Medal Success at National Cyclocross
After Dromara’s successful Ulster Championships last week it was down to Enniscrone in County Sligo for the very best cyclo-cross racers would challenge to become the National Champion. On Saturday it was the youth races and to say the weather was unkind would have put it mildly. The rain came the day before and didn’t stop as the course changed into a mud bath. This didn’t stop James Armstrong from heading to the start line of the U12’s boys race. With his new kit on, he raced off at the start with only one rider going with him it looked like it was going to be a two horsed race but Hugh Og Mulhearne (Panduit Carrick Wheelers) and Darragh Ryan (Biking.ie) didn’t stop chasing through the mud. When the chequered flag was raised it would be James raising his arms in the air to become the U12 National Champion 2020.
With Day 1 finished the rain had subsided and it was time for the auld lads to get their bikes ready. The course certainly didn’t dry out too much with most people trying to decide if it was worth just putting on some running shoes rather than cycling shoes. With most of our Dromara team taking part int he M40, M50 and M60 it would leave the pits team very short. Step up Colm Watson from VC Glendale to take over pits duty with the new U12 National Champion taking over the bike handovers.
The race was fast and furious with Ulster Champion Alan Bingham and former Olympic champion Robin Seymour setting the early pace Barry needed to be at his very best just to keep with these two. Behind them, Paul Hamilton, Neil Armstrong, Brian Kellett and Richard Cowan would battle through the mud just trying to keep moving forward. Brian would run into a few mechanicals as he fought to avoid his race finishing early. With the laps ticking down Barry was being hunted down by the 4th place rider Evan Ryan (Team Worx) but would hang on by a mere 13 seconds to claim the last spot on the podium. A fantastic result for Barry and the club which showed off the club colours at a National level.
In the M50 race, Derek Graham put in an excellent performance to claim 16th place. The M60 race would see Mike Barton attempting to medal again but it wasn’t to be with Mike taking 4th place.
The women’s master’s race was as competitive as ever and Martina Hawkins would fly the flag for Dromara CC. With a measured start, she worked through the crowd to claim a tremendous 5th place in difficult conditions.
Many thanks go to Ballina CC for putting on a professional Irish National Championships and we can be sure the volunteers that helped out deserve to have their feet up today on a job well done. A big shout out to Colm Watson for stepping up in the pits – Barry says you did a great job are welcome back anytime. And with that the Cyclo-cross season is over for another year – Congratulations to all the new National Champions and medal winners as we all go back to start training for road/off-road racing in 2020.
