Declan to the fore

Attacking the bunch of 70 riders from the start line, Declan went clear with Jake Gray of East Tyrone and Newry’s Cathal Clarke. The trio opened a 25 second gap and were later joined by seven other riders, with the main bunch still hovering in arrears.

After an hour of racing, Jake Gray (East Tyrone) and Jude Sands of Newry crashed on the road towards Carn, but this only made Declan and his breakaway companions more determined to push on ahead and stay clear for the remainder of the 50 mile race.

On the final lap, some of the breakaway riders were unable to maintain the pace as Declan and forged ahead with Cathal Clarke and Portadown’s James Wilson (Apollo CT).

At the finish, Mulholland, in his first year in the junior ranks, sprinted to the line well clear of second placed finished Clarke, with Wilson rolling over the line in third place. Ryan Orr completed the top four, with the main chasing bunch only a couple of seconds behind.

Other Clann Eireann CC riders included Marty McConville and his brother Barry, as well as John Bann-Lavery and they all finished safely in the main bunch.