Jason claims the winner’s honours in Road Club’s Rex Bonar Cup event

Ballymena Road Club - Chain Reaction Cycles – held their Rex Bonar cup road race at Broughshane last Wednesday evening as part of the Northstone club race series.
Ballymena Road Club members who welcomed the Giro d'Italia to the town on Saturday morning.Ballymena Road Club members who welcomed the Giro d'Italia to the town on Saturday morning.
Ballymena Road Club members who welcomed the Giro d'Italia to the town on Saturday morning.

There was a smaller than normal entry of 18 riders as the club also fielded a team of six riders in the Coleraine Giro Criterium event on the same night. The Bonar cup riders were set off in three groups with zero, three and six minutes handicaps and they faced five laps, 25 miles, of the hilly Lisnamurrican circuit.

Jason Burns and Richard Reid, from the limit group, rode clear of their bunch and managed to maintain their lead until the finish where Jason took the honours after 66 minutes racing. The first scratch rider to finish was third placed Aaron Swan (TSC) who was 50 seconds behind. Other results were (4) Ryan Bankhead (5) Tommy Wilson both at 1 minute 23 seconds (6) Gary Reid (7) Philip Morrison (8) Nigel Kernohan all at 1 minute 51 seconds (9) Breandan McCavana (10) Quinton McFall (11) Jim McConnell (East Antrim) (12) Uel Cunningham (Ballymoney) (13) Eileen Burns (14) Philip Wilson (15) Laura Blair.

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10 miles Youth Race results (1) Shaun Byrne 22 minutes (2) B McAuley 26.04 (3) Fergus Byrne 26.05 (all Bann Valley)

LADIES ULSTER TT CHAMPIONS

It turned out to be a good week for the Burns family as Eileen Burns, Jason’s wife, had been part of the successful Ballymena Road Club quartet which won the Ulster Ladies 25 miles team time trial championships at Woodgreen on Tuesday night.

The Ulster team time trial championships were promoted by Phoenix and while the race started in dry conditions unfortunately, not long after the last of the teams were pushed off, the sky began to darken and torrential rain followed for the rest of the night.

Team Madigan eventually emerged the victors with a winning time of 53 minutes 04 seconds.

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There were five women’s teams taking part and the competition was very fierce. In the end it was the local club, Ballyment CRC comprised of Eileen Burns, Emma Smyth, Claire Gillespie and Laura Blair who took gold with a time of 64:36.

COLERAINE GIRO CRITERIUM RACE

On Wednesday Ballymena RC - Chain Reaction Cycles sent a six man team to ride in a pre-Giro Criterium in Coleraine. BRC race secretary gives an account of the event.

“There was a mix of youth and experience in the Ballymena team so we agreed to ride conservatively in the early stages to see how the race was to unfold.

Promoting club Bann Wheelers were, as expected, first to launch an all-out assault in the form of Bobby Kane, who was quickly closed down by the Ballymoney riders. After about 20 minutes racing the front end of the race was somewhat reduced in numbers to around 15 of whom Ballymena RC still had all 6 riders. The next serious move came when, again, Bobby Kane, Gerard McNally (Bann Valley) and Ryan Orr (Ballymoney) established a small gap, there was a number of attempts from behind to make contact with these 3 of which none was successful until Nigel Quigley (Bann Wheelers) and BRC’s David Dougan got across to make a lead group of 5. Unfortunately with the firepower of Cathal Doyle (Carn Wheelers) in the chase group this group was soon reeled back in and the flurry of attacking began again with Devon McIlwaine and Stevie McAllister (both Ballymoney) and George Graham and Simon Taggart (both BRC) particularly active and the rest of the guys keeping a close eye on proceedings at the sharp end. In the end a 3 man group did escape and survived to the finish with Ryan Orr taking the verdict ahead of Nigel Quigley and Cathal Doyle, Simon Taggart narrowly missed getting onto this group, closing to within 30mtrs at one point but just couldn’t get there. In the end BRC claimed the Team Prize placing 5 riders, Simon Taggart, Ryan Shaw, George Graham, Clifford Grant and Matthew Brennan, in the top 10.

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On the whole it was an incredible nights racing with a very fast flowing course completely closed off to all traffic, a massive crowd who cheered and shouted encouragement for the whole hour regardless of what kit the rider was wearing, an awesome PA system which blasted out tunes adding the festival feel.

GIRO D’ITALIA

It wasn’t quite like “Irish corner” on L’Alpe d’Huez but Ballymena Road Club cyclists took over a small part of Harryville Bridge on Saturday morning to greet the riders in the Giro D’Italia. The BRC members were delighted to be joined by the Mayor and her husband as well as cyclists from Bann Valley and Michelin.

Nigel Kernohan and John Maxwell were the organisers and they send out a big thank you to all who helped provide the hospitality. Thanks to John and Margaret Maxwell – John supplied cups, etc; Margaret boiled water and made sandwiches. Emma Maxwell - proprietor of Physio Max, for use of her premises. John McKillop – who kindly loaned us the marquee and helped with setting up the BRC area on Harryville Bridge. Jayne, Amy and Julie Kernohan – helping to serve tea, coffee and snacks. Also thank those who all turned out from BRC, Michelin and Bann Valley. Additionally thanks to those who came along in their pink outfits and Tom Douds who entertained the streets with his Pink Panther rendition.