BLAYNEY CONTINUES WINNING STREAK

North Down Cycling Club’s Matty Blayney had an inauspicious start to the road race season when illness forced him to abandon the Tour of the North at Easter. A gradual return to fitness by mid-season ended with a foot injury sustained during a fall in a club race, leading some observers to write off the rest of the season for the young Bangor rider but Blayney proved them wrong by putting together a string of impressive performances to end the season as the man to beat.

Blayney’s winning run began at the West Down Grand Prix in mid-August, an impressive win over the tough, hilly Katesbridge circuit for a rider best known for his sprinting power. There then followed two successive wins in North Down’s season long road race series. All but one of these races were at Kirkistown , the one exception being the annual Ardill Patterson Trophy race, run this year on the Springwell – Stockbridge Road circuit.

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ROAD SEASON NEARS CLIMAX

The Ulster road race championship, staged last week over the tough Dundrod circuit, marked the climax of the current road race season. The severity of the course took its toll and North Down’s two competitors, Paul Ferguson and Mark Irvine, were unable to keep on terms with the winning break which was led in by Irish international track specialist Martyn Irvine (Planet X) who broke clear to win from Thomas Martin (Eurocycles) and Mark McKinley (Newry Wheelers). In the supporting race for veterans last year’s champion, Bangor man Liam Curran (Curran Racing) was edged out of the medals, taking fourth place behind the eventual winner Paul Mulligan (Eurocycles).

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The Prince of Katesbridge

Le Tour de Katesbridge, still as yet a U.C.I. unclassified event, maintains it’s coveted A3-A4 categorisation resolutely disallowing riders who have shown an excess of talent. This makes for an excellent day’s racing for those riders who are in P.C. terms – “points disadvantaged”.

Racing is always close and the course is fantastic. It’s a fast flowing circuit which, while having no real climbs, has no real flats either with a couple of superb corners and some very fast junctions. Coupled with a high level of marshalling it makes for a race that people return to year after year (lack of points permitting). The road surface can be changeable however to which we can thank the local farmers and their cattle. The run in to the finish line is wide and straight allowing the sprinters to have their day if the break has been unsuccessful. Duane in particular has been known to mount a strong challenge in the sprint. In the past this has been somewhat controversial as he has been a lap down on everyone else but his enthusiasm has to be admired if not his ability to count.

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