Ballymoney Junior Cyclists are Tops as Orr finishes seventh in Donegal

When it comes to top national racing and winning when it counts, BCC Biesty’s Centra Racing team riders are head and shoulders above any opposition.
On the right is Ryan Orr in Donegal stage raceOn the right is Ryan Orr in Donegal stage race
On the right is Ryan Orr in Donegal stage race

Ryan Orr is not only a top junior but a contender for a professional contract on the continent with one of the top pro Belgium team feeder squads and will be riding selection races with a view to getting more experience prior to the World championships.

Other junior Stuart Laverty who less than two weeks ago was admitted to hospital for tests and in great discomfortlined up with his team mates, Uel Cunningham, returning to good form again, Jordan McCaw and Steven McAllister.

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Winning the Dunloy CC interclub race at Knockahollet on a new circuit that provedvery popular. Not only did Stuart win the race but he broke clear and soloed the final lap and half to victory.

“Both these results for the popular youths raises team morale and inspires everyone to achieve bigger and better performances,” team captain Jason Taggart said.

INTERNATIONAL

DONEGAL STAGE RACE

Ryan Orr BCC Biesty’s Centra RT was sixth on the final stage at Ardara and finished a magnificent seventh overall, passing his teammate Steven McAllister - who was 6th on the same stage in 2011 and finished 9th overall in generalclassification.

Ryan has shown just how BCC have progressed in the past years with riders able to compete for top honours at local, national and international level. Ryan Orr was only 40 odd seconds off the yellow jersey position and at one stage he was threatening it closley before they hit the slopes of the cat 1 climb of Glengeesh.

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With the top field assembled in Ardara for the opening stage around Glenties and Brockagh the field over 140 riders in what is now traditional form were on full gas from the start, anyone getting dropped or unfortunate enough to have mechanical trouble were unlikley to see the rest of the speeding field until the finish.

The Ballymoney rider was cleverly in the top 20 at the finish neck break gallop for the line. Knowing from experience handed on to him that the tough mountain time trial and leg breaking third stage would sort out the challengers from the riders hanging on for their lives.

Ryan was 5th in the TT and another top 20 placing set him up for the final days challenge.

With the rain not far away on the Sunday morning the tired and weary field assembled to do battle one more time on the heavy roads .

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“Even the downhill bits of the course felt like you were still going uphill!” described one of the gaunt figures on the line, One thing you find in stage racing on the final stage is that the riders who have not done much all weekend start poking their noses to the front and the run in to Ardara was sketchy right to the bottom of the monstor climb.

When the riders hit the first slopes Ryan Orr was very strong at the front and was at the front driving the pace up and exploding the field in the process.

Local rider and like Ryan Orr one of the top few in the echelons of Irish Cycling Cloughmills rider Aaron Swan riding for Ulster launched a massive attack in an attempt to win the stage and was only pulled back in the final metres.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

Final Stage

1st Gary Scully - Nenagh CC

2nd Philip Hinch - Brotherton

3rd Craig McAuley - Ulster

4th Daire Feeley - SeEng Racing

5th Darnel Moore - Caldwell Racing

6th Ryan Orr - Biesty’s Centra/Belgium Project

7th Cormac Keeney - Errigle

8th Rossa Doherty - Donegal Development

9th Aaron Swan - Ulster

10th Stephen Walsh - Carn Wheelers

Final Overall General

Classification

1st Daire Feeley SeEng Racing

2nd Craig McAuley - Ulster @12 secs

3rd Gary Scully - Nenagh CC @ 13 secs

4th Darnell Moore - Caldwell Racing @ 19 secs

5th Cormac Keeney - Errigle CC @ 25 secs

6th Philip Hinch - Brotherton Racing @ 27 secs

7th Ryan Orr BCC/Belgium Project @47 secs

8th Ryan Riley Ulster @50 secs

9th Paul Vaughan Sportactive @ 50 secs

10 Stephen Walsh Carn Wheelers @ 64 secs

COMING EVENTS

Tuesday evening will see BCC riders in Criterium action in Derry in this popular round the streets high octane action.

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This Wednesday evening BCC will be hosting a 10TT on the Ballybogey Rd, starting atb 7.30pm. On Thursday the team

will be in Dunloy for the Dunloy Classic round the Galdanagh circuit starting at 7.00pm, sign on from 6.30.

This Sunday the Ballymoney Club will be promoting a special preparation TT at Woodgreen, outside Ballymena for riders

who are preparing for the National TT championships at the end of June in Mullingar. This race starts at 9am and sign on is from 8am.

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