NORTH DOWN’S NEW STARS SHINE
The current cycling race season is only three weeks old but already North Down Cycling Club has two new names to add to its roster of successful riders following the P J Logan Cup races at Coalisland last Sunday. The encouraging aspect of these performances is that both riders, Rachel Mitchell and Mark Irvine are both only 19 years old.
FIRST WIN
Rachel Mitchell is not a stranger to the winner’s podium, having had a series of wins in the last few years as a track cyclist. In fact in 2009 she set new national records as a junior in the Irish championships but although Rachel has trained on the road she has only recently embarked on a road racing programme as a senior. Cycling Ulster is working hard to promote races for women and there have been regular turnouts of over 20 riders at early season races. As a relative novice on the road racing scene, Rachel could have picked a more friendly course than the Coalisland promotion with its demanding, hilly roads. The race was split into two groups with Rachel in the limit group. The more experienced riders in the scratch group would normally have been confident of reeling in the limit group but the group rode with great determination and at the end an early, uphill sprint for the line looked as though it might backfire but Rachel hung on to take the victory ahead of Lisa Mann (Roe Valley) .
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