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A Newry Wheelers Team have won the All Ireland Veterans Road Race Team Title in Carlingford at the weekend.
Driving rain,a strong coastal wind and the rolling hills around the Bush area of Carlingford were just some of the elements that faced the 144 riders who rolled up to the start line at the Irish National Veterans Road Race Championship on Saturday last in the picturesque County Louth village writes Brendan Monaghan.
Among'st the large field of starters who traveled from every corner of Ireland to compete for the Irish Veterans title were a four man Haldane Fisher backed Newry Wheelers team made up of Des Woods, Kevin Lynch, Conor Quinn and current Irish Veterans Cyclo Cross Champion Peter McConville.
The hardy souls rolled out of Carlingford to face 8 laps of a 14km circut around the area fondly known as the Bush and the decisive move was made early in the race when a 15 man group including Des Woods escaped the peleton and were never to be caught again in over 2.5 hours of racing.
Woods as was to be expected was the main mover in the break which split in two over halfway through the race and with the rest of the Newry team controling any attempts to bring the leaders back the Newry rider had every chance of collecting some silverware by the end of the day.
But Woods was unfortunate to miss the vital move with 2 laps to go when eventual winner Hugh Mulhearne and Gregory Swinard attacked leaving the Newryman to face a battle with Galway rider Derek Joyce for the bronze medal which Joyce took by a couple of lenghts from the brave wheelers rider.
With the Team event still up for grabs it was down to Lynch, Quinn and McConville to try and get the high placings needed to snatch the title and to the approval of the massive crowd at the finish line along Carlingford's pier wall the Newry riders duly obliged with Lynch finishing in 22nd place, Quinn in 28th and McConville crossing the line in 35th to take the All Ireland Veterans Road Race Team Title to the city of Newry.
