Dean Harvey (left), Chris Dawson (National Champion), and David Montgomery (right) in the Senior Men Cross-country National Championship 2024
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Chris Dawson won his second consecutive Cross-country National Championship title. The Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus rider and reigning champion established an early lead which only grew as the race progressed.
Dean Harvey, riding for Trinity Racing, kept the pressure on Dawson in the early stages, but Dawson quickly pulled away, making up ground on the climbs.
Spellman-Dublin Port's David Montgomery then challenged Harvey. The pair battled it out throughout the race but in the end it was Harvey who finished second, and Montgomery who completed the podium.
The Senior Men's, alongside the M30 category, was the final race after an action packed two days of racing.
Speaking to Cycling Ireland, Dawson said:
It was super-fast from the start, Dean lit it up on the first lap and the first climb. I just went with his pace and then pushed on and didn't look back. It was a super technical course, so you had to stay really smooth on all those traversey bits. So I just hit the climbs hard and had a fantastic race. I had no mechanicals, no crashes so delighted to take the win.
Getting and maintaining a significant lead was part of Dawson's plan, he explained why:
I push as hard as I can so that if I do have a mechanical or an issue then I have a bit of buffer time and can hopefully sort it out and can still get the win but thankfully I didn't need to use that.
Hosted by Team WORC in the foothill of the Wicklow Mountains, the venue not only provided breathtaking backdrops, but the course design meant spectators could easily access the technical wooded section of the course to take in all the action.
Caoimhe May (Orwell Whls), Greta Lawless (Team WORC) and Faith Robinson, (Bray Whls) the top three in the Senior Women Cross-country National Championship - Photo Credit: Kevin McFeeley
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In the Senior Women's Race, victory went to Greta Lawless for Team WORC. It was a battle from early on between Lawless and Caoimhe May for Orwell Wheelers. May was riding for her third consecutive national title and kept close to Lawless throughout. Completing the podium was Faith Robinson for Bray Wheelers.
Riders from the host club dominated in the throughout the masters' races, winning the M50 and M40 races, and taking second place in the M30.
Adding another national jersey to his collection, Robin Seymour won the M50 race in spectacular style and much to the delight of the home crowd. PJ Haynes was second for Bellurgan Wheelers and John Doris finished third for EPIC MTB Expert Cycles.
In the M40 race there was little separating the top riders. Brian Melia for the Team WORC topped the podium, with William Simmons in second and Raymond O'Shaughnessy, for Bellurgan Wheelers, in third.
Graham Boyd won the M30 race for McConvey Cycles. There was great excitement in the battle for second place, as Sean Feeney for Team WORC and Lee Clarke for Cycleology Racing Team, were neck and neck around the final bend and into the finishing straight. Feeney managed to clench the silver medal, with only .2 of a second separating the pair.
The youth national championship races attracted good entries with riders travelling to Co. Wicklow from around Ireland. Ryan Daly won the Under 16 boys and Mia Geary won the Under 16 Girls. In the Under 14 category, James Cunningham and Aoife Craig were victorious.
RESULTS SUMMARY
Irish National Cross-county (XCO) Championships 2024
Hosted by: Team WORC - Venue: Tonygarrow, County Wicklow
Date: Sunday 21 July 2024 Version 1.1
Chris Dawson
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1 DAWSON Christopher Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus 1:25:04
2 HARVEY Dean Trinity Racing 1:29:19
3 MONTGOMERY David Spellman-Dublin Port 1:29:44
Junior Men (4 laps)
1 O'KEEFFE Ben Spellman-Dublin Port 1:17:20
Women Senior & Junior (4 laps)
1 LAWLESS Greta (jun) Team WORC 1:11:21
2 MAY Caoimhe (s2) Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 1:14:17
3 ROBINSON Faith (jun) Bray Wheelers 1:25:12
Masters M30 (5 laps)
1 BOYD Graham McConvey Cycles 1:23:34
2 FEENEY Sean Team WORC 1:25:44
3 CLARKE Lee Cycleology Racing Team 1:25:46
Masters M40 (4 laps)
1 MELIA Brian Team WORC 1:04:24
2 SIMMONS William U/A 1:04:56
3 O'SHAUGHNESSY Raymond Bellurgan Wheelers 1:06:44
Masters M50 (4 laps)
1 SEYMOUR Robin Team WORC 1:01:08
2 HYNES Pj Bellurgan Wheelers 1:09:04
3 DORIS John EPIC MTB Expert Cycles 1:12:09
Under 16 Boys (3 laps)
1 DALY Ryan Scott Racing IRL 45:54
2 McKEE Curtis Spellman-Dublin Port 50:22
3 O'SHAUGHNESSY Oliver Bellurgan Wheelers 51:20
Under 16 Girls (3 laps)
1 GEARY Mia Fermoy Cycling Club 43:47
2 SUCKLING Cara VC Glendale 44:52
3 AICKEN-JOHNSON Lacey North Down CC 1:18:01
Under 14 Boys
1 CUNNINGHAM James Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
2 MORAN Oscar EPIC MTB Expert Cycles
3 MURPHY Darragh Rostrevor Mountain Bike Club
Under 14 Girls
1 CRAIG Aoife VC Glendale
2 BAKER Ava Breffni Wheelers
3 O'CONNOR Ciara Drogheda Wheelers
Irish National Cross-county (XCO) Championships 2024
Non-championships support races
Hosted by: Team WORC - Venue: Tonygarrow, Co. Wicklow
Date: Saturday 20 July 2024
Under 8 boys
1 Bobby CAMPBELL Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
2 Evan McTAVISH Western Lakes CC
3 Scottie LOCKHART Un-Attached Leinster
Under 8 girls
1 RÃonach CAMPBELL Square Wheels
2 Marian MULVANEY Sliabh Luachra Cycling Club
3 Elisa TYSZECKA Un-Attached Munster
Under 10 boys
1 Lewis BELL Shelbourne/Orchard CC
2 Logan McAREAVEY Bellurgan Wheelers
3 Finn McTAVISH Western Lakes CC
Under 10 girls
1 Emilia TYSZECKA MBCC
Under 12 boys
1 Benjamin CUNNINGHAM Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
2 RÃan WATKINS Galway MTB
3 Billy LORD Breffni Wheelers
Under 12 girls
1 Aoife CAMPBELL Square Wheels
2 Laoise CRINION IMBRC
3 Aoife KILLEEN Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial
For results from Day 1 - click here
For results from Day 2 - click here
Well done to everyone involved over the course of the two days.