CYclist Bobby best of the ‘vets’ for Road Club

The Henderson cup, for the veterans’ BAR, which was introduced for the 1999 season, is awarded to the rider with the best overall age standard performance. Bobby Currie won the competition that first season and also in 2000 and 2001 and then in 2002 Sammy Kerr won for the first time; Kerr was successful again in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008 and when Sammy won in 2009 it was with a record breaking performance of plus 71 minutes 10 seconds. These are the only two riders to have won the competition since its inception.

Each rider is given a universally recognised “par” or standard time for each distance depending on his or her age, and the one with the biggest overall accumulated total time is the winner.

Bobby’s performances, in the Northstone sponsored series of club races, for the 2012 season were: 10 miles; 27 minutes 25 seconds registered on 1st August at Woodgreen, this beat his age standard time by 5 minutes 05 seconds.

His 25 miles time was 65 minutes 51 seconds on 13th August in the Combat Cancer cup event on the Woodgreen, Dunsilly, and Ballee course. This beat his standard time by 17 minutes 16 seconds.

At 50 miles Bobby clocked 2 hours 27 minutes 17 seconds at Woodgreen on 8th September, in the Sam McQuigg cup event.

This was 25 minutes 16 seconds faster than his age standard and when all three times are added up his total is plus 47 minutes 37 seconds, which is slightly slower than his winning total last year. (54 minutes 46 seconds)

Bobby’s son Ryan registered times in this competition for just the second time during the 2012 season and he again finished runner up to his dad. Ryan had a total “age standard” time of plus 42 minutes 46 seconds, which, by an amazing coincidence is exactly the same total as in 2011!

Other placings were (3) Adrian Kerr plus 29 minutes 23 seconds (4) Nigel Kernohan plus 26 minutes 38 seconds (5) John Maxwell plus 24 minutes 17 seconds (6) Beresford Millar minus 1 minute 51 seconds.

Bobby, who incidentally celebrated his 72nd birthday on 7th October, will receive his award at the annual prize presentation dinner, which will be held at Eaton Park Ballymena on Friday 30th November. Tickets, which cost £17.50, are now available from committee members.

RETURN TROPHIES PLEASE

Club members who won silverware during the 2011 season are asked to return these to the club as soon as possible so that they may be engraved well in advance of the club dinner. Please make sure all trophies are cleaned and polished.

FUN TOUR SIX

Ballymena Road Club – Chain Reaction Cycles – held ride six in this season’s fun tour series on Saturday. Despite some very wet weather earlier in the week the sun shone again on Saturday and, even though there was some early morning mist, conditions warmed up too.

Sixty riders assembled at Rex Bonar House for the start and Rex, as usual, was there to greet them all. Once again there were enough riders for three groups and all levels of fitness were catered for.

The “A” group had a very modest ride, by their normal standards, and completed a 52 miles ride at 19.6 mph. Their route took in Glarryford, Dunloy, Ballymoney, Agivey, Aghadowey, Garvagh, Kilrea, Clady and Portglenone and then once again up Tully and back to Ballymena via Ahoghill.

The touring section group, by contrast, had a longer than normal tour, which took in Slaght, Randalstown, Cranfield, Toomebridge, Bellaghy, Gulladuff, Culnady, Innishrush, Clady, Portglenone and also up Tully. This gave them a distance of 47 miles at 15mph.

The “inbetweeners” group went out the Cushendall road then up into Clough before going across country to Stranocum and returning by Dunloy.

Another 20 riders earned their bronze medals on Saturday having completed their fifth tour.

The successful riders were Geoff Allen, Liz Carey, Bobbie Currie, Ryan Currie, Michael Diamond, Hazel Hughes, Nigel Kernohan, Jackie Knowles, Gordon Lennox, Judy Mahon, John Maxwell, Hugh McCullough, Patsy McGurk, Francis O’Kane, Laurence O’Neill, Paul Patterson, Lori Phillips, David Rankin, Karl Taylor and Wilnor Worthington.

This Saturday the mayor of Ballymena Mr P J McAvoy will visit the club rooms prior to the start of the fun tours. The mayor will host the prize presentation, in the town hall, at the end of the series, which is set to continue for a total of 13 weeks, up to 1st December. The charity fund currently stands at £829.