Extremely busy week for Wheelers

This time of year is always the busiest for those responsible for organising events in the club and last weekend heralded the start of what will be a very busy few weeks. As reported in recent weeks the biggest stage race in Ireland, The Ras, got under way last Wednesday in Tullamore, we hosted a round of the national paracyling TT in Horseleap last Saturday and there were several members participating in sportives in Connemara and the Beara Penninsula. All this and our Tour of the Lakes and Mullingar GP still to come in the next 6 weeks.

Ras 2024

This year’s Ras started last Wednesday morning under grey skies with a steady drizzle falling right up to the drop of the flag on Tullamore’s market square at 12 noon.

Day 1 brought the riders to a stage end in Kilmallock and saw all Midlands Race Team (MiL) riders finish safely in the main bunch behind winner, Alex Pritchard of England. The Queens Stage (most difficult) on day 2 started in Kanturk and after a whopping 187km finished in Sneem, Co. Kerry. This stage included six categorised climbs which helped to split the race and let the strong men shine. Stage winner was former Lucan Cycling Club man, Conn McDunphy now riding for an American based team. Lakesiede Wheelers’ Padraig Moran was well up on this stage until a crash on the descent of the final climb which dislodged his saddle cost him valuable time, but thankfully he was able to continue and finish the day.

Friday’s stage 3 from Kenmare to Cahir brought better luck and after a fantastic day’s racing Padraig finished with the main protagonists of this year’s Ras which was great achievement. Three days down and all of the MiL team were still racing, with two stages to go, this was a great position for the five lads and their management team.

Day 4 was the shortest stage of the week and ended in Kildare Town but it brought some bad luck to the MiL team. 45km into the stage a crash brought two of the team down resulting in guest rider, Barry Ronan abandoning the race due to injuries sustained and Longford man, Shane Quinn, resuming but with significant cuts and road rash which left him in a lot of pain for the remainder of the stage. Once again, Padraig Moran had a good day finishing with the main peloton which served to lift team spirits.

The fifth and final stage from Maynooth to Bective was a very tense affair as the Yellow Jersey hung in the balance. Team Ireland had two riders in contention, last year’s winner and winner of the National Crit in Mullingar some years ago, Dillon Corkery was just 32 seconds off while his team mate, Liam O’Brien (Lidl Trek development team) was on the same time as the leader. So, only a second was needed to dislodge the English raider, Dom Jackson (Foran CT) from the top step of the podium and as the race entered the three finishing laps around Bective Stud, it was difficult to call. The atmosphere at the finish line was electric with a fantastic set up on the road outside Bective Stud, the owners of which were the main sponsors of the 2024 Ras. For a third day running Padraig Moran was in the thick of the action as he sat in the middle of the leading bunch for the finishing circuits. These laps were completed at a lightning speed with the race commentator stating that the front end of the race was moving at 80kph at one point on a flatter section of the course.

However, in the end an Irish winner for consecutive years was not to be and the spoils went to Jackson who fully deserved his win. Afterwards the MiL team gathered for refreshments before heading for home and all were agreed that the Ras is a very special race and one they were delighted to be part of. Congrats to the riders, team management and supporters for representing local cycling in a great race.

Paracycling

Last Saturday Lakeside Wheelers continued its proud tradition of hosting a round of the National Paracycling TT league. Due to recent world cup events in Belgium and Italy participant numbers were low but the challenging 10 mile route laid out by event organiser, Ed Tyrell ensured winners were worthy of their medals. At the presentation ceremony after the event, Paracycling Ireland representatives paid tribute to Lakeside Wheelers for their organisation of the TT and long standing association with paracycling. The committee would like to thank past and present members, Camillus Farrell, Philip Wade, Naomi Wade, John Farrell, Richie Carey, Cathy O’Toole, Billy Cunnane, Pearse Murphy, Eamon Hogan, Eugene Duffy, Shay O’Toole and Ed Tyrell for volunteering and ensuring the event ran smoothly.

Sportives

It was another busy weekend on the sportive front with big events in Galway (Tour of Connemara) and Cork (Ring of Beara Challenge). Lakeside Wheelers was represented at both events and despite some very inclement weather everybody enjoyed the weekend. Well done to all who participated.

Events

Next up on the calendar for the club is our annual sportive, the Tour of the Lakes on June 9th.

Keep an eye on club emails and text messages regarding this event and if you are not cycling, please make yourself available to assist with the organisation of it.

Then, we will be hosting another round of the MiL in Dalystown on July 4th with the Mullingar GP very soon after that on July 7.