Club updates and spins
Another month has passed by as quick as lightning. It’s been a great season so far in the club and great to see so many members representing the club at various events around the country.
Thursday club racing.
J. Moynan TT Series, round 4
Huge congratulations again to Andy English for winning round 4 of the J Moynan TT series and with it also won the series outright! If you missed the report you can read it here.
Saturday
Skoda Ring of Clare
Well done to all the members who took part in the Skoda Ring of Clare on Saturday last. An enjoyable and eventful day by all accounts. The first 60km of the route was wet and miserable making conditions tough going but thankfully it brightened up later in the day for them. Andy’s “Moment of the day” was Roger and Sean trying to get a tyre back on after repairing a puncture while having a tug of war with the wheel at the same time with Mike Holden looking on in great amusement humming the theme music from Laurel and Hardy… But… Roger didn’t agree saying at least they didn’t fall off the bike while pulling out of the car park in front of 500 cyclists, looking like a calf climbing a four bar gate… Brilliant! 😂 Think Roger might have taken that one… 🙂 Sounds like ye had brilliant craic!! 😂 Well done also to David Powell, Bernard Fahey and Walter Molloy who are missing from the photo but completed the Ring of Clare also.
Pictured left to right Eva Moynan, Andy English, Peter Moynan, Mike Holden, Stephen Hogan, Sean O’Neill, Roger Spain, Paul Madden and Mike Gleeson
Sunday Club spin.
The lads after enjoying a café con leche stop on Sundays club spin. A great spin was had by all.
Weekend racing
Well done to Edvins Silovs who was racing at the weekend in the Brendan Campbell Memorial A4 race in Donore, Co. Meath. Edvins is showing great form of late and placed 7th in the sprint which is just fantastic and earns himself another couple of points. Well done Edvins. Mighty going.
Spar Tour of Omagh
Also well done to club member Claire Ni Reachtagain who completed the Spar Tour of Omagh last weekend. Claire was recently selected to ride for the Cycling Ireland Women’s Commision team. A huge achievement to you Claire and well done again. Below is a full race report by Claire.
Claire pictured third in from the left of the picture with her team mates at the Spar Tour of Omagh
“In June, I was selected to ride on the Women’s Commission Development Team for the Tour of Omagh which took place over the weekend. The Tour of Omagh is a three day four stage race catering for A4 and women riders, independent of each other. This year the women’s race featured a handicap system based on riders ability according to the Cycling Ireland Women’s ranking system which was introduced in 2018. W3 riders were given a time handicap at the start of each race ranging from 4 minutes 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on the stage elevation.
After a long drive to Omagh and a quick stop at the accommodation to get our team kit, we made our way to Race HQ for sign on for Stage 1, a 69km route with two cat. 3 climbs and one cat. 2 climb. Delightful! Our seven woman team was comprised of two W3 riders and five W2 riders, of which I was one. 2km into Stage 1, the eventual winner of the stage and the overall GC, Jennifer George (guesting for TC Racing) made an early break. Any subsequent attempts at a break were quashed until a three woman breakaway, which included fellow teammate Sofie Loscher, pulled away from the main bunch up the cat. 2 climb. Team Cycling Ulster controlled the pace at the front of the peloton for the remainder of the stage. Despite two crashes during stage 1, I came out unscathed and was happy enough with finishing in the main bunch.
Day 2 welcomed winter like conditions to Omagh with a drop in temperature (12°C!!), strong winds and unrelenting rain for the whole day. Stage 2 was a 4km non-aero time trial which was over and done with in a matter of minutes! With just over 2 hours to the roll-out for Stage 3, food, dry clothes and warm drinks were of the essence once back at Race HQ. By the time we rolled 8km to the start of Stage 3, we were already soaked to the skin. Great way to start the 74km stage with two cat. 3 climbs! Despite the misery of the weather, getting dropped from the main bunch on the final climb and completing the final 24 km solo, I finished stage 3 two minutes 25 seconds behind the leaders and main bunch. Frozen to the core and a lot worse for wear, I very slowly embarked on what felt like a marathon cycle (10km!) back to Race HQ to get lots of layers of clothes on and food into my dilapidated body. An early night was most definitely on the cards!
Summer returned for day three and the final stage of the race. Our main aim as a team was to protect our highest ranked CG rider, Sofie, who was standing in 7th place. The 71km route was expected to be the hardest given tired legs, two cat. 3 climbs and one cat. 1 climb 20km from the finish. With very little to lose at this point, I worked at the front of the bunch pushing the pace with the race leader and one of her team mates in an effort to catch the W3 group who had a 4 min 30 sec advantage. We closed the gap and the two groups merged just after 20km. The race was well and truly on at this point with riders battling to be well positioned prior to the cat. 1 climb and to be alert to riders trying to make a break. Unfortunately my race came to an end just before the last climb at around 51km when I misjudged a left-hand bend on a downhill section and ended up on my head in the ditch! With grass stuck in my cassette and rear derailleur, and my handlebars and shifter crooked I hopped back on my bike until the Scott-Orwell team car came to my assistance a few seconds later and straightened me up again! Comforted by the fact that I had put in a big effort up to that point, the remaining 20km were just about getting to the finish line on my bike. So that is what I did.
I am very proud of all my team mates from this weekend, the majority of whom have only started racing this year and a few of us who only took up cycling a year ago. We all had our individual goals coming into the race and under the guidance of our team managers, Mel Spath and Brendan Whelan (both Women’s Commission and Arcane CC), we most definitely have individual goals to aim towards after the weekend. NTW ladies, you need to come out of hibernation! Tour of Omagh, superbly organised by Omagh Wheeler’s, it was a pleasure!”
Club midweek and weekend spins:
Tuesday: club training spin leaving from Moynans bike shop Nenagh at 6:30pm.
Thursday: Club Racing. Road race 8 This week’s route is a little more complex so make sure and study it well!! It’s a route we last ran 2 years ago and it brings in a couple of more hills than has been present which will set you all up nicely for what’s left to come in the coming weeks… Enjoy!! 🙂
Route: Start is after last motorway roundabout before Toomevara – Toomevara – Moneygall – Obama Plaza roundabout – Moneygall – left up Army hill – left at Y junction towards Gortagarry – Straight through crossroads – Straight through crossroads – Right at Jim McDonnells Pub, continue past Church – Left at Y junction – Right at T junction – Left (Straight) at Bunacum – Left in Toomevara for Nenagh – Left at Shanbally cross – Left at Grennanstown cross – Left in Toomevara – Finish back at starting point.
Sign on is at Moynans bike shop at 6.15 or the race start and cost is €5. Depart to race start at 6.30pm. Race starts at 7pm. We hope to see as many of you out as possible on the night. See you there.
Sunday:
Thanks everyone and have a great week!