Neal Hudson capped his open race debut with a strong prize winning sprint at the Cycleways Cup A4 race in Navan yesterday.
Hudson’s exact finishing place is still the subject of some confusion after the failure of the photo finish equipment and Hudson himself contacted the race organiser to downgrade his initial fifth place to “seventh or eighth”.
Either way it was a fine conclusion to a typically strong display throughout the 80km event when Hudson was rarely far from the front of the large bunch.
That he got into the prizes at all was remarkable given his confusion about where the finishing line was. Having gone to the trouble of checking out the finish before the race, Hudson was convinced that the group would be approaching the line from the other direction and was languishing mid-bunch when the final wind up began.
Finishing with a charge, he managed to secure the first of what will surely be many prizes in the coming season.
Meanwhile Orwell was very well represented in the main race of the day in Navan, the Cycleways Cup where Pat O’Brien showed the value of his extensive winter training by sprinting home for first unplaced A2.
O’Brien had Dan Whiting, Aidan Collins, Dave Coughlan, John Dillon and Odhran Connors for company at the conclusion of the 120km slog in cold, windy but sunny conditions.
There were no prizes for Orwell in the A3 race where Leslie Walpole and Declan Quigley were caught up in a bunch pile up in the final kilometre, fortunately without sustaining serious injury.
Cycleways Cup,
Navan, 4/3/12
A1/A2 Race
1, Peter Hawkins (IG Sigma Sport);
2, Conor Murphy (EuroCycles);
3, Sean Lacey (Dan Morrissey Speedy Spokes);
4, Ryan Sherlock (Cycleways.com);
5, Colm Bracken (Murphy Surveys);
6, Paul O'Keeffe (South Dublin );
7, Alan Coyle (Shannonside CC);
8, Ciaran O'Conluain (UCD);
9, Robin Kelly (Waterford Racing Club);
10, Paul Flynn (Iverk Carrick Wheelers);
1st U/P A2 Pat O’Brien (DTC Orwell Wheelers).
A4 Race
1, Eoin Morton (UCD);
2, Richard Farrell (Team 905);
3, Pat Doocey (Navan RC);
4, Derek Burke (Laois CC);
7, Neal Hudson (DTC Orwell Wheelers);
