Ladies Lap of Louth & Dolan wins atop Flagstaff

On Sunday last as Blackrock basked in glorious sunshine, with the constant threat of rain just around the corner. Almost 150 female cyclists arrived in the village for the inaugural Ladies Lap of Louth, a 55km cycle along the Louth coast by Port Beach. Organised by the Ladies rep Veronica from Cuchulainn Cycling Club and supported by Louth Sports Partnership, the event was a massive success.

The large bunch created a wonderful sight as it rolled through the village at 10am escorted by the Gardaí, before heading for Castlebellingham & up along the coast. A well earned fuel stop was set up at Port Beach, where at which point the riders had faced a headwind all day. From there on it was to Clogherhead, across to Dunleer & home, aided by a welcome tailwind. Back in the sports hall in Blackrock a the rider's enjoyed a cup of tea & something to eat along with a chance to reminisce about their day.
The rain only made a brief & short appearance as the cyclists left Clogherhead, however that didn't deter the determination of these cyclists, with many mothers & daughters completing the route. All in the event could not have been more successful and a big thanks goes to the Gardaí, Louth Sports Partnership, Blackrock Sports Hall & all the marshals who helped out on the day.
 
The 3rd last round of the Bike Station Summer Cycling League saw Liam Dolan win atop the climb of Flagstaff, a win that put him firmly in the driving seat to win the league outright. Dolan & defending league champion Tomas McCabe had emerged from the combined Group 5/6 on the lower slops of the climb. Dolan attacked & forged on alone to ride through the riders in front & take the win by a comfortable margin. On the open racing front Declan Rafferty had another big result, taking 5th in the A4 event in Larne on Saturday.