Morton and Stanley share joint victory in ‘Cycleways Inter Varsity League’

Eoin Morton (UCD) leads the early breakaway (Photo: Graham Healy)

By Graham Healy

Trinity student Andrew Stanley and UCD’s Eoin Morton have tied for victory in the final overall standings in the ‘Cycleways Inter Varsity League’ despite being upstaged in the final round at the weekend.

The concluding race on Saturday, held at the new purpose-built race circuit at Corkagh Park in west Dublin, was the only massed start road race of the league and saw DIT’s Gareth Enright very much to the fore.

A small field took to the start line, with the race scheduled for 45 minutes +3 laps. After a tentative start, seven went clear at the end of the first lap, led by Enright.

He attacked again a few laps later and was joined by Stanley and Morton. While the latter two had dominated the league’s TT events of recent weeks, Enright took the upper hand in Saturday’s road race and eventually dropped his rivals and built up a substantial lead.

Stanley and Morton worked well together in pursuit of the leader and coming into the last five laps they were closing on Enright. By the finish, Morton had dropped Stanley and was only five seconds behind winner Enright, who timed his effort perfectly. The result meant Stanley and Morton tied for overall victory in the inaugural league.

Saturday’s race was the first on the Corkagh Park track; with an earlier round of the ‘Cycleways Inter Varsity League’ planned for the venue being cancelled because of problems with insurance cover.

It was a successful opening for the new track and bodes well for future events there. Races will require very few marshals, the surface is very good, parking is plentiful and at all stages spectators can see the action as the complete circuit is visible.