Hagan and O'Neill too strong for their rivals at Hilltown Grand Prix

Gareth O'Neill is not messing about this year, the Caldwell Cycles man now with two wins already, though the season has only just got going (Photo with thanks to Sharon McFarland)

Just a few weeks into the delayed season and Gareth
O’Neill has signaled his intent for this year; the Caldwell Cycles riding
taking his second victory of the 2021 campaign today.

O’Neill was best in the drag race to the line on the
finishing climb at the Hilltown GP to win just three weeks after he opened his
campaign with a strong victory in the Annaclone GP.

Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport) took 2nd place today, with
Nathan Keown (Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo)
rounding out the podium. Fergus Callaghan (Four Masters CC) was 4th with Nathan
Mullan (Dromara CC) 5th and Ciaran Maguire (VC Glendale) 6th.

The main event in
the Armagh Down CC promotion was handicapped, with five minutes between the A1
riders and the A2 bunch. It wasn’t until the last lap of five that the catch was
made, from which point the attacks came thick and fast.

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Paul Antoine Hagan takes a great win in the A3 race and finishes it with a classy victory salute (Photo: Sharon McFarland)

However, while many of the moves were neutralised, one of O’Neill’s efforts stuck and when he got clear on his own for a period, a number of the riders in the group behind went after him, making for a four-man group up front.

Lindsay Watson
was one of them and he had Nathan Keown and Fergus Callaghan for company. They
put their heads down and combined well to keep a gap, which remained about 30
seconds for a long time.

O’Neill’s team
mate Darnell Moore was a huge asset for him back the road as he covered many of
the attacks after the breakaway, which was still clear as they came off the
circuit for the finish up the Reed Hall climb.

Watson took it on when they hit the climb and he and O’Neill pulled away from Keown and Callaghan. And while Watson opened the sprint to the line, O’Neill had too much for him and took the victory.

The pressure is on in the small group of scratch men in the A1-A2 race, which had with five minutes to make up on those ahead. Left to right: Nathan Mullan of Dromara CC, Chris McGlinchey of Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus, eventual winner Gareth O'Neill of Caldwell Cycles and eventual runner-up Lindsay Watson of Powerhouse Sport (Photo: Sharon McFarland)
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In the A3 event
Paul Antoine Hagan (Banbridge CC) put in a fantastic climbing effort from the
breakaway and finished with a classy victory salute in memory of a friend who recently
passed away.

In the 85km race – over four laps of the circuit and with
the Reed Hall climb to finish - the attacks went from the gun but it wasn’t
until the latter stages of the first lap that a decisive move went clear.

There were a dozen riders in that group and they worked
well together to establish a gap over the bunch that reached close to 2½ minutes
at one point.

Newry Wheelers had two experienced campaigners in the breakaway in the shape of Kevin Lynch and Des Woods as did Banbridge CC; eventual winner Hagan and Mark Kendall. Ciaran Dixon (Phoenix CC) also made the grade as did Dean Harvey (VC Glendale), Adam McGeever (AAA Cycling) Oisin Rogers (Armagh City Cyclists), Gary Cranston (East Antrim Audi), Stephen Irvine (Crossgar Cycling Club) and Gareth Rogers (Dromore CC).

Gary Cranston of East Antrim Audi and Des Woods of Newry Wheelers on the front of the breakaway group in the A3 event (Photo: Sharon McFarland)

Darren Rafferty (Team
31 Jollycycles U19), the 17-year-old who has been going so well of late and
scalped the top A1 riders at the PJ Logan Cup two weeks ago, was also in the
breakaway but unfortunately crashed out of the race.

However, before Rafferty’s race ended in a crash he was
very active off the front of the breakaway on the last lap, with Newry’s Woods
and Lynch also putting in big digs as well as Harvey and Hagan.

Those attacks failed to split the breakaway and when it
reached the base of the finish climbing there was a lull, with Hagan taking
that as an invitation to go very long. He jumped clear and managed to get a gap
before riding away solo for a fantastic win, which secures his upgrade to A2.

Cranston came through for 2nd place, with Rogers in 3rd, Harvey 4th, Rogers 5th and Kendall rounding out the top six.

Sat, May 15th: Hilltown Grand Prix

Promoted by Armagh Down CC

A1-A2 Race

  1. Gareth O’Neill Caldwell Cycles Omagh
  2. Lindsay Watson Powerhouse Sport
  3. Nathan Keown Dan Morrissey-MIG-Pactimo
  4. Fergus Callaghan Four Masters CC
  5. Nathan Mullan Dromara CC
  6. Ciaran Maguire VC Glendale
  7. Stuart Millar Ards Cycling Club
  8. Darnell Moore Caldwell Cycles Omagh
  9. Chris McGlinchey Spectra Wiggle Vitus
  10. Alan Bingham Newry Wheelers

A3 Race

  1. Paul Antoine Hagan Banbridge CC
  2. Gary Cranston East Antrim Audi
  3. Gareth Rogers Dromore CC
  4. Dean Harvey VC Glendale
  5. Oisin Rogers Armagh City Cyclists
  6. Mark Kendall Banbridge CC
  7. Ciaran Dixon Phoenix CC
  8. Kevin Lynch Newry Wheelers
  9. Stephen Irvine Crossgar Cycling Club
  10. Adam McGeever AAA Cycling
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