Coastal Challenge 2018

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The annual North Down Cycling Club (NDCC) Costal Challenge event took place on Sunday 17 June. Now in its seventeenth year, this is probably the most popular charity ride in the calendar with some 850 cyclists taking part. The event attracts riders from far and wide, drawn by the wonderfully scenic route around the Ards Peninsula. At 100km long and with relatively few hills, the ride is comfortable for experienced club cyclists, but also a worthwhile challenge for those newer to the sport. As ever, Sunday’s event had a broad range of competitors, with the more experienced providing encouragement for those who needed it. Club Chairman Micky Forbes said “it’s fantastic to welcome so many cyclists to North Down and the feedback from participants has been tremendous”.

Over the last five years, NDCC has raised over £40,000 for local charities and the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Samaritans, St Vincent De Paul, The Salvation Army and Housing Rights. Congratulations to all those who took part, and thanks to the PSNI and the many volunteers who made the day a great success.

Danske Kirkistown Club Races – Round 2 of 5 (30 May 2018)

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There was a magnificent turnout for Round 2 of NDCC’s unique series of races around the Kirkistown motor racing circuit. With near perfect weather conditions, 45 children and 72 adults enjoyed a fantastic evening of safe, fun and competitive racing. Many riders were taking part for the first time, with parents commenting on how much their children loved the experience. In the adult race, some of the neighbouring clubs showed up in force and no prisoners were taken!

Congratulations to Andrew Chivers on winning the adult race and to all the other competitors who took part. Also, thanks to organiser Eric Blayney and his volunteers for staging the event. Round 3 is on 27 June – all welcome.

NDCC’s Rising Star

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North Down Cycling Club’s rising star, young Nathan Keown, recorded his first A3 level race victory at last Saturday’s tough Hilltown GP (organised by the Armagh & Down Cycling Club). Nathan has been racing hard all season and a top spot on the podium was both inevitable and richly deserved. The race was four laps of a hilly 20km circuit, with a long finishing climb of approximately 5km into Hilltown, that played to Nathan’s strengths. Commenting on the race, he said “I rode more tactically than usual and stayed further back in the bunch for most of the race to conserve some energy. On the final lap I was well positioned on the lower part of the climb and a small group of us broke away from the peloton. On the steeper approach to the finish line there was just two of us fighting it out and I just had enough energy left to clinch the win”.

At just 17 years old, Nathan is a prodigious cycling talent and destined for a top class career in the sport. This year he is riding a new lightweight Vitus Vitesse bike, kindly sponsored by Chain Reaction Cycles Boucher Road. Saturday’s win earns Nathan enough points to be upgraded to A2 status and we look forward to hearing of further success in the rest of the season.

Images Courtesy of The Belgian Project.

200 Mile Race!

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Ever considered entering a 200-mile, non-stop cycle race through Donegal, the Sperrin mountains and along the Antrim coast back to Londonderry? Probably not, but North Down Cycling Club’s endurance athlete Louise Togneri took on this new challenge and was the first woman to cross the finish line – a magnificent achievement!

This inaugural race was organised by the legendary cyclist Joe Barr, with riders required to complete the 200-mile route solo, but with a support vehicle and a crew of two. After a rigorous safety check and the installation of GPS tracking technology, Louise set off at 8.00 on Saturday morning (28 April).

Louise said, “the first 70 miles went well, I was making good time and felt strong but I knew the hardest sections were still to come”. After 85 miles Louise had a quick stop for food in Strabane, but there was still 115 miles to go – including some 60 miles of hard climbing in the Sperrins. The scenery was beautiful but with rain, hail and wind, Louise was cold, wet and tired. Digging deep, she made a big push for the finish – still about 50 miles along the scenic Antrim coast. She added, “this was the most difficult time for me, fatigue set in and I had aches and pains all over. My support crew [NDCC members John Hunter and Douglas Ruddock] were brilliant, making sure I ate properly and providing much needed motivation – I couldn’t have done it without them!”

Louise was welcomed across the finish line as the leading female competitor, in darkness, in an impressive time of 15 hours 29 minutes. She was delighted to complete this super tough physical and mental challenge, and huge congratulations from all at NDCC.

Tour of Ulster preview 2018

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This May Bank Holiday weekend will see NDCC’s top riders compete in the prestigious Tour of Ulster road race. This is one of Ireland’s most long established races (1957), with this year’s event attracting elite riders from across Ireland and the UK.

From a base in Banbridge Co Down, the organisers have put together a really tough 3 stage race. Stage One is a 111-mile anticlockwise loop of Lough Neagh, taking in 4 categorised climbs, including a final KOH in Rathfriland. Stage Two really is one for the climbers with 100 miles of racing taking in Sleive Croob, Spelga, Castlewellan and the most difficult climb of the race, the Cat 1 at the Windy Gap. Stage 3 is a fast 10-mile circuit covered 7 times – starting and finishing in Banbridge

Best of luck to our talented five-man team – Keith Phillips, Javan Nulty, Andrew Chivers, Stuart Henry and Timmy Burns. NDCC rider David Hamilton will also be racing as he guest rides for Carn Wheelers.

Hopefully many members will take time over the holiday weekend to support the guys, so look out for further details about the race on Facebook.

Participation in these high profile events is made possible by the volunteering effort of numerous club members and the support from our loyal sponsors – Reid Black Solicitors, Chain Reaction Cycles, The Independent Group of Companies, Bow Bells Restaurant Donaghadee, Bokhara Restaurant Bangor, Downeys KIA Newtownards and Powerhouse Sport.