Eric Downey has made it three in a row coming home first of the Scratch group, and tonight that also meant coming home first overall in the opening road race of the league.
We'll cover last week's 10 mile TT first, as we haven't had the full results until recently. The first four spots were taken by Scratch men - Downey beat Pat O'Brien into second by 24 seconds. They were followed by two new upgradees: Tom Blennerhassett and Liam Rowsome showed they've earned their Scratch stripes, coming home a mere two seconds apart.
Downey blasted around the course in an astonishing 22'52", the only sub 23' time. The top five all came in under 24 minutes - Neal Hudson being the first of Semi-scratch, and fifth overall with an excellent time of 23'57".
Top of Semi-limit went to Brian Doyle with a time of 25'01", while there was no surprise to see World Champion Orla Hendron taking the first woman prize. She was just two seconds ahead of the first Limit finisher, Paul Burgess in 25'34".
Full results available in the league spreadsheet (link on front page).
The first road race of the league started from Brittas last night, and 30 riders battled strong winds on a dull and overcast evening. Limit were sent off first, with over five minutes back to Scratch, whose departure was delayed by some car traffic.
Three Limit riders pushed on hard, and were still away the first time over the finish line. However, the chasers were already only about 30 seconds behind, with the pursuit being spearheaded by a two man break of Eric Downey and Diarmuid Collins. It seems the strong men of Scratch were best able to power against the wind, and mopped up Semi-scratch and Semi-limit within the first lap.
The second time through, as the bell was sounded, the two man break held a 12 second gap on a bunch of about fifteen riders, and they held a gap until the close.
Coming to the final drag, Downey and Collins were still together. There was a sense of déjà vu as two weeks ago the same pair faced off in a sprint in Corkagh Park. On that occasion Downey managed to pip his rival on the line, but tonight he pulled clear from Collins for a comfortable win. Add that Corkagh Park win to last week's TT victory, and tonight's triumph means that Downey has achieved a remarkable three in a row in the club league. It's a great sign of his form ahead of Sunday's Shay Elliot, and the upcoming Rás.
Collins held on well for second place, and he too must take encouragement from his string of placings heading into the Rás. Patrick O'Brien followed fast with Gavin Dodd sticking close to his wheel - the only placer not from Scratch.
Liam Rowsome managed to edge out Aidan Collins by half a wheel on the line to take fifth. Most of the bunch came in within the next ten seconds, including Monica Marconi to take the first woman prize.
Without having seen the full sign-on sheet, it looks like Tom Blennerhassett still has enough to stay top of the league for now, with Liam Rowsome climbing to second on foot of Peter Gerrard's absence last night. Diarmuid Collins has also ascended to the bottom step of the podium to join Brian McNally.
The organisers were quick to thank the vast majority of marshalls for showing up promptly at 6.30pm. Everyone had plenty of time to get briefed and get to their positions, and the race went off without a hitch.
Next week the league returns to Corkagh Park for Round 7, before taking a break for Rás week. If you're keen to help the Rás lads, they're holding a fundraiser next Tuesday night to coincide with the prize-giving of the women's crit league. It's €10 a head, with plenty of food, and entertainment from the lads themselves, to be announced on this page shortly! It's 8.30pm in the Blue Light, and a great chance to chat to clubmates without standing around shivering in lycra!
Orwell League R5: 10 mile TT (Black Bull)
1 Eric Downey (S) 22.52
2 Pat O'Brien (S) 23.16
3 Tom Blennerhassett (S) 23.23
4 Liam Rowsome (S) 23.25
5 Neal Hudson (SS) 23.57
6 Jamie Busher (SS) 24.18
Women
1 Orla Hendron (SL) 25.32
2 Lucy Soden (L) 27.17
3 Isabel Cogan (L) 27.47
Orwell League R6: Brittas CP
1 Eric Downey (S)
2 Diarmuid Collins (S)
3 Patrick O'Brien (S)
4 Gavin Dodd (SS)
5 Liam Rowsome (S)
6 Aidan Collins (S)
First woman
Monica Marconi
