Mark Buchanan pounces again; takes PJ Logan Cup from An Post’s Jack Wilson

Mark Buchanan got off the plane from Australia and took the Donegal Harvest Potato Race two days later last Sunday; he was at it again yesterday edging out Jack Wilson (Photo: Darren Crawford)

Mark Buchanan obviously didn’t spend all of his time on the beach on a recent trip to Australia; showing some great form again yesterday to take the PJ Logan Cup in Coalisland, Co Tyrone.

It was his second win in as many weekends after he took the Donegal Harvest Potato Race last Sunday just a couple of days after getting off the plane from Down Under.

The North Pole CC rider got clear with Jack Wilson of the An Post-Chainreaction team yesterday, and he got the better of the UCI Continental team professional with a characteristic strong kick at the end of a hard fought contest in very cold conditions.

The race was run on a handicap basis, with the A3 riders getting 2½ minutes handicap on the combined A1/A2 group.

On the third lap as the gap was closing, Mark Downey (NRPT-Standard First) attacked the A3 group with Paul McCarter (Omagh Wheelers). However, the scratch men quickly swallowed up all before them and when the business end of the race began in earnest it was Buchanan and Wilson who proved strongest, forging clear in a two-man move.

While they combined very well and were to build a two-minute gap, the group behind never gave up and began to split under the pressure applied by the stronger riders among them.

Downey was in the thick of the action again and went clear with Gary Cranston and Glen Kinning, the ever-strong pair from East Antrim Audi. They were then joined by another group containing Stuart Henry (North Down), John Heverin (Clann Eireann), Marc Potts (Omagh Wheelers), Angus Fyffe (Omagh Wheelers) and Rory Devlin (North Pole).

However, there was simply too much fire power in the legs of the two leaders and they arrived at the finish with their two-minute gap in tact where Buchanan got the better of Wilson for a very good win. The group behind split, with Kinning taking third, Henry fourth and Devlin fifth.

In the A4 race Sean McIntyre (Orchard Shelbourne CC) came home alone for the win after he had earlier gotten across to a three-man breakaway before attacking it on the last lap to time trial into the finish. Michael Scullion (Carn Wheelers) and Lindsay Watson (Plush MTB) survived from the original breakaway to take second and third respectively.