The Orwell League wrapped up last Thursday on a new circuit, as Colum Bradley soloed to a fantastic win. It was never going to be enough to dislodge Eric Downey from the overall though, and Lucy Soden fought off fierce competition to take the women's prize.

The final round of the Orwell League took place on what turned out to be a fine evening on Thursday. Sign-on was at the Blue Light, with a new lumpy circuit through Glencree and over the Featherbeds being introduced. It proved to be a testing course, with riders being strung out as they were either left behind on the climbs, or shelled as the pace increased on the many drags.


The bunch at the start line (courtesy of Damien Long)

As is traditional on the final night, the Limit groups were given a sizeable handicap of ten minutes, and they took full advantage to stay away until the close. Colum Bradley in particular put in a storming ride, lasting nearly the entire length of the course in front solo, and keeping the gap until the finish for a stunning win.

Bradley (no relation to Wiggins) has been stealthily building his form, peaking first for the Kilmashogue hill climb, and culminating in last week's victory. Now that he has a taste for points, he'll be one to watch for next year's season.


Bradley, with nothing but daylight behind him (courtesy of SwimCycleRun.com)

Second placed Brian Doyle was the biggest beneficiary of the night, using the points earned to jump from 10th overall to 6th, making him the second-highest placed non-Scratch rider. Ryan McCarthy came in on Doyle's wheel, capping a successful league for him. He had a string of high placings, including one outright win in Corkagh Park, before his upgrade to Semi-limit. His 3rd place last week proves that he has risen to meet the standard, and like Bradley, will be one to mark next year.


Doyle and McCarthy crossing the line (courtesy of SwimCycleRun.com)

In 4th was evergreen Owen O'Flaherty, who has coasted through these season after the highs of last year. A trip to New Zealand meant a late start to the season, but the father of one is content to wheelsuck for the moment. Keith Harte is another who placed highly during his time with Limit, and is now showing himself well able to fight for position within the Semi-limit bunch. And in the last of the prizes, Donnacha McCormack used his Wexford-hardened legs to hold on for 6th. That marks two in a row for the A4 rider, and should give him the confidence to challenge for higher placings next year.

The Scratch riders finished well down, with Diarmuid Collins claiming the moral victory of the fastest loser title by attacking the chasers over the top of the Featherbeds. There were also two minor crashes, with Valdis Andersons and Nick Watson being the victim of thankfully nothing more serious than some cuts and bruises, and some painful road rash.


The Scratch riders, who were never seen again (courtesy of SwimCycleRun.com)

There are more photos available on Facebook thanks to SwimCycleRun.com.

With no Scratch riders taking placings, the top five overall in the league remained unchanged from R19, with Eric Downey winning the title of first Orwell for the second year running. Last year was his spectacular début in the Interclub League, and he made a huge impression by winning his first race, and placing second in his second after being upgraded. It took him a couple of weeks to find his legs in Semi-scratch, but a series of prizes meant he was swiftly pushed up to Scratch, where he continued to place well. He was third overall behind Shane Baker and Sean Bracken, both Usher riders.

This year he won an astonishing eight races, where no other rider has won more than two. He also placed in another three - giving a combined hit rate only exceeded by Patrick O'Brien and Brian Doyle. He took gold in the 10TT Champs, silver in the 25TT, and bronze in the Hill Climb. We suspect he would've gotten another medal in the Road Race Champs if he had been able to attend. Given his upgrade to A1 and his strong performance in the Rás, Downey can call this another extremely successful season all round, and will now concentrate on riding for pleasure on holiday.


:Eric accepting his prize from club president David Tansey (courtesy of Damien Long)

Second place was Pat O'Brien, another rider who left an indelible mark in his debut season by winning the Sallygap finish. He is also the longest-standing member of the club in the top 30 finishers in the league - a sign more of the relative freshness of many riders, rather than Pat's veteran status - and the most successful finisher, placing in an impressive 76.5% of races he started*. O'Brien also earned his long overdue upgrade to A1 this season, and won a bronze medal in the Wexford County Champs, and the club 10TT Champs.

Gavin Dodd went home with third place overall, after a prolific season - missing only three rounds of the league. Corkagh Park was a happy hunting ground for him, with one superb win, and several second and third places. The A3 rider avoided a lot of open races this year, so the league has been a convenient outlet for his talent.

Top of the women was Lucy Soden, who managed to pip contenders Isabel Cogan and Monica Marconi. Orla Hendron, Ciara Kinch and Charlotte MacDonald were also in the running, but it was Soden who distinguished herself by taking several overall placings during the league - including a third place, and topping the Limit group in the 10TT while winning gold. She also took silver in the 25TT, and was an integral part of the women's record-setting TTT team.

Further afield in the open races, the sophomore took prizes in the Lucan GP and several rounds of the Wheelworx Orwell Crit League. All of which will be an added boost to the good doctor as she heads into Rás na mBan in two weeks, as part of the Orwell team.


:Soden receiving her prize from Dave Tansey (courtesy of Damien Long)

The top ten of the league was completed by Tom Blennerhassett, who took 4th and gold in the 25TT, to complement his silver in the 10TT. Julian Moore in 5th was the highest placed non-Scratch rider, with the Semi-limit man somehow managing to avoid an upgrade despite a string of placings and two crit victories.

6th was the highest placed league débutant Brian Doyle, a strong tester and obviously an up-and-coming racer based on his results in the CPs. Likewise 7th-placed Liam Rowsome is building on his solid horsepower (he won the opening Pine Forest TT) to become competitive on the road also. Peter Gerrard's swift kick helped him win the two first crit rounds, and those points earned him 8th. 9th was Jules Cantwell, whose early strong form propelled him up the ranks from his Limit beginnings. And finally, with a silver medal from each of the road race and hill climb champs, Brian "always the bridesmaid" McArdle took 10th overall.

On behalf of the club and all league participants, we'd like to extend a massive thank you to Damien Long and Eddie Lane for making sure the league ran smoothly week in and week out! To Ciara Kinch for keeping track of all the results, and ably assisting the two lads and running a few races also.

To Dick O'Brien and Paul Tansey for their work in running a number of races throughout the league, and to Jeni Sheridan for the same, and cooking up a storm at the barbecue after the final round! Dave Mc also deserves a mention for helping out and lending his wisdom when needed, tip of the helmet to him.

Every week riders came out as required to marshall, and many went beyond the call of duty and volunteered to cover gaps when needed. Everyone's prompt punctuality meant riders could race safe in the knowledge that there were marshalls at every junction (which also puts the organiser's mind at ease!). So a big thank you for that!

To the friends and family who came out to support and cheer on, to Tina (aka Ms SwimCycleRun.com) who came out so often to take photos and make us all feel like pros, and to Brendan Culleton for his occsional foray too (he does splendid work at the women's races).

And to the riders who came out to compete every week. With this being the first year of the Orwell-only League, it was bound to be a learning experience. Not everything was perfect, and improvements can be made, but everyone had faith in the ability of the club and the league committee, and came out very week in droves. That contributed massively to making the inaugural Orwell League a huge success!

If we've forgotten anyone, apologies, you're still appreciated, honest! On an admin note, if you weren't able to collect your marshalling deposit last Thursday, they will be available to collect in Joe Daly's from tomorrow (Tuesday).

Stay tuned to the site and forum for announcements regarding next year's league, but if you have any feedback on the league, or think you could contribute to the running of some of the races, the committee will be elected at the AGM (probably in October), so come along and give something back if you've enjoyed taking part this year. Until then, safe riding!


*At the other end of that scale is an anonymous rider who signed on for 17 rounds, but didn't place once. We'd like to tell you who it is, but we promised Damien Long we wouldn't name him.


Orwell League R20: Blue Light CP

1 Colum Bradley (SL)
2 Brian Doyle (SL)
3 Ryan McCarthy (SL)
4 Owen O'Flaherty (SL)
5 Keith Harte (SL)
6 Donnacha McCormack (SL)

No women raced R20

Final League standings

1 Eric Downey (S)
2 Patrick O'Brien (S)
3 Gavin Dodd (S)
4 Tom Blennerhassett (S)
5 Julian Moore (SL)
6 Brian Doyle (SL)
7 Liam Rowsome (S)
8 Peter Gerrard (S)
9 Jules Cantwell (S)
10 Brian McArdle (S)

First woman
Lucy Soden (SL)