Irish National Hill Climb Championships 2011

Here're pics and results from last nights National Hill Climb Champs, 2.5 km of gut-busting agony up Kilmashogue Lane, in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. It was tiring just walking up!

The title was won very convincingly by Mark Dowling of Team Dectek, with defending champion Ryan Sherlock having to settle for silver. Bronze went to this seasons time trialling revelation, Damien Shaw of Lakeland Wheelers.

Results: 

Distance: 2.50 kms / 1.55 Miles 

Winners Speed: 21.29 kph / 13.24 mph 

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1 Mark Dowling (Team Dectek) 07'02" 

2 Ryan Sherlock (Sportactive) @16" 3 Damien Shaw (Lakeside Wheelers) @29" 4 Eoin Elliott (Thinkbike.ie) @31" 5 James Davenport (South Dublin) @48" 6 Paul Griffin (Earl of Desmond) @51" 7 Brian Ahern (Orwell Wheelers) @56" 8 Robbie Bryson (Lakeland Wheelers) @01'05" 9 Geoffrey Robinson (Bray Wheelers) s/t 10 Stephen Clancy (Limerick CC) @01'09" 11 Ross Collins ( UCD) @01'14" 12 Frank Billings (Lucan CRC) @01'19" 13 Niall Brosnan (The Edge) @01'25" 14 David Peelo (Murphy Surveys) @01'26" 15 Hugh Mulhearne (Carrick Wheelers) @01'33" 16 Paul Dolan (Irish Road Club) @01'35" 17 John Lynch (Murphy Surveys) @01'40" 18 David Wherity (McNally Swords) @01'41" 19 Colm Ahern (Orwell Wheelers) @01'42" 20 Diarmuid Collins (Orwell Wheelers) s/t 21 Sean Downey (CycleWays CC) @01'43" 22 David Walsh (Slaney CC) s/t 23 Eric Downey (U/A) s/t 24 Patrick O'Brien (Orwell Wheelers) s/t 25 Mark Kiernan (Murphy Surveys) s/t 26 Richard Felle (Thinkbike.ie) @01'44" 27 John Kelly (Dublin Wheelers) @01'46" 28 Odhran O'Caoilte (Bray Wheelers) @01'47" 29 Odhran Connors (Barnardos) @01'51" 30 Shane O'Neill (Orwell Wheelers) @01'55" 31 Sebastian Roma Rakos (Chile) @02'00" 32 Chris Grieve (U/A) @02'02" 33 Shane Hurley (Barnardos) @02'05" 34 Melanie Spath (CycleWays CC) @02'06" 35 Peter Doyle (McNally Swords) s/t 36 Daniel Baiassi (Ravens) @02'10" 37 Andras Gercsenyi (Bray Wheelers) @02'13" 38  Jamie Noone (Sorrento CC) @02'20" 39 James McCluskey (IMBRC) @02'27" 40 Frank Dunne (Slaney CC) @02'28" 41 Patrick Reilly (Moynalty CC) @02'40" 42 Colm Ferrari (Bray Wheelers) @02'49" 43 Colm Dillon (Cycling Pursuits) @02'54" 44 Ross Campbell Grogan (Lucan CRC) @03'07" 45 Justin May (Epic MTB) @03'09" 46 Fergal Cummis (McNally Swords) @03'13" 47  Fergus Whelan (Lucan CRC) @03'18" 48 Chris Bellew (Orwell Wheelers) @03'26" 49 Kieran McGlynn (U/A) @03'43" 50 Vinny Cronin (World Wide Cycles) @03'45" 51 Anne Dalton (Orwell Wheelers) s/t 52 Roisin Kennedy (Lucan CRC) @03'49" 53 Niamh Stephens (UCD) @03'51" 54 Pierre Rodgers (U/A) @05'56" 

Bronze medallist, Damien Shaw

Frank Billings

Winner, and new Irish Champion, Mark Dowling

Paul Griffin chasing another title.

Defending Champ, Ryan Sherlock, looking sleek but was
beaten on the night, taking silver.

Mondello Park Race 9th Aug 2011

Enjoyed a great nights racing at Mondello Park this evening. It's great to see a few faces from my day back in the bunch!

Pathe News - Irish 25 Mile Champs 1920's

I just discovered the Pathe News website recently. It's got loads of great old newsreels, including lot's of cycling ones.

I found this today. It's a silent film showing the competitors in the Irish 25 Mile Cycling Champs, possibly in 1921.

25 MILE CYCLING CHAMPS

This one shows some great footage from the 1948 Olympic Road Race in Windsor Great Park outside London. That race was won by French rider Jose Bayeart, subject of Matt Rendell's book, Olympic Gangster. Check out the handbags near the end!

( OLYMPICS )

This one is of the 1949 Paris-Roubaix, won by Serse Coppi, brother of the great Fausto. As it turned out Coppi was given equal first with André Mahé of France after a controversy over who rode the right route.

FRENCH BIKE CLASSIC - PARIS TO ROUBAIX

Great stuff. I'll feature more some other time.

The rules of cycling

How many do you adhere to?

http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

He came, he saw, he got wet and went home with bronze

So Dr Hutch didn't quite pull it off. 48 British titles but no Irish one to add to it this year.

In pretty awful conditions, the 40km route was ridden in 50:15 by the new Irish TT Champion, and still reigning Irish RR Champion (until Sunday at least), Matt Brammeier of HTC Highroad.

The battle of the Northerners was played out behind him, with David McCann coming out on top and taking silver, six seconds back. Hutchinson took bronze a further 8 seconds back.

A mention too for Damien Shaw or Mullingar who finished a very impressive sixth, just behind the pros.

Report and results: http://www.irishcycling.com/publish/news/art_5720.shtml

Is Hutch riding the Irish Champs?

As I do every day, I was reading the latest postings on IrishCycling.Com this morning when a seemingly small detail caught my eye.

Under the headline "IRISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - ENTRY LIST" they've published exactly that, a list of all riders entered for the various Irish championship races due to take place at the end of the month.

There in the list for the Elite Mens TT is the name Michael Hutchinson. That's what caught my eye. Could this be the Michael Hutchinson who's bagged no less than 48 British Time Trial titles since 2000, including a record 11 straight 50-mile golds? Is this the Michael Hutchinson who's attempted the Hour twice and written one of the best cycling books ever about one of those attempts? Is this Dr. Hutch of Cycling Weekly fame?

I really hope so! It'd be great to see this son of Northern Ireland put it up to his fellow islanders. It'd be especially great to see a head-to-head between him and his fellow Northerner, the current British 25 mile Time Trial record holder, and six times Irish TT champion, David McCann.

I might even head up to Emyvale to watch that one.