It was a weekend of varying fortunes on the race scene for DTC Orwell Wheelers, with a plethora of placings marred by a couple of crashes.
Saturday was a mostly flat out and back affair in Clonard for the Rás Naomh Finian, with a tailwind helping some riders hold a 47kmph average on the way out, and a block headwind calming things down on the way home.
The A2s were first off, chased by the A1s. Eric Downey narrowly missed out on a KOH prime, but managed to sneak into the placings as an unplaced A2, marking his third weekend in a row in the prizes.
The A3 race saw the most drama, with Eddie Lynch and Liam Rowsome getting caught up in a crash on the homeward leg. Eddie came down hard when a rider cut in on his front wheel, and Liam was right behind him at the time. Unlucky Eddie suffered a broken collarbone amongst other injuries, while Liam was fortunate to escape with only bruising. He's already on the mend, and we hope Eddie joins him in a speedy recovery. The outpouring of concern and support from Orwell and other clubs has been overwhelming, and the lads are grateful for the thoughts.
On the positive side, Anne Dalton picked up the unplaced lady prize, finishing well up in the bunch after making a bold attack a few kilometres from the finish.
In the A4 race, John Twomey made it two from two when he grabbed 5th in the bunch finish. Along with his second place from last weekend's Dublin Wheelers GP, it's only a matter of time before he joins the A3 ranks.
If Clonard was flat, Sunday's parcours in Newbridge offered one of the most challenging circuits of the season. A 17.5km loop contained both Boston Hill and Dunmurray Hill, and these climbs caused mayhem in each race.
There were nine Orwell riders in the A1/2 Newbridge GP, and many of them got into various groups as breaks went and swelled as the bunch fractured. Most successful was again Eric Downey, who lasted until the fifth lap when eventual winner Mark Dowling (Polygon Sweet Nice) put in a big attack. Downey had to settle for another unplaced prize.
In the A3 race for the inaugural Morgan Sparrow Cup, the elastic snapped for the winning move on the third climb of Boston Hill. Brian McArdle had to chase hard to infiltrate it, which left him with no legs for the limited gallop. He rollled over in 8th place, earning one more point toward that inevitable upgrade.
Also in that break, and taking home 6th, was Seán McKenna - currently riding for UCD.
The A4 race featured many Orwellian riders making their open debut, and it was a baptism of fire for them. Jamie Busher continued his consistent form, picking up 7th despite the demanding course, leaving him with only two points to get before he moves up to A3.
Rás Naomh Finian (A1/2)
1 Paidi O Brien (Planet Tri)
2 Stephen Halpin (Polygon Sweet Nice)
3 Craig Sweetman (Stamullen M Donnelly)
4 Eugene Murtagh (Staggs Lucan)
5 David Walsh (Slaney CC)
6 Ciarán Hallinan (DID Dunboyne)
7 Simon Ryan (Visit Nenagh.ie)
8 Ciarán Mangan (Clonard RC) – also 1st A2
Unplaced A2s
2 Keith Walls (Navan RC)
3 Eric Downey (DTC Orwell Wheelers)
KOH: Aaron O’Donoghue (South Dublin CC)
A3 Race
1 Joe Christian (Bray Wheelers)
2 Ciaran Campbell (Drogheda)
3 Ciaran O’Connell (Stamullen)
4 Ciaran Farrell (DID Dunboyne)
5 Michael Devins (Eire Og)
6 Lloyd Scott (DID Dunboyne)
KOH: Alan Brosnan (Dublin wheelers)
Unplaced Junior: Craig Arrigan (South Dublin CC)
Unplaced Vet: Leonard Carrigan (Dublin Wheelers)
Unplaced Woman: Anne Dalton (DTC Orwell Wheelers)
A4 Race
1 Stephen Kerr (Deenside Wheelers)
2 Derek Stenson (Stagg Lucan)
3 Jacob Baldwin (Clonard Road Club)
4 Mick Finn (Barrow Wheelers)
5 John Twomey (DTC Orwell Wheelers)
6 Melvin Bridgewater (Barrow Wheelers)
KOH: Val Gargan (Cuchulainn)
Newbridge GP (A1/2)
1 Mark Dowling (Polygon Sweet Nice)
2 Fraser Duncan (Eurocycles)
3 Javan Nulty (DID Dunboyne)
4 Greg Swinand (Usher IRC)
5 Aaron O Donoghue (South Dublin CC)
6 Art McManus (South Dublin CC)
7 Craig Sweetman (Stamullen M Donnelly)
8 Ciaran Mangan (Clonard RC)
9 John Kenny (Navan RC)
10 Stephen O Sullivan (DID Dunboyne)
Unplaced A2s
1 Geoff Sheehan (South Dublin CC)
2 Daire O Sullivan (Usher IRC)
3 Anthony O Neill (Usher IRC)
4 Eric Downey (DTC Orwell Wheelers)
Morgan Sparrow Memorial (A3)
1 Jack Sadler (Vanilla Bikes)
2 Danny Bruton (NRPT)
3 Joe Christian (Bray Wheelers)
4 Ciarán Campbell (Drogheda Wheelers)
5 Fintan Ryan (NRPT)
6 Seán McKenna (UCD)
7 Nick Cosgrave (Unattached)
8 Brian McArdle (DTC Orwell Wheelers)
9 Niall Clarke (Cuchulainn)
10 Rory Farrell (Newry Wheelers)
A4 Race
1 Dermot Gregan (Slipstream)
2 Billy Purcell (Usher IRC)
3 Gerard Lacey (Slaney CC)
4 Brendan Stewart (Staggs Lucan)
5 Shane Dillon (Adamstown CC)
6 Niall Allen (Wexford Wheelers)
7 Jamie Busher (DTC Orwell Wheelers)
8 Lucas Furmin (Murphy Surveys)
9 Ferghal Regan (Headstrong)
