Breandan Flannaghan wins at Ras Mhaigh Eo

Ballymoney Cycling Club Biesty's Centra racers are leading the field in top 10 positions at the major cycling events.

With Under-16 schoolboy Breandan Flannaghan winning the first stage at Ras Mayo on Saturday and only due to crashes he would have secured the victory on the Sunday overall.

Team mate Andrew Allen from Omagh was seventh on the Saturday’s stage. This was the start of another weekend of unprecedented success for the strong Ballymoney team,

Aaron Swan and Steven McAllister getting seventh and 10th in the top Tour of Ards race, 66 miles around the Ards peninsula, covered at 27.2mph average.

Swan was in the third place group along with the eventual winner and runner up in the eight day An Pos Ras Roger Aiken, this was a great day for the BCC Antrim Ras team in their preparation for the eight day stage race in May.

Team riders: Craig McAuley was 2nd, Swan 7th, McAllister 10th, Ryan Bankhead 1st A2 rider and Chris McKeown safe in the fast finishing main bunch.

The over 50’s Masters racing has become a very popular category, and Ballymoney CC Biesty’s Centra have been getting involved in this area as well.

This category was established to encourage our older racers to take part in races against their own age range and it has encouraged others who have been out of the sport to return and to enjoy what is a good days racing, with no quarter asked or indeed no quarter given.

The winner of the Master’s 30 mile race was Benny O’Kane of the Square wheels club and Ballymoney rider Pete MacCionaoith in his first ever open race getting 8th and A Boyle was 12th.

Ballymoney Cycling Club also had a strong field in the Danny Boy Races at Feeny.

This year Ballymoney had their woman riders, Claire McAoy and Janine Gordon in the starting field, with Claire getting an excellent sixth place just outside the prizes.