Good morning and welcome to live coverage from today's women's road race championships. The race is based in Collooney, on the outskirts of Sligo.
11.05: A strong total of 40 riders have turned up for the women’s national road race championships, a turnout far higher than would have been seen a few years ago.
The field will take in six laps of a 13.27 kilometre course, with a short lead in to the circuit. Amongst the favourites will be former multiple champion Siobhan Horgan (nee Dervan) and last year’s winner, Heather Wilson (Maryland Wheelers).
11.16: The riders have been racing for several minutes; we have covered 4 kilometres. Two riders have attacked – Gillian McDarby (Usher IRC) and Rita Boyle (Slaney CC). They have opened a considerable lead, which grew to over 40 seconds.
11.22: They are still clear, but the gap looks like it is dropping.
11.23: Sorry about the lack of notice about this coverage, by the way! We got a good spot in a following car and have decided to bring you action from during the race, rather than waiting until the finish.
11.29: The gap is now one minute and 17 seconds, so it went right back up again. The two leaders are doing a fine job of pulling clear.
11.34: They have crossed the finishing line for the first time. It’s at the top of a hill so that will certainly ensure there isn’t a big gallop like last year.
Speaking of last year, here’s a recap of the results from the race in Dunboyne.
1, Heather Wilson (Maryland Wheelers) 83km in 2 hours 15 mins 50 secs
2, Olivia Dillon (Touchstone)
3, Mary Costello (Navan RC)
4, Michelle Geoghegan (Orwell Dundrum)
5, Orla Hendron (Orwell Dundrum
6, Siobhan Dervan (Fenixs) all same time
Junior riders:
1, Mary Costello (unattached)
2, Heather Byrne (Navan
3, Rachel Withers (Fintona)
The veteran’s championship will take place later today. Here’s a look back at the results from that race in 2009.
Veteran’s road race championship, Dunboyne (4 laps):
1, Rory Wyley (Dan Morrissey Carrick Wheelers) 104km in 2 hours 24 minutes 52 seconds
2, Andre Engemann (St. Tiernans) at 2 seconds
3, Tom Shanahan (Limerick) at 1 minute 13 seconds
4, Brendan Whelan (Lucan CRC) at 1 minute 35 seconds
5, Anto Moran (Ravens CRT)
6, Barry Sutton (Engraveit.ie)
7, Mark Greer (Maryland Wheelers)
8, Paul Dolan (Usher IRC)
9, Eddie Lynch (Orwell Wheelers Dundrum
10, Simon Curry (Banbridge CC) all same time
Team: Dan Morrissey Carrick Wheelers (Rory Wyley, Martin O’Loughlin and Kieran Smith)
The winner, Rory Wyley, is now Cycling Ireland’s president. If he wins again this year, we presume he would be the first to hold office and take a national title…that’ll have to be verified.
11.39: The two leaders are being reeled in by the bunch. The gap has dropped to about 20 seconds now.
11.45: The gap has rise once again – it’s back up to one minute 25 seconds. Boyle and McDarby are working well together. This move is certainly an interesting one, as it will make things awkward behind for those who want to chase. The teams are small, and past champions like Horgan and Wilson will be closely watched by the others.
11.50: Latest gap: one minute and 12 seconds. Boyle looks very strong and is doing a lot of the work. She’s got a great position and is getting loads of power out.
Meanwhile, quite a few riders are being dropped behind, so the speed is now on.
11.56: The leading two have crossed the finish line and have four laps to go. The reduced main bunch is chasing hard, though, and it looks like they could be caught soon.
11.58: They have been caught, but good effort. There’s 19 riders left in the main bunch.
12.03: They have covered 21 kilometres. Francine Meehan (Tullamore CTC) now attacks but she’s been caught.
12.04: Last year’s runner-up Olivia Dillon (Peanut Butter & Co.) has attacked; the others are chasing hard and have brought her back.
Multiple winner Siobhan Horgan will be determined to try to win today, taking back the title she lost last year.
12.12: Fiona Meade (St. Finbarr’s) attacked but was caught again.
12.18: Dillon attacked again, going clear with Meehan with a kilometre to go on the circuit. This last kilometre is mostly uphill.
12.20: They were caught before the line. Siobhan Horgan then hit the gas and pulled clear alone, riding very strongly. She started the third-last lap with a gap of three or four seconds over the lined-out bunch, and is hammering along.
12.22: She’s been caught – looks like Dillon was the first to join up. The riders have now covered 28.7 – just past the halfway point.
12.26: There’s scattered clouds but the sun is out now – nice day here! The weather in Sligo can be very unpredictable, but there’s nice racing conditions.
12.27: Francine Meehan has clipped away.
She’s been joined by two others – Dillon and Caroline Ryan (Garda).
Horgan tried to get across but the bunch closed her town. The three leaders have 50 metres…
12.34: They are still clear and Horgan is trying to nip across the gap. She seems to be doing it…
12.35: She bridges, but the bunch decides that it’s too dangerous and also gets across. So it’s all together again.
12.39: They are coming to the end of lap four. Orla Hendron (Orwell/Dundrum SC) tries her luck and got clear with one other, but were caught soon afterwards.
12.40: Louise Moriarty (UCD) has jumped away and has 100 metres. She crosses the finish line with two laps to go, and will try to maintain her advantage on the long downhill section.
She’s 15 seconds clear now – very good riding!
12.47: She’s still clear, dangling out front. There’s a breeze today so that will make it hard at times. She’s got between 15 and 20 seconds now, but is in full view of the bunch. She’ll probably hope a couple of riders bridge across.
12.52: Moriarty is doing a superb ride – she’s pulling further ahead. Two riders are chasing but they are quite far back. They are 23 seconds back, with the bunch 45 behind.
12.55: The chasers are Rita Boyle (Slaney CC), who is clear again, and Joanne Hickey (Usher IRC). Moriarty plugs on alone, and appears to be maintaining that lead.
12.58: She’s pulling further and further ahead – really impressive. We’ll get a time check…
13.01: Hmm…the bunch is coming back now. With one kilometre until the end of the penultimate lap, the two chasers have been caught. The bunch is now 25 seconds behind.
There’s going to be fireworks on this uphill section…
13.07: It’s down to sixteen seconds…Moriarty is doing a great ride, but it appears that they are coming back to her, metre by metre.
13.09: Now twelve seconds…the bunch behind is still together…
13.11: With about four kilometres to go, she’s been reeled in. Very brave (and impressive) bid, but it was not to be.
So, will someone else get clear, or is everything going to be together for that draggy final kilometre?
13.15: Orla Hendron (Orwell/Dundrum Shopping Centre) has attacked and passed Moriarty. However she in turn has been passed by Olivia Dillion, who is staking everything on this move in the closing kilometres.
Dillon won the women’s TT champs on Thursday, and wants to make it two golds. However Siobhan Horgan is leading the chase behind…this is gripping stuff!
13.18: Horgan gets across…Adrienne McCarthy (Limerick CC) is chasing, a couple of seconds back, with the bunch close by…
13.21: With approximately three kilometres to go, they have seven seconds…this could be the winning move…
13.22: Still clear heading towards the long drag up to the finish….they are heading towards the 1km to go sign. There’s been a slight stall in the main field, so that will help their chances.
They are working very well together and the gap is between eight and ten seconds…
13.25: Still together...Horgan leads out from a long, long way....
Dillon comes up to her, then goes past...she's sprinting flat-out and pulls away, finishing a couple of lengths clear and winning the title!
We think Fiona Meade took the bronze medal. So Dillon succeeds in her goal of taking time trial and road race titles – chapeau, that’s a great achievement for the US-based rider.
Hard luck to Horgan, who really wanted it but seemed to go a little soon in the gallop.
Ok, took a while but we've got some results - report coming soon. We'll leave it there, switching over to coverage of the vets' champs now...
Thanks for reading!
Women’s road race championships, Collooney, Sligo:
1, Olivia Dillon (Peanut Butter & Co)
2, Siobhan Horgan (ESGL 93)
3, Fiona Meade (St. Finbarr’s)
4, Wendy Bates (Lakeside)
5, Claire Dallat (Carnegie/Caulfield)
6, Adrienne McCarthy (Limerick)
7, Jenny McAuley (Bray)
8, Sarah Franzoni (Lakeside)
9, Geraldine Gill (Bohermeen)
10, Michelle Geoghegan (Moving Ladies)
11, Francine Meehan (Tullamore)
12, Heather Wilson (Maryland Wheelers)