Well its back Racing season is upon us again and with everything ready to go there was still one thing on my mind that i couldnt stop worring about writting a race report that would entertain you fellow club members. With the new added pressure of having to fill a newspaper coloum i was starting to fell the strain and considered just hanging up the bike and watching the racing from the side lines. but then you’d miss the action at close quarters miss them sheer moments of racing facts that some numpty feels they have to tell you or the screaming of the legs and lungs telling you to give up fella your getting to old for this. So i decided to race and try and write a fun filled and action packed report so here goes and by the way the newspaper version wont contain this verbile diarrhea.
the guys assembled at Northern bank next to Altnagalvin and where soon on the road for are first stop of the day at the bottom of the glenshane for the daily fix of coffee and a chance for all the boys to discuss there pre race nerves while a certain man tried to drop the kids off at the pool in what can only be described as a portacabin a routain that will probably continue throughout the racing season. back on board it wouldnt be long before we would have to hault proceeding when the new team trailer previously destroyed by a bunch of west belfast mountain bike hooligans on a past trip to the west decided to open it’s doors revealing five shiney chunks of carbon. and after beeping horns and flashing lights Eamons cannondale was saved from taking a tumble along the castledawson road. Panic over we arrived at Antrim wth all the bike and riders and prepared for the season opener (again this section will not make for great reading over breakfast and will also not be for the paper)
With a five man squad in the A3 race and a five man squad in the A4 race, with five laps of the eight mile course for the A3′s and four laps for the A4′s on what sarted of as a dry day ended in true wet and misrable Irish weather
It was the A3′s that got the action underway with Simon Gill taking early charge at the front for the first few laps and setting a frantic pace while early attacks from Jim Doyle failed to pay off and it was three laps before any action really got underway when Lawrence Watson and Simon Gill decided to join a four man breakaway and had soon opened up a thirty second split over the main field,
While back in the bunch Danny Logue , Jim Doyle and Matthew Doyle tried to slow down the advancing chasers to help aid there fellow team mates in the break. With just over one lap to go Lawrence Watson had to leave a tiring break to try and get the win but was brought back with less than a lap to go. with the group back together it came down to a bunch sprint but despite efforts from Danny Logue at the end it wasn’t enough to clinch any podium points, all five guys finished safely in the group with the same time as the eventual winner.
In the A4 race it was race debuts for four of the five men with Colin Mckenna Terry McLaughlin Eamon Doherty and Richie Sheerin all starting there first race while Chris Philson returned to the course where a year before he had started his racing career. The five guys took to the racing like ducks to water and where soon mixing it up with regular racers, despite several efforts nobody was able to make a break and with a few miles to go to the finish as riders got nervous it was unfortunate that Terry got caught up in a pile up and had to retire from the race thankfully unhurt, this caused a split in the pack and a few had to chase hard to close up the gaps and seen the race for the second time of the day head to a bunch finish and it was the very impressive Colin Mckenna sprint to sixth place for points and cash prize, closely followed by Richie Chris and Eamon for a top twenty finish
While on the Saturday Aaron Deane went solo to the travers GP at Annaclone this is the season opener and has a field of over one hundred riders the race is started with a handicap system with the A3 riders getting two minutes over the A2′s and they get a further three minutes to the A1 riders. Aaron in the final group on the road had rode strong to help bring back the groups but it was a break from the first group that managed to stay away and take all the top ten places and bring home the points, while Aaron finished safely in the pack and managed a 24mph average on a seriously hilly course.
Fantastic weekends racing a massive well done to all the guys and a big thank you to sponsors T.McLaughlin & sons and The Coffee House Atlantic Quay for there kind support this weekend
Next week see’s the guys head to Carryduff on Saturday and Newry on Sunday for the John Moore and John Haldane races
