Date: Sunday 25 October 2015
Event: Ulster Cyclo-cross Round 3
Location: Windmill Park, Dungannon
Host club: Island Wheelers
Round 3 of the Ulster Cyclo-cross series took place at Windmill Park in Dungannon with Island Wheelers hosting the event there for their third time. The club have been working closely with the local council to create the course which sees a mixture of grass, tarmac and wooded area. The weather was dry but cold and, despite the rain on the previous day, the course held up well, just muddy in places. The course had been altered from previous years where it went out through a gate near the pond and onto a grass hill with off-camber turn. The course then came back past the pond and turned sharp left into the woods where the club had built some steps into the course which meant a forced dismount and run up. They had also added in a gap jump to challenge the riders.
As per last year, the club had organised the course so that the youth races were independent from the senior course. This allowed the senior riders more time to practise on the main course. The Under 6s were the first race of the day with 22 keen riders lined up for their one lap of the course. They all received medals at the end of their race.
There was a big turn out in the Under 8s race with 24 boys and 10 girls. The boys race was won by Rhys Hepburn from the host club with Fionn McCloskey (Roe Valley CC) second and Curtis McKee (Maryland Wheelers) third. In the girls race Beth Campbell (Xmtb McConvey Cycles) took the win with Emer Heverin (Castlereagh CC) just ahead of Grace McVeigh (Shimna Wheelers).
The Under 10s race was based on 5 laps with 17 in the boys race and 11 in the girls race. Reuben Maitland (Killinchy CC) took the win just ahead of Calum Hepburn (Island Wheelers) and Oran Anderson (VC Glendale). Aine Doherty (VC Glendale), as expected, won the U10 girls race finishing third overall. Aliyah Rafferty (Island Wheelers) was second with Eimer Skelly (Carn Wheelers) third.
There was also similar numbers in the Under 12s race with 15 boys and 11 girls. Riders from the host club were on the podium in both the boys and girls’ race. Scott Roberts was first, Shane Scullion second and Adam Rafferty third, all three from the host club. In the girls’ race the two riders from Trail Demons CC had another great race together with Hannah Mullin finishing ahead of Lily McGibbon. Sarah Wilson from the host club was third.
The first riders to use the main track were the Under 16s, Under 14s and mountain bike men. Each race was separated by one minute gaps and started in this order. In the Under 16 boys race, Lee Harvey (Xmtb McConvey Cycles) finished well clear of Jack Murdoch (Apollo CT) with Teo Davidson (Trail Demons CC) third in the five lap race. In the Under 16 girls race, Summer McGibbon (Trail Demons CC) finished almost four minutes ahead of Emma Elder (Carn Wheelers) with Eoránn McCartan (VC Glendale) taking the bronze medal.
The host club got double gold medals in the Under 14s three lap race when Darren Rafferty finished first in the Under 14 boys and Maria McAllister in the Under 14 girls race. In the boys race Ben Wilson (Dromara CC) finished second with third going to Dean Harvey (Xmtb McConvey Cycles). In the girls race Maia Simmons (North Down CC) was second with Ellie Kelso (East Tyrone CC) third.
The mountain bike men’s race had a good turn out of 44 riders which was won by Sean Bradley (Carn Wheelers) who, unfortunately didn’t wear his timing chip! Johnny Reid (Kinning Cycles) was second with Thomas Hepburn from the host club third.
The next set of races took place around 12:45 and featured the cyclo-cross women on the front line, 14 of them, mountain bike women, 12 of them, and the cyclo-cross men’s B’ race, 83 of them. Both women’s races started on the first whistle with a gap of one minute before the men started. Both sets of riders had to complete 5 laps of the main course. In the CX women’s race Claire Oakley (Xmtb McConvey Cycles) was pushed hard by Gill Smith (Phoenix CC) with Kathryn Aiken (Banbridge CC) third. In the MTB women’s race Trudy Brown (VC Glendale) got another win with Evan Bartley (Lakeland CC) second and Janice Hepburn (Island Wheelers) third. In the CX men’s B race Michael Cowan (ChainReaction Cycles) finished over a minute ahead of Mark Short (Phoenix CC) with William Boyd (Xmtb McConvey Cycles) third. All three riders are now obliged to ride in the A’ race for the remainder of the season.
Around 2 pm the cyclo-cross A’ race took place which had riders in age sub-categories mixed together and gridded based on the Ulster league table to date. Glenn Kinning (Kinning Cycles) won the six lap race ahead of Graham Boyd (Xmtb McConvey Cycles) with Roger Aiken (Team Asea) third. Espoirs riders Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles) and James Curry (Banbridge CC) were fourth and fifth with first unplaced rider Brendan Doherty (VC Glendale) sixth. First unplaced M50 rider was John Bogues (Phoenix CC) and first unplaced junior rider was Calvin Moore (Caldwell Cycles).
Round 4 takes place next week at Seacourt in Larne hosted by Team Madigan. For more details see www.ulstercyclocross.com.
Commissaires: Lisa Millar and Maurice Mayne
Report by Martin Grimley
Results here
Photos
David McVeigh (FlickR) – here
Richard Cowan (Facebook) – here and here
Caolan Hawkins (Facebook) – here and here
Paul Anderson (Facebook) – here
Toby Watson (Facebook) – Set1, Set2, Set3, Set4, Set5, Set6
