Major cycling event for Dunboyne

THE crème-de-la-crème of Irish cycling will be on view locally this weekend when the Irish Road Race Championships get underway at Dunboyne village. The championships are promoted by the local Dunboyne Engraveit.ie club. The festival of cycling starts on Saturday with the veterans and ladies championships with the first race scheduled for 12.0 for veterans and the riders involved will cover a distance of 104kms. The red hot favourite to take this race is the reigning champion, Martin O"Loughlin from the Dan Morrissey Carrick-on-Suir club in Tipperary. However, he will not have a free ride because there are many other competitors with their sights set on glory in this event. Names that quickly spring to mind include Sean Bracken from the Usher Irish Road Club in Dublin, Anto Moran from the Ravens outfit in Finglas, John Wall (Dunboyne) and Rory Wyley, a team-mate of the pre-race favourite. There will be a fierce battle for the team honours between Dan Morrissey, Carrick-on-Suir, Team Newry Wheelers, Phoenix CC in Belfast, St Finbarr"s in Cork and Dunboyne Engraveit.ie. All of these teams are well capable of clinching a win. The ladies championship, which will be held over the same circuit as the veterans, will be keenly contested over a distance of 84kms and will start at 12.05. The circuit on Saturday for these two championships will be departing from Dunboyne, travelling out to Mullagh, Cross Keys, Kiltale, back to Mullagh, with the finish at Dunboyne soccer club. Then on Sunday all the big names in Irish cycling will come together at 1.0 to contest the 168kms All-Ireland Road Race Championship. This race will cover eight laps starting in the village of Dunboyne, travelling out the Summerhill road, turning left for Kilcloon, through Blackhall, left at Carton House back in the direction of Dunboyne, up Ash Hill and on to the start/finish point. Among those who have already entered the race are cyclists such as Nicolas Roche, son of the great Stephen Roche, and a member of the AG2R team and Philip Deignan from Donegal, who also returns from the continent. Others lined up for the race include the An Post M Donnelly team, Paudi O"Brien and 24-year old Mark Cassidy who must be rated a real live contender for a medal as he has really hit top form in recent weeks, winning the Sean Nolan Meath Grand Prix. There was another significant achievement notched up by Cassidy when he finished second in the opening stage of the Paddy Flanagan Memorial two-day in Kildare town on Saturday and then went on to win the final stage of this event on Sunday. Cassidy"s team-mate Ronan McLoughlin is another rider likely to be in with a great chance of a medal this weekend. Also included in the line-up will be a host of home-based riders led by the all conquering Dunboyne Engraveit.ie combination of Brian Kenneally, Stephen O"Sullivan, Tim O"Regan, Ciaran Cassidy, Mark Dowling, Eugene Moriarty, Aidan Crowley and John Mason. Paul Healion, a native of Dunboyne, is another rider who will clearly have his sights set on a podium finish. Other cyclists with similar plans include Conor Murphy from Emyvale and a member of the Usher Irish Road Club who won the opening stage of the Paddy Flanagan two-day race in Kildare over the weekend. He will be accompanied by his team-mates Neil Delahaye and Greg Swinand. Stamullen M Donnelly riders Craig Sweetman, Robert Moore, Colin Robinson and Matt Kelly will also put in a big effort. The junior (u-18) championship will follow immediately behind the senior race and will be contested over five laps of the same circuit. Local interest in this race will certainly evolve around the two young Drogheda Wheelers cyclists Conor Campbell and Benner Maguire. . With the Irish and Leinster teams for the upcoming M Donnelly Junior Tour due to be named immediately after Sundays" championship, there will be a race within a race on Sunday, with a great deal depending on the outcome. The race headquarters for the weekend will be Dunboyne GAA club and the great man Sean Kelly has confirmed that he will be present at the race on Sunday to help look after the An Post/M Donnelly/Sean Kelly team. Over the weekend Meath youths scored good success with Aidan Wall (Navan RC) winning the u-14 race in Kildare Town. This was quickly followed by another Meath win when David Boyd (Clonard CC) crossed the line in first position in the u-16 race. On Friday next the three u-16 cyclists, Javan Nulty (Stamullen M Donnelly RC), Ryan Mullen (Navan RC) and Robert Anderson (Juiced Orchard CC), who have been selected to represent Ireland at the European Youth Olympics, will leave Ireland for Belgium where they will compete in two races as part of their build up for the forthcoming Youth Olympics in Finland in mid-July. Cyclists are asked to take note on Saturday, 4th July, Stamullen M Donnelly Road Club will be hosting the Brendan Carroll Memorial races in Stamullen Village.