Chris Donald takes strong win at Armagh City Cyclists Road Race

*Chris Donald of Spellman Dublin Port, centre, was best at the Armagh City Cyclists Road Race yesterday*

Chris Donald has
taken victory in the Armagh City Cyclists Road Race; the Spellman Dublin Port man proving
best on a tough finish where the
strongest riders pulled clear of a larger group.

The A3 group was
given a three-minute handicap on the A4s yesterday. And when only 30 seconds was shaved off that
advantage on the opening lap of four, some of the riders in the scratch group took matters into their own
hands.

They applied the pressure at the end of the opening lap,
resulting in a group of eight pulling clear on Killylea Mountain going through the finish line to go
out onto the second lap.

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While that eight-man group shed one rider on the second lap, they made good progress on those
ahead, closing in on the A4 limit
riders.

Eventual winner
Donald was in that A3 breakaway along with Keane Ryan (Four Masters CC), Jamie Meehan (VC Glendale),
Fergus Byrne (Ballymena RC), Mark Kendall (Banbridge CC), Aidan Cunningham Cuchulainn CC) and Paul Doherty (Four
Masters CC).

They went on to
catch the A4s and on the fourth and final lap some of their number
strung out the group with late attacks. They split that group on the run-in to the finish, with Donald proving strongest
of the group and claiming victory.

Ryan Keane was 2nd and junior rider Jamie Meehan rounded out the podium. Fergus Byrne Ballymena placed 4th and David Spalding took 5th; the North Down CC man the only rider not in the A3 breakaway to finish in the top six. Mark Kendall rounded out the top six in the Armagh City Cyclists promotion.