Dolan goes close to first win of the year in Tour of the Mournes

Liam Dolan competing in the Tour of the Mournes on Sunday

Cuchulainn Cycling Club’s Liam Dolan went very close to taking his first win of the year in the Tour of the Mournes on Sunday last.

The 155km cycle saw the 80 strong field tackle some rolling countryside on a warm but blustery day. After 35km Dolan found himself part of a six man escape group, which by the end of the day was whittled down to just Dolan and Dave Hamilton of North Down CC.

The pair drove to the finish with a minute over the remains of the main bunch, where Hamilton pipped Dolan for the win. Colm Quinn also had a good result with ninth position overall.

Both Colm and Liam will be on the start line this Sunday for the An Post Rás, which starts in Dunboyne. The eight-day international cycle race will see a stage finish in Drogheda on Saturday May 23rd.

The Bike Station Summer Cycling League continued this week with the course being out to Ardee, across the link road and home through Castlebellingham. It was another big turn out with 84 riders signing on across the two races.

The first race off was once again a bunch sprint with the three groups finally coming together before Kilsaran. As the line fast approached on the Fane Bridge, round one winner Val Gargan was again the quickest, outsprinting Alan Bingham for the win with Kenny Sullivan in third.

The second race was a master class in pacing from Johanna Rogan who rode away from the rest of group one and held off the fast moving riders behind to take the win. Gavin McDermott was next home winning the sprint for second place ahead of underage sensation Connor McKeown. Catherine Sands’ good riding meant another lady was in the top five. Group three, meanwhile, never bridged the gap to the leaders so had to settle for the minor placings.

The Mountain Bike League is also in full swing and round four returned to Bellurgan Park. The recent rainfall made for real testing conditions for the riders. Like the Bike Station league, this league also operates two races a night such are the numbers.

In race one Liam Burns was in flying form on his new stead and took a victory from Aaron McCann, who was unlucky to have a mechanical on the last lap while closing in on Burns. Niall O’Flaherty was third.

In race two PJ Hynes was well ahead of the chasing pack cruised in to take first place with a few minutes to spare ahead of John Kane in second and Paul Durnin rounding out third. Round five returns to the wilderness of the open mountain.

The Tour of Louth, Cuchulainn’s annual sportive is to be held Sunday May 31st and again expects to attract a big field to tackle the 110km of scenic Co Louth countryside. The route will follow the usual format of out towards Dunleer, across to Ardee, back to Dundalk before heading around Carlingford via the tough climb at Jenkinstown. There will also be a shorter 50km route on the day. Dowdallshill GAA club is the sign on location.

Finally under the stewartship of Philip Kerley, an underage cycling group has begun to meet every Monday night at 6.45pm at Muirhevnamor Community Centre. Riders aged 11-15 years are welcome, along with their parents to tackle 20km to 25km of cycling with experienced guides.

Grey triumphs at National Championships for third time in four years

Martin Grey

For the third time in four years Cuchulainn Cycling Club’s Martin Grey has won the National Championships in his age category.

This year Martin took the gold medal in the 60-69 age group as part of the Irish Veteran Cyclists Association National Championships. Martin was active from the gun and was part of a five man group that went away early in the race. The group worked well together to establish a lead and in the final 15km Martin attacked to take a solo win, to add to his two other gold medals and a silver from 2013.

In a separate age category, Jimmy Flynn went agonisingly close to a medal when he was fourth man across the line in a close knit sprint. Brendan Dunne, Aidan Delaney, Damien Faulkner and Dale Copas all finished comfortably in the main bunch in their own races.

Open racing was held in Dunboyne, Co Meath on Sunday. The main race was 120km long and Cuchulainn’s Colm Quinn and Liam Dolan were racing. With 80km to go Dolan found himself in the day’s breakaway of 10 riders.

As the race drew to a close the break was quickly being brought back by the main bunch when Dolan managed to escape again with Sean McKenna of Dublin’s UCD and Alistair McCauley of Phoenix Cycling Club in Belfast. They stayed away to the line with McKenna taking the win ahead of McCauley and Dolan in third. In the support race both Tomás McCabe and Aidan Cunningham finished in the top 20

Lyons to put $1bn life sciences firm on the market

Dr Pearse Lyons

Dundalk born Dr Pearse Lyons’s firm Alltech may sell the life sciences division of his animal feed nutrition, brewing and biotech company for more than $1bn (€740m), he confirmed to The Sunday Independent at the weekend.

Advisers PwC were appointed to work with the company on a possible sale about two years ago and put a minimum value of that amount on the division, and it’s possible it still could be sold in the future, he told the Sunday Independent.

“Our Selplex product and its derivatives can be used to treat Alzheimer’s and so on. We’ve got 42 patents on it and on the impact of this and the derivatives of it on the area of Alzheimer’s, and we’re looking at how we bring that to the next level,” the 69-year-old said.

It has expanded its area of focus and Ireland’s fifth wealthiest man added: “We’re also looking at what it could do for inflammation of the brain, of tissue, and in treating cancer.”

Another cutting-edge division of the company, which notched up record sales in March and April, is also emerging to be very valuable.

Prospective buyers for its crop sciences division, which appears to have taken a lead over biotech giants such as Bayer and Syngenta with a world-first new patent, valued it at up to €300m 18 months ago, when the company itself only thought it was worth perhaps €80m at most.

“What we’ve been looking at for the past 15 or 20 years is going to be very big in the future. It’s not luck: we’ve been right at the cutting edge of some things for a long while thanks to our scientists, my being a scientist and the critical mass of our collective curiosity,” he commented, adding that a decision was made to “keep it and do something with it”.

As the company eyes acquisitions that could see its sales rocket from more than €700m a year to as much as €3bn, China, where son Mark is based, is likely to play an increasing role in the company’s future.

“We’ll do some acquisitions in China in the future, as there are great opportunities there. And as Mark plays a bigger role there, and in turn the Chinese market increasingly determines Alltech’s future, so his role in the company increases,” he explained.

A family business, with wife Deirdre helping out with marketing and having designed its impressive modern Kentucky offices and its large European HQ in Dunboyne, Co Meath, and daughter Aoife now working on the human resources side, Dr Lyons anticipates remaining at the helm of the business for as long as possible.

“I’ll hand it over to Mark at some stage, yes – but not before I die,” he affirmed.

Cuchulainn riders preparing for An Post Rás

Sean Loughrane, who will be making his Rás debut on May 18th, finishing stage 2 of the Tour of Ulster, ahead of Ciaran Power, Rás winner in 1998 and 2002

Sunday May 18th sees the An Post Rás roll out from Dunboyne, from where the riders will cover 1,260km over 8 stages with 36 categorised climbs. Unfortunately the route will not be coming close to the North East, with the closest being the eighth and final stage which finishes in Skerries on May 25th.

As always the race has attracted a stellar international field with over half of the 180 strong peleton made up of professional teams from Europe and the UK. The remaining 90 riders constitutes the best of the Irish domestic cyclists, who will be going toe to toe with the professionals.

For the third year running Cuchullainn Cycling Club will be entering a team. The Louth team consists of local riders Ray O’Shaughnessey, Michael Barry, Niall Clarke, Alan Grey, Sean Loughrane and Liam Dolan. They will be joined on the 10 man team by Newry’s Roger Aiken, Cormac Clarke and Des Wood. The final rider is Bohermeen’s Chris Reilly. The team is a mix of veterans and first timers, with the undoubted star being Roger Aiken. Aiken won a stage for Louth back in 2005 and was one of the standout performers in the 2013 race. The club men have been racing the length and breath of the country since late February and have tackled events such as the 4 day Rás Mumhan in Kerry at Easter and the recent 3 Day Tour of Ulster, held in Derry.

Another Dundalk man who will most definitely be in the thick of the action is Bryan McCrystal, riding with Cork’s AquaBlue team. McCrystal has been in commanding form this season, taking an epic win in Carlow’s Des Hanlon and stage wins in both the Rás Mumhan and Tour of Ulster, where he finished 2nd overall. All the riders will have to call on every ounce of energy and reserves over the 8 days so as to become “Men of the Rás”.

Tuesday last saw the first round of The Bike Station Women’s cycling league for 2014. Despite a horrendous night of wind and rain, 22 cyclist signed on for the  five mile time trial. Quickest on the night was Celine McPhilips who bested Annette Dolan by 18secs. Third position went to Fiona Rogers a further 21secs behind Dolan. Tracey McConkey of Clones CC was the first visitor of the night.  A number of women made their competitive debuts, with impressive times posted by all. The next round, held every Tuesday, is a road race from Felda Gym to Dunleer and back.

The weather did little to improve by Wednesday night when the Galibier Time Trial league commenced. The first round of this league also doubled up as the Leinster Time Trial Championships. Quickest on the night was Dublin’s Colm Cassidy who averaged over 30mphs for the ride out to Castlebellingham and back, a distance of 10 miles. His team-mate in UCD, Con Collis, was second. Cuchulainn claimed medals with Niall Clarke (A2 Gold), Owen Martin (A3 Silver), Tomas McCabe (A3 Bronze), Aimhirghin O`Brannagain (Junior Bronze),and Celine McPhilips (Ladies, Silver). The next round of this league is May 28th.