Preview of A3 Champs: Booming Ulster scene plays host to tough contest with plenty of potential winners

Padraig Doherty (Lucan CRC) beats Nigel Forde (Galway Bay) to the silver medal in last year's A3 Champs in Co Louth just after Maurice Lawlor, who battles with crohn's disease in his cycling career, took the title.

By Brian Canty

The A3 National Road Race Championships serve as a curtain-raiser to Sunday’s junior equivalent in Omagh, and once again, the race is about as open as one could get, with no clear-cut favourite.

The race is 60 miles in length, six laps of a gruelling 10-mile circuit just outside the Tyrone town. And whoever crosses the line first will have earned the right to wear the National Champion’s jersey for the next 12 months.

Maurice Lawlor is the reigning champion. The then St Finbarr’s rider – since upgraded to A2 and having moved to Aquablue - won a thrilling race last year in Blackrock, Co Louth, when he beat Nigel Forde (Galway Bay) and Padraig Doherty (Lucan) in a sprint to the line after they’d broken clear of the bunch.

Given the undulating nature of Sunday’s course, a break will definitely go away again. And because there’s no overwhelming favourite- like there is in the Junior race, every move will need to be watched carefully.

Just short of 100 riders will go to the line, with teams represented from all over the country. As expected, there is a big contingent from clubs north of the border and to that end, they’ll be keen to take the jersey back for 12 months.

The host club, Omagh Wheelers, have their eyes on taking the win and they’ve named a very strong team of seven riders. Ciaran O’Hagan is probably their go-to man and he’ll be ably supported by the Dolans, Caolan and Karol as well as Seamus Donaghy and Niall McEnhill, amongst others.

Westport have a three man team entered, with Keith O’Connell their man to watch, while Blarney have a team travelling from Cork, and Colm Sheahan is a rider who is getting better and better and better with every race he goes to.

Cormac Keeney will carry the hopes of Errigal CC, will Navan’s Niall Doggett has gotten up there in races this season and can’t be written off to do the same again. Anthony Quinn (Dromara CC) will like the look of the course but in truth, it is anybody’s race.

Cycling in the north is enjoying something of a boom period at the moment with riders of the calibre of the Downeys from Banbridge, (Sean and Mark), Ronan McLaughlin from Donegal, Pete Hawkins and Connor McConvey from Belfast as well as others like Martyn Irvine, Daniel Stewart and Cormac Clarke all doing superbly well this year.

There’s a real appetite for cycling and with superb roads for Sunday’s race, and what looks like a superb event lined up, it will be a day not to forget for whoever wins.