Racing Update June Bank Holiday 2023

Details

From kids (and adults!) in Limerick to mountain biking in Killarney and the fourth round of the National Series in Navan, it was a huge weekend for Orwell Wheelers racers.

Greenmount Races

It wasn't all about the racing for the kids this weekend. 19 ofour youth members (along with five coaches and ten other parents) went to Ballyhass, near Mallow in Co Cork, for an adventure weekend. It just HAPPENED that the Greenmount races were on, and sure you'd have to go along, wouldn't you?

Full results are here: https://www.irishcyclingnews.com/results-greenmount-cycling-academy/ 

U8/10

  • Helena Lopes - 1st U8G
  • Bobby Campbell - 2nd U8
  • James Hunt- 1st U10B

U12 

  • Xander Huele - 1st U12B
  • Mossy Connelly - 3rd U12B
  • William Hance - 1st unplaced U11B
  • Jake Govan - 5th U12B
  • Daria Murphy - 2nd U12G
  • Eleanor Rafferty - 1st unplaced U11G

U14 

  • Issy Huele - 1st U14G

U16

  • Luca Holmes - 1st U16B

While not QUITE being able to match his daughter, Cesar Lopes finished second in the A4 race to secure his promotion to A3.

CX National Series Round 3

Killarney was the setting for the third round of the Cross Country Mountain Bike National Series race. After winning round 1 and sitting out round 2, it was tim to put the helmet on and got for it again, and Caoimhe May stepped onto the top of the podiunm again. The National Champion jersey clearly sits comfortably on those shoulders!

Meanwhile, Ben Cunningham won the Under 10 race and big brother James Cunningham (also in his National Champion's jersey) kept his perfect record with three wins in three rounds so far.

Seán Nolan Memorial/National Road Series Round 4

On an absolute scorcher of a day in Co Meath, it was time for the Seán Nolan Memorial, hosted by Navan Road Club. This year the course was substantially stiffened by addition of a new hill (more of a rollercoaster, really, with three sharp drags separated by short descents). The A3/A4 and Women's races took in two laps of a 47km circuit while the A1/A2/Junior National Series race was over three.

Women's Race

In the Women's race, Áine Kelly was unlucky to ship and then bend her chain while on really good legs. It took a while to get a repair done but she joined back in and felt comfortable at the back of her group (so as not to interfere with the race), so as long as she doesn't have more bad luck it bodes well! Gráinne O'Callaghan was taking a massive step up from her Women's Intermediate League successes. She couldn't quite hold the group the Yvonne Doran was in (the second on the road) and drifted back to the third group and completed the race well. Onwards and upwards!

Yvonne was 12th at the line and now lies fourth in the league, with three rounds remaining.

A3/A4 race

Gary Blair hasn't raced in a couple of years, but a recent secret training camp clearly went well. He spent large portions of the race in breakaways but in the end most of the race came back together: he still had enough in the legs for a tenth place finish. Good to get an envelope on your first day back!

A1/A2/Junior National Series

A very strong post-Rás field gathered for round four of the National Series. It was fast and furious from the off with over 44km covered in the first hour on the lumpy course. David Harrington was unlucky to drop a chain on the first hill, lost a minute getting moving again and never had a chance of rejoining the main part of the race. Cahir O'Higgins didn't have the legs on the day and pulled up early enough, leaving Joe-Nathan Matar and Killian O'Brien in the field. It was attritional from the start, and when the break of the day with a dozen riders was established after about an hour, there were only about 20 left in the main field! They fought hard and the gap was just over a minute and a half after 100km when the chasers gave up. By this point there were only a dozen riders left. The final time on the big hill Odhrán Doogan (who rode for Orwell in the Rás in 2022, getting 2nd and 5th places on two stages) attacked and only Killian O'Brien could hold his wheel. It took a while for the elastic to snap, but with 20km to go they were about 30 seconds ahead of the chasers. They picked up two riders dropped from the initial breakaway, and Killian finished 12th on the day and was the only Junior to collect series points, consolidating his lead in the Junior classification. Joe-Nathan held his place in the group behind, finishing just outside the top 20.