Promoters wishing to submit results should send them to cyclingnews
By Tommy Campbell, Irish Independent/Evening Herald/Sunday Independent
Bray Wheelers Cycling Club who will be organising (Shay Elliott) the first single day Union Cyliste Internationale event in Ireland kicked off their promotional season yesterday when they held the traditional Christy McManus Trophy in Roundwwod.
This event has been a feature of the clubs activities for the last number of years.
Held in a most scenic part of County Wicklow, which is regarded as the "Garden of Ireland" the event attracted a large entry and conditions were ideal for the 80km.
Held over two laps of an undulating course last year's winner Sean Bracken of the Usher Irish Rod Club duly obliged again.
Sean was very familiar with the course and used his expertise to chalk out a winning move. The lead group were in some way fortunate to have passed a group of horses on there way through Annamoe, but unfortunately the bunch were not so fortunate. The colours made the horses act up and caused the chasers to take corrective action, as did handlers of the horses. Thus giving the impetus for the leaders to hammer home their advantage.
In the sprint at the finish in Roundwood, which is the highest village in Ireland, the Usher IRC competitor was head and shoulders above his companions.
The event was sponsored by Duff's of Bray, which has the largest cycling memorabilia in Ireland and if not in the world, which is housed in a public house. The pub was visited by most of the world's cycling press when they were in Ireland for the '98 start of the Tour de France in Ireland where the proprietor, Ken Duff was an excellent host.
1 S. Bracken (Usher IRC) 2 P. Freeman (Navan Road Club) 3 J. Mason BH Racing) 4 J. Ryan (Staggs, Lucan) 5 C. Sexton (Bray Wheelers) 6 K. Norgrove (Dublin Wheelers) First C: J. Cruise (Bray Wheelers). First Lady: J. McDarby (Usher IRC). First Junior: S. Enright (Usher IRC).