Katie Reilly of Orwell Wheelers has won the women's junior race at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup promotion in Dublin today. The Dublin club rider beat Elena Wallace (Harps CCC) and Zoe Lindsay (TC Racing) to victory on a very cold day for racing.
The women's, and men's, junior races took place on the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown just a couple of hours before the pro women's and men's races were due to take place on the same course. In the junior men's race, Irish champion Liam O'Brien (Fermoy CC) pulled clear with the best British riders in the event.
O'Brien was in a three-man group with Oli Akers and Sebastian Grindley, both of UK team Garden Shed-Ribble-Verge. While O'Brien looked very comfortable in that lead group, with a big gap back to the nearest chasers, the Irish rider crashed and lost his place up front.
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The Cork teenager was able to remount and chase team mates Akers and Grindley, though he was very much on the backfoot; especially as the duo ahead of him were quality cyclocross riders and conditions were so challenging.
Akers, who won the junior race at Verge 'Cross Clonmel earlier this year, emerged the victor again today, by 33 seconds from Grindley with O'Brien 3rd at 59 seconds. Joseph Mullen (Navan RC) placed 4th at 1:50 while national road race champion Oisin Ferrity (Island Wheelers) placed 5th at 2:37 and Travis Harkness (VC Glendale) was 6th at 2:57.
In the women's race, Reilly took victory by 50 seconds from Wallace with Lindsay 3rd at 3:25. Hannah Hayes (Comeragh CC) placed 4th at 4:05 while Chole Bennett (Comeragh CC) 6:42.
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