Monday Night Youth Racing 2022

We are delighted that Orwell Wheelers will once again be hosting Monday Night Youth Racing in Corkagh Park: nearly every week from 25 April to 16 August. Suitable for boys and girls age 6-16, everyone gets three races each evening in a fun, friendly (and slightly competitive) atmosphere!
All welcome: advance booking is essential through Eventmaster : 
For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Results will be posted on this forum thread each week.

Monday Night Racing is Back!
It's hard to believe that we're at the end of April, and back on the track on a Monday evening that was bright but with a biting easterly wind. Over 40 youths were there, from 7 different clubs, and we had a great time.

There was lots of really tight, really competitive racing in all the age categories, particularly in the elimination race. A few personal highlights:

• Daniel O'Sullivan in the elimination, who lasted longer than most of the U10 riders he and his fellow U8 were up against, being "not last" 9 times before eventually missing out by a hair's breadth.
• Katie Turner and James Cunningham battling right to the line in the elimination: then working brilliantly as a team in the handicap
• Josh and Molly Turner getting really serious when the finishing line was in sight!
• Liam Walsh in a strong solo win in the handicap, while both Naomi O'Sullivan and Ysabella Huele worked so hard, with great game faces on!
• Really unfortunate that Jack Lawless had a problem with his headset, preventing him competing in the other two races after a fine third in the TT (previously misidentified by me as Darragh Byrne. Sorry, my bad! Results corrected)

Placings were determined by combining results from the TT, elimination and handicap races, with position in the handicap race was used as a tie-breaker for final position many times!
Here are the top three in each age category (Orwell unless otherwise noted)

Under 8
Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Ava Quinn

Under 10
James Godfrey, Daria Murphy, Laoise Crinion

Under 12
Dáire O'Flaherty (Carlow), James Cunningham, Xander Huele

Under 14
Darragh Byrne (Gorey), Liam Walsh, Fionn Killeen

Under 16
Jamie Byrne (Carlow)

Back again next week for more fun!

Results from week 2 of Monday Night Racing, on 2 May.
Thanks to the parents for bringins nearly 50 kids along for two hours of serious racing, and for all the cheering from the sidelines: it was great fun. Thanks also to all the helpers who ensured that things ran quickly and efficiently throughout.
All riders are Orwell unless noted otherwise.

   

Under 8
With wins in the TT and elimination, and second in the handicap, Ben Cunningham took first.
A storming performance by Daniel O'Sullivan to comfortably finish second in the elimination gave him second overall, while Molly Turner was third. A win in the handicap race put Cian McGrath (unattached) in fourth.

Under 10
Daria Murphy's one second win in the TT was vital in gaining her first overall, with Jake Govan snapping at her heels. James Godfrey's handicap win gave him third overall with William Hance's elimination race performance got him fourth.

Under 12 TT time
A clean sweep gave James Cunningham first overall, with Katie Turner (resplendant in her Kanturk U12 champion's jersey) second overall, with three second places. Naoise Byrne (Carlow) got third overall thanks to a hard-fought third place in the handicap, with Daire O'Flaherty (Carlow) in fourth. The three Carlow riders worked really well together in the handicap -- kudos!

Under 14
A fiercely competitive Under 14 field, saw strong performances from Darragh Byrne (Gorey) seal the win. In the handicap race semi-scratch had a fighting chance to stay away, and they took it, working well together for the whole race to secure second to fourth place, behind Ysabella Huele. That left Fionn Killeen in second overall, with Ysabella in third and George Sevastopulo (Sundrive) fourth.

Under 16
The U16 field raced with U14 in elimination and handicap races. In the end Jamie Byrne (Carlow) came out on top, with Charlie Gannon (Breffni) in second, Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey) in third and Luke Kehoe (Lucan) with a bit of a baptism of fire in fourth!

Particular complements to the U14/U16 field in the elimination race: there were a few times when the final corner was very crowded, and nobody did anything silly! All riders home safely, with big smiles and sore legs ...

Results from Round 3: 9 May
A different test this evening, with the traditional strong westerly wind blowing: freezing the parents on the sidelines, but also helping the kids who work together in a group.
The strong wind made the time trial harder than the last few weeks, but everyone worked hard, and remembered to shout their name at the finishing line!

Elimination races
The U8 and U10 shared an elimination race: even eliminating two a lap for the first five laps meant quite a few riders had to go a lot deeper than usual as they fought to avoid elimination! James Godfrey took on the last four laps solo to take a brilliant win.
The speed in U12 picked up, and newcomer Orann Durnin (Kilcullen) did well to keep with James Cunningham and Katie Turner, who fought out the victory: James getting the verdict.
In the U14/U16 race, Luke Kehoe (Lucan) showed some good race craft to snatch one place from Fionn Crinion right on the line, but there was no denying the boys from Gorey: they worked really well together to distance the opposition before Darragh Byrne's turn of speed gave him the win over Seán Fitzgerald.

Handicap Races
In the U8/U10 handicap race, Josh Turner rode strongly and steadily to take the win from Eoin Cassells, with James G again steaming through for third on the line, followed by Jake Govan and Daria Murphy.
In U12 James C and Katie unwrapped their handicap through superb teamwork against the wind, with James taking the win in a fantastic drag race up the finishing straight. Remy Fragniere had a strong third place finish.
For a while it looked as though Naomi O'Sullivan might hold out in the U14/U16 but she tired in the last couple of laps. Darragh's power and endurance gave hum a comfortable win -- as he lapped a couple of riders on the line he wasn't sure he had finished, so did another lap at full pace, just to be sure! Fionn rode away from his group for second with Seán in third.

Final placings in each age group :

• U8: Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Josh Turner
• U10: James Godfrey, Jake Govan, Daria Murphy
• U12: James Cunningham, Katie Turner, Orann Durnin
• U14: Darragh Byrne, Fionn Crinion, Liam Walsh
• U16: Seán Fitzgerald, Luke Kehoe

Orwell One Day: THIS WEEKEND!
Hoping to see as many of the U10-U16 riders as possible on Saturday for our Orwell One Day open race. Running from 10 to about 5, it will be similar to our monday night racing except that there is a scratch race (ie a single start, rather than handicap) for each age level, and separate races for the boys and girls. Pre-registration is compulsory (here's the link: eventmaster.ie/event/RdRefL5h76) and closes on Thursday at noon.
Should be fun!

Ivan

Results from round 4: 16 May

What a fantastic night of racing in Corkagh Park! A little breeze, lots of keen kids and some fantastic battles for the line in just about every event ...

Overall results for each age level: combining positions in the time trial, elimination race and handicap race.All riders are Orwell unless noted otherwise
Under 8

1. Ben Cunningham
2. Daniel O'Sullivan
3. Orla Synnott

Under 10

1. James Godfrey
2. Eoin Cassels
3. William Hance

Under 12

1. James Cunningham
2. Katie Turner
3. Alex Nelson (Usher)

Under 14

1. George Sevastopulo (Sundrive)
2. Brian Kavanagh (Gorey)
3. Davis Quinn

Under 16

1. Killian O'Brien
2. Connor Fennell
3. Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey)

A few standout moments for me (though I'm sure everyone who was there has their own)

• In the U14/U16 handicap race: Brian and Davis working brilliantly together -- and then Fionn bridging across and staying with the group all the way. In the same race, Tadhg grabbing Killian's wheel as he sped past going up the hill, and sticking with him along the whole top straight! And Connor's performance -- so much progress in so little time.
• In the U14/U16 elimination: Ysabella working SO hard to be second last U14 in the field. Chapeau, young lady!
• U12 handicap race: the sheer power of the James and Katie machine, working together so tightly until the drag race to the finishing line.
• U8/U10 elimination: Ben getting the jump on William with a huge acceleration just before the corner, and then just losing to James G one lap later. Wowsers

But mainly the sheer joy of everyone riding their bikes with their friends ...
Thanks to everyone who helped to make it all happen, and to Michael for taking on the handicapping -- always a high-pressure job.

See you all again next week, I hope!

Ivan

Round 5: 23 May
While the weather forecast kept quite a few people away, those who were brave enough to come along had a great time! We had light drizzle through the TT and first elimination race but after that it brightened up and we ended up with a beautiful rainbow at the end ...

 

The U8/U10 elimination race got very tight and tactical at the end, with Ben Cunningham putting in an early sprint to survive a couple of late eliminations which Laoise Crinion rode brilliantly: she knows that second last is safe, and her placement throughout was excellent, netting her second place.behind James Godfrey.

As numbers were lower (and we were afraid there might be another shower!) we ran U12, U14 and U16 in a combined race. The older kids respected the spirit of the race and ensured it didn't get too strung out until towards the end! Katie Turner gave a tactical masterclass as herself and James Cunningham outlasted every U14 except Fionn Killeen!

A big hat-tip to Shane for setting the handicaps today, as they led to some fantastic racing. In the U8/U10 all the wise heads at the finishing line changed our minds about five times about who was going to win as Ben Cunningham stormed up on Orla Synnott: he finally caught her a single bike length from the line as we all screamed ourselves hoarse! Laoise Crinion broke from her group to finish a strong third.

The U12/U14/U16 race saw scratch (Fionn Killeen and Killian O'Brien) finally catch a very well organised semi-scratch with just one lap to go. Ysabella won that bunch sprint sprint for third, with Katie Turner, James Cunningham and Tadhg Roberts following. Xander Huele put in a fantastic sprint for third U12.

Final results

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Molly Turner (with Orla missing out on third by a single point after her handicap heroics!)
• Under 10: James Godfrey, Laoise Crinion, Connor Synnott
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Katie Turner, Xander Huele
• Under 14: Fionn Killeen, Brian Kavanagh (Gorey), Jack Lawless (Gorey)
• Under 16: Killian O'Brien, Luke Kehoe (Lucan)

See you all next week for round 5!

Ivan

Round 6: 30 May

It was a night for the ducks in Corkagh Park, particularly during the time trial, when the heavens opened! Well done to the over 30 kids who still came out and made the most of it! Just as with last week, it brightened up for the second half of the evening, and the goodies donated from the Orwell Women's League finale helped to keep the kids warm. Thankfully there were plenty of umbrellas and soigneurs at hand to take jackets off shoulders 10 seconds before the start!

The racing was fast, furious but safe -- the right line on the final corner in the elimination race was critical, and quite a few riders just ran out of room. Wet conditions make it a different race ...

In the U8/U10 handicap race, a group of three (dubbed "the cavalry") broke away from scratch and gobbled up the rest of the field, with James Godfrey leading Daria Murphy and William Hance at the line. Connor Synnott soloed around for a strong fourth place.

The U12/U14/U16 handicap saw some well organised groups, with Kilcullen's Orann Durnin and Conor Regan combining well to take the first two places. Darragh Byrne (Gorey) took off on his own from scratch to finish third over the line. 

Final top 3 in each age level: Orwell Wheelers unless noted

• Under 8: Daniel O'Sullivan, Ben Cunningham, Josh Turner
• Under 10: James Godfrey, Daria Murphy, James Hunt
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Orann Durnin (Kilcullen), Xander Huele
• Under 14: Darragh Byrne (Gorey), Conor Regan (Kilcullen), Fionn Killeen
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan), Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey)

After 6 rounds of racing, the league leaderboard is

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Molly Turner
• Under 10: James Godfrey, Daria Murphy, Laoise Crinion
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Katie Turner, Xander Huele
• Under 14: Darragh Byrne (Gorey), Fionn Killeen, Fionn Crinion
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan), Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey), Jamie Byrne (Carlow)

We are planning to run races again next Monday, even though it's a bank holiday. Hopefully we can break the run of rainy evenings!
Ivan

Round 7: 6 June
What a fantastic evening of racing we had! While there were a fair number away for the bank holiday weekend, the sight of a bit of sun drew a few extra along and we had a super time! Great to see a few new riders taking advantage of being in Dublin to see what we get up on on Mondays. Nobody seemed very distracted by the huge funfair on the other side of the hedge.

In the U8/U10 elimination, Ben Cunningham and Daniel O'Sullivan were last of the U8 riders, while William Hance used his last sprint to power past James Hunt up the hill and survive one more elimination before completely blowing up! Daria Murphy gave James Godfrey a very good run for this money.

In U12, Naoise Byrne (Carlow) did brilliantly to finish a convincing third behind James Cunningham and Katie Turner. 

The U14/U16 eliminator was tight right from the start, with every single elimination hard fought. Super to see Luke Keogh (Lucan) display a huge jump in confidence to hold his lines and survive to the last four, with Sean Fitzgerald and Darragh Byrne (both Gorey) unable to keep George Sevastopulo (Sundrive) from winning. 

The handicap races were an unusual set today, with a solo semi-scratch rider holding off the rapidly-approaching pack in each race!
In U8/U10 it was Laoise Crinion, while raiders from Carlow (Noah Byrne and Niall McDonald) were first over the line in the other two categories. Noah had a real last-lap-gritted-teeth look after the first lap of five, and I don't think anyone really believed he would be able to keep that up for five laps, but he did! Chapeau young man! Niall held on for 9 laps ... there's something in the Carlow water, clearly.

Final results

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Cian McGrath (UA Leinster)
• Under 10: James Godfrey, Daria Murphy, Laoise Crinion
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Katie Turner, Noah Byrne
• Under 14: George Sevastopulo (Sundrive), Darragh Byrne (Gorey), Niall McDonald (Carlow)

See you next Monday for more great youth racing!

Ivan

Round 8: 13 June

We're in the middle of the summer and the Monday Night Racing action continues to be full on!

Special kudos on the night to:

• Laoise Crinion for knocking a good few seconds out of her best TT time and a very well timed burst to knock Jake Govan off the podium in the elimination.  
• Eoin Cassells for riding four laps solo to take a comfortable win in the road race.
• The big three U10 riders for riding together in the road race to gradually winch in the groups ahead. And William Hance for letting them wear themselves out and outsprinting them at the end!
• Darragh Peters for a superb ride to win the U12/U14/U16 road race.
• Fionn Killeen and Jack Lawless (Gorey) for a brilliantly contested sprint in the elimination decider
• And Luke Kehoe (Lucan) for a smashing 1.30 in the time trial on a fast looking bike.

Final results (Orwell unless otherwise noted)

• U8: Daniel O'Sullivan
• U10: James Godfrey, Daria Murphy (same points: separated by one place in handicap race!), Eoin Cassells
• U12: Darragh Peters (Gorey), Xander Huele, Sam Steed (Kilcullen)
• U14: Fionn Killeen, Jack Lawless (Gorey), Héctor Leahy
• U16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan), Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey)

See you next week!
Ivan

Round 9: 20 June
We had 29 kids, and heaps of parents and grandparents, at the track this evening, soaking up the glorious sunshine.
There were a couple of standout performances in the elimination races: in U8/U10 Laoise Crinion rode brilliantly to take second, while in the U12/U14/U16 race Luke Kehoe (Lucan) and James Cunningham rode brilliantly to hold off lots of strong riders.
In the U8/U10 handicap race, Eoin Cassells and Orla Synnott made the most of their handicap to easily close out the top spots. It was fairly strung out at the end, but Will Hance brought the second group home, followed by James Hunt and TJ O'Connor.
The U12/U14/U16 handicap race saw four groups riding really tightly together for the first half of the race. Fionn Killeen soloed strongly away from scratch. Tadhg Roberts managed to tag onto the rest of scratch as they passed, and held on for the remaining four laps for a huge win, with limit (Xander Huele, Jake Govan, Ysabella Huele and Darragh Peters (Gorey)) holding out ahead of Fionn Killeen. Fionn Crinion had a mechanical, but worked well with Luke Kehoe for the rest of the race.

And here are the overall results from this evening, combining time trial, elimination and handicap races (Orwell unless stated)

• Under 8. Ben Cunningham, Orla Synnott, Daniel O'Sullivan
• Under 10: James Godfrey, Eoin Cassells, James Hunt
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Xander Huele, Darragh Peters (Gorey)
• Under 14: Fionn Killeen, Tadhg Roberts, Jack Lawless (Gorey)
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan), Sean Fitzgerald (Gorey)

There are 17 rounds in total, so we have just passed the halfway point with 9 rounds completed. The overall series rankings and points are:

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham (93), Daniel O'Sullivan (85), Molly Turner (39), Orla Synnott (36)
• Under 10: James Godfrey (103), Daria Murphy (65), Laoise Crinion (53), James Hunt (49)
• Under 12: James Cunningham (93), Xander Huele (59), Katie Turner (55), Jake Govan (38)
• Under 14: Fionn Killeen (59), Darragh Byrne (Gorey) (57), Ysabella Huele (47), Tadhg Roberts (44)
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan) (73), Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey) (65), Jamie Byrne (Carlow) and Killian O'Brien (24)

So some strong leadership positions, but it's all still to play for! See you again next Monday.

Ivan

Results from Round 10: 27 June

In the Under 8 races, Ben Cunningham was again the last to be eliminated from the combined U8/U10 race, and stormed to a win in both TT and handicap for a comfortable win overall. Daniel O'Sullivan was second in all three races, with Molly Turner just pipping brother Josh for third overall.

Under 10 saw an overall win for Daria Murphy: second in TT and elimination, her storming win in the handicap race (with James Godfrey out of the points) saw her win on countback. Laoise Crinion continued her canny riding in the elimination race, and a strong finish in the handicap race saw her edge third over Connor Synnott.

The Under 12s had their own elimination race this week, with Katie Turner timing her final acceleration to perfection to pip James Cunningham by the smallest margin on the line: all that sprint training on the Sundrive Road track is paying off! With James winning the other two races it wasn't quite enough for the overall win, but it was a super performance! Jake Govan's only been racing U12 for a couple of weeks but looks very comfortable in that company and had a fine third.

Second in the U14 series coming into today, Darragh Byrne (Gorey) rode very strongly and had enough of a lead coming into the handicap that even riding a full lap on one leg after his driveside crank broke off the bike (he clearly doesn't know his own strength!) couldn't deprive him of the overall win, and he returns to the series lead. Fionn Crinion's consistency, and a fine win in the handicap, saw him take second ahead of a storming Jack Lawless (Gorey).

In Under 16, both Luke Kehoe (Lucan) and Connor Fennell continue to get stronger with every week: Luke came out ahead this week. Killian O'Brien joined in (and won) the elimination race, but sat out the other two, pleading tiredness after some full-on racing at the weekend.

See you all again next week!

Ivan

Round 11 Results: 4 July 
We ran the course in reverse, which made for an intriguing night's racing. The elimination in particular has a very different flavour as riders try to judge the much longer finishing straight rather than contesting a fight for position into the final corner, and some burnt up their matches in style!

Time trials were also a little slower across the board as riders found their way through the less familiar reversed bends and headwind finish.

The races were thrilling affairs though as the accurate handicapping kept the outcomes in doubt until the final pedal strokes.

Kudos to everyone on an enjoyable and dry night's racing. It was lovely to welcome riders from Orchard CC and Bellurgan Wheelers for the first time this year.

And the overall results for the day (Orwell Wheelers except where noted):

• Under 8: Leo Gallagher (Orchard CC), Daniel O'Sullivan, Molly Turner
• Under 10: James Hunt, Daria Murphy, Casey Quinn
• Under 12: Katie Turner, Jake Govan, Xander Huele
• Under 14: Rian McCrystal (Bellurgan), Niall McDonald (Carlow), Fionn Killeen
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan)

Ivan

Hi folks,
on a warm, heavy evening we again raced in the opposite direction to the usual, giving the kids right-hand corners and a slight headwind on the finishing straight: they are still getting the hang of it, and the tactics for the races are completely different!

As the numbers were well balanced between the groups, every age group had their own elimination race (except U14 and U16, which were combined). There were some extremely tight eliminations, with the timing of the final dig to the line critical. The commissaires noticed a couple of riders deviating from their line on the final spring -- there was no obstruction, but we'll be keeping a close eye on that from here on in!

The groups stayed together for longer than usual in the handicap race -- a combination of spending slightly more time in the headwind, and learning how to handle the corners in this direction -- George gave a demonstration of fantastic cornering, pedalling through the top corner and gaining 3 or 4 bike lengths there on pretty much every lap!
There were two crashes in the handicap races -- thankfully Michael, John and Mik did a great job of looking after the fallers: many of the kids had never seen iodine before, and were suitably impressed! Thankfully there was nothing more than a few bumps.

Final results on the night (Orwell unless noted):

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Josh Turner
• Under 10: James Godfrey, Laoise Crinion, Daria Murphy
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Katie Turner, Oscar Sevastopulo (Sundrive)
• Under 14: George Sevastopulo (Sundrive), Jack Lawless (Gorey), Fionn Crinion
• Under 16: Luke Keogh (Lucan), Sean Fitzgerald (Gorey)

The overall series is probably most interesting in U14, where Fionn C, Jack L, Ysabella, Hector, George and Naomi have all made up ground on Dara and Fionn K: it's all to play for!

There are another six round to go ... see you next Monday in Corkagh Park!

Ivan

The heat kept a few people away this evening, but we still had 20 kids at Corkagh Park for an evening of fun racing. WIth a few of those leading the standings not here, it was a chance for others to gain ground in the table. As with the last few weeks, we used the track in a clockwise direction -- the kids have really got the hang of the track going that way now, so we might have to flip it back to the conventional direction for next week, to keep things interesting!

The U8/U10 elimination race was faster than usual, something the other kids watching noticed from early on. After James Hunt was eliminated, Ben Cunningham (U8) didn't slow down and soloed to victory, while Will Hance rolled in as top U10 at his leisure. 

The eliminations in the U12 race were really tight, with the slo-mo camera having to be consulted a few times to confirm the results: Jake Govan was last to be eliminated, by the width of a tyre, before James Cunningham and Katie Turner duked it out for the win, with James coming out on top this week.

The U16 elimination was tight also, with Rian McCrystal forcing Luke Kehoe to lead out the final sprint, going around him for the win.

The handicapper (me!) was a bit too generous to the U8 riders, with Josh Turner, Orla Synott and Molly Turner winning by a huge margin. Xander Huele broke from his group early to finish a strong fourth place.



With only 6 in the U14/U16 race, the scratch group were set a tough target, to lap the limit group twice in 10 laps. Conor Regan and Ysabella Huele rode out of their skin, while scratch just didn't work, and they only lost about a minute over the course of the race, finishing a lap and 20 seconds ahead of the scratch riders: shows the power of working together and believing you can do it! Rian McCrystal won the sprint for fourth place.

Final results on the day (Orwell unless noted)

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham, Josh Turner, Molly Turner
• Under 10: William Hance, James Hunt, Connor Synnott
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Xander Huele, Katie Turner
• Under 14: Rian McCrystal (Bellurgan), Conor Regan (Kilcullen), Fionn Crinion
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan), Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey)

Five more rounds to go ...

Ivan

Monday Night Racing round 14: 25 July
Another great night of racing in Corkagh Park this evening. With a few of the league leaders away, there was a chance for others to make up some points in the overall league, and they took it!
We went back to racing in the conventional direction this evening, and the racing was fast and furious, particularly in the elimination races, where you can really see the kids become ever more confident riding fast in close quarters.

And the results: Orwell unless otherwise noted

• Under 8: Josh Turner, Molly Turner, Orla Synnott (we were delighted to meet the Sean, younger brother of Orla, who took part for the first time)
• Under 10: James Hunt, Connor Synnott, Sarah Peters (Gorey). The time trial was particularly tight, with only 4 seconds separating all the riders, with Sarah coming out on top.
• Under 12: Katie Turner, Darragh Peters (Gorey), Xander Huele. Katie won the time trial by a single second fro Darragh, but stormed through the handicap race field on a serious mission for a hugely convincing win
• Under 14: Fionn Crinion, Shane Whelan (Gorey), Ysabella Huele. Fionn broke free early in the handicap race and hardly lost any time to the combined U16 riders. Super-strong time trial performance. Ysabella and Tadhg Roberts worked really well together, combining forces to limit their losses
• Under 16: Connor Fennell, Luke Kehoe (Lucan)

Here are the leaders' point standings in the overall league table, with four rounds to go:

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham's (134), Daniel O'Sullivan (112), Molly Turner (74), Josh Turner (72)
• Under 10: James Godfrey (129), Daria Murphy (93), James Hunt (92), Laoise Crinion (74)
• Under 12: James Cunningham (129), Katie Turner (104), Xander Huele (87), Jake Govan (69)
• Under 14: Fionn Crinion (79), Darragh Byrne (Gorey, 69), Ysabella Huele (69), Fionn Killeen (66)
• Under 16: Luke Kehoe (Lucan, 130), Seén Fitzgerald (Gorey, 83), Killian O'Brien (31), Connor Fennell (30)

So there's plenty still to play for!

Ivan

We are getting near to the end of the series now! With quite a lot of racers away at the Ulster International Three Day race, it was a different cast and crew this Monday evening, while a few of our more regular riders took the opportunity to climb further up the rankings. We were delighted to welcome riders from Longford, Bohermeen, Sliabh Luacra and Kanturk to Corkagh Park to join us in our time trials, elimination races and handicap races on the track.

And the results of the day (top 4 placings per category, Orwell unless noted):

Under 8: Marian Mulvaney (Sliabh Luachra), Isabelle Mae Walsh (O'Leary Stone Kanturk)
Under 10: James Hunt, Connor Synnott, Brian Mulvaney (Sliabh Luachra),
Under 12: Kieran Mulvaney (Sliabh Luachra), MJ Walsh (O'Leary Stone Kanturk), Joe Donoghue (Longford), Jake Govan
Under 14: Brian Kavanagh (Gorey), Tadhg Roberts, Naomi O'Sullivan, Hector Leahy
Under 16: Luke Kehoe

So the raiders from Cork, Kerry and Wexford had some great results! Hope to see you all again soon. There are only two more weeks to go, with racing on 8 and 15 August, when we will also have our end-of-season prizegiving.

Ivan

Round 16: 8 August 2022. Just one more week to go!
We are nearing the end of a fantastic season of racing for our youths, and those from so many other clubs who have joined us in Corkagh Park over the summer.

A few highlights:

• Connor Synnott and Aoife Killeen showing big improvements in recent weeks and both to the fore on the night, breaking 2.00 in the TT and Conor getting a win in the handicap with Aoife on the podium.
• Luca’s 1.23 TT was blitzingly fast.
• James C did 1.33 for the TT -- huge personal best, which would have given him a placing in U14!
• Oliver O’Sullivan put in a terrific 2.40 TT, not bad for a 6 year old!

And the final results on the day (Orwell unless noted):

• Under 8: Ben Cunningham, Daniel O'Sullivan, Josh Turner
• Under 10: Daria Murphy, Connor Synnott, Aoife Killeen
• Under 12: James Cunningham, Oscar Sevastopulo (Sundrive), Katie Turner
• Under 14: Fionn Killeen, George Sevastopulo (Sundrive), Ysabella Huele
• Under 16: Luca Holmes, Connor Fennell, Luke Kehoe (Lucan)

Here are the top few places in the overall league as it stands, going into the last round: all to play for in many of the categories, and every one of these riders has a chance of making the podium:

Under 16   

• Luke Kehoe (Lucan) 149 points, 1st place
• Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey) 88, 2nd
• Connor Fennell (Orwell) 39, 3rd
• Killian O'Brien (Orwell) 31, 4th    

Under 14   

• Fionn Crinion (Orwell) 79 points, 1st place
• Fionn Killeen (Orwell) 78, 2nd
• Ysabella Huele (Orwell) 76, 3rd
• Darragh Byrne (Gorey) 69,4th
• Tadhg Roberts (Orwell) 63, 5th
• Jack Lawless (Gorey) 59, 6th
• Conor Regan (Kilcullen) 58, 7th
• Héctor Leahy (Orwell) 57, 8th
• George Sevastopulo (Sundrive) 55,9th
• Naomi O Sullivan (Orwell) 52, 10th

Under 12   

• James Cunningham (Orwell) 141 points, 1st place
• Katie Turner (Orwell) 111, 2nd
• Xander Huele (Orwell) 92, 3rd
• Jake Govan (Orwell) 79, 4th
• Sam Steed (Kilcullen) 52, 5th    

Under 10  

• James Godfrey (Orwell) 129 points, 1st
• Daria Murphy (Orwell) 105, 2nd
• James Hunt (Orwell) 104, 3rd
• Connor Synnott Orwell) 86, 4th    

Under 8   

• Benjamin Cunningham (Orwell) 146 points, 1st
• Daniel O Sullivan (Orwell) 121, 2nd
• Molly Turner (Orwell) 79, joint 3rd
• Josh Turner (Orwell) 79, joint 3rd
• Orla Synnott (Orwell) 68, 5th

Hope to see you all next Monday for the last round of racing, and the prizegiving! Top three in each category, plus the prestigious Noel O'Neill trophy for Rider of the Series.

See you next week in Corkagh Park: sure where else would you be?!

Ivan

It's a wrap! We have had 17 fantastic rounds of racing in Corkagh Park over the summer and it has been a pure joy to see the team spirit, sense of fun and massive growth in cycling ability and confidence over the course of the summer. Thanks for bringing your kids and supporting the racing.

The forecast was ominous, and it was bucketing down only ten minutes before the start but we were very lucky on the night, with five minutes of rain in the U14/U16 handicap race and drizzle during the prizegiving the worst of it: which made for good, fast racing.
It was noticeable that the wet track made a few kids more nervous/cautious than usual on the final corner in the elimination race, so conditions did play a role there.

Chief memories of the racing on the night:

• Ben Cunningham going long in the elimination and Tadhg Connolly ALMOST being able to get back on the wheel, than Tadhg absolutely killing it in the handcap
• Daria playing the same game in U10, will William Hance just about getting back on turns at the final corner, before blowing up in the last 50 metres
• Oscar Sevastopulo on great form -- super-tight in the elimination, made up for with a barnstorming win the the handcap
• The performance of the night: Daithi Killeen burning all the rest of his group to solo to victory, finishing 2 seconds ahead of a galloping scratch pack, having lost less than a lap of the track to them in 8 laps. He looked like he was dying with a lap to go, but clearly had the belief to hang in there. Well done!

And so to the overall results for the series: Orwell unless noted.

Under 8

1. Benjamin Cunningham
2. Daniel O'Sullivan
3. Josh Turner
4. Molly Turner
5. Orla Synnott
6. Ava Quinn
7. Tadhg Connolly
8. Oliver O'Sullivan
9. Cian McGrath (U/A Leinster), Leo Gallagher (Orchard CC), Marian Mulvaney (Sliabh Luachra)

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Under 10

1. James Godfrey
2. Daria Murphy
3. James Hunt
4. Connor Synnott
5. William Hance
6. Laoise Crinion
7. Aoife Killeen
8. Eoin Cassells
9. TJ O'Connor
10. Casey Quinn

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Under 12

1. James Cunningham
2. Katie Turner
3. Xander Huele
4. Jake Govan
5. Sam Steed (Kilcullen)
6. Oscar Sevastopulo (Sundrive)
7. Alex Nelson (IRC)
8. Darragh Peters (Gorey)
9. Danny O'Brien (Fingal)
10. Orann Durnin (Kilcullen)

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Under 14

1. Ysabella Huele
2. Fionn Crinion
3. Fionn Killeen
4. Tadhg Roberts
5. Jack Lawless (Gorey)
6. George Sevastopulo (Sundrive)
7. Darragh Byrne (Gorey)
8. Conor Regan (Kilcullen)
9. Hector Leahy
10. Daithi Killen

Under 16

1. Luke Kehoe (Lucan)
2. Seán Fitzgerald (Gorey)
3. Connor Fennell
4. Killian O'Brien
5. Jamie Byrne (Carlow)

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There were three young rider prizes awarded to kids who gave their all throughout the series competing well against older opposition

• Orla Synnott
• Daithi Killeen
• Tadhg Roberts

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And the overall Noel O'Neill trophy, which goes to the rider who embodies the spirit of Monday Night Racing: effort, enthusiasm, fair play, leadership and the sheer enjoyment of racing you bike goes to Ysabella Huele: the recently-crowned U14 Leinster Road Racing Champion has put in huge efforts throughout the summer, notably holding off a rampaging scratch group in the handicap a couple of weeks ago and getting some fantastic results in the elimination races also. Well done, Ysabella!

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Thanks to the club for all their support, and thanks to Joe Daly Cycles for some extra prizes on the night for the young riders.

It's been a joy! Let's do it again next year ...

Ivan