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Women's Louth Road Race Championship 2016
By Rosemary Gibson.
Claire Ludlow (Ardee CC) crowned Louth Road Race Champion in strong field.
There was a very high quality field of riders for the women's Louth Road Race Championship 2016. Linda Stokes was unable to defend her title from last year but 2015 silver medallist Johanna Rogan of Ardee CC was there to try to go one better, and Claire Ludlow also from Ardee was a very strong prospect, recently back from the European Duathlon Championships in Germany.
Celine McPhillips, a former Louth Champion and heading out to the European and World Triathlon Championships this summer was one of the favourites. Winner of the first round of the Bike Station League Rosena Lynch of Cuchulainn was also in contention, and strong local rider Debbie Lundy (Cuchulainn). The field was rounded out for Cuchulainn by Mairead Holden and Rosemary Gibson.
The weather was wet and unsettled in the lead up to the 2016 Louth Road Race Championships, but thankfully the rain stopped and the wind dried the roads before the start. After the thunderstorm and tornado "weather event" earlier in the week, I think we were paying closer attention to the forecast in case anything unusual was coming!
The 40k route for the women's race was two laps of the Ravensdale circuit, starting at the Sportsman's and heading down to the Ballymac roundabout, Fitzpatrick's and up the drag to Ravensdale. Left for Crillys and back onto the old Newry Road for another round. The third time at Majors hollow we turned back up to finish at the Sportsman's.
The group of seven stayed together until somewhere along the straight to Fitzpatrick's, where the blistering pace forced a split with the front five staying together until the last climb. Johanna Rogan, Claire Ludlow, and Celine McPhillips led the group up the final climb with Debbie Lundy and Rosena Lynch chasing to try and close the gap. A tight sprint for the line saw Claire Ludlow take the win with Johanna Rogan close second and Celine McPhillips third.
Results:
1. Claire Ludlow
2. Johanna Rogan
3. Celine McPhillips
4. Debbie Lundy
5. Rosena Lynch
6. Rosemary Gibson
7. Mairead Holden
Photo Credit: Caroline Kerley
