Lionel triumphs on top of Flagstaff

Terry McEneaney taking part in round eight of the mountain biking league at Bellurgan Park

The eighth round of The Bike Station Summer Cycling League finished atop of the climb at Flagstaff, making it the most gruelling race of the series.

The riders have some 30km of hard racing in their legs before making the dreaded left turn at Davy’s Pub for the 3km ascent, where the sweat stinging the eyes means that the spectacular views cannot be appreciated.

First to conquer the climb was Lionel Mothion, Dundalk’s resident French cyclist. Lionel was part of group five that managed to catch group four yet stay away from group six. Lionel was untouchable on the climb and came home for a solo victory with Benny Smith in second and Alan Malone in third.

The second race went to another mountain goat with Paul Howard blasting up the steep ascent ahead of John McDonnell and Brendan Crosby. Underage rider Conor McKeown had a solid ride to take fourth place.

After eight rounds it is the two Alans at the top of the table, with Alan Bingham and Alan Malone both sitting pretty on 49 points. Benny Smith is a further three points back in third place and the sprinting sensation Val Gargan is in fourth on 45 points.

We’re also up to Round 8 of the mountain biking league, which was once again in Bellurgan Park. For the night a slightly altered course was used and riders faced eight laps of a 1.7km technical course, which had a new trail added thanks to the club’s members.

Race one saw Liam Burns eventually drop Jason Malone after a ding-dong battle between the pair, with Brendan Callaghan in third. Race two saw an epic battle between four riders, David Hoey, John Noone, Greg Clifford and Paul Durnin, that went on over the eight laps. David Hoey and John Noone managed to pull away towards the end, to finish first and second respectively. Greg Clifford came home in third. Round nine sees the riders battle the elements on the open mountain.

Local couple avoid Boston bomb

Rose-Anna and David Hoey

A Dundalk couple had a lucky escape last night when they narrowly avoided being caught up in the bombs that rocked the finish of the Boston Marathon.

David and Rose-Anna Hoey, who currently reside in Bermuda, travelled to Massachusetts for the event with Rose-Anna – a former member of North East Runners – taking part in the event.

Fortunately for her, she had finished the race by the time the explosions happened in a finishing time under three hours, with the couple leaving together before the explosions happened just after the four hour mark.

They were staying 100 metres away though in the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel and according to David they could feel the blast in their room.

Rose-Anna had been celebrating meeting her goal when the explosions happened but was quick to take to Facebook to assure her friends and family that she was okay.

She said: “Thank you to everyone for all of your love, support and concern on this sad, sad day. Please think of those who innocently went out today to watch/cheer/support normal people run ‘the race of their lives’, and who never made it home tonight. So devastating…. It really puts the important things in life into perspective…”

UPDATE: Dundalk woman’s account of the Boston Marathon bombing (The Dundalk Democrat)