2012 Inter Varsity Championships

Well, the place to be over the weekend if you were a student and interested in participating in the Inter Varsity Championships was Caffrey's in Batterstown where all the action stemmed from that particular location.

Both the female and male competitors were catered for in both the time trial and the road event.

And, as luck had it, organiser Ian Richardson Trinity along with a well turned out crew of officials took my advice and asked Ryan Sherlock who organised the National Hill Championships in Glendalough, Co. Wicklow last Saturday week for dose of the same conditions. True to the request the sun shone on both events.

Plus the similarity did not end there!

First up was a nine kilometer time trial on and out and home course. As organiser Ian had the dubious task of not alone defending the championship which he won last year. In the end he ran out the winner, but it was a very close call with Paudi O'Brien from Cork Institute of Technology making the journey from his base in Cork to take on all comers. In the end it was Richardson who survived to land the spoils by the narrowest of margins. Paudi was pleased to have put his name up on the board and he extra happy that it was in the CIT colours, 'Normally I am in the club colours of Dan Morrissey Speedy Spokes. I lost a couple of seconds in the last 300 meters as I slowed down, thinking I had crossed the line, but it was mistake as I had that bit extra to travel.

In the ladies section, it was Analise Murphy who held off the challenge of Niamh Stephens to triumph in the race against the clock. Both ladies are students in UCD.

The afternoon session a road race on the familiar ' Lucan Grand Prix' course covering three laps just short of 60 kilometers. The fast course served up a first class contest, but thankfully there were no strong winds to contend with, which would have blown the championship to pieces. Here the defending champion was Charles Prendergast of Galway University, but the arrival on site of Paudi O'Brien of CIT for also the road championship put a different emphasis ion the road event. From the off it was a case over the first lap of sussing out each other with several forays up front. But, it looked as though the favourites were in no mood to concede any advantage which would dim their hopes of that elusive road title of Inter Varsity Champion.

Mid-way through lap two a group of six split the field with a surge of power which took everybody by surprise. Amazingly Prendergast failed to match the forward moved which over the next ten kilometers held an advantage of twenty-eight seconds. Then the elastic snapped and the bunch lost the momentum to keep them in their sights.

All eyes now turned on the champion of two seasons ago Tim O'Regan of DID Dunboyne CC but now in the colours of DCU to gain the upper hand. True to form O'Regan played what he assumed was a master stroke. In the last eight kilometers he dropped off the back and with a sudden burst of acceleration took his breakaway companions by surprise to gain an advantage of a t least two hundred meters . But, O'Brien a well and truly disciplinarian when it came to tactics. Slowly but surely cut down the advantage of the DCU competitor who to all intent and purpose had played a master stroke, but the CIT representative was on a mission to acknowledge the support he receives from the Cork Institute of Technology and eventually clawed the advantage to a no win situation for the DCU competitor.
Then in the closing kilometers it was left to the inevitable Corkonian to unleash the infamous sprint that has brought him many a win in his illustrious career that has now spanned fourteen years from underage right up to the dizzy heights of representative honours on all four continents. Tim was well aware of the firepower O'Brien had and eventually missed out on a podium finish.

Whilst Fiona Guihean (TCD) had an advantage over Niamh Stephens in the road event. Fiona represented Trinity College Dublin whilst Niamh Stephens was in the distinctive colours of UCD.

On hand to present the medals was former great Philip Cassidy of Cycleways who continues to support the students with sponsorship and yesterday was no exception.

RESULTS:

Road Race Mens
1 Paudi O'Brien (CIT);
2 Marc Potts (Queens);
3 Eoin Morton (UCD).

Womens Road Race
1 Fiona Guihean (TCD);
2 Niamh Stephens (UCD).

Mens TT
1 Ian Richardson (TCD);
2 Paud1 O'Brien (CIT);
3 Eoin Morton (UCD).

Womens TT
1 Analise Murphy (UCD);
2 Niamh Stephens (UCD).

Team Prize
UCD.