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Tour of Ulster
Date:
4th - 7th
May 2002
TOUR OF ULSTER, FINAL
STAGE: (By Jim Traynor May 6)
Ex-professional Rob Holden, who now lives and rides
for the Isle of Man, successfully defended his yellow jersey on the final stage
of the 3-day UCPC Tour of Ulster, 79 miles from Downpatrick to Craigavon.
Holden, along with Billy Kerr, Philip Cassidy and Tommy Evans joins a select
group who have won both the Tour of Ulster and the Tour of the North.
Holden, who was second into Lisburn on Saturday
behind Brendan Doherty (Total Cycling.com), tied for the lead with
Total.ycling.com's Denis Easton after Sunday morning's 71 miles stage to
Downpatrick but Easton took the jersey on stage placings.
However his lead was short-lived as he lost 32
seconds to Holden Sunday evening's 3.7 miles time-trial at Downpatrick.
Easton was early in action yesterday and was in a
big group of 20 riders who sent away shortly after the start. Also present was
3rd placed Andy Roche (Isle of Man) and Davy Gardiner (Apolo CRT) lying 5th
overall at 59 seconds.
There was early drama when it looked as if the
stage would have to be neutralised at Castlewellan where there were thousands at
the May Fair. However great work by the team of police motorcyclists got the
race through although the KOH prime had to be abandoned.
The break were constantly increasing their lead and
at one time it reached 2.16 and Easton was a comfortable leader on the road.
However on the approach to Newry the gap started to come down and by Newry it
was under a minute.
As they approached the KOH at Crankie four riders
got away from the leading group before it was swallowed up by the bunch.
Gardiner and Roche was there along with last year's winer Timmy Barry (Carrick
Cidona) and Ray Clarke (Cycleways Lee Strand).
When their lead went to a minute Holden once again
was in danger both from teammate Roche and Gardiner but the bunch were chasing
hard and after Keady they all came together setting up a big bunch sprint at
Craigavon Centre where Eddie O'Donaghue (Dan Morrissey) won from Aidan Crowley
(Cycleways Lee Strand) and JP Hilliard (Les Jeunes).
Roche took three primes in the Vredstein KOH
classification to deprive Easton of that category by 36 points to Easton's 31.
The Isle of Man won the team classification from
Total Cycling.com and Frank O'Leary (Irish Road Club) was best second category
rider.
Tour of Ulster, stage 3, Downpatrick -
Craigavon, 79m.: 1, E. O'Donaghue (Dan Morrissey) 3.09.57; 2, A. Crowley
(Cycleways Lee Strand); 3, J.P.Hilliard (Les Jeunes); 4, L. Dumaolin (Cork); 5,
C. Bracken (Irish Road Club); 6, R. Aiken (UCF); 7, F. O'Leary (Irish Road
Club); 8, C. Sweetman (Stamullen M. Donnelly); 9, K. McMahon (Earl of Desmond);
10, G. Hatcher (Isle of Man) all same time.
General Classification: 1, R. Holden (Isle
of Man) 9.07.52; 2, D. Easton (Total Cycling.com) at 32 secs; 3, B. Doherty
(Total Cycling.com) at 53 secs; 4, A. Roche (Isle of Man) at 54 secs; 5, D.
Gardiner (Apollo CRT) at 59 secs; 6, P. Moriarty (Les Jeunes) at 1.01; 7, C.
Bracken (Irish Road Club) at 1.02; 8, A. Hedderman (Cycleways Lee Strand) at
1.16; 9, A. Donnellon (Dublin Whs.) at 1.24; 10, V. Gleeson (West Clare CC) at
1.28; 11, R. Moore (Stamullen M. Donnelly) at 1.36; 12, J. Dempsey (Classic
Walls) at 1.44; 13, P. Healion (Irish Road Club) at 1.47; 14, S. Lacey (Earl of
Desmond) at 1.48; 15, F. O'Leary (Irish Road Club).
Team: 1, Isle of Man 27.26.42; 2, Total Cycling.com
at 59 secs; 3, Irish Road Club at 1.17.
Vredstein King of the HIlls: 1, A. Roche 36; 2, D.
Easton 31; 3, J. Dempsey 23.
Second Category: 1, Frank O'Leary (Irish Road Club)
9.09.43; 2, O. Jeffries (Northern Dave Kane) at 10 secs; 3, C. Clark (Wil-Lec
Panoramic) at 19 secs; 4, K. Sloan (Ards CC) at 26 secs.
Timetable: Start Saturday, May 4 Craigavon Water
Sports Centre 12.00, Portadown, Armagh, Keady, Newtownhamilton, Newry,
Rathfriland, Finnis, Dromara. The stage finishes in Lisburn's Island Civic
Centre around 3 p.m. (77 miles). Modern Tyres Vredstein KOH primes at Fews
Forest and Newtownhamilton.
<Stage
1 Full Results by Seamus Shortall Here>
Sunday start Lisburn (Lagan Valley Leisure
Plex)11.00, Dromara (KOH), Rathfriland (KOH), Castlewellan (KOH), Killough KOH,
Ardglass, Strangford, Downpatrick. Finish at Down County Museum gates, 1.45 p.m.
approx. (71 miles).
<Stage
2 Full Results by Seamus Shortall Here>
Sunday afternoon 3.6 miles TT at Abbey Lodge Hotel.
First rider off at 5 p.m.
<Stage
3 Full Results by Seamus Shortall Here>
Monday's start Downpatrick Leisure
Centre at 11.00,
Castlewellan (KOH), Hilltown (KOH), Newry, Crankey (KOH), Markethill, Deadman's
Hill (KOH), Newtownhamilton, Fews Forest (KOH), Keady, Portadown. Finish
Lakeview Road, beside Craigavon Civic Centre around 2 p.m. (80 miles).
<Stage
4 Full Results by Seamus Shortall Here>
Tour of Ulster: TT Winner Jonathan Dempsey and Stage 2 Winner Colm
Bracken
PRESS RELEASE:
THE UCPC TOUR OF ULSTER
THREE DAYS TAKES PLACE NEXT WEEK, STARTING SATURDAY MAY 4TH.
With almost 90 per cent of the field elite first
category riders, next weekend's UCPC Tour of Ulster 3-day can boast the best
quality field of any Irish stage race except the UCI ranked FBD Milk Ras 8-day.
When the entries closed of the 120 riders on the
start sheet, all but 29 were first category and they included all the top riders
from northern and southern clubs plus teams from England and the Isle of Man.
Last year's winner Timmy Barry wil wear No. 1 in a
5-man Carrick Cidona team which has dominated all season in Munster as well as
Barry they have potential winners with Brian Kenneally and Martin O'Loughlin
(who won the opening stage last year).
Phil Cassidy (Cycleways Lee-Strand) won two years
ago just after winning the other big Ulster stage race, the P&O Tour of the
North. He has ben going well this season and won two stages of the Ras Mumham in
Kerry at Easter against top cross-channel opposition.
Cycleways have two teams entered and their top
squad also includes Eugene Moriarty, runner-up last year, who was just pipped by
Barry in the final miles.
The Wil-Lec Panoramic RT are coming from Yorkshire
and the Isle of Man quintet has two potential winners in Andy Roche and Rob
Holden.
The local teams are headed by selections from both
the UCF and NICF who field the only junior in the field, Ryan Connor, who has
been given permission by his Federation to take part following a string of wins
this season.
Apollo's Davy Gardiner won three staged of the race
in the 80's before a racing accident ended a brilliant career. Now on the verge
of turning veteran he is racing again and putting younger riders to shame,
notable in the tourh Wallace Caldwell Memorial at Ballymena recently when he
rode away frm the field. He is sure to be in at the finish.
Total Cycling.com's Denis Easton and Brendan
Doherty, Classic Walls' Jonathan Dempsey, the UCF's Stephen Gallagher and Roger
Aiken and the NICF's Morrow brothers Wayne and Ben are all likely to be in the
fight for overall honours.
With over 70 elite riders in the field its almost
impossible to pick a winner but apart from those mentioned above, others to
watch include Paul Healion (Usher IRC), Brian Stewart (Dave Kane Northern), Paul
Griffin (Earl of Desmond), Vincent Gleeson (West Clare), Jim McConnell (Kings
Moss), Morgan Fox (Navan Avonmore) and Eddie O'Donaghue (Dan Morrissey).
2002 UCPC TOUR OF ULSTER (WEDNESDAY APRIL,
11)
With the P&O Tour of the North run off over the
Easter holidays, Ulster Cycle Promotions who run Ulster's other big stage race,
the UCPC Tour of Ulster hav launched their 3-day, which takes place over the May
Bank Holiday, May 4/6.
This year's race is ideal for spectators with all
the stages taking place in three counties, Armagh, Down and Antrim.
The race will start on Saturday, May 4 in Craigavon
at the Water Sports Centre (12.00) and the 77 miles stage will take the riders
through Portadown, Armagh, Keady, Newtownhamilton, Newry, Rathfriland, Finnis,
Dromara. The stage has an interesting finish in the frounds of the Lagan Island
Civic Centre, coming in from Canal Street and going down one side of the Lagan
before crossing the bridge into the finishing straight outside the front door of
the Centre at around 3 p.m.
Modern Tyres are sponsoring the Vredstein King of
the Hiill classification again this year and there are KOH primes at Fews Forest
and the Mile Hill, Newtownhamilton.
Sunday's stage is 71 miles and leaves Lisburn
(Lagan Valley Leisure Plex) at 11.00. The route takes in Dromara (KOH),
Rathfriland (KOH), Castlewellan (KOH), Killough KOH, Ardglass, Strangford,
finishing in Downpatrick, like last year, outside the Down County Museum gates,
1.45 p.m. approx.
ON Sunday afternoon there will be a 3.6 miles
time-trial starting and finishing at the Abbey Lodge Hotel, Downpatrick with the
first rider off at 5 p.m. The course it that used annually for the UCPC's St.
Patrick's Day race.
Monday's stage is 80 miles leaving Downpatrick
Leisure Centre at 11 a.m. The route takes in Castlewellan (KOH), Hilltown (KOH),
Newry, Crankey (KOH), Markethill, Deadman's Hill (KOH), Newtownhamilton, Fews
Forest (KOH), Keady, Portadown and finishing at lakeview Road, beside Craigavon
Civic Centre around 2 p.m.
With the 8-day FBD Milk Ras less than two weeks
later, the Tour of Ulster always attracts a full field of Category 1 riders.
Last year they made up 80 per cent of the field, the highest percentage of any
Irish event outside the Ras and the Irish Road Race Championship.
For this reason the UCPC has always kept as many of
the 120 places for home riders but is becoming under increasing pressure from
cross-Channel teams and even before this year's race was announced, race
director Eddie Farquhar has received a request for entry forms from teams in
Glasgow, Lancashire and the Isle of Man.
Last year the race was won the the final five miles
by Timmy Barry (CORK) who edged past yellow jersey Eugene Moriarty. This year
Barry has joined Moriarty in the all-powerful Cycleways - Lee Strand team who
also include past winer Phil Cassidy, who won two stages of the Munster 4-day at
Easter.
Race Director Eddie Farquhar thanked the three
district councils: Craigavon, Lisburn and Down as well as KOH sponsors Modern
Tyres saying that without such support a race of this size would be impossible.
ROUTE 2002
On Saturday 4th the race starts at Craigavon Water
Sports Centre (12.00) with a 77m. stage to Lisburn via Portadown, Armagh, Keady,
Fews Forest (KOH), Newtownhamilton (KOH), Belleeks, Camlough, Newry, Rathfriland
(KOH), Finnis (KOH), Dromara, Lisburn (finish in grounds of Lagan Island Civic
Centre).
Sunday morning's stage is 71m. from Lisburn (11.00)
to Downpatrick via Dromara, KOH, Ballyronan, Rathfriland (KOH), Castlewellan (KOH),
Clough, Minerstown, Killough, KOH, Ardglass, Strangford, Downpatrick (finish at
Down County Museum).
On Sunday afternoon (5 p.m.) there is a 3.6m.
time-trial in Downpatrick. Start and finish are at the Abbey Lodge Hotel and the
course is one lap of the Quoile Bridge circuit (as used in the St. Patrick's Day
race).
Monday's 80 miles stage leaves Down Leisure Centre,
Downpatrick (11.00) via Castlewellan (KOH), Hilltown (KOH), Newry, Crankey Hill
(KOH) , Markethill, Deadman's Hill (KOH), Newtownhamilton, Fews Forest (KOH),
Armagh, Portadown, Craigavon (finish at Craigavon Water Sports Centre)
Entries are limited to first 100. Entry forms with
entry fee of £25 should be returned to Race Director, Eddie Farquhar at the
above address. Teams are limited to 5 riders. Clubs with more than 5 riders may
enter more than one team.
The race is held under the rules of the UCF/CI/UCI
plus specific race regulations.
ENTRY FORM:
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