Road racing report 27th May 2019
It was a very busy and successful weekend for the Dromara CC road racing contingent, with members competing in 3 separate events over the course of the weekend, in various categories.
The first race saw Neil Armstrong, Stephen Hanna & Darren McCann in Armagh riding the Hugo Loughran GP hosted by Island Wheelers on Friday night. The A3 bunch was strangely nervous over the normally tough rolling circuit, and nothing was getting up the road. Darren had a couple of digs early on, with Neil back in the chasing bunch keeping them in check. But the gap never grew beyond 20 seconds and with nobody willing to work on the front, it became a procession to a bunch sprint. Neil, who is no stranger to bumping elbows, managed to get himself into the top 10 and his first points of the season. The margin between 3rd and 10 was so tight he was unlucky not to place higher, but it is good to see his hard work in training finally paying dividends.
On Saturday, our club racing league partner, West Down Wheelers hosted their A2/A3 GP out of Moneyslane. With the chance to ride on well worn local roads, Dromara turned out in force with Alan Campbell, Darren McCann, David, Dickson, David Henderson, Gavin Magowan & Stephen Hanna. With a return to open racing for Ronnie Smyth and our imported ringer from Lees-McRae cycling team, Matthew Armstrong, the DCC team was complete. This fast and twisty circuit made for some fantastic racing. Matthew showed that he was still no stranger to twisty European roads by getting in an early 2 man breakaway. Gavin & Darren worked alongside Newry Wheelers to stifle the chase but it was too much too early and they were eventually reeled in. Two more pairs broke off the front to eventually join together for a race winning move with the bunch coming in 15 seconds back from them.
On Sunday Apollo Cycles hosted the NI Air Ambulance Cycling festival at the Kirkistown circuit with a full compliment of races for all ages. First up was Anna Armstrong showing that if she could battle the headwind with a giant number taped across her handlebars, anyone could do it!
Next in the Armstrong clan was James, taking 2nd in his race which was full of attacks with riders trying to take full advantage of the tailwind on the back straight to open up a gap.
Jonathan McBride, Paul Hamilton & Kevin Walker took on the A4 race. Paul was in a couple of early moves but nothing could stick. In the end though Kevin stepped up to the plate on the sprint finish to take second place, only missing out by only half a bike length. Well done to Kevin on a great finish.
In the A3 race Neil Armstrong & Darren McCann were back at it. Darren was itching to go and saw the strong wind only as an advantage that comes with being a fan of too many weekend pizzas of late. He launched an attack from the flag drop and rode solo for the first 3 laps only to be joined by one other rider for another lap before the bunch came back together. It was a race of conserving energy on one half with a brutal headwind, then stretching it as far as the gears would go with a full tail through the chicane on the back of the circuit. Eventually the race split into two with the Juniors counter-attacking just after Darren had taking another turn into the wind in a race winning move.
Andra Hamilton was in the Ladies race as her first foray into road racing (the first of many we hope). It was unfortunate that the Ladies were sent out with the A3’s who were busy trying to knock each other’s pan in. This meant she had to endure the whole race almost riding solo in the wind. However she endured where many others pulled in dejected and managed to secure 2nd female on the day. Well done!
Report by Darren McCann. Photos by Sharon McFarland and the Belgium Project.
