McCambridge and May win at Leinster Cyclocross Series | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Kevin McCambridge wins the men's race at 'Round 4' of the Leinster Cyclocross Series in Dublin (Photo with thanks to St Tiernan's CC)*

Kevin McCambridge (Trinity Racing) and Caoimhe May (Orwell Wheelers) have won the main men's and women's races at the latest round of the Leinster Cyclocross Series in south Dublin.

Rás Tailteann stage winner McCambridge edged out junior rider Joseph Mullen (Navan Road Club) in a very tight finish to the men's race. Meanwhile, the women's event saw a clearer won by May, who crossed the finish line 1:15 clear of runner-up Niamh Stephens (Team Giant Dublin).

The men’s race was a very tight one at the front, not only between eventual winner and runner-up, McCambridge and Mullen, but also with Tim O’Regan (All human-VeloRevolution) and Tadhg Killeen (Orwell Wheelers) never far away from the two frontrunners.

There was little to separate the leaders on the opening two laps, of 10. Indeed, it was McCambridge - despite coming through later to win - who got the weakest start and fell behind the others. But by the fourth lap, McCambrige began to find his stride, lapping a little faster than the others and tapping out a very consistent pace as he worked his way up to the front.

And on the eighth lap, with junior rider Mullen already having built a sizeable lead, McCambridge caught him; Mullen riding that lap in 5:24 while McCambridge raced around the Corkagh Park circuit in 5:13.

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From that point, the two leaders battled each other side-by-side on the final two laps, with McCambridge only just edging out the impressive junior Mullen at the finish by a single second.

O’Regan came through for 3rd place; some 1:17 down on the winner. Killeen was next, in 4th place and just one second behind O’Regan; the junior rider putting in a strong performance. Ronan O’Flynn (Orwell Wheelers) was first Masters rider on the day, placing 5th at 1:34.

In the women’s race, winner May got ahead early and continued to work at it over the following seven laps, though she did not have it all her own way. Eventual runner-up Stephens lost a few seconds to May on the opening lap but immediately pegged back that time on the second lap.

And while May edged ahead, just about, on the third and fourth laps, her advantage over Stephens was no more than a few seconds as they began the final two passages of the circuit. From that point, May went ahead; gaining five seconds on Stephens on the penultimate lap and adding another four seconds to her advantage on the final lap.

In the end May took it by 15 seconds from Stephens with Aoife Reilly (Dunboyne CC) in 3rd, only 37 seconds down on winner May. Doireann Killeen (Orwell Wheelers) was 4th at 1:24.

The Man’s B race was won by Stuart Carrick (Bray Wheelers) by just one second from junior rider David Harrington (Orwell Wheelers). Joe-Nathan Matar (Orwell Wheelers) in 3rd, only four seconds down on the winner in what was a tight contest.