Road Race 1
Wednesday 8th April 2009 at 7:00 pm
Kavanagh takes Arney gallop
The Lakeland CC Road Race League saw the largest number of competitors turn up for the opening event in years. 44 competitors signed on at the Cappog and the competitors were divided into three groups, with the front or limited group given four minutes over the middle group and three more minutes back to the scratch group.
The limit group consisted of 20 riders which included Julie Mulligan (Omagh Wheelers) and six other Omagh Wheelers team members along with Tom McDaid (Fintona CC) and the rest of the group was made up of the Lakeland CC members. Included in this group were the four new youth members, namely Josh Elliott, C Mclaughlin, J Stephens and Lloyd Seaman.
The front group worked well through the route to Mullan mart before turning left for Kinawley and held their gap over the the middle group of still over three minutes.
Helping with the pace in the limited group was Eddie Carson, Kenny Donnell and former Tour of Ulster cyclist William Dunlop along with Stephen Burns, Julie Mulligan both of Omagh Wheelers.
Meanwhile back in the middle group, Omagh Wheelers members were setting the pace for the group to catch the limited front group and here at times the Lakeland members namely Roger Monaghan and Wesley Foster went to the front to up-set the pace setting of the Omagh riders.
When the race reached Derrylin, the limited group were still holding their own but the scratch group had made good in-roads on the middle group. The pace setting of the Dunlop cousins (Dane and Ray) along with John McManus, Gavin Noble (un/Att) and assisted by Brian Minmagh, Gavin Callaghan and Adrea Solvanik (All Omagh Wheelers) and had cut the gap to the middle group to 90 seconds with still over half the race to go.
When the middle group reached Derrylin, the lead over the scratch group had dropped to under one minute and by the time the race reached Mackin Cross these two groups came together.
Out in front the limited group were still holding their gap over the now enlarged chasing group.
The race approached Bellanaleck and still the gap between the two groups was about a minute but there was just over a mile to the finish line at Arney and it was seen that the two groups would not come together before the finish.
The limited group geared up for a sprint just after the Bellanaleck GAA football ground and it was here that Mark Kavanagh came to the front of the group and held his place leading the ten man group towards the finish line and won the sprint by half a bike length with former Tour of Ulster rider, William Dunlop in second place and third place been taken by Eddie 'The Eagle' Carson.
Fourth place went to Stephen Burns and fifth man across the line was Adrian Minmagh, both of Omagh Wheelers.
The top sixth place was taken by Kenny Donnell of the Lakeland club.
Forthcoming events for the Lakeland Cycle Club are Time Trial No 2 at Maguiresbridge (15th April), Road Race No 2 at Tempo to Creagh Cross (22nd April), Hill Climb No 1 at Blacklion (26th April), Road Race No 3 at Five Points on 29th April.
It should be noted that the hillclimb commences at 10 am and all other events commence at 7 pm.
RESULT
1st Mark Kavanagh Lakeland Cycle Club
2nd Wm Dunlop Lakeland Cycle Club
3rd Eddie Carson Lakeland Cycle Club
4th Stephen Burns Omagh Wheelers
5th Adrian Minmagh Omagh Wheelers
6th Kenny Donnell Lakeland Cycle Club
7th Brian Fee Lakeland Cycle Club
8th Julie Mulligan Omagh Wheelers
9th Philip Caldwell Omagh Wheelers
10th Paul McAleer Omagh Wheelers