Wheelers ace Campbell scoops All-Ireland medal
DROGHEDA Wheelers rider Ciaran Campbell produced a brilliant effort at last weekend's All-Ireland Youth Underage Championships at Coalisland, Co Tyrone, and returned home with a richly deserved bronze medal.
There were various races in the different categories and age groups, and it seemed that Campbell might scoop gold when the Under-15 Criterium Championship got under way on Saturday afternoon.
Campbell attacked from the drop of the flag and showed strength and courage in maintaining a gap of 12 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.
At the half-way mark he was still clear on his own and it was looking good for this promising young cyclist.
But with two laps remaining there was a powerful surge of pressure from behind and Jason Prendergast from the Covey CC in Mayo bridged the gap and took up the lead.
Going out on the final lap Prendergast had a narrow lead on Campbell, who was fighting hard to hold onto a medal position.
Approaching the final straight it was still Prendergast and Campbell out in front, but in the shadow of the finish line Campbell was caught for second place by Thomas Fallon from the Wolftrap CC in Offaly and had to settle for the bronze medal.
The Drogheda rider said afterwards that he was delighted to win the bronze medal, although slightly disappointed after all of his hard work not to collect the gold. It was his third All-Ireland bronze medal during his short career.
There was more joy for a cyclist with local connections at the championships, as Navan Avonmore Road Club's Ryan Mullen won gold in the Under-16 Time Trial and Road Race championships.
Ryan actually lives in north Wales and regularly travels across with his dad Kevin who also, in his younger days, raced with the Navan Road Club, but Ryan's grandparents hail from just outside Duleek.
In the road race, three young Stamullen Martin Donnelly riders – Danny Bruton, Ciaran O'Connell and Paul Dargle, finished second in the team event behind Covey Wheelers of Mayo and this was a very good show, particularly as these young riders only recently took up racing.
There were other Meath and Louth riders who raced extremely well, without getting into the medals. Young cyclists like James Lynch, Siobhan Murtagh, Megan Lynch and Aidan Wall, all from the Navan Avonmore Road Club, and also Jordan Flood from Cuchulain CC in Dundalk, did themselves proud.
