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Last Updated: 5 Sep 2018 - 8:42:34 AM |
National Road Series Round 5: Creamer and Trulock win in John Beggs Memorial
By Heather Boyle, CI Communications Officer
12 Aug 2018,
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IRISH professional Lauren Creamer scored her first win of the season in Saturday’s round five of the Cycling Ireland National Road Series at the John Beggs Memorial Road Race.
Creamer, based in Birmingham with Brotherton Cycles, had been in Ireland in June for the National Road Racing Championships, securing fourth in the Individual Time Trial, but was riding in the National Road Series for the first time.
The hilly 30km circuit around the County Down town of Dromore caused a split in the Women’s peloton early in the race, leaving 10 off the front who would go on together almost until the line.
“It was tough at times, and watching how the series has gone in the past, I expected a split,” she said. “I settled in and, being used to much bigger groups, I had no problem sitting at the back, following the wheels.
“Usually when you’re caught at the back, it’s behind 160 riders, rather than six, so I knew that if anything was going to go, from there I wouldn’t have any problem getting to the front.”
As the kilometres ticked by the 10, including series leaders Aine Donegan, Katharine Smyth and Eve McCrystal, worked hard to maintain their advantage in windy and sometimes wet conditions. Creamer went into autopilot and plotted her course for the final.
“It slowed down quite a bit and the legs went to sleep,” she said. “Then when we turned right, back to the finish, there was a little attack, that woke them up. I had been thinking about the finish around the course. Sometimes I think about the finish and I don’t stick to the plan, so I stuck to the plan this time and it worked, and it ended up in a massive gap.
“I hadn’t ridden the drag, but I’d seen it as we were coming past to get to the start. It was either do or die, but I’d have been gutted if I didn’t implement what I wanted to do.”
Creamer is set to return to Ireland in September with a view to riding Rás na mBan, and the final round of the National Road Series - the Red Hand Trophy in Broughshane. Donegan’s sprint for second means the Scott-Orwell Wheelers rider extends her lead in the National Road Series overall standings over John Beggs fourth Eve McCrystal and third Katharine Smyth.
Leading under 23, Dermot Trulock, won the Men’s National Road Series event, defying an earlier mechanical to make the day’s winning break - and then make that count.
The 20-year-old explained: “I got a puncture at the start of the race and had to get back on, when I did, there was a group of four up the road. I hopped across to the move and we got away.
“We worked well, Darnell [Moore] was strong, they were all strong, and we got the gap out. I felt confident in my sprint, so I left it to come to that and was happy enough when it worked out.”
Riding for Lucan Cycling Road Club, Trulock comfortably fellow breakaway companion Lindsay Watson (Powerhouse Sport), who just pipped Darnell Moore (Caldwell Cycles) for second. Ben Walsh was the last of the breakaway to finish, taking fourth, Dillon Corkery and Ronan McLaughlin, who had been chasing them through the headwinds, next home.
National Road Series leader Conor Hennebry (Viner-Caremark-Pactimo) finished eighth to extend his lead over Jamie Blanchfield (Panduit Carrick Wheelers), now joined on the podium by Saturday’s seventh Sean Moore (Team Gerard-DHL).
The penultimate round of the Men’s and Women’s Cycling Ireland National Road Series will take place in Laragh, County Wicklow, on Saturday, September 1, at the Friends First Laragh Classic. The race, hosted by St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club, will uniquely finish atop the famous Wicklow Gap climb.
NATIONAL ROAD SERIES ROUND 5 JOHN BEGGS MEMORIAL 2018 - RESULTS
John Beggs Memorial 2018 - Results A1 A2 Race
1st Dermot Trulock Lucan Cycling Road Club
2nd Lindsey Watson Powerhouse Sport
3rd Darnell Moore Team Caldwell Cycles
4th Ben Walsh Vitus Pro Cycling
5th Dillon Corkey Team Gerard DHL
6th Ronan McLaughlin Team Viner Caremark Pactimo
7th Sean Moore Team Gerard DHL
8th Conor Hennebry Team Viner Caremark Pactimo
9th Luke Smith Team Viner Caremark Pactimo
10th Kevin McKinney Armagh City Cyclists
11th Angus Fyffe Team Caldwell Cycles
12th Gareth O’Neill Newry Wheelers
13th Liam Curley NRPT
14th Gary Donaldson Team Caldwell
15th Jody Wright Phoenix CC
16th Andrew Maguire Team Gerard DHL
17th Jamie Blanchfield Panduit Carrick Wheelers
18th Richard Maybin Ballymena Road Club
19th Dale Walker Phoenix CC
20th Mark McGinley Four Masters CC
21st Alan Bingham Newry Wheelers
22nd Bryan Geary Scott Orwell Wheelers CC
23rd Andrew Chivers North Down CC
24th Cian Sutcliffe Team Gerard DHL
25th Keith Fox Team Viner Caremark Pactimo
John Beggs Memorial 2018 - Results Women's Race
1st Lauren Creamer Brotherton Cycles
2nd Aine Donegan Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling club
3rd Katherine Smith Ballymena CC
4th Eve McCrystal Garda
5th Maeve Gallagher Castlebar CC
6th Aisling Flanagin St.Tiernans CC
7th Fiona Guihen Blackrose Racing
8th Maura Claffey UCD
9th Hillary Huges VCERIU
10th Niamh O’Donavan VC Racing
11th Isobel Oakes Smugglers CC
12th Jennifer Bates Team Gerard DHL
13th Breda Horan Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
14th Monica Marconi Scott Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club
15th Beata Golczak Unattached
16th Catherine Mahoney UCD
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