Castlebar CC’s Karl Benson added the Mayo cycling league to his list of wins, the young sprinter won three of the nine rounds, beating some experienced seniors on the way, the league itself was a real hot bed for recruiting talent with quite a few new finds. The hill climb win by Con Doherty (Westport ) on the last round with Cale Coen (Castlebar ) second and fourth placed Sean Flynn (Westport ) in the same event highlight the talent coming through the ranks.
In the overall Benson beat veteran rider Padraig Marrey from Ballinrobe with another veteran Chris Troy (Newport ) in third.
The league attracted 125 riders from eight different clubs meaning the competition was fierce, all abilities were catered for courtesy of the handicap system. This year’s league broke new ground by adding a time trial at the start, a team time trial in the middle and a hill climb at the end of the league, along with six handicap road races meaning the winner had to be a real all rounder, Benson fits the bill perfectly and the future looks bright ahead for him. In the club competition Castlebar CC also prevailed beating Westport Covey Wheelers and Western Lakes CC.
In the ladies’ competition Westport’s Noreen O’Toole was crowned queen of the Mayo league with five wins to her credit, Mayo cycling is trying hard to encourage more women to take up cycle racing, and with 11 women taking part in the league this category can only grow from here. Like all leagues they can only go ahead with the help of marshals and volunteers, Mayo cycling is lucky to have a good relationship with the Garda and the Order of Malta thus building a good foundation.
The likes of Jimmy Durcan and Mick Reidy did Trojan work to make the races as safe as possible with decked out cars and safety equipment, John Brennan, Noel Brady, and Brian O’Loughlin made sure the races were organised under the rules of Cycling Ireland and all the clubs provided the infrastructure to make the races happen in their area. On Friday September 27 at 7.30pm at Tom Bourke’s bar Castlebar Street, Westport, the Mayo Cycling League will hold its annual presentation night. All the Mayo championship and league winners will receive their prizes on the night.
