McCrystal double as Bryan and Eve triumph at Dundalk Traders’ Cup

Bryan McCrystal collects the Dundalk Traders’ Cup from Cuchulainn’s Gary Neary

It was a day to remember for the McCrystals and brother and sister pairing Bryan and Eve won the men’s and women’s races at the Dundalk Trader’s Cup on Sunday.

Having started with just six fellow A1 riders for company in the scratch group, McCrystal – who rides for the Aquablue team – had dropped three of them inside the first 8km and with the other three soon following suit, the Dundalk man began to work his way up through the field.

Upon catching each group, he recovered briefly before attacking again and finally  jumped clear of the front group to take the victory with over four minutes to spare in a race promoted by his former club, Cuchulainn CC.

In winning the race, McCrystal – who runs Mint by Baldwin jewellers on Earl Street – became the first local winner of the race since Karl Dolan in 1991.

Oriol Carbo of the Henry J Lyons club lead home the remnants of the day’s break to take second place ahead of Martin Caddow of Dublin’s St. Tiernan’s Wheelers. Karl Dolan still going strong was first clubman home in 9th place just ahead of the main bunch.

In the women’s race, Bryan’s sister, Eve McCrystal, won in a similar fashion by simply riding away from everyone else.

The race, which had a huge showing of Cuchulainn women making their racing debut, had over 20 riders sign on. Ann Dalton took second place, with Monica Merconi in third. Fiona Rogers was the first clubperson home.

In the A4 race Michael Stafford made the long trip from Wexford, but made it a worthwhile one by taking the chequered flag ahead of Clontarf’s Gavin Duffy. 2013 FPM Accountants Summer League winner Stephen Carrie was an excellent third in his first open race. Garry Gorman was first clubman home.

Over 60 people were involved on the day, which was outstandingly co-ordinated by the Neary family, from standing at junctions in the rain, to serving hot soup and sandwiches after. Cuchulainn also extended a thank you to the local Red Cross and Gardaí, who provided support.

Eve McCrystal collects the women’s prize in the Dundalk Traders’ Cup from Cuchulainn’s Gary Neary

Stephen crowned FPM Accountants’ Summer Cycling League champion

Stephen Carrie of Cuchulainn Cycling Club

2013 saw a new format to the FPM Accountants Summer Cycling, with the traditional single race made up of six groups being split into two separate races, each comprising of three groups. However, despite the two separate races the overall winner would be decided by the rider with the most points come the end of the campaign and so it was that Stephen Carrie was crowned the 2013 champion.

This was a remarkable feat for the Ardee man, considering he only bought his first racing bike in March of this year. Less than a year ago Stephen’s father underwent hip surgery and cycling was recommended as a suitable form of therapy to aid his recovery. A dutiful son, Stephen oiled his old mountain bike and accompanied his dad on his short spins. He enjoyed these spins immensely and decided to invest in a proper road bike, then while out on a solo training ride encountered club secretary Karl Dolan. Like many a budding cyclist, he was inspired by Karl’s passion for the club and joined Cuchulainn a week before the 2013 league commenced in April of this year.

The first round of the league was his first time ever riding in a group, but he quickly found his feet and the results followed. Not willing to rest on his laurels Stephen progressed to group two within a month, where yet again results still came his way. At this stage of the league Bryan McCrystal, competing in the second league, was the runaway leader. In an intense period of training for the An Post Rás, Bryan was racing every Thursday night and more often than not winning. However like any league campaign it is consistency that wins and Stephen kept steadily picking up points with a steady flow of wins and podium placings.

When the final race was completed and the results tallied up Stephen had amassed 104 points, giving him a 20 point lead over Ralph Ginesi in second and McCrystal a further six points back in third. Aidan Leonard, Alan Bingham and Gary Shiels completed the top six. The top 6 comprised two from one league & four from the other, showing that the new format produced similar results to the old structure.