Last week we had two wins from two breakaways, as Pat O'Brien showed just why he's top of the league at the moment, then leaving his rivals Barry Dace and Jamie Busher behind. Graham Scanlon and Keith Harte did the same to the rest of Limit and Semi-limit, with the former coming out on top for a fine win.

Sixty riders signed on for Round 16 of the Orwell League last Thursday, and with two mass start races, it finally felt like a chance for a proper race instead of the TTT tactics employed in the CP events. Scratch and Semi-scratch went off together first, and although the lead car tried to dissuade them from the proper course, there was aggression all the way around the four laps. Just about every rider was away at one point or another, with several names being quite animated, but unlucky not to place.

In the end, it was league leader Pat O'Brien with the ever aggressive Barry Dace who got away with endurance specialist Jamie Busher. The three made their move stick until the end, despite some determined chasing from a group behind. O'Brien used his devastating kick in the final metres, with Dace leaving Busher behind for second. Brian McArdle made a brave effort to catch the trio, but had to settle for 4th, while Philippe Bourdarias was the final solo finisher in 5th. Fionn Sheridan showed his eternal class by winning the bunch finish.


O'Brien crossing the line in style (video thanks to David Maher, some strong language included!)

In the Limit race, the bunch stayed together until the start of lap three, when Graham Scanlon and Keith Harte made a bold move to go away. With 20km remaining, Harte felt sure the bunch would overwhelm them at some point, but the duo pulled out all the stops to finish ninety seconds clear of the peloton. Scanlon then managed to distance his breakaway companion at the close, with a fifteen second gap between them.

Paul Tansey blasted in at the front of the pack, his second great result in a week, and he was followed by top junior Conor Murnane. Jules De Meester and Jeffrey Hoare took the final two placings and the associated points.


Showing just how emphatic the win was, Scanlon crosses at 0:30, Harte at 0:45, and the rest at 2:00
 (video thanks to David Maher)

Thanks as always to the marshals race organisers for a quality night of action on the road. Next week are the Club Road Race Champs in Mondello, all the details are on the forum.

 

Orwell League R16: Brittas Road Race (17/7/2014)

Race #1 - S/SS
1 Pat O'Brien (S)
2 Barry Dace (SS)
3 Jamie Busher (SS)
4 Brian McArdle (S)
5 Philippe Bourdarias (S)
6 Fionn Sheridan (S)

Race #2 - SL/L
1 Graham Scanlon (SL)
2 Keith Harte (SL)
3 Paul Tansey (SL)
4 Conor Murnane (SL)
5 Jules De Meester (SL)
6 Jeffrey Hoare (SL)