<Apologies – I missed out Darren Tombs initially, who was 4th Ards rider. The points table below has now been updated. Alastair Martin, 13/5/2015>
Despite a cold wind and the threat of showers, 43 riders signed on for tonight’s second club road race at Carrowdore. There was a stronger scratch group than at Orlock two weeks ago, and it was great to see a couple of Ards riders in there mixing it with the likes of Fraser Duncan (ASEA). Given this extra strength, the handicappers decided to increase the gaps, with the front group getting 5 minutes on the middle markers, and a further 3 minutes on scratch.
All groups worked well together, with scratch only catching the middle markers on the fourth lap, and the front group holding on until the start of the last lap. Everything was set for a thrilling showdown – the sort of bunch finish that judges love! Luckily enough rays of sunshine came out to activate the trusty club video camera…
The clear winner was David Fowler (Northern) from team mate Mark Kane. There was a tight sprint for third, with Paul Ferguson (North Down) just getting the better of James Ambrose (North Down) and first Ards rider Wayne Scott. Rounding out the top 6 was Mark Thompson (North Down).
Wayne’s ride means he takes over from Paul McMinn at the top of the Ards CC handicap road race points table. It was good to see some more new Ards CC names scoring points this week, with Robin Wilson getting 2nd Ards, and David McCamley 3rd Ards. There is still all to play for with four races still to come, and a rider’s best 4 performances counting.
| Place | Name | 28/4 | 12/5 | 2/6 | 30/6 | 28/7 | 18/8 | Total |
| 1 | Wayne Garrett | 5 | 10 | 15 | ||||
| 2 | Paul McMinn | 10 | 10 | |||||
| 3= | Richard Topping | 7 | 7 | |||||
| 3= | Robin Wilson | 7 | 7 | |||||
| 5 | David McCamley | 5 | 5 | |||||
| 6= | Barry Mitchell | 3 | 3 | |||||
| 6= | Darren Tombs | 3 | 3 | |||||
| 8= | Peter Scott | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 8= | Geoff Brennan | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 10= | Alex Porter | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 10= | Gareth Murray | 1 | 1 |
As always, thanks to all the marshals, handicappers and judges who made the race possible this evening. And check out Facebook later for some of David McVeigh’s great photos.
Finally, a couple of reminders –
The Champion of Champions time trial is this Sunday on the Portaferry Road, with first rider off at 10am. This event has an amazing history, with World Champion and Hour record holder Graeme Obree winning it twice, and Olympic and World Champion Chris Boardman winning it once. Why not come down and take part, or just soak up the atmosphere?
Next week, we give our officials a rest – there is a club run instead of a club race. All welcome – if there is a big group we might split into a couple of smaller runs and practice group riding.