A week after two new junior riders won the elite races at GP Brian Kinning in Belfast, youth prevailed again on Saturday in the opening round of the Big Red Cloud cyclocross series at the McCrystal track in Jenkinstown, Co Louth.
Darcey Harkness (20) of VC Glendale won the elite women's race while junior riders Joseph Mullen (Navan Road Club) and Tadhg Killeen (Orwell Wheelers) were 1st and 2nd in the elite men's event.
Harkness was already a few seconds ahead of eventual runner-up, Doireann Killeen (Orwell Wheelers), after the small field in the women's race had completed the first section of course before commencing the first full lap. And once the U23 international got her nose in front she continued to build her advantage.
Killeen slipped a further 40+ seconds back on that opening full lap and the gap increased further on the following three circuits. By the finish, Harkness had 3:16 in hand over her nearest rival, with Niamh Stephens (Giant Liv Dublin) a further 59 seconds back in 3rd place.
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The men's A race was a much tighter contest between the two juniors - Mullen and Killeen - who put a little daylight between themselves and the rest of the front runners from the off.
The eventual winner and runner-up couldn't be separated in the opening phase of the race and even at the end of the second full lap, just after the halfway point, Mullen led from Killeen by just a couple of seconds.
Behind them - again by a matter of seconds - was a trio of top A1 road riders and proven cyclocross racers; Darragh McCarter (Spellman Dublin Port), Glen Kinning (Kinning Cycles) and Seán Nolan, the EvoPro Racing coming back to competitive action after a bad crash a couple of months ago.
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It wasn't until the penultimate lap that Mullen began to build a winning gap out front; rounding the circuit in the fastest time of the race - 6:14 - and putting 12 seconds into Killeen and a slightly bigger gap into the chasing trio.
And that's the way it continued on the final lap, Mullen collecting another few seconds over Killeen - to beat him by 18 seconds at the chequered flag. McCarter won the battle of the established seniors for 3rd place, finishing 34 seconds off the winner.
Then came Kinning, taking 4th place some 42 seconds down on winner Mullen. Nolan claimed 5th place a further two seconds back.
The men's B race was won by Desi Foley (Yeats Country Cycling Club) by 48 seconds from Mark Gordon (Newry Wheelers CC), who just pipped 3rd placed rider Lukasz Oleksiewicz (Team WORC).
Sat, Sept 24th: Big Red Cloud
McCrystal Park, Co Louth
Women’s Race
- Harkness, Darcey VC Glendale 42:30.65
- Killeen, Doireann Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +03:16.5
- Stephens, Niamh Team Giant Dublin +04:15.9
- McCarthy, Leah Team Giant Dublin +04:55.0
- Guihen, Fiona Un-Attached Leinster +05:45.3
- Wilson, Jean Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +06:30.6
- Martinez, Caroline Chain Reaction Cycles +08:21.6
- Banfield, Laura McNally Swords CC +09:19.0
- Murphy, Hazel Un-Attached Leinster -3 LAP
Men’s A Race
- Mullen, Joseph Navan Road Club 53:35.26
- Killeen, Tadhg Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +00:18.5
- McCarter, Darragh Spellman-Dublin Port +00:34.4
- Kinning, Glenn Kinning Cycles Cycling Club +00:42.9
- Nolan, Sean Navan Road Club +00:44.9
- Bingham, Alan Newry Wheelers CC +03:00.0
- Jackson, Kieran Comeragh CC +03:36.5
- Harkness, Travis VC Glendale +03:47.2
- McDermott, Frank Oldcastle CC +03:57.2
- O'Neill, David Inspired Cycling +04:30.0
- Killeen, Ronan Lucan Cycling Road Club +04:30.9
- Wilson, James Velocity Road Club +04:31.4
- Boyd, Graham McConvey Cycles +04:34.2
- Nulty, Javan Stamullen RC +04:34.3
- Convery, Barry Newry Wheelers CC +05:32.2
- Hynes, Pj Cuchulainn CC +06:13.0
- Henry, Jason Inspired Cycling +06:38.6
- Boyle, Jonathan Navan Road Club +06:59.1
- Regan, Fearghal Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial -1 LAP
- O'Connell, Gavin Team WORC -1 LAP
- McCabe, Johnny Cuchulainn CC -1 LAP
- O'Donnell, Gerard IMBRC -1 LAP
- O'Connell, Ian Team WORC -1 LAP
- McCabe, Fergal Oldcastle CC -1 LAP
- Byrne, Chris Park Wheelers -1 LAP
- Craddock, Fergus Dublin Wheelers -1 LAP
- Jones, Joe IMBRC -1 LAP
- Robinson, Gareth Dublin Wheelers -1 LAP
- Lattimore, James Team WORC -1 LAP
- Clogher, Tom TC Racing -3 LAP
Men’s B Race
- Foley, Desi Yeats Country Cycling Club 46:39.92
- Gordon, Mark Newry Wheelers CC +00:48.6
- Oleksiewicz, Lukasz Team WORC +00:49.4
- Verbruggen, Conor Bray Wheelers +00:56.1
- O'Flaherty, David Carlow RCC +01:39.6
- O'Hara, Ian Lucan Cycling Road Club +01:40.4
- Potter, Eamonn Dublin Wheelers +01:49.0
- Doggett, Niall Navan Road Club +02:30.1
- McCourt, Sean VC Glendale +02:39.5
- Armstrong, David Neil VC Glendale +02:44.4
- Ervine, Neil Apollo Cycling Team +02:52.3
- Ward, Sean Lucan Cycling Road Club +03:20.8
- Cronin, Tim Navan Road Club +03:21.9
- O'Connor, Brian Lucan Cycling Road Club +03:22.3
- Ennis, David Bohermeen CC +03:47.0
- Adams, Jonny Killinchy Cycling Club +04:00.8
- Flannery, Ronan St Tiernans Cycling Club +04:16.0
- McCann, Christopher Banbridge CC +04:37.5
- Sloan, Kirk Ards CC +04:45.1
- McCarron, Niall Newry Wheelers CC +05:35.1
- Hilditch, Jon Ballymena Road Club +05:41.9
- Doherty, Justin Dunloy CC +05:50.7
- Watson, Colm VC Glendale +06:18.4
- Jennings, Rob Lucan Cycling Road Club +06:55.0
- Heverin, Gerard Kinning Cycles Cycling Club +07:23.0
- O'Donnell, Paul White River Wheelers Cycling Club +07:40.0
- Barry, Paul IMBRC +07:55.3
- O'Neill, Colm Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +08:06.0
- Smyth, Graeme Cuchulainn CC -1 LAP
- Kenny, Mark Un-Attached Leinster -1 LAP
- O'Connor, Colin Drogheda Wheelers -1 LAP
- O'Halloran, Stephen Moynalty Cycling Club -1 LAP
- O'Farrell, Shaun Un-Attached Leinster -1 LAP
- Carberry, Shane White River Wheelers Cycling Club -2 LAP
- Blayney, Ross North Down CC -4 LAP
- McCann, Fergus Cuchulainn CC -4 LAP
Youth Races
U16 Boys
- Henry, Cameron Inspired Cycling 29:32.78
- Killeen, Fionn Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +00:36.0
- Murphy, Conor Rostrevor Mountain Bike Club +01:25.7
- Byrne, Darragh Gorey Cycling Club +01:32.1
- Ward, Adam VC Glendale +01:35.9
- Armstrong, James VC Glendale +01:46.6
- Woods, Jack Carlow RCC +02:32.6
- McCaffrey, Callum Cuchulainn CC +03:50.5
- Sweetman, Toby VC Glendale -1 LAP
U16 Girls
- Dolan, Rhiannon Cuchulainn CC 36:59.96
- Robinson, Faith Bray Wheelers -1 LAP
- McCaffrey, Holly Cuchulainn CC -1 LAP
- Doyle, Shannon White River Wheelers Cycling Club -3 LAP
U14 Girls
- Heverin, Emer Kinning Cycles Cycling Club 35:39.05
- Turner, Katie Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +01:10.7
U14 Boys
- McCrystal, Rian Bellurgan Wheelers 30:48.53
- Davis, Eoin Bohermeen CC +03:18.9
- Killeen, Daithi Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club +05:42.4
- Ervine, Jamie Apollo Cycling Team +06:26.7
- Delaney, Sean Cuchulainn CC +06:49.6
- McCourt, Corran VC Glendale -1 LAP
- Ennis, Craig Bohermeen CC -1 LAP
