We've a full report for the night, with videos for all race finishes inside. If you missed the exciting action, or just want to relive it, have a read!
Novice and Youth Races
Sponsored by Joe Daly Cycles
The annual set of races for the Stephen Roche GP opened on a sunny Tuesday evening with the most popular event of the night, the novice race.
120 eager and capable young cyclists of all ages took part on bikes of all shapes and hues - some with three wheels, some with no pedals! We captured the sprint finish on video below, and you can check out plenty more photos on the club’s Facebook page
Next up were the youth races, starting with ten U12s. That culminated in a two-up sprint for the win, with Quillan Donnelly of Team Bikeworx edging out Aoife O’Brien of Lakeside Wheelers. Annie Roche (Acorn) led the bunch in for 3rd, with her teammate Stephanie Roche taking the prize for first unplaced girl.
The U14 winner Ryan Geraghty - also from Bikeworx - came across the line after a strong solo effort, with Westport Covey filling the rest of the podium - Keith Mulroy on the second step, with Darren Foy taking the final spot. Lakeside Wheelers’ Caoimhe O’Brien won the unplaced girl envelope from a strong field of seventeen riders.
The speed ratcheted up another notch for the fifteen U16s, finishing with the first bunch gallop of the night. Leo Doyle (Sheelin Flyers) took the win by a bike length over Eoghan McGee of Ratoath Wheelers, with Shane Higgins (Black Rose) 3rd in the tightly contested sprint.
Lisney Women's GP
The first senior event of the evening was the Lisney Women’s GP, with JP Flynn performing lead car duties in the electric Lisney Twizy. Lisney Dundrum provided a generous prize fund for the women’s race, with Dundrum Credit Union also awarding a Combativity Prize.
With a small but tough field of fourteen signed on, it was a cagey affair - everyone aware that if a break went, it would be hard to reel it back. It alternated between hard attacks from individuals, while Sundrive and Scott-Orwell took big turns at the front to keep things together for their sprinters.
Moran on the front for Mitchell
Aideen Keenan (Scott-Orwell) and Maire Claffey (UCD) were each spotted taking a flyer down the home straight with the tailwind advantage, but were both reeled in. Emily Birchall (NRPT-Magnet.ie) caught the eye of the judges with her repeated efforts, and earned herself the Combativity Prize.
Keenan trying to snap the elastic
Birchall stringing out the bunch
With the laps counting down the race almost stalled in places, but on the finishing circuit the pace ramped back up for a romping sprint through the crowds lining the barriers at the finish line.
It was Susie Mitchell of Sundrive Track Team who showed a clean pair of legs to her rivals, and just why she wears the rainbow stripes, powering home for an impressive victory by a few bike lengths. Scott-Orwell’s own Michelle Geoghegan lunged for the line to win the battle for 2nd, with Orla Montague (Dublin Wheelers) rounding out the podium.
Stephen Roche GP
Sponsored by Dundrum Town Centre
The men’s race was a much more fractured affair, with eighty participants split into three sizeable bunches chasing each other around the circuit. Last year’s winner Jake Gray (NRPT-Magnet.ie) established the first break of the night with four others, including Patrick Goszczyk (Bikeworx), Gareth Enright, (Murphy Surveys) and Freddie Stevens (Scott-Orwell).
Gray and Stevens between them snaffled up the first two primes before that group began to shell riders, leaving Gray, Goszczyk and Enright. Gray took the third prime before Goszczyk won the fourth.
Goszczyk, Gray and Enright in the early break
As the A1s made the catch, the combined might of the bunch was slowly reeling the break back. Philip Lavery (unattached) and Matteo Cigala (Aquablue) jumped across, and started to push the gap back out.
Lavery then went on a solo attack with 10 minutes still remaining in the race, taking the final prime with ease. Groups were shifting and reforming at the head of the race, but he held off six chasers including Eoin Morton (UCD) and 2014 winner James Davenport for a number of laps before being caught.
Lavery clear of the bunch
The chase drawing to a close
He then counter-attacked with Morton, and the duo built up a six second lead. With two laps to go it was clear they couldn’t work together well enough to hold off the baying hounds behind.
Lavery and Morton try to stay away
As the lead group came down the home stretch, it was anyone’s guess as to who would be at the head, but the National Criterium skin suit of ASEA’s Mark Dowling was fastest to the line. He was followed close behind by Cigala and the aggressive pair of Lavery and Morton in 3rd and 4th.
Dowling has placed here before, but the win will be a confidence booster ahead of the National Road Race Championships at the weekend. Read an interview with him on StickyBottle.
Thanks to UCC Cycling
Gray won the Combativity Prize for his early attacks, as well as picking up two primes.
Full results for all races available here.
Photos from Scott-Orwell, Brendan Culleton, Ian Anderson.
Thank You
A big thank you to all our event sponsors - Joe Daly Cycles, Lisney Dundrum, Dundrum Town Centre and Dundrum Credit Union. Thanks also to Scott for their continued sponsorship of the club.
To the riders and spectators who showed up and made the race what it was, we hope you enjoyed it and will be back for more next year!
Huge thank you to the locals and residents for their continued co-operation and support, and big thanks to all the marshals and Gardaí who kept the race safe and fun.
Massive respect to the organisers within the club who made everything run as smooth as ever. There are a huge number of backroom staff involved in sign-on, stage, lead cars, PA, medical, road closure, marshal rostering, time-keeping, prize-giving... if we tried to name everyone, we'd forget someone, so thank you to one and all!
