Roger Aiken comes home again to win, this time at the Tour of Ards from a breakaway in Co Down (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
Having already visited the top of the podium twice since the first drop of the road race flag on the home scene last month, Roger Aiken has brought his tally for the first month of the campaign to three.
The ASEA-Wheelworx man had too much for fellow escapee Craig McAuley (Caldwell Cycles) after that pairing arrived at the finish together at the end of the Tour of Ards.
They had pulled clear of the main breakaway of the day in the closing 15kms and had 33 seconds to spare over the six men they had fled from in the biggest race of the day on the island.
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With 65 miles to contend with in breezy conditions on the Ards Peninsula in Co Down, there were plenty of attacks from the start with groups going clear in the first hour or so of racing only to be recaptured.
At 26 miles David Hamilton, the in-form North Down CC man who was 2nd to Adam Armstrong (ASEA-Wheelworx) in the Spires GP last week, took the See.Sense prime.
And from that point the racing took real shape, with a very strong group of eight men pulling clear on the second lap of Cloghey.
In there were the aforementioned Hamilton, Aiken and McAuley along with Aaron Swan (Ballymoney CC), Craig Rea (Phoenix CC), Glen Kinning (Kinning Cycles), Christopher McGlinchey (ChainReaction) and Alastair McAuley (ASEA-Wheelworx).
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McGlinchey leads home the remainder of the breakaway to fill the last spot on the podium (Photo: David McVeigh - The Belgian Project)
Once they got organised into a unit the firepower in that front group meant they were never going to be brought back unless something very spectacular happened back in the bunch.
And with the breeze at the riders’ backs ensuring a very fast run in to the finish, it was Aiken and Caldwell’s McAuley who managed to pull clear with about 10 miles remaining.
They got a gap of about 30 seconds before Kinning made an excellent effort to get across on his own not long after the leading pair had shot up the road.
However, their gap had already been established at top road and off-road man Kinning could not bridge to them and was caught by the remains of the breakaway.
And that’s how it stayed to the finish where Aiken beat McAuley in the two-sprint that settled the victory, to add to the Annaclone GP and John Moore Memorial he has already taken this season.
McGlinchey brought home the others for 3rd some 33 seconds later ahead of Ali Macaulay (ASEA-Wheelworx).
Sat, March 12th: Tour of Ards
Newtownards, Co Down
Promoted by Ards Cycling Club
1 Roger Aiken (ASEA-Wheelworx) 2:21:28
2 Chris McAuley (Caldwell Cycles)
3 Christopher McGlinchey (ChainReaction) @33secs
4 Ali Macaulay (ASEA-Wheelworx)
5 Glen Kinning (Kinning Cycles)
6 David Hamilton (North Down CC)
7 Aaron Swan (Ballymoney CC)
8 Craig Rea (Phoenix CC)
9 Adam Armstrong (ASEA-Wheelworx) @1:04
10 Steven McAllister (Ballymoney CC) @1:05
11 David Watson (North Down CC) 2:22:33
12 Cameron McIntyre (NRPT-Magnet.ie)
13 Ronan McLaughlin (Foyle CC)
14 Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles)
15 Ryan Reilly (Foyle CC)
Unplaced A2: Ryan Bankhead (Ballymoney CC)
Unplaced A3: Chris Lawlor (VC Glendale)
Unplaced Junior: Cameron McIntyre (NRPT-Magnet.ie)
Unplaced Vet: Fergus Rooney (Phoenix CC)
Promoting Club: Ian Carson (Ards CC)
Sprint Prime: David Hamilton (North Down CC)
U23 Prize: Craig McAuley (Caldwell Cycles)
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