Cycling Club
No Holidays for Cyclists:
Date: 19 Jul 2010 / Viewed: 40 times
Despite the holiday season, Clann Eireann’s cyclists have been racing away as usual. The best result of the past week was John Heverin’s ride in the Robinstown Grand Prix in county Meath on Sunday. Away with the winning breakaway group that included some of the top southern riders, big John took the award for the best second category rider in the race. Elsewhere, Brian Nugent put his name well up the result sheet last Saturday evening at Ballivor, another County Meath venue, taking eighth place for his first real road race result of the year.
John Heverin has been consistently the most successful Lurgan cyclist for the past month or so, and he was also in dominant form at last weeks Interclub hill climb at Glebe Hill near Tandragee, taking his second win in this years league. Clubmate Conor Grimes was second. Other Clanns cyclists who did well were Barry McConville fourth, Ryan Beagan ninth and Richard Anderson tenth. Next Tuesday’s league event is a ten miles time trial on the Dungannon Road.
Coming up this weekend is the Ards club’s Portaferry Three Day, in which Clann Eireann has a five man team entered: Michael Murray, Conor Grimes John Heverin, Barry and Martin McConville, for what is the last weekend stage race in Ulster this year. The first stage kicks off at 7.00 pm on Friday evening with a thirty five mile race on the Kirkistown motot circuit.
Maurice Bann-Lavery
PRO. Clann Eireann Cycling Club
HEVERIN STARS IN MULLINGAR
Date: 16 Jul 2010 / Viewed: 33 times
John Heverin was the only Clann Eireann cyclist on the start line of the Mullingar two day race at the weekend, but in his usual agressive style of racing, the big Lurgan man took it on from the front of the one hundred strong field, and produced
another fine result for himself and the club. In Saturdays first stage, John crossed
the finish line in ninth place, and within a minute of the stage winner, Dubliner John Peppard . The second stage was a short time trial , which is Heverin's particular expertise, and from that John moved up to fourth in the overall
standings as the riders faced into the final third stage over a tough seventy five miles. However, by then the Newry Wheelers team had taken over the individual lead with Sean Featherstone as well as the team standings, and they managed to control
the finale to such an extent that none of the other potential winners were able to break away, and the race ended with no further significant changes to the
classifications.
John has now competed in three important stage races within the last number of weeks. In Donegal he was tenth overall. In the Newry three day he finished sixth and now fourth in Mullingar merely reflects the consistency and steady improvement of this rider. The Clann have entered a five-man team for the forthcoming Portaferry three day at the end of this month, and recent form suggests that a top-three placing is a real possibility for any of the squad.
Last weeks interclub time trial at Derrymacash produced few surprises. Thirty one riders faced the starter on a windy night,and the times recorded were a bit slower than usual, but the fastest men were pretty much the same as in previous time
trials. Clanns cyclists were still first and second.John Heverin got the better of
Michael Murray, coming in at 21 minutes 47 seconds,to Murrays 22 minutes 24 seconds.
Other Clann Eireann riders in the top ten were Conor Grimes fifth on 23.36 and Barry
McConville tenth on 25.12. Next Tuesdays interclub event is a road race at
Hamiltonsbawn to be run by the Orchard wheelers.
Maurice Bann-Lavery
PRO.Clann Eireann Cycling Club.
Clann Cyclists Still Dominate League
Date: 7 Jul 2010 / Viewed: 41 times
The Clann riders continue to dominate the Interclub league, and in last Tuesdays road race at Bluestone, it was a one two three from John Heverin, Michael Murray and Martin McConville in that order.. Three other Clannsmen also made the top ten. Barry McConville was seventh, Conor Grimes eighth and fast improving Richard Anderson tenth.
Then in the Cycling Ulster Time Trial League on Thursday, Michael Murray was second to Carrickfergus rider, Nigel Laffin. Murray was timed at 21 minutes 58 seconds.. Other times recorded by Clann riders were..
Conor Grimes ……….22.36
Martin McConville …..23.13
Harry Martin …………24.38
Kenny McConaghy… 24.45
Warren McNeill…….. 25.12
Heading south this coming weekend is John Heverin, to race in the Mullingar Two Day since there is little open competition in the province for the next week or two. In recent short stage races, Heverin has been quite successful, taking tenth in the Donegal three day, and sixth in Newry a couple of weeks ago. There is every reason to expect big John to come back from Mullingar with anything less than a top ten finish, and perhaps better than that, the elusive big win that has been so close for him in the past.
Unusually this year, the local Interclub League continues over the holiday period, and next Tuesday (14 July) in a departure from the usual format, the cyclists have to tackle the steep Glebe Hill near Tandragee for what will surely be the shortest race in the league. It will also be a severe test of strength, lasting only around three or four minutes.
Clann Cyclists at Irish Championships
Date: 28 Jun 2010 / Viewed: 51 times
What a surprise Clann Eireann’s cycling supporters got over the last few days, when the results of the Irish Time trial championships were announced. Last week, John Heverin was expected to be the clubs only representative in the individual title race, and he did well, placing fourteenth in a field of around eighty riders.
Then a late entry from Michael Murray and Brian Nugent for the tandem race brought unexpected glory. The duo took silver, in a competition against eight other tandem teams, giving the Lurgan club its first Irish Championship medals since Ciara Mulhoullands success at the 2009 youth championship.
Murray was also entered for the Senior road race, but did not figure in the top results, where the winner was professional Matt Brammier of the An Post team.
Next weeks Interclub league event is a ten miles time trial to be run by Clann Eireann in the Lurgan area. A change of course is expected, but as yet we await the detail of that.
Maurice Bann-Lavery
PRO. Clann Eireann Cycling Club
Busy Week for Clanns Cyclists
Date: 22 Jun 2010 / Viewed: 61 times
What a busy week it has been for Clann Eireann Cyclists. With events as far apart as Dublin and Belfast, even the club helpers were at full stretch.
Michael Murray (Junior ) was the winner of last weeks Interclub race at Annaghmore, from forty eight starters. That was an unprecedented fifth win in a row for him, and has given the young Lough Road cyclist a significant points lead over another Clann cyclist, second placed Conor Grimes. The very next evening Murray again showed his speed at the Newtownards town centre races, taking a classy third in the senior race, while relative newcomer to the Clann, Richard Anderson surprised a few rivals with a great fifth place in the senior support race. Richard has just taken up competitive cycling in recent months, and if he can continue to improve in the way that he has done so far, will find himself moving up onto the senior open race squad. Then on Thursday evening Harry Martin recorded one of his best times this year, just one second over twenty five minutes in the Cycling Ulster ten miles time trial at Templepatrick.
However the surprise news on Friday for young Murray was a late call up to the Ireland team for the Halfords Series in Belfast on Friday evening. Against top class opposition including several professional teams, Michael rode very well, although not placed at the end of the event, which was won by the An Post/Sean Kelly Team professional, David O’Loughlin.
On Saturday it was off to Dublin for Ciara Mulhoulland to race with the Cycling Ulster Ladies team at the Dublin edition of the Halfords sponsored series. Ciara, as usual, and in spite of being the youngest rider in the race, competed magnificently to place tenth, best of the Ulster contingent.
The big event for the Clanns senior team at the weekend was the immensely popular Newry Three Day. John Heverin and Conor Grimes had the good buildup of the recent Donegal three day race as preparation, and at Newry were joined by Barry and Martin McConville, facing seventeen other club teams. In Friday evenings first stage at Warrenpoint Barry McConville was best of the Clann in thirteenth place. At Hilltown on Saturday John Heverin made a great late run to bring himself up to within 27 seconds of the race leader Brian McCrystal, while the rest of the team came in two minutes later with a large group. Heverin added to his score on Saturday evenings time trial, netting fourth place, although McCrystal won again and stretched his lead to almost a minute over the other sixty odd cyclists left in the race. The final stage into Newry was another successful effort from Heverin, when he took third in a firty rider sprint finish. The overall results of the weekend left Heverin in sixth place, Martin McConville twenty sixth, Barry McConville twenty eighth, nd Conor Grimes thirty seventh. The Clann Eireann team were placed fourth overall. Altogether a very pleasing end for them.
The coming week brings the Irish championships in Sligo. Two Clannsmen are down to compete. John Heverin goes in Tomorrows (24 June )Time Trial Championship, as does Michael Murray, and Murray may also go in the Championship road race on Sunday. Next Tuesday, the Interclub league goes to the Bluestone circuit for a road race, and on Wednesday evening the action moves to Belfast’s Ormeau Park for the phoenix Clubs “Crit in the Park”.
Maurice Bann-Lavery
PRO. Clann Eireann Cycling Club