Temple - League#9 (28th July 2015)

Miraculously the rain stayed away from the Temple TT course. A magnificent eight rootin' tootin' riders started out as usual at 6:45 in one minute intervals.

Before the TT started Peter McGuicken turned heads wearing what appeared to be a tailored suit!

Clean shirt, new shoes
And I don't know where I am goin' to.
Silk suit, black tie,
I don't need a reason why.
- ZZ Top

McGuicken soon changed into his 1970's cycling skinsuit and order was restored in the Temple parking lot.

Competition was fierce in the mid field this week with mere seconds determining bragging rights. Preshaw once again "stuck it" to McHenry. If only Preshaw could do that is a race then McHenry might even be bovvered!

Fine performances from the girls this week, both of who are building back up for a strong second half of the season.

Results

Girls

Emma Kerr          32:15
Ali McConnell      33:26

Boys

Vaughan Purnell    26:26
Paul Hetherington  30:03
Conor Preshaw      30:11
Dave Lonnen        30:25
Desi McHenry       30:45
Peter McGuicken    32:50

Thanks to Glen for time keeping.

Annahilt (21st July 2015)

Performance of the night was Gavin Browne in the role of safety officer. The County Down cowboy began by helping two farmers herd their cows across the road before the TT start. Browne was later seen controlling traffic on the Glebe Road in order to let the riders have right of way. To achieve marshal perfection however Browne would have needed to provide lemonade and chocolate muffins at the end!

The TT 2015 calendar only visits Annahilt once this season. The earlier wet weather semi cleared to leave a damp and cloudy summer night. On google maps the Annahilt course looks easy but in reality it's a hard ride home from the first left turn.

In the girls category, Miss Aero-Kerro took the top spot once again. Would all the girl challengers please take a step forward?

Meanwhile Marron continued to impress for a second week in a row. Back in week one no-one would have predicted Marron would be 3 seconds off the mighty Ironman Millar. Marron is in great shape for tackling the Dolomites next week.

In the mid field McGandy and Pollock had a bit of a tussle with McGandy coming out tops. Pollock blew his chances early on with some very ill advised pacing!

Finally there was another strong and consistent ride from McGuicken and an interesting time from Lonnen, who is perhaps not getting the long lie-ins and afternoon naps to which he is accustomed.

Results

Girl

Emma Kerr         24:16

Boys

Mark Millar       19:37
Enda Marron       19:40
Vaughan Purnell   20:33
Mark Hanna        21:16
Conor McGandy     22:38
Glen Pollock      22:40
Peter McGuicken   24:10
Dave Lonnen       24:16      

Thanks to time keepers Gavin, Ali and Conor P.

Carryduff - league#8 (14th July 2015)

Holiday time, people are away, therefore a perfect time for all on summer staycation to pick up some league points.

Miss Kerr enjoyed a gentle spin through the rolling hills of Carryduff and Ballygowan to collect le maximum de points.

Marron ended a long drought with the best time of the night. The last time Marron was top of the podium was back on July 16th 2013 in a Temple 2 lap. It is good to see a return to form for Marron after what can only be described by most people as a shaky start to the season.

Perhaps the most significant result was Padawan Preshaw surpassing his Sith Lord McHenry. Little does Preshaw know the pressure has only started! Preshaw will need to keep the PBs coming thick and fast.

Finally thanks to Peter McGuicken for being the only honest person to admit the times were all a minute faster than they should have been. Note: this was caused by sending a hare off 5 or 6 mins before the start with a synchronised stopwatch. Until this issue was brought to light most people seemed very happy with their times!!

Girl

Emma Kerr           36:42

Boys

Enda Marron         28:05
Neville O'Neill     28:13
Vaughan Purnell     28:37
Conor Preshaw       32:16
Desi McHenry        32:22
Peter McGuicken     35:01

Thanks to time keepers Vaughan (end) and Neville (start).

Temple 2 lap (7th July 2015)

Blustery Temple 2 Lap

Peter McGuckin      32.51     67.11

Conor McGandy      30.18     62.03

Conor Preshaw        29.57     62.11

Bill Rafferty               28.56     60.00

Desi McH                   30.57     62.29

Enda                           26.55     55.21

Mark Kane                 24.14     49.37