Kane Takes Win

The penultimate road race of the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League was held last Thursday, with the six different groups of riders racing from the Ballymax roundabout out to Greenore and back, a deceptively tough course. A good turn out on a warm summers evening say six different groups line up. On the way out to Greenore the first two groups on the road had come together, while the fourth group was closing fast on the third group. Behind scratch and super scratch had come together but were not making great headway catching the groups in front.

 

Once the first two groups had amalgamated all eyes were on league leader Jordan Flood, in situations like this in the past Flood has set off alone to claim the victory so he was being closely watched. With one eye on Flood the riders were also circumspect to the groups behind them that were closing in on their lead. However riding together they did manage to stay away until the line and from the mass sprint Trevor Kane unleashed a turn of speed to leave all the others in his wake. Second home was Paul Dagg who just held off the challenge from Flood. Paul McGee and Tim Murray took fourth and fifth respectively, there by ensuring Cuchulainn had a clean sweep of the top five placings. The scratch group was led home by Peter Twomeny from Aidan Cunningham. The night's racing was marred by a bad accident and the club wishes Mick O`Connor a speedy recovery.

 

Kane's win will see him move up the leader board, which is still topped by Jordan Flood. The last road race of the league will be held next Thursday night before the season is wrapped up over the following two weeks with the annual Hill Climb Championships.

 

As the Summer League enters the business end of the season over 30 of the club's riders are also putting their final touches to their Mail to Mizen head preparations, the length of Ireland cycle that kicks off September 2nd. This ride is part of the club's 75th Anniversary Celebrations and is raising money for three charities, Irish Cancer Society, Down Syndrome Ireland and Dundalk Simon Community. Event directors Kevin Hamill and Padraig Kelly have finalised the routes and have arranged three support vehicles so that the riders only have have to focus on the miles and nothing else. Day 1 sees the riders depart from Malin and will spend the night in Limerick. Day 2 ends in Cavan, before the final trek on the Sunday to the most northern point of County Donegal. Hamill and Kelly did a recon of this route last summer and said it is a route that has it all, epic climbs, spectacular scenery and roads that will test the riders complete fitness.