Fiona Mangan has retained her Cycling Ireland National Road Series overall lead while Daire Feeley has taken over at the top of the men’s competition.

Greenmount Cycling Academy rider Mangan had to be content
with 2nd place yesterday at the John Beggs Memorial, promoted by Banbridge
Cycling Club in Dromore.

However, after taking victory at the Newcastle West Stage
Race in Co Limerick two weeks ago, that win and runners up placing in the two
rounds of the series so far put her on top.

Feeley was 4th in the Newcastle West Stage Race and
placed 6th yesterday, meaning he takes over the leader’s jersey in the series
from Gareth O’Neill (Caldwell Cycles).

“I was touch and go, between mechanicals and a very hard circuit. It is all about keeping the head from start to finish,” Feeley (All human-VeloRevolution) said of yesterday’s race, won by Matt Teggart (Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais).

Feeley continued: “My seat post slipped on the first lap and I ended up chasing back on. Luckily I got back and they were still together, attacking each other, and that saved me.

“Not the result I wanted, I wanted to win it, but I’ll
settle for six. The jersey is a nice thing to get, this series awards consistency.
This jersey is a nice thing to have.”

Meanwhile, though Teggart won yesterday he is based in
France this year meaning he will have minimal chances to ride the National Road
Series. However, he was still delighted to win the event, which was previously
won by his grandfather and father, Noel and Neil, as well as his uncle David
Gardiner.

“It is a special one for the family. I was a bit nervous,
which caused me to have bad legs at the start. It took a while for the break to
go, two laps of the four,” he said.

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“We worked well together and got a good gap, it grew to
two and a half minutes so I knew it was going to come down to that. With about
20 kilometres to go, on one of the drags I had a good dig to see who would
respond.

“They pulled us back, five or six kilometre later. Everyone was cooked, all matches burned, and coming into the end I timed my sprint well and had good legs.” 

In the women’s race yesterday, while Fiona Mangan was 2nd
and retained the series lead, the O’Brien sisters – Caoimhe (19) and junior
rider Aoife (17) – were 1st and 3rd.

“I’m delighted to win today. I came second at the first
series event in Limerick. It was a good race and a really, really strong field,”
said Caoimhe after yesterday’s race.

“Loads of attacks went but we chased them back and we
knew it was going to be a bunch sprint. Fiona (Mangan) put in a really good dig
with one kilometre to go.

“And as we came onto the hill I jumped and gained on her.
I jumped again with two hundred metres to go and I’m just delighted I got to
put my hands in the air.”

Meanwhile, her younger sister Aoife’s 3rd placed in the
combined elite and junior race meant she won the junior event and took the
junior series lead.

“I’m delighted to take the lead in the junior national
road series,” she said. “At the bottom of the hill it was very steep, but I
just got on Caoimhe’s wheel and I knew she would have a good sprint at the end.
I’m looking forward to defending it in the next round.”

In the junior men’s series there was no change at the top
yesterday, with Dean Harvey of VC Glendale, the winner of the opening two rounds,
holding the leader’s jersey. His team mate James Meehan was best junior
yesterday from Andrew Ryan (Orwell Wheelers) with series leader Harvey in 3rd.

Somhairle Owens Fisher (Caldwell Cycles) was 4th junior yesterday with Conor Gallagher (Errigal Cycling Club) in 5th and Ben Murphy (Sliabh Luachra Cycling Club) in 6th. 

Cycling Ireland National Road Series

Elite
Men

1. Daire Feeley All human/VeloRevolution 104
2. Gareth O’Neill Team Caldwell Cycles 101
3. Luke Smith Moynalty Cycling Club 89
4. Aaron Wade Powerhouse Sport 84
5. Liam Curley Spellman-Dublin Port 72
6. Mark Dowling All human/VeloRevolution 67
7. John Buller Amicale Cycliste Bisontine 65
8. Darnell Moore Team Caldwell Cycles 54
9. Lindsay Watson Powerhouse Sport 52
10. Conor Murnane UCD Cycling Club 41
11. Richard Maes All human/VeloRevolution 40
12. Matthew Teggart Velo Club Villefranche Beaujolais 40
13. Christopher McGlinchey    Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus 37
14. Ronan Killeen Lucan Cycling Road Club 34
15. Darragh McCarter Spellman-Dublin Port 33

Elite
Women

1. Fiona Mangan Ataraxia-Greenmount CA 147
2. Becky Woods All human/VeloRevolution Racing Team 110
3. Sharon Bird Ballymena RC 91
4. Emma Jeffers JRC Shutt Ridley Race team 81
5. Darcey Harkness VC Glendale 80
6. Caoimhe O Brien Weston Homes-Torelli-Assure 75
7. Carthach McCarthy Blarney Cycling Club 57
8. Autumn Collins Awol O'Shea-Spellman Dublin Port 51
9. Aoife O'Brien Weston Homes-Torelli-Assure 45
10. Kate Earlie St Tiernans Cycling Club 42
11. Emma Desmond Spellman-Dublin Port 40
12. Eve McCrystal Bellurgan Wheelers 40
13. Catherine Mahoney UCD Cycling Club 32
14. Cleo Harvey Dublin Wheelers 32
15. Megan Armitage UCD Cycling Club 30

Junior
Men

1. Dean Harvey VC Glendale 70
2. Jamie Meehan VC Glendale 65
3. Odhran Doogan Team Caldwell Cycles 35
4. Andrew Ryan Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 35
5. Ben Murphy Sliabh Luachra Cycling Club 34
6. Ronan O'Connor Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 30
7. Somhairle Owens Fisher Team Caldwell Cycles 25
8. Niall McLoughlin Westport Covey Wheelers 20
9. Conor Gallagher Errigal Cycling Club 20
10. Patrick O'Loughlin Panduit Carrick Wheelers 19

Junior
Women

1. Aoife O'Brien Weston Homes-Torelli-Assure 70
2. Erin Grace Creighton McConvey Cycles 40
3. Caoimhe May Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club 35
4. Amelia Tyler McConvey Cycles 35
5. Annie Roche Nantes Doulon Velo Sport 25