Date: Sunday 30 May 2004
Event: NI MTB League Round 2
Location: Drumkeeragh Forest
Host club: Banbridge CC
Results and Reports – NI Cross-Country League 2
Drumkeeragh Forest near Dromara was the venue for round two of the Northern Ireland Mountain Bike Cross Country League on Sunday 30th May. The promoters, Banbridge CC at last got a dry day for their event, after three years of trying. For once the normally boggy forest course held up to the race traffic, resulting in a fine day of action, with an added bonus in the number of underage entrants.
The 5 lap Pro/Elite race gave a morale boosting win to Banbridge CC rider Don Travers with WORC rider Peter Buggle second and Glen Kinning, XMTB, third. The result could have been different had Lewis Ferguson not suffered a mechanical on the second lap as he and Travers disputed the lead.
Robert Lamont easily took the three lap Masters race ahead of Martin O’Hagan of Newry Wheelers. As his main rival, Johnny McCabe, sunned himself on a far of Spanish beach, William Mulligan romped to victory in the Vets race, another three lapper.
The Banbridge CC rider finished well clear of fellow Club member Bob Patterson with XMTB’s Eamon McConvey in a good third, the cycle shop owner cheered to the finish by all his family. After a couple of years of illness, Banbridge rider Samuel Curran is slowly returning to the form that he showed as an U-16 rider, the teenager winning Sunday’s three lap Sports race. Leading from start to finish Curran had a winning margin of nearly four minutes over popular IMBRC rider John Oran with Cuchullian’s Gerry McCabe a close third. Andy McCullough took his normal win in the Junior class, yes, another three lapper, though his winning margin was just over a minute ahead of Team Fergie’s Matt Ferguson who took his best result for some time. Third in the Juniors was luckless Alistair McSorley (Apollo), who during the day suffered four punctures and a broken chain. An excellent two lap Fun race saw youth against age as Banbridge rider Nathan McCormick scored a narrow win over the grand old man of XMTB, Bill McGimpsey.Ciara McManus, XMTB, second at Oldcastle the previous Sunday, took the Ladies award at Drumkeeragh.
Conor McConvey again was dominant in the U-16 race, held over two laps of the main course. Behind the Belfast based XMTB rider, David Gordon produced the result of the day to grab second, his best outing for some time. Banbridge rider Nathan McCormick finished third. In the U-14 race, held over two half laps, it was a case of deja vu as Christy Brown (XMTB) once again was he victor ahead of fellow Club member Neil McGimpsey and Banbridge CC’s Sean Downey. The U-14 event featured the best entry of the day, 14 riders. In the U-12 race William Boyd (XMTB0 continued his winning streak, he remains unbeaten in this class this season. Banbridge rider Micheal Runciman again took second with Robbie Lamont third. Daniel Runciman notched up another win for the Banbridge Club as he took the U-10 event, held around two laps of the mini course. In second place was Mark Downey, another member of the famous Dromore based cycling dynasty.
The Banbridge Club would like to thank all the riders who supported their event and well done to commissaire John Casey on his first ‘posting’.
RESULTS
ELITE
1: D.TRAVERS – BANBRIDGE CC – 1.41.47
2: P.BUGGLE – TEAM WORC – 1.44.39
3: G.KINNING – XMTB – 1.46.30
4: T.EDGAR – XMTB – 1.53.16
5: N.QUINLAN – CYCLEWAYS – 1.53.37
6: L.FERGUSON – TEAM FERGIE – DNF
MASTERS
1: R.LAMONT – XMTB – 1.07.19
2: M.O’HAGAN – NEWRY WHEELERS – 1.11.10
3: G.McCRORY – MADIGAN – 1.17.24
4: P.ANDERSON – BANBRIDGE CC – 1.19.54
VETS
1: W.MULLIGAN – BANBRIDGE CC – 1.07.14
2: B.PATTERSON – BANBRIDGE CC – 1.16.33
3: E.McCONVEY – XMTB – 1.20.13
4: P.NEILL – APOLLO – 1.23.22
5: D.McCABE – CUCHULLIAN – 1.24.04
6: F.McSORLEY – APOLLO – 1.33.21
7: G.QUINN – BANBRIDGE CC – AT 1 LAP
SPORTS
1: S.CURRAN – BANBRIDGE CC – 1.12.16
2: J.ORAN – IMBRC – 1.16.33
3: G.McCABE – CUCHULLIAN – 1.18.03
4: C.BURNS – APOLLO – 1.22.02
5: S.GOAN – BANBRIDGE CC – 1.29.47
6: J.LAIRD – XMTB – 1.34.17
7: P.BYRNE – BANBRIDGE CC – AT 1 LAP
JUNIOR
1: A.McCULLOUGH – XMTB – 1.04.19
2: M.FERGUSON – TEAM FERGIE – 1.05.51
3: A.McSORLEY – APOLLO – 1.16.05
FUN
1: N.McCORMICK – BANBRIDGE CC – 53.01
2: B.McGIMPSEY – XMTB – 54.01
3: T.ANNETT – DROMARA CC – 1.10.45
4: S.CURRY – BANBRIDGECC – 1.11.06
5: S.PRENTICE – APOLLO – 1.15.52
6: N.McGIMPSEY – XMTB – DNF
WOMEN
1: C.McMANUS – XMTB – 1.05.45
U-16
1: C.McCONVEY – XMTB – 43.06
2: D.GORDON – XMTB – 45.07
3: N.McCORMICK – BANBRIDGE CC – 47.31
4: G.BOYD – XMTB – 48.12
5: A.HUNTER – XMTB – 53.12
6: M.CASEY – XMTB – TIME PENALTY 61.54
7: A.McSORLEY – APOLLO – DNF
U-14
1: C.BROWN – XMTB – 27.29
2: N.McGIMPSEY – XMTB – 28.15
3: S.DOWNEY – BANBRIDGE CC – 28.38
4: J.BEERS – XMTB – 31.01
5: L.McGREEVY – BANBRIDGE CC – 33.24
6: R.McCABE – CUCHULLIAN – 33.49
7: M.GORDON – XMTB – 33.54
8: J.LAIRD – XMTB – 36.03
9: R.DAVIDSON – XMTB – 38.07
10: M.QUINN – BANBRIDGE CC – 38.28
11: C.CAMERON – XMTB – 38.29
12: S.GIBSON – BANBRIDGE CC – 50.55
U-12
1: W.BOYD – XMTB – 19.22
2: M.RUNCIMAN – BANBRIDGE CC – 20.22
3: R.LAMONT – XMTB – 21.22
4: J.CREAN – U/A – 23.40
5: A.LYTTLE – XMTB – 25.33
6: A.WILSON – BANBRIDGE CC – 25.52
7: C.OAKLEY – XMTB – 26.09
U-10
1: D.RUNCIMAN – BANBRIDGE CC – 5.15
2: M.DOWNEY – BANBRIDGE CC – 5.28
3: C.OAKLEY – XMTB – 6.21
4: J.CURRY – BANBRIDGE CC – 6.22
5: W.HESLIP – BANBRIDGE CC – 6.33
Report by: Andy Potts
Original report location here