TOUR OF ARDS ROAD RACE

The racing season is well under way and Saturday saw the first of the local Classics being run on the Ards Peninsula. The Tour of Ards is one of the oldest road races in the country and has been won by some great names in local cycling, Martyn Irvine, Ross Blayney and Mark Kane to name but a few. With the weather taking a turn for the better, a full field rolled over the start line, with North Down being very well represented in the form of the two Daves, Watson and Hamilton, James Ambrose, Keith Phillips, Mark Thompson and Willy Larmour.

Dave Hamilton ToA Prime Sprint Winner 2016

Always a fast and testing course, this year’s route did not fail to produce some impressive racing. Making its way to Portaferry, battling a strong headwind, it took an attack by three riders,

including Dave Hamilton to really get the race started. Despite reaching speeds of 40mph, the trio was joined by a small chasing group, which stayed away from the main bunch, with Roger Aiken from Team ASEA taking the honours in an exciting sprint at the finish in Ards. Dave Hamilton NDCC, finished 6^th with Dave Watson 11^th.

Watson and Hamilton were again in the mix on Sunday at the Boyne GP, hosted by Drogheda Wheelers, which was eventually won by local man Adam Armstrong. Despite having ridden so strongly the day before, both Daves managed credible top ten finishes. Also of note, was Andrew Chivers finishing 9^th in the A3 race.

THE TOUR OF THE NORTH

The Tour of the North is for the first time in its history being hosted entirely on the Ards Peninsula. This race attracts teams from GB, Europe and Ireland and is seen as one of the most prestigious races in the country. Running from the 25^th-28^th March, the five stages will put the riders through their paces, with some writing cheques their legs just won’t cash!

Current champion, NDCC rider Dave Watson will want to retain his crown relying on the home advantage and a strong NDCC team to assist him. The team regularly trains on these roads, so they will know all the best places to make moves and hopefully provide some great racing over the four days. With the race being so accessible, it will be great to see as many members as possible out supporting their clubmen. The organizers have also requested assistance for marshaling duties, so if you would like to help please get in touch with them.

As always, for updates on club events please refer to the website or Facebook page.

Images courtesy of Sam Carson.
Words courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO

The 2016 NDCC Bangor Coastal Challenge is now open for entries!

For 2016 the Coastal Challenge will be supporting the following charities….

• Samaritans
• St Vincent de Paul
• Salvation Army
• Riding for the Disabled
• NI Children’s Hospice
• Cancer Fund for Children

NDCC are proud to offer a scenic coastal route of 100km around the Ards Peninsula which has few inclines and takes a break in Portaferry for lunch. So whether you are a serious cyclist or a novice wanting to cycle the distance for the first time the NDCC Bangor Coastal Challenge is the event for you! The Challenge starts and finishes on the Old Belfast Road at the Bangor Sportsplex which has ample car parking and changing facilities. En-route there will be water stations, a “broom wagon” for breakdowns etc. and the event will be overseen by local police assisted by an experienced team of marshalls, with motorcycle paramedics and ambulance back-up. All finishers within the time limit of 8 hours will receive a specially commissioned commemorative T-Shirt.

Are your kids up for the challenge also???

If they are …… then welcome to the first year of our great Charity cycle sub event, NDCC Kids PedalToPickie Challenge

!!NEW FOR 2016!!

Running in conjunction with the NDCC Bangor Coastal Challenge, this new event for 2016 is an oppurtuinty for kids to cycle on public roads (with a rowling road block & marshalled by NDCC & PSNI) from Bangor Sportsplex to Pickie Fun Park where there is a fun filled morning planned thanks to the Ards & North Down Council.

There is a fee of £5 per child which includes, Train ride, Swan pedelos, bouncy castles (weather permitting), Ice Cream and a goodie bag!

Sign Up HERE for NDCC Coastal Challenge

Sign Up HERE for Kids PedalToPickie

NDCC celebrated the official opening of their new clubrooms after the long anticipated wait on Saturday 27th February 2016.

There was a great presence of Young, Old & New members including one of the founder members of the club, also present were club sponsors and the Ards and North Down Mayor as guest of honour.

The NDCC Committee would like to thank all who made time to attend one of the best milestone events in the club history!

A few images follow below thanks to Club Member Terry Nicoletti

FIRST RACE, FIRST WIN

The road racing season began this weekend with the Phoenix GP held on the testing Nutts Corner circuit. The early start to the season in Ireland always means you are taking a risk with the weather and it did not fail to disappoint, being a cold, drizzly kind

Timmy Burns takes P2 in the Phoenix GP A4 Race!

of day. North Down CC were represented in the all the categories but had success in the A3 and A4 races.
NDCC imposed itself on its competitors with Timmy Burns, a relatively new member of the club, taking a credible second place in the A4 race in what was an exciting sprint for the line. He held his nerve and despite being able to see the finish line for a considerable distance judged his move well, just missing out on the top spot. With racing like this, it will not be long before Timmy gets upgraded to A3.

Joash Lawrence winner of A3 Race at Phoenix GP

However, it was junior rider Joash Lawrence who stole the day. A very talented, personable young man held in very high regard by his peers and clubmen, the Cycling Ulster rider took a fantastic win in the A3 race. Joash, the recipient of last years NDCC Bursary, stormed away from the race to win with a magnificent solo effort, made even better by his delighted mum being at the finish line supporting her son. More impressive still, is that Joash has to use restricted gears against older, more experienced riders. The hard winter training he has put in, aside from his A Level studies, has paid off and justified his dedication to the sport. Safe to say, Joash should have a very successful 2016 racing season.

KEEP SAFE

Cycling has seen a huge rise in its popularity in the last few years, and the North Down/Ards Peninsula area is no different. Unfortunately, there are those who see cyclists as a menace, who get in their way. I wrote a few weeks back, that we are all just trying to get somewhere and no ones journey is more important than another’s. On Saturday, one of our riders, whilst returning home from his club run and riding alone, was assaulted by a passenger in a car with a pellet gun, but thankfully he was not injured. However, this could have had more serious consequences. On the same day, two other members riding single file were almost forced off the Groomsport coast road by a motorist showing no patience, narrowly missing oncoming traffic. On Sunday, a driver slowed down beside a club member just to verbally abuse him. Whilst cyclists are not without blame, these types of incident are without justification.

NEW CLUBROOMS GRAND UNVEILING

As mentioned last week, the new clubrooms at Bangor Sportsplex are open for business. The official unveiling will occur on Saturday 27th February between 2pm and 4pm. Guests of honour will be the Mayor of Ards & North Down and our many sponsors. Members of the club are welcome to come and attend.

CHAIN REACTION OPEN NIGHT

Just a reminder that CRC are having a club discount night on Tuesday 3rd March, at the Boucher Road Flagship store. Be sure to come along and bag some bargains.

Words courtesy of Michael McMullan – NDCC PRO
Some images of NDCC @ Phoenix GP courtesy of Sam Carson Photography.

The old red-bricked building in Park Drive, affectionately referred to as the Tardis, had been the home of NDCC for 35yrs and has seen many members come through its doors – some of whom are still with us. It was deceptive in size, in need of TLC, but it had character and was used to its full potential, as a youth club on Fridays where pool and snooker were a distraction from the next day’s race, for turbo training and holding functions. Alas, the clubroom has seen better years and is no long fit for purpose. Park Drive will forever be part of our history and remembered with affection and nostalgia.

However, the long anticipated opening of the new NDCC clubrooms is over. After many months of waiting, our patience has been rewarded with a great new facility at the Bangor Sportsplex, Old Belfast Road. It has a fully equipped gym and separate training room, showers and changing rooms. The clubrooms are already being used for yoga and spin bike classes, so if you want to join in, go to the website and use the Support Calendar to register your interest.

On Saturday 27th February from 2pm-4pm, the club is holding an official Open Day, when we will he hosting the Ards and North Down Mayor and our club sponsors. Club members are invited to come along and have a look, please wear your club kit if cycling to it, and light refreshments are being provided by the Bokhara. If you are interested in joining NDCC, why not come along and see what’s on offer.