Eimear O'Reilly's win in the final TT round of the Stickybottle-Orwell Series was enough to seal outright victory in the B event (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
Róisin Kennedy has once again topped the time trial results at the StickyBottle.com Women’s Crit League, though Sandra Fitzgerald took overall victory, while Eimear O’Reilly claimed the B title.
The final round saw the riders return to the 10 mile time trial course in Batterstown, Co Meath, that had played host to the series opener six weeks back.
The staging of both rounds on exactly the same course representing an ideal opportunity to gauge levels of improvement over the period of the series.
While the roads were dry, a headwind on the way out meant many legs were tired when they hit the roundabout turn, though the tailwind home offered some relief.
Advertisement
Many made significant inroads into their round 1 times, with one of the biggest improvements going to the eventual B category winner, Eimear O’Reilly of Towers CC.
She clocked a time of 30:27 at the outset of the league but on Tuesday night got that down to 16:31, an improvement of 3:56.
The fight for the top of the B section was between the Towers duo of O’Reilly and Lisa Darley, who was the fastest of the pair in round 1.
When she crossed the line this time, Darley had knocked two minutes off her personal best of 29:35. But O’Reilly beat her club mate by over a minute, finishing first of the B group on the night and securing the overall win.
Róisín Kennedy on her way to victory on the night in the A test, but Sandra Fitzgerald was overall A series victor (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
Less than half a minute behind her was Leinster 10 mile TT champion, Orwell's own Claire McEntee. That was enough to see her take runner up spot in the B event, while fellow triathlete Anne Claffey was five seconds behind her.
Darley was 4th, with the next three placed Bs coming in within seven seconds of each other - Aishling Barry, Kristina Rutkovskai and Emily-Anne Doyle.
Doyle was another woman whose form has come on since the opening round, with over two minutes in the difference between the 10 mile TT time she posted then and now.
That paled in comparison to Sarah Dennedy, who took the last of the B points along with the most improved award; cutting over 5½ minutes from her round 1 time.
The fastest finishers were in the A category however. All eyes were on Adamstown’s Róisin Kennedy to see if she could repeat her round 1 victory.
Fresh DID recruit Hannah Ormesher pushed her hardest, but came up an agonising three seconds short.
Kennedy has only recently returned from representing Leinster in the Bedford Three Day, and the race stood to her well ; clocking 25:20 for the fastest time on the night and a new course record.
That was set by organiser Orla Hendron in May of last year, when she recorded 25:32.
Sandra Fitzgerald on her way to 6th on the night and the overall win in the A series for 2014 (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
In 3rd place behind Ormesher was her teammate Anne Dalton, and there was another three second gap to Garda CC’s Catherine McAteer in 4th.
Another Bedford rider, Aideen Keenan took 5th with overall winner Sandra Fitzgerald putting in a decent showing to finish 6th.
Clonard’s Marie Boland slipped ten seconds, but held on well for a fine 7th place, with Niamh Stephens jumping nearly two minutes to take the final placing - 8th in the As, and 9th on the night.
With everyone’s worst round discounted from the final tally, the points were revealed at the Black Bull prize-giving.
The top six from each category were rewarded, with the podium finishers receiving medals for their placings.
In the B category, as it was in three of the six rounds, Towers CC took the top two placings, with Eimear O’Reilly’s two first places giving her the edge over Lisa Darley’s one win.
Another Corkagh Park winner, DID’s Caroline Martinez took home bronze - holding on for a prize despite puncturing in Tuesday night's TT.
Hannah Ormesher was 2nd on the night in the A race, bested by just three seconds by winner Kennedy (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
The steady improvement of Anne Claffey (3D Tri) over the six weeks was rewarded with 4th. And 2013 Rás na mBan competitor Sarah Dennedy was 5th overall, while Naas CC’s Emily-Anne Doyle was pleased to have earned the final envelope with the aid of her new skinsuit.
For the faster A group, another double round winner was first in the rankings; strong woman Sandra Fitzgerald of Garda CC. Both superb testers, Róisín Kennedy and Catherine McAteer were 2nd and 3rd.
They bookended their league performances with decisive TT showings, with Kennedy earning two wins.
Junior Rachael Kaye-Mellor was a fine 4th, while Anne Dalton managed 5th despite being absent for two races, having placed every time she signed on. Filling the final placing was Orwell’s rising star Aideen Keenan.
Sandra Fitzgerald in her stickybottle.com winner's jersey with race organiser Orla Hendron (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
Eimear O'Reilly showed no mercy in seeing off the challenge of team mate Lisa Darley for the B race win (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
Orwell Wheelers -StickyBottle.com
Women's Crit League 2014
Final Overall Results
A Category
- Sandra Fitzgerald (Garda/Richies CC)
- Róisín Kennedy (Adamstown RT)
- Catherine McAteer (Garda/Richies CC)
- Rachael Kaye-Mellor (Orwell Wheelers)
- Anne Dalton (DID Electrical)
- Aideen Keenan (Orwell Wheelers)
B Category
- Eimear O’Reilly (Towers CC)
- Lisa Darley (Towers CC)
- Caroline Martinez (DID Electrical)
- Anne Claffey (3D Tri)
- Sarah Dennedy (DID Dunboyne)
- Emily Anne-Doyle (Naas CC)
Round 6 Vs Round 1: 10 mile Time Trial
|
A |
B |
Rank |
Name |
Club |
|
R6 |
R1 |
Improvement |
|
1 |
1st | Róisín Kennedy | Adamstown | Senior |
25:20 |
25:45 |
00:25 |
|
|
2 |
2nd | Hannah Ormesher | DID | Senior |
25:23 |
|||
|
Related News
3 |
3rd | Anne Dalton | DID | Senior |
25:37 |
26:07 |
00:30 |
|
|
4 |
4th | Catherine McAteer | Garda | Senior |
25:40 |
25:57 |
00:17 |
|
|
5 |
5th | Aideen Keenan | Orwell | Senior |
25:58 |
26:43 |
00:45 |
|
|
6 |
6th | Sandra Fitzgerald | Garda | Senior |
26:00 |
|||
|
7 |
7th | Marie Boland | Clonard | Senior |
26:31 |
26:21 |
||
|
1 |
8th | Eimear O'Reilly | Towers CC | Senior |
26:31 |
30:27 |
03:56 |
|
|
8 |
9th | Niamh Stephens | UCD | Senior |
26:48 |
28:37 |
01:49 |
|
| 10th | Rachael Kaye-Mellor | Orwell | Junior |
27:02 |
27:01 |
|||
|
2 |
11th | Claire McEntee | Orwell | Senior |
27:04 |
|||
|
3 |
12th | Anne Claffey | 3DTri | Senior |
27:09 |
27:52 |
00:43 |
|
| 13th | Charlotte MacDonald | Orwell | Senior |
27:10 |
||||
| 14th | Fiona Guihen | DID | Senior |
27:34 |
||||
|
4 |
15th | Lisa Darley | Towers CC | Senior |
27:36 |
29:35 |
01:59 |
|
| 16th | Ann Horan | Orwell | Senior |
27:42 |
28:09 |
00:27 |
||
|
5 |
17th | Aishling Barry | Lucan | Senior |
27:43 |
27:41 |
||
|
6 |
18th | Kristina Rutkovskai | Lucan | Senior |
27:48 |
|||
|
7 |
19th | Emily-Anne Doyle | Naas | Senior |
27:50 |
30:01 |
02:11 |
|
|
8 |
20th | Sarah Dennedy | Dunboyne | Senior |
28:27 |
34:03 |
05:36 |
|
| 21st | Agnieszka Kurzydlo | Naas | Senior |
28:52 |
||||
| 22nd | Emma Convey | Orwell | Senior |
29:00 |
28:34 |
|||
| 23rd | Naoise Sheridan | Orwell | Junior |
29:05 |
||||
| 24th | Helen Horan | Orwell | Senior |
29:21 |
||||
| 25th | Finola Lawlor | Adamstown | Senior |
30:11 |
||||
| 26th | Breda Horan | Orwell | Senior |
30:37 |
30:57 |
00:20 |
||
| 27th | Caroline Martinez | DID | Senior |
30:08 |
Topics
