Cycling world in mourning for Healion

The world of cycling was shocked by the sudden death of top cyclist Paul Healion following a car accident near Ardee on Sunday shortly after he took part in the Brendan Campbell Memorial race near Donore. Healion, who was just 31 had been selected on the Irish team for the Tour of Ireland which is due to start at Powerscourt, Co Wicklow on Friday morning. He was the national criterium champion and was noted for his talents as a sprinter. He lived in Kilmessan with his wife Ann. He was one of the top cyclists to take part in the Brendan Campbell Memorial event which was hosted by the Drogheda Wheelers Cycling Club and he secured sixth place. The Brendan Campbell Memorial was the last road race of the 2009 season staged by Drogheda Wheelers and the event catered for all cyclists from under-age right up to veterans level. Victory in the u-14 race went to Aidan Wall (Navan Road Club) who out-sprinted local lad Ciaran Campbell (Drogheda Wheelers CC). This was followed by the u-16 race and here again, in what was the tightest finish of the day, two young Meath cyclists, Javan Nulty (Stamullen) and David Boyd (Clonard) fought it out to the finish, As they flashed across the line, it took the evidence of the photo-finish camera to sort out the result, which eventually deemed Nulty to be first across the line from Boyd, with another Meath rider Blane Maloney (Clonard) securing fourth position. The senior race for the Brendan Campbell Memorial Cup attracted a huge entry of 110 riders who covered 12 laps of a 4.5 mile circuit and was won by Conor Murphy (Usher). The B race was won by Dundalk man Gary Gorman (Cuchulainn) while n the junior (u-18) section, Benner Maguire from Drogheda Wheelers CC finished in second place. At the Eamonn Ceannt Stadium in Dublin on Saturday afternoon the All-Ireland Youth Track Championships were held and here in the 500m time-trial for u-16s Nulty finished second and collected the silver medal. Over next weekend, Navan Road club will host two-days of racing, starting on Saturday evening, 6.30 with the Beechmount Cup in Kilmessan. Then on Sunday the action continues with the under-age Leinster Road Race Championships, starting at 12.0, with the senior race for the Collins/Christle Memorial Trophy, due to get underway at 2.0. This event will be contested over a distance of 50 miles and the usual very large entry is expected. Also over the coming weekend, the professional Tour of Ireland Cycle Race will be held, starting on Friday morning at 10.0 with the finish of this stage located on Merchant's Quay in Waterford, a distance of 196kms. Stage two on Saturday morning at 10.0 will take the riders from O'Connell Street in Clonmel to Killarney, again a distance of 196kms. Stage three, which is the final stage on Sunday morning,10.25 and will take the riders from Bantry to Cork City, with three-ascents of the dreaded St. Patrick's Hill, prior to the finish on MacCurtain Street, a distance of 185kms. Included in this race is exepcted to be Mark Cassidy from Dunboyne and who competes with the An Post/Martin Donnelly team, A huge attraction in this Tour of Ireland will be the presence of the great seven-times Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong who will lead his Astana team. Another huge attraction will be Mark Cavendish from the Isle of Man.