Wheelers riders at head of pack in inter club time trial

13 April 2016

SHIMNA Wheelers began the Inter Club League started with a Two-Up ten-mile time trial.

There were phone calls, messages and emails going on for a couple of weeks to ensure that there was some form of organisation and that everyone got partnered up.

On race night the weather thankfully stayed dry, allowing for hard and fast racing with a slight headwind on the way out, which of course gave a nice tailwind on the return five miles.

The Wheelers pairings finished second, third and fourth with Johnny Ward and Adrian Kinley the fastest club pairing of the night with a blistering time of 25:52 for the 10 miles. This gave them an average speed of around 23mph. The lads’ Las Vegas training camp and the pointy helmets clearly paid off.

Only 23 seconds separated these two guys from the Wheelers’ third and fourth-placed finishers of Stephen Cunningham and Lavelle Grant and Adrian Cunningham and Geoff Black.

Congratulations to the large Shimna Wheelers presence at the race. The club chairman couldn’t contain his happiness and excitement with nine teams out of 26 from the club. Hopefully these great results and indeed the mighty craic and camaraderie had by all can inspire others to come out and play.

Congratulations to all competitors and to Killinchy CC for organising the opening race. The cowbells, clackers and cheering crowds, along a very tough, undulating course were greatly appreciated by all! There were some super fast pairings with the Shimna Wheelers taking an early lead in the series.

The club with the least points wins the league. The higher you place in the race, the lower the points. The next race is organised by La Lanterne Rouge CC and is on Tuesday, April 19. It is an individual 10-mile time trial on the Spa Lakes course. Sign on is from 6.30pm with first competitor away at 7pm.

Following on from the opening time trial Shimna Wheelers club member Peadar Curran decided that he needed another fix of the race against the clock by competing at the Hayes Fuels Ernie Magwood TT in Toome.

In a field stacked with experienced big hitters Peadar wasn’t overawed in the slightest and he held his own to put down a proud marker for the Shimna Wheelers.

Christopher Neill aged only thirteen-and-a-half, went out on the Saturday club run with his dad Rodger. Young Christopher rode 55 hard miles with over 4,300 feet of vertical ascent.

Wanting to fully embrace the ethos of the club ride he took his turns at the front and spun freely up the climbs leaving a few slightly older members looking for more gears on their cassettes.

A magnificent achievement for such a young man that would put many of our more experienced members to shame. Christopher is definitely one to watch for the future. In fact, he is representing the club next week in a race in Drogheda.

A range of casual clothing is now available to order, including tracksuit bottoms, squad tops and polo shirts which are all perfect for lounging around the house, nipping out to Mourne Cycles, visiting coffee shops or just general wear as you please!

Furthermore the club is pleased to be able to offer members bespoke Shimna Wheelers casquette (cycling cap) and arm warmers. It is probably advisable to wear these items only when out on the bike. However, fashion and style is an ever evolving market.

For all of the items above please contact any committee member ASAP.

There are further details on the club website: www.shimnawheelers.com.

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