Ballymoney Cycling Club enjoy tremendously successful week

Gold championship medal winner Mervyn Linton was at the Lakeland 2 Day in Fermanagh, following a week where he led a team of BCC riders to the fastest team at the BVRC 10TT at Kilrea. Linton did a 22;54, Stuart Laverty 23;12 and Uel Cunningham 23:52. Neville Patton rode the Ballymena 10 TT at Woodgreen getting 10th in 23.04.

The club’s “Prologue TT” a scorching fast straight TT from Dunloy to Ballymoney saw a record time set by Steven McAllister of 10:16, second went to Stuart Laverty 10:26 and David Strang 12:58

Sonia Knox was again showing good form in the run up to the European Duathlon Championships at Alcobendas in Spain. Sonia had a time for the Prologue of 11.49. All her teammates and friends wish her every success at this presitious event, representing not only Ireland but the top flight Ballymoney out fit. Go Sonia, a great inspiration to woman athletes in every sport.

The “Heartbeat” of Ballymoney CC Biesty Centra is the youth riders and beginners and 17 under 18’s took part on Wednesday night. Fastest junior was Chris Surgeoner, Fastest U16 was Robbie Doherty, Under 14 fastest Arthur Taggart and fastest U12 was Liam McAuley. What makes any club great is its vision for the future and the development of all its riders, the BCC outfit have hit this one fair on the head. Not only will the mentoring be taken care off by the senior riders but former Irish National high performance coach and national team selector Paddy Doran will be coming to have a talk with the riders. There will also be an inspirational evening with Jason Black who recently broke the record from one side of the North Pole to the other and climbed Mount Everest as one of his great achievements.

DUNLOY

Dunloy CC held their first race of 2015, with young under-14 rider Cameron Wallace riding in the 5 mile TT

Cameron had a time of 14:36. A faster time than he did the night before.

DROGHEDA

Youth racing at Drogheda saw over 200 young racers from all over Ireland and Europe taking part. BCC Biesty’s CC youth team had Robbie Doherty in the high octance U16 races finishing 10th overal after 3 races and getting a 4th placing on the way.

In the U14 races it was Shay Donley who opened the weekend getting a fine win in the Criterium around Bellewstown racecourse roads. With a time trial in the afternoon it was a 4th placing putting young Shay in the coveted yellow jersey going into the last day. Anyone who knows the pressure put on these young shoulders will know that the local lads would fight every mile to the line to grab the jersey back and thats what happened with Shay getting 3rd overall.

In the Under-12’s younger brother Scott got caught up in a nasty finishing sprint crash and was in a lot of pain to get finished. And in true gutsy style, finish he did and was still in the top 20. Well done to all the youth team at Ras Na

N’og 2015.

DULEEK

The top races of the weekend for senior riders was at Duleek in County Louth, with the A race at 90 miles and in it was BCC top finisher at the Tour of the North Niall O’Hagan and in a field of over 80 riders to get a placing at all is a awesome achievement. BCC A1 rider Steven McAllister is fast finding form with a lot of International racing coming up. Steven who was in the early breaks from lap 2 of 9 and then was with the last breakaway 8 riders going into the final lap. Tour of North winner David Watson opened a gap and won from Angus Fyffe Omagh and a couple of seconds back was the getting stronger Ballymoney rider in 7th place.

In the bunch getting in a good bank of miles was team mate Niall O’Hagan and in the B race fast improving and stylist senior Jack Owens used his head in the 100 rider run in for the bunch sprint and chose sensibly to figh another day gettin the 60 plus miles of over 25mph average speed racing.

These riders get asked regularly how do you race at over 26 miles an hour for almost 90 mile?, Steven McAllister recently replied, “I dont train at 18/20 mph average, I train faster than I race!”

Here is a top tip for any rider wanting to get started racing. “Train faster than you race!”

COMING EVENTS

This Wednesday night at Balnamore will see round 2 of the senior and youth races on the Glenstall circuit, 27 miles of fast and exciting racing with everyone invited. The club would ask those not racing to come along and help out with the jobs that need done to secure not only a successful event but a safe event. Racing starts at 7pm and sign on from 6.15 at the Balnamore Community Centre Car Park.