THE 2017 Ulster Cyclocross series finished at the Ulster Championships, which were hosted by Kinning Cycles, at Mallusk playing fields.
It can be a cold and miserable place at times, but when the day came we all had to double check it was December with double digit temperatures.
The Ulster Championships are all age categories and there is no A or B race. The first races of the day are the U-14, U-16, junior men, junior women and senior women.
Dromara had representation in the U-16s with Ben Wilson and in the senior women’s Diane Wilson flew the flag.
Ben has been in superb form this year, but a course that didn’t have enough technical challenges was always going to put him at a disadvantage.
However, he did put in a sterling effort to take seventh place and only three seconds from sixth.
Diane had a great battle with Julie Rea for the third spot on the podium and was unlucky not to catch up on the last lap. In the end eight seconds would separate them with Diane taking fourth place.
The next race was the M40 and M50/M60 categories which would have plenty of Dromara members taking to the start line.
With Davy Broome still on the sidelines with an injury it would be Richard Cowan, Neil Armstrong, Brian Wilson and Brian Kellett in the M40s and Mike Barton, John McGuigan and Paul Mawhirt in the M50/M60s.
In the M40s everyone battled hard with Neil taking the first Dromara man home, followed by Richard and then Brian.
On a slippery course with plenty of running the team will lick its wounds and look forward to the Irish Nationals in January.
The final race of the day was the Elites and Barry Kellett, Jack Ferguson and Graham Smyth took to the start line for Dromara.
In what would be an epic race Glenn Kinning took off from the start and did not look back, but behind him David Montgomery, Graham Boyd and Barry Kellett traded places every lap on a tough course.
The pits team had their work cut out keeping the bikes cleaned and ready for the next change, which could make all the difference in a tight race.
On the penultimate lap Kellett looked to have gapped Montgomery and Boyd, but that would be too easy.
Boyd would bridge that gap on the last lap leaving it close at the finish but with a final push Kellett took second place, leaving Boyd to claim the last spot on the podium.
Kinning produced a perfect race and congratulations to him for taking the Ulster Championship jersey for 2017. The race behind would now be for the team prize with Dromara CC needing all members to get to the finish line ahead of all the other teams.
As it turned out Dromara secured the Ulster Cyclocross Championship team prize for 2017 with a great effort from Jack and Graham finishing 13th and 15th respectively.
What a day for Dromara CC and many thanks go the Kinning Cycles team who put on a great event.