A gruelling lung busting weekend for Ballymoney Cycling Club

Ballymoney Cycling Club’s Biesty’s Centra race season kicked off for real on Wednesday evening with a rain soaked and blustery 5 mile time trial on the Ballybogey road.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Apr 2015, 17:00 BST

This was a pre weekend warm up for the Tour of the North 4 stage race over the Easter weekend. Ballymoney Cycling Club Biesty’s team had as usual a five man squad entered.

The LungBuster 5 is a real challenge that saw 34 starters line up to face the timekeeper, Chris Surgeoner, Chris was using the “RaceSplitter” software to gather the fast times that are a feature of the top Ballymoney outfits events!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sensational times of the evening saw new Ballymoney Cycling Club’s race team woman rider Sonia Knox record an all time best of 12:16, Sonia will be representing Ireland at upcoming European championships.

Along with the ever expanding youth team riders Robbie Doherty, Finn Sands Robinson, Breandan Flannagan, Shay Donley, Kevin McCambridge, Connor Mullan, Cameron Wallace, Jordan Campbell, Jake Taggart and Callum Wallace all set excellent times on this horrendous evening.

The race was won by Ballymoney Cycling Club Tour of the North team rider Mervyn Linton in 10:45.

Times from riders to watch out for in the future are Ryan Wallace, recent Duathlon competitor Stuart Nevin and local toon lad Jason McLaughlin, these lads returned times that would see them in the top 5 at any other local event.

RESULTS

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mervyn Linton Ballymoney CC 00:10:45.2; 2. Stuart Laverty Ballymoney CC 00:11:08.6; 3. Bryan Mc Kinney Ballymoney CC 00:11:49.2; 4. Steven Mc Allister Ballymoney CC 00:12:08.0; 5. Sonia Knox BCC Tri Team 00:12:16.7; 6. Jason Mc Laughlin Ballymoney CC 00:12:18.2; 7. Paul Mc Quillan BVRC 00:12:19.1; 8. Stuart Nevin BCC Tri Team 00:12:24.9; 9. Robbie Doherty BCC Youth Under 16 00:12:33.5; 10. Ryan Jamison Causeway CC 00:12:35.5.

11. Finn Sands Robinson BCC Youth Under 16 00:12:36.2; 12. Jack Owens Ballymoney CC 00:12:40.0; 13. David Mc Avoy BCC Tri Team 00:12:40.6; 14. James O’ Boyle BVRC 00:12:43.0; 15. Connor Bradley Dunloy CC 00:12:46.0; 16. Enda Mc Keever BVRC 00:12:48.7; 17. Eunan Mc Goldrick BVRC 00:12:56.1; 18. Brendan Flannagan BCC Youth Under 16 00:12:56.8 ; 19. Shay Donley BCC Youth 00:13:10.0; 20. Ryan Wallace Ballymoney CC 00:13:16.4; 21. Kevin Mc Cambridge BCC Youth Under 14 00:13:38.1; 22.Brian Sinclair U/A 00:13:47.4; 23. Martin Burke Ballymoney CC 00:13:52.2; 24. Noel Mc Kelvie Causeway CC 00:13:54.7; 25. Stephen Halferty ECC 00:13:59.3; 26. Aaron Dickie Ballymoney CC 00:14:14.5; 27. Norman Kane Causeway CC 00:14:36.6; 28. Deirdre Mc Auley BVRC 00:15:19.2; 29. Connor Mullan Ballymoney CC Under 16 00:15:32.0; 30 Cameron Wallace Ballymoney CC Under 14 00:16:08.1; 31. Jordan Campbell BCC Youth Under 14 00:16:16.6; 32. Jake Taggart BCC Youth Under 12 00:17:22.8; 33. Douglas Hill Ballymoney CC 00:17:28.0; 34. Callum Wallace BCC Youth Under 14 00:17:30.1

Tour of the North 2015

Other tour of the North riders, Stuart Laverty, Steven McAllister, and last year’s top rider Bryan McKinney getting back to form after a long lay off due to injury!

These riders have three days of torture ahead of them when they line up in Ballymena on Saturday to face the glens of Antrim hills along with its fast and furious descents.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The three join up with Niall O’Hagan and Uel Cunningham as this experience will stand the lads in good stead for other racing challenges the rest of the season!

The Tour of the North is the third year that the Ballymoney team have been accepted to ride in this prestigious international race!

After the Saturday’s 70 mile stage, Sunday opens with a 6km TT on the Antrim/Ballymena line.

Unlike the LungBuster this TT is reserved for road bikes only and will see all the riders using standard equipment!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The road stage on the afternoon is around a Caddy, Randalstown circuit with a real sting in the tail finish of having to force the tired legs over the category two “Roughery” climb out of Moneyglass!

A seventy mile day of racing sets up the Limavady mountain stage on Monday that will see the tired riders make the mammoth effort to finish in Galgorm. 120 riders from six different countries taking on the roads of North Antrim for Easter!

COMING EVENTS

This Wednesday evening is the first club road race at Balnamore, 27 miles of flat out racing will see the seniors and youths in completion. Sign on from 6.15pm and first riders off at 7pm.

All local riders are warmly welcomed to come along and get in the fast race miles.