North Down Cycling Club’s rising star, young Nathan Keown, recorded his first A3 level race
victory at last Saturday’s tough Hilltown GP (organised by the Armagh & Down Cycling Club). Nathan has been racing hard all season and a top spot on the podium was both inevitable and richly deserved. The race was four laps of a hilly 20km circuit, with a long finishing climb of approximately 5km into Hilltown, that played to Nathan’s strengths. Commenting on the race, he said “I rode more tactically than usual and stayed further back in the bunch for most of the race to conserve some energy. On the final lap I was well positioned on the lower part of the climb and a small group of us broke away from the peloton. On the steeper approach to the finish line there was just two of us fighting it out and I just had enough energy left to clinch the win”.
At just 17 years old, Nathan is a prodigious cycling talent and destined for a top class career in 
the sport. This year he is riding a new lightweight Vitus Vitesse bike, kindly sponsored by Chain Reaction Cycles Boucher Road. Saturday’s win earns Nathan enough points to be upgraded to A2 status and we look forward to hearing of further success in the rest of the season.
Images Courtesy of The Belgian Project.