events which will be all over before the main event. All races will be run over the usual 6.4km circuit. The timetable for the day is as follows - 11.45am U12 race 1 Lap 6.4km. 12.00 A4 race 7 Laps 45km. 12.03 U16 race 6 Laps 38.4km. 12.06 U14 race 3 Laps 19.2km. 2.00pm A+/A1/A2/A3/Jun 13 Laps 83.2 km 2.03 Womans race [Nat League] 7 Laps 45km. The presentation for the earlier events will be held hopefully before the main event starts and the main presentation will be in the school at approx 4.30pm,where there will be refreshments for all.
There will be a no show no dough policy at the presentation in fairness to the race sponsor. I caught up with the holder of the title, Aidan Crowley from DID Dunboyne. His intentions were to be in Mondello last evening, but decided against it. I am in good form and looking forward to back to back wins. Like all events this is especially one that I look forward to. For more info contact Gerard on 086-8192205 or gercampbell1@hotmail.com (((PS The A4 separate race will be subject to numbers on the day.)))
The youths events are sponsored by Duleek Credit Union. The A4 race will now be 8 laps 51.2km,to bring it over the 50km to make it eligible for full ranking points. The youths and A4 will be over by 1 30 so we hope to have the presentation before the womans and main event.
----
Rás Clár
Competition in 'The Banner County' is back in business this Sunday with big time competition returning with the announcement that Rás Clár after a long absence is back with a bang. The promoters are the Dolmen Cycling Club, and the plan is for a competitive course. The race will feature a tough course of 155 kms for A1s and A2s, 108 kms for the A3s and 60Kms for A4s.
A tempting prize fund of €2000 plus bonuses by the host club hopes for a big attendance, attacking racing and a great spectacle throughout the circuit. Dolmen CC chairman, Philip Colleran, “We have been planning to reintroduce Rás Clár for some time now and are delighted with the support we have got from many quarters. We expect the top stars on the circuit to come to ClarSaturdaye to make a great spectacle,” said Philip
Whilst, Coordinator of Clare Sports Partnership, John Sweeney, sees the event as a hugely valuable addition to the cycling calendar in the county, “The event reflects the huge upsurge in cycling here. The An Post Tour of the Burren is showcasing the county’s fantastic amenities for leisure cycling and now Rás Clár will show what we have to offer the leading lights of the racing community.”
The event is being made possible with the support of many local businesses that have supported the prize fund and general organisation. Now, all they need is the weather and the rest will follow in tandem. Could Michael Storan of West Clare CC be the one to keep a monitor on!
Martin McDonnell 087-7637899 is on the end of the line or martinmd1000@gmail.com will address any queries you may want answered. Sign-on is 11am with racing to start at 12.30 sharp. Race HQ is the Auburn Lodge on the N18, the old Galway Road in Ennis. From the M18 motorway, take exit 14 and follow the signs for Ennis for 3 kilometres.
----
YOUTH TOUR ON THE HORIZON
The excitement is building up for the 'Youth Tour' next weekend. Many overseas teams are anticipated to be in the line -up. The youth tour in previous years has attracted many of the top names in world cycling. For the fear of leaving out anybody, the list is endless and but to say that they all got a leg up when it came to the youth tour.
It all started way back in 1998 in the Kingdom of Kerry under the guidance of Killorglin Cycling Club. The current An Post Sean Kelly Cycling team of 2012 was well represented over the years and particularly in 2006 as the general classification after 4 stages was an Irish 1, 2 and 3 (Philip Lavery, NODE4-Giordana, Seán Downey, An Post and Sam Bennett, An Post).
The event ran for 10 years in County Kerry and in 2009 it moved west to the town of Kiltimagh where many overseas riders again attended. In 2011, the event was contested by a field of 186 riders from eight nations. For 2012, the event has moved North to County Donegal - The event itself will commence on Saturday morning the 4th of August with sign on for all categories at 10am until 12md at Gartan Outdoor Education Centre.
DAY 1 PROGRAMME
The event will then roll out at 1pm with the U12 competitors taking on a 7.5km Stage, U14’s - 28.2km Stage, and U16’s - 47km Stage.
DAY 2 PROGRAMME
Sunday will start with Stage 2 - A challenging a 1.6km Hill Climb - leaving race headquarters and finishing in the host village Churchill. This stage will apply to all competitor categories. On Sunday afternoon U12’s will contest a 9.5km Stage, U14’S 28.5km Stage and finally U16’s 47.5km Stage.
DAY 3 PROGRAMME
On Monday morning at 9am the competitors will roll out on to a Criterium circuit in the town of Letterkenny. This promises to be a great spectacle. The circuit is 1.28km in length. The stages comprise of some hilly terrain and all stages on the Youth Tour are of a lap nature, thus making it more spectator friendly for the following support, mentors, parents etc.
The stages will be exciting and will pass through Churchill village on each lap so for anyone that wishes to spectate they can relax in the village and watch the wonderful spectacle unfold.
The village will cater for all food tastes over the weekend and anyone intending to stay in Letterkenny there will be a special shuttle bus service in operation for anyone that wants to enjoy the evening festivities in the village. Camping facilities are in existence including motor homes. All other types of accommodation will be catered for.
Full details of the race and entry forms are available on the Club website www.errigalcyclingclub.com or Email us at errigalcc@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter- @errigalcc or on Facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/Errigal-International-Youth-TOUR Anyone with any queries whatsoever do not hesitate in contacting the club free as we will be delighted to assist.
----
IRISH JUNIORS in EUROPE
AN UPDATE FROM THE CAMP of the Irish Junior team who are away on International duty.
There was little time for a break after the Junior Tour which was based in Lough Lannagh Village in Castlebar for members of the National team. Added to the list for the exercise of the team to get on extra competition in a bigger league. Thomas Fallon and Jack Sadler who won the penultimate stage of the JT on the outskirts of Castlebar. It was a thrilling spectacle that there were forty eight participants going for glory of a stage win.
After a determined effort to try for the yellow Jersey in the Junior Tour, the four Team Ireland riders were joined by Jack Sadler and Thomas Fallon went to Amsterdam last Friday 20th to start on the next phase of the Junior development programme.
This phase is centred around preparing for the European Championships (9-12 of Aug)
The team are currently based right next to the European championships TT and RR circuits so they will be getting excellent preparation and training in. The camp is situated in the south west of Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland. A beautiful albeit flat part of Europe.
The European Championships will held on a very flat course, speed, skill and tactics will play a big part. To date the team have had the benefit of cycling the course on a lumberer of occasions.
After only one full day in Holland the team were on the road and heading for Belgium for competition. This style of racing is new to these guys. Racing flat out for 100km against the best juniors in Belgium. But the Irish team who were racing in their individual club colours excelled in their first outing. Ryan Mullen and Dylan Foley attacked on the first lap with Ryan staying out in front with one other rider for 13 of the 16 laps. This may seem kamikaze act, but it got a lot of notice from the large crowd that watched. The interest in the Irish team was quite remarkable but not so surprising as the Sean Kelly An Post Team are not far from here. The rest of the team were all prominent to the front behind keeping an eye on things and jumping with following attacks. With two laps to go a rider got away and just barely hung on for the win. Ryan mopped up 3 sprint primes for his efforts and the rest of the team finished inside the top 40.
Next up is the Acht van Chamm. This is one of the biggest criteriums in Holland and a popular post tour crit. The team ride early in the day while Matt Brammier rides in the pro event later in the day. In fact the team were invited to this race as the organiser was excited about the Senior and the Junior Irish champions both coming to the race.
With Thursday been a well earned rest day the team then travel to Germany for the Neidersachen Rundfart 3 day starting tomorrow. This will be the biggest race this team will have entered to date. It is a 2.1 on the UCI calender. The team will have a top mechanic from the Vacansoleil team working with them. The programme next week includes another post tour crit in Holland and a kermesse in Belgium the following weekend. Then it is taper for the Europeans.
----
Murphy & Gunn Underage Interclub League 2012
Just to let you know that the Underage Interclub League starts this coming Monday 23rd July, with a road race in Ashford. If any Bray Wheelers club member is free to help out with marshalling this event, in particular the road races in Ashford, your help would be very welcome! Both static and bike marshals are needed.
If you are free to help out, please contact Mark Loughran on 086 822 5310, or email info@identikit.ie – many thanks!
Any parents of young riders attending, your help would be very welcome, and if you could please let me know in advance if you will be there, it would be a big help. (In particular for the two Ashford road races). So if you could please email me back to let me know, many thanks!!
All youth members in Bray Wheelers, Sorrento Cycling Club and Dundrum Town Centre/Orwell Wheelers are welcome to take part, and these races usually are well supported with young riders, so we hope to see as many riders there as possible.
Races are run as a team event, with riders from each club competing for points for their club. Races are fun, and are handicapped so that all levels are catered for.
Monday 30th July 2012 – MTB Race, 7.15pm in Ballinastoe
Monday 6th August 2012 – (No race due to Bank Holiday)
Monday 13th August 2012 – Road Race, 7.15pm in Ashford on Cullenmore Bends
Monday 20th August 2012 – MTB Race, 7.15pm in Kindlestown
Sunday 26th August 2012 – Track Race and Skills Competition, 2pm in Track in Crumlin
____________________________________
SEND US YOUR EVENT INFORMATION
Clubs and race organisers can send their event information in text format to us here in IrishCycling.com (see our 'Contact Us' for relevant email addresses) If we don't get it, it won't be posted.
Please send us up to date information on your open racing events and leisure runs and we will include them on our fixtures calendar. Email us at: news2012@irishcycling.com
Please include
1. Event Date and Start Time:
2. Type of Event and distance:
3. Venue Details including Sign-On location:
4. Categories catered for:
5. Contact details - phone number / email address (we don't allow links to websites on article pages but do include them in our online calendar)
6. Entry Forms - you can send us pre-race entry forms and we will include a download link on our online calendar.
Also, after your race, we would be grateful to get results, reports and pictures if you have any after the event and we will make sure your event gets covered.
'If we don't get the information' - your event may not be coved in our reports.
|
|
|
|
