Cuchulainn Cycling Club now the third biggest in the country

Cuchulainn Cycling Club held its AGM recently in the Crowne Plaza Hotel and a successful year was discussed by the members.

The highlight of the reports by the club’s various directors was that membership has reached a record level of over 400 cyclists, ranging from 6 year old children flying over jumps on their BMXs, to people in their 70s who enjoy the social and physical benefits from riding their bikes. This number confirms Cuchulainn as the third biggest cycling club in the country, a remarkable achievement and one that the club’s various committees should be proud of.

Also with 400 members the club is the biggest sporting club in the county. Given the county’s strong GAA and soccer heritage this is again a remarkable achievement.

The treasurer’s report is always the most eagerly anticipated one, as its outcome can set the mood for the following year. Treasurer Sé Weston was delighted to report that the club is in a good position, with a balance in the clear and this was achieved while the club raised money for a number of charities, for example Barry Rogers ran an event in early September “The Lap of Louth” which raised over €3,500 for SOSAD.

Plans for 2016 were discussed and how best to cater for the broad range of cyclists within the club. The club’s success is very much built upon the variety of disciplines it caters for, BMX, off road, road racing, leisure etc. In fact it is the relatively new leisure section that has contributed much to the club’s growth, however how anyone can describe an event which involves 200km of Wicklow Hills as leisure is still a mystery.

Next on the agenda for the club is the annual awards night, to be held once again in The Spirit Store on Friday December 4th. Prizes will be presented for the various club and county events hosted in 2015, alongside the club awards. All are welcome to attend.

Cuchulainn Cycling Club to host introductory group cycle sessions

Cuchulainn Cycling Club are to hold a six week introductory session to cycling in groups next week for people new to cycling and for those who cycle and want to participate in club spins.

The next group runs from Wednesday April 16th to Wednesday May 21st, departing Felda each night at 6.30pm.

New riders are welcome at any time with further details available from Sé Weston at 087 1773175.

Further details on the club and their activities can be found at www.dundalkcycling.com

Dolan comes second in Moneymore

Cuchulainn’s Liam Dolan (right) was just pipped to the finish line by Belfast rider Mark Millar on Saturday

Cuchulainn Cycling Club came agonisingly close to taking its first outright win of the season when Liam Dolan was second in the Ciclisport Grand Prix in Moneymore on Saturday.

Dolan was active from the start and got into the main break after 10 miles of the 60 mile race. Team mates Colm Quinn and Alan Gray, back in the bunch, hindered any chase efforts to ensure the break maintained its advantage. On the final run into the finish Dolan attacked the break and got away with Belfast rider Mark Millar, who unfortunately had too much speed for Dolan in the sprint finish.

Both Gray and Quinn were racing again on Sunday in north Dublin, a 75 mile race which featured seven ascents of the dreaded Nag’s Head climb. Both had solid days to finish in the main bunch. Stephen Carry, FPM Accountants League Winner in 2013, was also racing in the A4 event and came home just outside the top 10.

Sunday also saw the start of the Irish Veterans’ Cycling Association season, a league that has seen much Cuchulainn success over recent years. In the main race former National Champions Sé Weston and Martin Grey finished in the top 10. In the second race Aidan Delaney, Dale Copas, Enda McKeown and Brendan Dunne all had successful debuts, despite a mix up with the actual location of the finish line.

Thursday April 10th also sees the start of the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling League. The 18 round league is the stalwart of bike racing in North East Leinster and has been extremely successful in developing up and coming riders. The League run on a handicap basis caters for all, as evident from the fact that the 2013 winner, Stephen Carry was cycling less then a year, yet won a competition that featured some of Ireland’s best road cyclists and An Post Rás participants. Details can be found at www.dundalkcycling.com