Carn Jnr Marc Heaney on the Podium at Spires GP
07 March 2015
On Saturday 7th March, Carn Wheelers had their biggest turn out of the season for the local Spires GP, with the conditions improving from the wintry weather of late it this was a sell out race and the Carn men were looking to lay down an early marker for the race season.
A1-A2-A3-Jnr Race
First off were the A3/Jnr riders with Nikki, Barry, Eunan, Mickey, and Marc, with a 5 min gap back to the A1/A2's, Johnny and Joe. Halfway through the first lap Nikki broke away opening up a clear gap on the group, but by the end of the second lap Marc and Aaron Swan (NRPT) had made it across to form a 3 man break.
When the A3 bunch was brought to a standstill by Commissarie Peter Field after issuing severe warnings about riding over the white line, the A1/A2 bunch arrived just as the Commissaire restarted the race.
The conditions were wet and windy with alot of dirt on the roads, but this didn't stop the attacks from the bunch and a small group including Johnny managed to open up a gap and start to make their way over to the leaders. With 3 Carn men up the road the rest of the guys in the bunch did their best to control and disrupt the bunch from getting any rhythm going. The break did manage to stay away and as the leaders came up to the finish Marc was in a really strong position and was just piped to the line by a very strong and in form rider Craig Rea Phoenix CC), finishing second just ahead of Angus Fyffe (Omagh Wheelers). Johnny also finished in the points with a 7th place and Nikki not far behind in the top 10 but just outside the points. All 3 riders put in a massive effort and are looking in great form for the start of the racing season after a hard winters training. The rest of the guys finished safely in the bunch and some even decided to pull up early with the job done, and rest themselves for the Sundays McCann cup.
Next up was the A4 race
Padraig, Aidan, Dean, Daryll, Gerard, Johnny, Stephen, Shane, and Mairead all lined up for the next race.
The race started off fast but there was a crash halfway through the first lap on roads made greasy by some light rainfall. Some Carn men were caught up in this but thankfully while blood and skin may have been left on the road as a reminder there were no serious injuries although a few abandoned at this point. The crash did splinter the field and those caught up in it had little chance to get back on. The crash seemed to have slowed the bunch somewhat as the pace dropped although there were strong and gusty winds in play. Johnny finished in an impressive 7thplace building upon his point and looking strong for an upgrade soon. Shane was the only other Carn Wheeler to complete the race after being caught up in the crash.
It's great to see so many Carn men and woman racing and with the weather taking a turn for the better and we are sure to see a few more turn out in the coming weeks. Thanks to Spires CC who promoted an excellent event and the homemade soup and hot sausage rolls went down very well with an endless array of sandwiches and tray bakes. Well done to all at Spires CC.
