The TTT round of the league went down to the wire this year, with only six seconds separating the top two teams after the handicaps were applied, while the hill climb championships were even tighter, Fionn Sheridan winning by less than a second from Brian McArdle.

An excellent team performance from Orwell on Sunday saw Bryan Geary take a top ten slot in the National A3 Championships, and the club go home with the team classification. Stephen Barry, Bernard English, Mark Holand, Brian McNally, Jamie Busher, and Garry Blair all played their part alongside Geary, who takes us through the race below!

Further along the age categories the seniors have been holding their own, with several big results in the last ten days. The A4s have enjoyed a great week's racing. Earlier last week, in the Boyne GP and St Patrick's Day race, Garry Blair and Brendan Lawless scored two smashing A4 victories, and Paul Kane took 4th in the latter. Lawless then earned his A3 upgrade with 3rd at the Des Hanlon, while Neal Hudson took an unplaced A2 prize. There were also two Orwells in the top ten for the women - Michelle Geoghegan and Brianne Mulvihill.

The first full handicap of the league saw Scratch dominate the placings despite a concerted Limit effort to stay away, with Brian Ahern taking the win from Patrick O'Brien.

While we try to catch up on some neglected cycling reports, we'll start with Bryan Geary's account of this year's A3 champs, held in his native Cork. Along with Jamie Busher, Ronan Grimes and Ed O'Mahoney, he put in a solid performance and was unlucky to finish outside the prizes on the line. Have a read of his day below...

We'll take advantage of a quiet Friday afternoon to do some catching up on the club league, going back to Conor Murnane's sprint to victory at the club champs in Mondello, and Damien Long's tactical masterstroke of a win on the Green Sheds.

The Stephen Roche GP treated onlookers to some spectacular entertainment last night, with family-friendly novice races, a set of youth races, and the headline event being shaped by several moves before James Davenport (SDCC) jumped well clear to take a superb win, all in the company of the man himself, Stephen Roche.

The last two rounds of the club league had a eerily familiar feel to them, with Brian McArdle taking a fine solo win at Mondello last week, and Dick O'Brien and Aideen Keenan demolishing their respective fields in the 10TT Championships last night. Conor Murnane was also crowned Junior 10TT Champion - the first time that title has been awarded in a quarter-century.

On the same day that Marcel Kittel sprinted to victory in Belfast, our own Bernard English did the same a little further south. Mark Mulcahy and Eamon Finn also placed at Dunsany, while earlier in the week Claire McEntee chalked up a superb time in Dundalk to take the Leinster 10TT title.

Thanks to the Marmotte and Etape, it's been a while since we checked in with the open racers. Since our last update, there's been results from Bryan Geary, Sandra Telford, Scott Gilchrist, Stephen Rowan and a podium finish for Jamie Busher. Freddie Stevens is the man of the month, collecting a win, a placing, and an upgrade to A3! Details below, with a race report from Stevens himself!

The June bank holiday marks the first long weekend of the summer, and this year marked the first edition of the Deenside Cup in Kilkenny. Ciara Kinch, Aideen Keenan, Rachael Kaye-Mellor and Bryan Geary all came away with prizes, while in the north-west of the country, an Orwell contingent was ripping up Glengesh, with a star turn from newly minted sprinter Fionn Sheridan.

Last weeks league crit saw a repeat win for Conor Murnane, and Liam Rowsome taking a maiden triumph from a break, while the weekend was packed with results - Barry Dace winning in the vets, Neal Hudson taking silver on the road, and Orla Hendron an actual silver on the track. Fionn Sheridan also won bronze, and Ciara Kinch placed in the National League race.

The first races of the league saw two strong performances in each, with Seán Murnane and Brian McArdle each on the attack in their respective races. Murnane capped it off with a strong sprint, while McArdle did it the hard way with a solo effort from the halfway mark.

The winners of the first 2014 Orwell crit came from both ends of the spectrun - young rising star Conor Murnane, and experienced Rás veteran Brian Ahern. Read on for more!

While Pat O'Brien unleashed his trademark sprint to take the Scratch race, the talk of the night was newcomer Greg O'Donnell's outstanding win from Limit.
Update: Now with extra on-bike footage from Scratch race!

Last week's club action saw two bunch sprints taken with small gaps by classy winners Bryan Geary and Owen O'Flaherty. Read all about it!

On a gorgeous night in Corkagh Park, it was two strong riders with perfect timing who came out best - Bryan Geary in the Limit race, and David Swift in the Scratch.

With racing in Roundwood and Newbridge at the weekend, Orwell were as active as ever, with podium finishes for Jules De Meester and Stephen Rowan, placings for Ken O'Neill, Richard Cattle and Scott Gilchrist, as well as prizes for Bryan Geary and Sandra Telford. We've a race report from Bryan Geary below from a race where breaks came and went throughout, for your reading pleasure!