The last report of the 3-day with photographic help of Toby Watson, reports of Shaun Mc Bride and results from the Omagh time team
The women’s race: The Queens stage sorted the final GC on the finish line, as the Caldwell Cycles Pink Jersey changed shoulders due to bonus seconds at the line!!
In the Women’s race there were even more questions; could the powerhouse that was Ballymena ride the legs of the other GC riders and potentially expose any weaknesses, would one of the other GC riders decide to give it a lash or would the Cycling Leinster Ladies provide a repeat of their 2018 attempts to win the final stage. In the battle for the W3 jersey would a strong Cycling Ulster team be able to put the present holder in the red and snatch the jersey for leader Laura Wylie. An enthralling morning of racing was to provide us with all the answers.
With the A4 finished it was over to the women and they didn’t disappoint, in fact throughout the weekend their race was as good as any stage race in Ireland this year it had everything and Sunday was to prove no different. As the race commenced the Ulster team went straight to the front of the W3 group, and with assistance from Newry began to really drive this group on. Experience cyclists like Julie Rea guesting for Newry key in organising the effort. The W1/2 group started at a leisurely pace, “A Sunday Coffee spin” according to commissaire Tommy Mc Cague. Laura Campbell found herself of the front and decided to put the head down and “give it a go”. Her Ballymena teammates were happy to let her go and leave the chase to other teams. Laura was to extend her lead on this group to just over two minutes but never really make any inroads on the W3 group who continued to race hard.
The commissaries and moto marshal were superb in running regular time checks and keeping all groups involved. In fact, this galvanised the W3 group who down towards Victoria Bridge kept up a relentless pace and by the time they reached the second QOH prime they had a lead of over 6 minutes on the W1/2 group. The Irish women’s commission had also joined the effort in the knowledge that their leader Nikki Taggart was now in the virtual pink jersey and that a real shock could be on the cards. As the W1/2 group turned towards Victoria Bridge the pace suddenly increased with the GC contenders realising the virtual Pink jersey was now up the road. On the second QOH the W1 group were to catch the valiant Campbell, this though is a gutsy rider and to help her team she was to attack again on the climb pushing riders out the back. As they turned at Newtownstewart the time to the W3 group had halved and the race was well and truly on. This group contained all the GC contenders bar Yvonne Doran (Leinster) who had regrouped with her team less than a minute behind. They were working hard to get her back on but their effort was in vain and she was to finish in the second chase group almost two minutes down. As the race approached Gortin and Lenamore the W1/2 group was really driving on and the gap to the W3 group was rapidly falling and Lenamore was to prove crucial. On the foot of the climb, four riders from the W3 were to go clear: Wylie and Kelly (Ulster) Taggart (Women’s Commission) and Davenport (UCD) with the Ulster Girls attempting to take the time of Taggart in the battle for the W3 jersey. Meanwhile in behind a select group of W1/2 riders (GC Contenders) were also on the climb and less than 30 seconds behind.
On the descent, Wylie (Ulster) was to go it alone and with the rest of the W3 group swallowed up by the W1/2 group we witnessed a superb chase for the stage victory and the pink jersey. Wylie was to be rewarded and was to claim a stunning stage victory holding off a charging chase by just 11 seconds. Louise Hart (TC Racing) was the first to form this group with both stage and GC in mind she was to attack just beyond the 1km mark on the drag to the finish. She was to be caught in the last 100m with Smyth winning the sprint for second and Hughes (Westport) in third and claiming some crucial bonus seconds, in fact with Claffey(UCD) in the pink jersey just behind her on the stage the four-second bonus awarded to Hughes was to see her clinch the pink jersey by just 2 seconds. The determined Taggart was to cling to the back of the chase group and win the first-ever W3 jersey while the UCD team who so gallantly defended the pink jersey but saw it snatched at the line were to be rewarded as Claffey retained the Polka Don’t jersey. What a race, The W3 group must be given heaps of praise for their efforts in identifying the inactivity in the W1/2 group and have the courage to really have a go….end, Shaun
1. Wylie, Laura Cycling Ulster 2h07m33s
2. Smyth, Katharine Ballymena Road Club 2h07m44s @11s
3. Hughes, Hilary Westport Covey Wheelers 2h07m44s @ s/t
4. Claffey, Maura UCD CC 2h07m44s @ s/t
5. O’Donnell, Lucy O’Leary Stone Kanturk 2h07m44s @ s/t
6. Burns, Eileen Ballymena Road Club 2h07m44s @ s/t
7. Taggart, Nikki Women’s Cycling Ireland 2h07m44s @ s/t
8. Hart, Louise TC Racing 2h07m44s @ s/t
9. Kelly, Ciara Cycling Ulster 2h07m44s @ s/t
10. Davenport, Megan UCD CC 2h07m49s @16s
11. Bird, Sharon Ballymena Road Club 2h07m51s @18s
12. Kerr, Kathy Cycling Ulster 2h09m16s @1m43s
13. Havern, Ciara Newry Wheelers Team 2h09m16s @ s/t
14. Daly, Mary Westport Covey Wheelers 2h09m20s @1m47s
15. Doran, Yvonne Cycling Leinster 2h09m16s @1m43s
16. Rea, Julie Newry Wheelers Team 2h10m18s @2m45s
17. Rochford, Nessa Women’s Cycling Ireland 2h10m18s @ s/t
18. McKinney, Michelle Women’s Cycling Ireland 2h10m18s @ s/t
19. Parr, Teresa Newry Wheelers Team 2h10m18s @ s/t
20. Mulchrone, Loraine Westport Covey Wheelers 2h10m18s @ s/t
1. Hughes, Hilary Westport Covey Wheelers 6h11m24s
2. Claffey, Maura UCD CC 6h11m26s @2s
3. Burns, Eileen Ballymena Road Club 6h11m30s @6s
4. Smyth, Katharine Ballymena Road Club 6h11m35s @11s
5. Hart, Louise TC Racing 6h11m49s @25s
6. O’Donnell, Lucy O’Leary Stone Kanturk 6h11m51s @27s
7. Taggart, Nikki Women’s Cycling Ireland 6h13m16s @1m52s
8. Bird, Sharon Ballymena Road Club 6h13m28s @2m04s
9. Doran, Yvonne Cycling Leinster 6h13m34s @2m10s
10. Wylie, Laura Cycling Ulster 6h14m48s @3m24s
11. Kelly, Ciara Cycling Ulster 6h15m26s @4m02s
12. Davenport, Megan UCD CC 6h15m31s @4m07s
13. Havern, Ciara Newry Wheelers Team 6h17m01s @5m37s
14. Daly, Mary Westport Covey Wheelers 6h17m05s @5m41s
15. McKinney, Michelle Women’s Cycling Ireland 6h17m54s @6m30s
16. Brennan, Eva Women’s Cycling Ireland 6h17m55s @6m31s
17. Rochford, Nessa Women’s Cycling Ireland 6h17m56s @6m32s
18. Parr, Teresa Newry Wheelers Team 6h18m08s @6m44s
19. Campbell, Laura Ballymena Road Club 6h19m48s @8m24s
20. Rea, Julie Newry Wheelers Team 6h20m13s @8m49s
Full results:
https://www.omaghwheelers.co.uk/app/download/34369916/Stage_4w_Final_Results.pdf
More photos of Toby Watson here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2176871849277818
The A4 men’s race final chapter saw the top 2 in GC battling for the victory going “up the road” with Nicky Gormley (Carn Wheelers) taken his second stage of the weekend
“The battle for Pink and Yellow go to the wire”
The Spar Tour of Omagh has delivered yet another “Super Sunday” with exciting racing and a nail-biting finish. A grey but dry morning with the potential for rain added to the tension in the air as the final stage started. There were many questions to be answered – In the A4 race, given so many riders were in contention could a rider or team control of the race or would it be decided on the roads above Gortin.
The A4 race began as another cagey affair with attempted breaks quickly snuffed out. The usual contenders Mc Kenny (Emyvale) and Mc Cauley (Strabane Lifford) fought out the first KOH prime and as the race progressed beyond Castlederg, it looked like Lenamore was going to decide the fate of Yellow Jersey. Nicky Gormley from Carn had other ideas and after a number of attempts the second on the GC was to get away, unfortunately for him, he had the yellow jersey for the company (Fallon UCD). They were to forge ahead and establish a 90 second lead on the bunch as they approached Lenamore. This was to prove decisive and although Gormley won the stage in the sprint young Fallon was to win the GC and the coveted yellow jersey by a mere two seconds. Ciaran Maguire from Harps led the chase to fill the podium. James mc Kenny from Emyvale showed a climber instinct to take the Polka dots and Fallon was also to take the Young riders jersey with Harps winning the team prize.
Result (Top 20)
1. Gormley, Nicky Carn Wheelers 1h49m59s
2. Fallon, Davoren DCU Cycling Club 1h49m59s
3. Maguire, Ciaran Harps CC 1h51m43s @1m44s
4. Florea, Alexandru Dublin Wheelers Cycling Club 1h51m43s @ s/t
5. Little, Paul Breffni Wheelers 1h51m43s @ s/t
6. Coney, Stephen Island Wheelers 1h51m43s @ s/t
7. Henderson, Ryan Clann Eireann 1h51m43s @ s/t
8. McCauley, Jay SLCC 1h51m43s @ s/t
9. Kerr, Barry Harps CC 1h51m43s @ s/t
10. McKenna, Conor Clogher Valley Wheelers 1h51m43s @ s/t
11. Murphy, Niall Lakeland CC 1h52m26s @2m27s
12. Mccann, Malcolm Lakeland CC 1h52m28s @2m29s
13. Foster, Nigel Lakeland CC 1h52m28s @ s/t
14. Mallon, Shay Emyvale CC 1h52m28s @ s/t
15. Wade, Campbell SLCC 1h52m28s @ s/t
16. Bowen, Robert St. Tiernans Cycling Club 1h52m28s @ s/t
17. Holian, Damien Errigal Cycling Club 1h52m28s @ s/t
18. Owens, Philip Harps CC 1h52m28s @ s/t
19. Bradley, John Harps CC 1h52m28s @ s/t
20. Hamiliton, Cliffy Newry Wheelers CC 1h52m28s @ s/t
1. Fallon, Davoren DCU Cycling Club 5h37m43s
2. Gormley, Nicky Carn Wheelers 5h37m45s @2s
3. Little, Paul Breffni Wheelers 5h39m49s @2m06s
4. Coney, Stephen Island Wheelers 5h39m56s @2m13s
5. Maguire, Ciaran Harps CC 5h39m56s @s/t (Junior)
6. McKenna, Conor Clogher Valley Wheelers 5h39m57s @2m14s
7. Kerr, Barry Harps CC 5h39m57s @s/t
8. Florea, Alexandru Dublin Wheelers Cycling Club 5h40m00s @2m17s
9. McCauley, Jay SLCC 5h40m09s @2m26s
10. Murphy, Niall Lakeland CC 5h40m38s @2m55s
11. McMahon, Jamie DB Cycling Club 5h40m45s @3 m02s
121 65 19a40155 Ferrity, John Island Wheelers 5h40m45s @s/t
13. Dempsey, Gareth Square Wheels CC 5h40m50s @3m07s
14. Bowen, Robert St. Tiernans Cycling Club 5h40m52s @3m09s
15. Hamiliton, Cliffy Newry Wheelers CC 5h40m54s @3m11s
16. Baxter, Eamonn Smugglers Cycle Club 5h40m55s @3m12s
17. Foster, Nigel Lakeland CC 5h40m56s @3m13s
18. Holian, Damien Errigal Cycling Club 5h40m57s @3m14s
19. Mccann, Malcolm Lakeland CC 5h40m57s @s/t
20. Sheridan, Darren Four Masters 5h41m00s @3m17s
Full result:
https://www.omaghwheelers.co.uk/app/download/34369912/Stage_4m_Final_Results.pdf
Great job done as per usual Tosh
More photo’s I took on https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156593901348691
