It was a very strong weekend for Orwell racers, with trophis, placings and jerseys to go around. Results below from Sean Lynch, Ken Duff and Women's Intermediate League.
Sean Lynch Memorial
A fantastic first win for Cesar Lopes in the Sean Lynch A4: he positioned himself well for the gallop, opened up first and had his hands in the air by the line. He's only taken part in a couple of races so far, but clearly is very strong, and a fast learner!
At the same race, Yvonne Doran was first women home, and Cahir O'Higgins was first A2. Great performances for all three.
Ken Duff Memorial
There were four Orwell riders taking part in this A3 race, a shorter version of the iconic Shay Elliot race, from Laragh in Co Wicklow: one of the few Irish races to finish at the top of a proper hill, at least we had the advantage of slack winds, a bit of warmth and a dry day! Adam McConnell was unlucky to puncture after only 10km, at which point the field was starting to shatter on the challenging early slopes. Daniel Roberts was one of the casualties of the early pace, but rode strongly in a good group to the finish.
At the pointy end of the race, both Killian O'Brien and Joe-Nathan Matar were active trying to force early splits, and the elastic finally snapped after 30km or so, with Killian and two other juniors (Tadhg Killeen, previously of this parish but now racing for Kilcullen) and Cal Tutty (Dungarvan) getting away. The bunch kept the gap to 20 seconds for about half an hour, but then realised the chase was a lost cause. The three riders extended their gap to several minutes, with Killian taking the KOM prime, before turning the corner at Glenmalure together.
An early attack from Killian put Tutty in trouble, while Killeen managed to hold his wheel. Tutty rode back to the other two but just as he made contact, Killian put in another stinging attack. Killeen held the wheel for about 20 seconds before admitting defeat. Killian rode on strongly and confidently to win by over 20 seconds, for his first big win as a junior, and his upgrade to A2 secure!
Joe-Nathan rode to the base of the climb with the main pack before attacking early and breaking well clear to finish on his own in fourth place: best result of the year, and a sign of things to come.
Women's Intermediate League: Round 1 in Dromiskin
Ok, so technically this one is from last weekend, but who wouldn't want to relive the sheer joy on her face as Gráinne O'Callaghan crossed the line for her first win last sunday!? Well done Gráinne: the first of many!
