Evergreen veteran Phil Cassidy today followed up on his stage win in last weekend’s Tour of Ulster when he sprinted to victory at the end of the Noel Hammond Memorial in Ballyboughal. The Cycleways Lee Strand rider led in Usher IRC rival Greg Swinand at the end of the 84 mile race, with his son and team-mate Mark Cassidy taking third. Craig Sweetman (Stamullen M. Donnelly) and Aidan Crowley (Cycleways Lee Strand) came in to the fore of a six man chasing group to net fourth and fifth. Noel Moloney, who finished ninth, was best of the second category riders.
The seven lap Orwell-Dundrum SC promoted race began with a minute’s silence for Brian Lennon, who won here four years ago and who passed away suddenly last Monday. After standing at the front of the bunch for the tribute, his St. Tiernan’s team-mates led the B bunch away for one mile before pulling over to the side of the road.
The senior 2 bunch got a three minute handicap over the first category riders, a margin which carried them over the Nags Head climb but which was negated by the end of the first lap. A break of about 13 riders had clipped away from the chasing group, containing people such as Mark Cassidy, Swinand, Crowley, his team-mate Stephen O’Sullivan and Usher IRC’s Dave Peelo. These were able to make the junction before the start of lap two. The group soon pressed ahead, with B riders Moloney, Anto Moran (both Ravens CRC) and Dublin Wheeler’s Brian Taafe amongst those able to go with the move.
Over the course of the next four laps this front group maintained a lead of over one minute, but lost some momentum on lap five when it split. Mark Cassidy and Dave Peelo struck out ahead but were eventually hauled back; Philip Cassidy, meanwhile, was making one of his characteristic late fight-backs to get back up to the leaders and while he was slightly adrift on the final climb, he was in the thick of the action from that point onwards. The double FBD Milk Rás winner jumped clear with Swinand on the final run-in to the line and had little problems in outspeeding him in the sprint, with Mark Cassidy clipping away from the chasing group to net third. Sweetman, Crowley, Paul Slane (Slane Cycles), O’Sullivan, Peelo and Moloney finished in that order in their own gallop. Moloney’s ninth place was enough to land him the senior 2 prize, ahead of Dublin Wheelers duo Brian Keane and Taafe.
Cassidy dedicated his win to Lennon, the winner in 2000. ‘This was Brian’s favourite race and he always rode really well on these roads,’ he said. ‘He gave me a hard time in the past here.’
Despite previous declarations that he had ridden his last FBD Milk Rás, the veteran will once again don a race number in this year’s edition. His son Mark, who has made an excellent transition to senior racing this season, will be riding his first Rás and so Cassidy senior has decided to line out in the 2.5 race on May 23rd.
Meanwhile Usher IRC junior Ciarán Kelly won the Kieran Hammond memorial for senior 3, junior and veteran riders. Murphy and Gunn’s Terry Ferris finished second to him in the six-man gallop, with Ciarán Cassidy (Usher IRC), Cian Crowley (St. Tiernan’s), Mick Nulty (Stamullen M. Donnelly) and Anthony McMahon (McNally Swords) also finishing in the same time.
Louise Moriarty (Les Jeunes) marked her return to racing with a win in the women’s classification, ahead of Julie O’Hagan (VC Luton) and Karen Bothwell (Orwell-Dundrum Shopping Centre).
* VC La Pomme rider Denis Lynch was best at the end of the Silver Pail GP in Fermoy today, finishing ahead of Timmy Barry (Cidona Carrick Wheelers) and John Horgan (St. Finbarr’s). Meanwhile Phoenix CC's Sean McGreevy landed the biggest win of his career when he won the Tour of the Mournes, lifting the inaugural Jim Traynor Memorial Cup. McGreevey triumphed in a ten man sprint at the end of the 65 mile event, which was open to all bar first cat riders.
Tommy Evans (Totalcycling.com) yesterday outsprinted Ben Morrow (East Antrim Audi) to take his first win in the 78 mile Wallace Caldwell Memorial Road Race at Ballymena. He went clear in a six man break together with Roger Aiken (Banbridge), Jonathan Dempsey (Classic Walls), Gary Crory (Total Cycling), Morrow and Brendan O'Brien (Classic Walls), building a near two minute lead.
Morrow and Evans pressed ahead at Portglenone and reached the line in Galgorm, where Evans showed his superior finishing speed. O’Brien, Aiken and Dempsey came home 1 minute and 8 seconds later to take third, fourth and fifth.
----------
Noel Hammond Memorial, Ballyboughil (84 miles):
1, Philip Cassidy (Cycleways Lee Strand)
2, Greg Swinand (Usher IRC) same time
3, Mark Cassidy (Cycleways Lee Strand) at 2 secs
4, Craig Sweetman (Stamullen M. Donnelly) at 15 secs
5, Aidan Crowley (Cycleways Lee Strand)
6, Paul Slane (Slane Cycles)
7, Stephen O’Sullivan (Cycleways Lee Strand)
8, Dave Peelo (Usher IRC)
9, Noel Moloney (Ravens CRT) all same time
10, Brian Keane (Dublin Wheelers)
Senior 2:
1, Noel Moloney (Ravens CRT)
2, Brian Keane (Dublin Wheelers)
3, Brian Taafe (Dublin Wheelers)
Kieran Hammond Memorial (senior 3, juniors and veterans)
1, Ciaran Kelly (Usher IRC)
2, Terry Ferris (Murphy and Gunn)
3, Ciaran Cassidy (Usher IRC)
4, Cian Crowley (St. Tiernans CC)
5, Mick Nulty (Stamullen M. Donnelly)
6, Anthony McMahon (McNally Swords)
Women:
1, Louise Moriarty (Les Jeunes)
2, Julie O’Hagan (VC Luton)
3, Karen Bothwell (Orwell Dundrum Shopping Centre)
unplaced veterans:
1, Ollie McQuaid (Emerald CC)
2, Karl Gallagher (DPC First Legal – Garda)
3, Brian Hammond (Usher IRC)
unplaced juniors:
1, Stephen McKenna (Stamullen M. Donnelly)
2, Barry Nolan (Sorrento CC)
3, Andrew Usher (Usher IRC)
unplaced 3rd cat: Mark Nulty (Stamullen M. Donnelly)
----------
Silver Pail GP, Fermoy:
1, Denis Lynch (VC La Pomme)
2, Timmy Barry (Cidona Carrick Wheelers)
3, John Horgan (St. Finbarr’s CC)
4, Vincent Gleeson (West Clare CC)
5, Daniel Lynch (Kanturk Credit Union)
1st Junior: Ian Whyte (Dungarvan CC)
1st Senior C: Aidan Dennehy (St. Finbarr’s CC)
1st Senior B: Michael Fitzgerald (Ballymore CC)
Tour of the Mournes, Newry:
1, Sean McGreevy (Phoenix CC) 65 miles in 2 hours 37 mins 20 secs
2, Alan Hall (Apollo)
3, Adrian McDermott (Total Cycling)
4, Brendan Graham (Total Cycling)
5, Peter McConville (Newry Wheelers)
6, Richard Aladheff (Orchard Wheelers)
7, Shaun Gray (Harps CC)
8, Ashley Patterson (Northern)
9, Andrew McKinley (Newry Wheelers)
10, Andy Smith (Clann Eireann) all same time
First junior: John Sloane (Maryland)/David Mulholland (Apollo) - equal
Woman: Frieda Brown (Orchard Wheelers)
Wallace Caldwell Memorial RR, Ballymena:
1, Tommy Evans (Total Cycling) 78 miles in 3 hours 1 min 47 secs
2, Ben Morrow (East Antrim Audi) same time
3, Brendan O'Brien (Classic Walls) at 1 min 8 secs
4, Roger Aiken (Banbridge)
5, Jonathan Dempsey (Classic Walls) both same time
6, Gary Crory (Total Cycling) at 1 min 39 secs
7, Denis Easton (Maryland Wheelers) at 2 mins 3 secs
8, Brian Stewart (Usher IRC)
9, Sean Wright (Ballymena Road Club)
10, Liam Nelson (Ballymena Road Club) all same time