Sensational six top 10s in two days racing for Ballymoney Cycling Club

BALLYMONEY Cycling Club’s Bryan McKinney, Niall O’Hagan and Jerome McKendry were racing on Saturday at the Sean McGreevy Cup where Niall finished seventh and Jerome in the top ten also.

Bryan McKinney was in the A1/A2A3 where Irish track specialist Martyn Irvine (Giant Kenda) romped out a clear winner in the John Beggs Memorial race at Dromore.

The A race was handicapped with the A2 riders getting a five minute lead over scratch.

However with lots of the big hitters in this group the pace was fast and the gap dwindled with every lap.

A group consisting of Eurocycles Adam Armstrong, Martyn Irvine (Giant Kenda), Ryan Connor, Peter Lilley and Conor McAllister (Slanecycles.com), Simon Williams (Team Basso Today’s Cyclist), Rory Devlin (North Pole CC), Stuart Henry (Herbalife) and Kyle Houston (Phoenix CC) powered on and looked as if they might stay away but punctures and mishaps saw some of these drop away leaving Williams, Irvine and Armstrong getting away from the remainder of the group and being chased hard by Gary Crory (Planet X) and the rest of the break.

In the McGreevy Cup A4 race the two BCC lads O’Hagan and McKendry as usual kept close to the front and just missed out in the final action.

Cormac Clarke (Newry Wheelers) and Conor McIlwaine (Errigal CC) were in top form and made their move in the last lap.

With the A4 finish half way up Ballykeel Hill it was no sprinter’s choice. However these two went at it neck and neck and on the line it was impossible to call a winner.

Following the judges viewing of all the camera action it was decided to award the trophy jointly.

As quoted from Cycling Ulster, the course with its drags and descents took its toll on riders as there was never any chance to rest.

Ballymoney’s Niall O’Hagan is beginning to look impressive and with only four points needed for an upgrade he was out to try and get them.

In the sprint for the line Niall ended up 7th and Jerome and Bryan had to settle for inside the top 10 placings.

Bann Valley Classic

Sunday was steeped in glorious sunshine as over 130 racing cyclists assembled in Portglenone for the annual Bann Valley Classic. Amongst them were Stevie McAllister, Bryan McKinney, Niall O’Hagan, Jason Taggart and Jerome McKendry.

Ballymoney Cycling Club would like to congratulate Ballycastle cyclist and spritely forty-seven year-old John Madden (Curran Racing).

John joined the ranks of the first category riders when he won the Bann Valley Classic sponsored by Sizzlers, in convincing style at Clady.

The early part of the race was dominated by some aggressive riding from Jonathan Dempsey (East Antrim Audi) and Ian Inglis (Curran Racing) who for a spell looked as if they would stay away on their own.

With two events being run, the A2/A3 race was off first with the pace hectic from the gun, Bryan McKinney and Steven McAllister were to the front and kept the pack intact until Dempsey and Inglis made their move.

However, the duo were pulled back on the undulating Inishrush- Dreenan circuit in the final laps and Madden rode clear on his own coming home a full minute in front of the bunch.

This gave Madden the final point he needed to be upgraded to A1 status. In the mad gallop for the line Ballymoney CC rider Steven McAllister had to settle for 9th and team mate McKinney close behind.

As McAllister is preparing for next weekend’s Wallace Caldwell Memorial Classic, the Ballymoney man grabbed a couple of sandwiches and set off to ride home giving him almost 90 miles for the day.

In the A4 race, O’Hagan, Taggart and McKendry are looking more and more dangerous as the weeks and races go by, the common consensus in the bunch and with the race officials is it is only a matter of time until some one of them lands a big win.

Sunday saw the A4 race go to a sprint finish with Niall getting 6th in a blanket of riders who crossed the line and had to be separated by the photo finish camera, Jerome was close behind starting to cramp up after Saturdays foray in County Down.

Jason Taggart had to ride the last couple of mile with one pedal as he had a mechanical coming into the last few corners.

BCC Lungbuster 5 mile TT

25 riders lined up on the Garryduff Rd to face the first club race of the 2011 calendar.

This short test of just over five miles is a rude awakening to anyone who has not raced up to then. As always the Ballymoney Club enjoy support from surrounding clubs and this race was no exception. Racers from Ballymena, East Tyrone, Maghera and Loughguile were ready for the challenge.

Schoolboy sensations Aaron Swan and Craig Crawford were also there adding final preparation for this weekend’s Rás na nÓg 2 Day Youth Stage Race in Drogheda.

Last reports from Drogheda were that Aaron was close second to Michael O’Loughlin, full details will be in next week’s report.

Full Race Results are:

1st... Aaron Swan - 12’-43”(U14 SB)

2nd... Jason Henry - 12’-55”

3rd... Steven McAllister - 13’-04”

4th... Craig Crawford - 13’-15” (U16 SB)

5th... Jason Taggart - 13’-17” 6th... David McAvoy - 13’-34”

7th... Martin Carroll - 13’-34” 8th... Jerome McKendry - 13’-41”

9th... Ryan Fenton - 13’-43” 10th... Wayne Stevens - 13’-49”

11th... Niall O’Hagan - 13’-51”

Eq.12th...Darren Crawford - 13’-54”

Eq.12th... Alex Murray - 13’-54”

14th... Philip McKeown - 14’-18”

15th... Adrian Madden - 14’-21”

16th.. Olly Bateson - 14’-32”

17th... Aaron Dickie - 14’-46” 18th... Gareth McBride - 15’-02”

19th... Jack Owens - 15’-11” 20th... John Patton - 15’-16”

21st... Carl O’Hagan - 16’-37”

22nd... Stephen Doughert - 17’-06”

23rd... Kevin McKinley - 17’-24”

24th... Paul McKinley - 17’-41”

Round the World Cyclist visits

Ballymoney CC

Last Tuesday evening in Sketchers Coffee Shop former Dalriada pupil, Leon McCarron gave an entertaining account of his 14,000 mile cycle round the world.

To the assembled BCC members and friends Leon told of how he was confronted by a brown bear in USA, chased by water buffalo in Cambodia along with adverse weather and storms that faced the intrepid cyclist.

All of his presentation was done using photographs that he had taken everyday of his adventure to catalogue his progress. Leon will be coming back during the summer to give a more in depth report as he is preparing his adventure on DVD. Proceeds from the evening were donated to UNICEF.

Coming events and reports

This Wednesday night Ballymoney CC will hold a 10mile TT on the Portrush/Ballymoney line.

The start is north of Ballybogey and the race will get under way at 7pm.

This Saturday Ballymoney CC rider Steven McAllister and Bryan McKinney will be riding the Wallace Caldwell Memorial 72 mile race starting in Ahoghill.

With Ballymoney Cycling Club racers and Leisure riders taking advantage of their contacts two groups spent a week in Alicante in Spain and Albufeira in Portugal, a report will be in the papers next week along with photographs of their trips. The racing group was organised by Niall O’Hagan and the Leisure group by BCC secretary Charlie Dickson.