There was plenty of Orwell action across the plains of Meath and the hills of Carlow at the weekend, with Valdis Andersons winning a bunch sprint for 2nd, Tom Blennerhassett in the mix again, and a great showing for the women with Aideen Keenan, Monica Marconi and Claire McEntee all taking home prizes. Read on!

The June bank holiday saw Orwell riders in action both on the track and on the road, in racing and leisure, with two standout performances in Isabel Cogan's excellent victory at the Boyne GP, and Brian McArdle's superb stage win in the Rás Dhún na nGall. Plenty of other Orwell riders scooped prizes, most notably Orla Hendron who was second overall at the Duane Delaney GP.

Aideen Keenan notched up her most dominant win yet, soloing to victory in Clonmel at the weekend, ahead of the bunch gallop, which was taken by a flying Rachael Kaye-Mellor. Keenan followed that up with a tight second in Corkagh Park, which was also the scene of Helen Horan's début win from the B group! And last Thursday Conor Murnane pipped Arek Pierozynski for an excellent win R18 of the league on Dorey's Forge. Some men also raced in the Suir Valley 3 Day.

It was a week for the testers, as the Club 10TT Champs clashed with the Nationals, with some outstanding results in both - Dick O'Brien dominating the former, and Claire McEntee setting a blistering time in the latter. Corkagh Park saw first a Horan haul, then an Orwell clean sweep, while three of the men completed the National Road Race Champs on Sunday.

With the announcement of the Irish Junior Squad today by CI, Orwell's Rachael Kaye-Mellor is once again at the forefront of Irish cycling.

Aideen Keenan proved herself no flash in the pan with a dominant win in Bohermeen at the Waller Cup yesterday, followed up by Rachael Kaye-Mellor in 4th and Orla Hendron in 6th. Keith Harte took 8th in the A4 race, while Diarmuid Collins earned a fine 3rd unplaced A2 at the Shay Elliot in Wicklow yesterday. We’re also covering last weekend’s one day results, with Gavin Dodd 5th in Rás Chonamara and Rachael Kaye-Mellor top Junior in Ros an Laois.

Róisin Kennedy once again topped the TT results for the StickyBottle.com Women’s Crit League, but when the dust settled, it was Sandra Fitzgerald who took the overall, while Eimear O’Reilly claimed the B title.

Last weekend in Donore, two riders from different ends of the spectrum both got themselves on the podium. Ciara Kinch continued her winning streak with silver in the women's race, while Garry Blair matched her result to take his first ever open points! Read on for the details from both riders...

The weather could not have been more different, but Orwell riders brought home the bacon both days last weekend. In Summerhill, Tom Blennerhassett, David Halpin and Brian McNally lit it up on Dorey's Forge, while in Navan Ciara Kinch tore it up for second place, while Juniors Rachael Kaye-Mellor and Naoise Sheridan also took home prizes.

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!

At last we come to the catch-up on the open action! Ciara Kinch's win in the women's race at Moynalty was the only result of note on the road that weekend, but last weekend we had a host of Orwell placings, including Rachael Kaye-Mellor's First Woman prize at Sorrento's 10TT, and Keith Harte's 3rd in A4 in the Seamus Kennedy Memorial, prompting his upgrade to A3. Monica Marconi also netted 3rd for the women on the day, with Tom Blennerhassett taking home an unplaced A2 prize.

We've been remiss in our racing coverage, with the women in particular scoring a number of fine results - Sandra Telford with a Corkagh Park win, and Ciara Kinch 4th in the Meath GP. Read on for much, much more!

A weekend’s worth of racing in Roundwood paid dividends for Fionn Sheridan, taking two prizes, including the coveted Kieran Hammond trophy. Keith Harte and David Maher placed in the Roundwood GP, while several members scored results in the Hammond Memorial TT event. And last week in the league, Uisneach Sheridan, Paul Tansey and Brian Ahern won the sprints in Corkagh Park.

Aidan Collins brought home the best results of the weekend for the club, with a 4th in the Stamullen GP on Sunday, and an unplaced prize on Friday. Odhrán Connors and Stephen Barry also featured in Stamullen, while the Orwell women were active in Nenagh, with a TTT win, and placings for Ciara Kinch and Monica Marconi.

The National Junior Track Champs and Team and Keirin Champs took place in Sundrive Road last weekend, and three of Orwell's former champions came away with medals - Juniors Naoise Sheridan and Rachael Kaye-Mellor, and veteran Orla Hendron. Their haul was an impressive seven medals across five events and the Keirin, while the men's team were denied the podium in the sprint by a mere half second.