So UCD get their first open race win of the season with the Stage 2 win by Ciaran on Saturday in the Tain Team Tour in Dundalk. The weekend started with the red carpet treatment for the teams star rider and ex captain, Niall (the banker) Dwyer.
He rode his heart out for the team on the 30km team TT which placed them 10th out of the 12 teams in the race. The rest of the team was made up of Al and Eoin who cycled the 40km to the start of the TT as if the race wasn't tough enough.
That night the dinner table was awash with excitement and discussion of tactics for the following days 100km road race. The race started off very fast and Al was suffering from some stomach issues having had an extra hour in bed and taking a late breakfast. He rode hard the night before and was participating in his first race of the season. He is truly a warrior!
The stage went well for UCD as a group got away on the half way climb and with Ciaran being the only UCD rider in it he was tactically able to sit on the group which contained teams with 2 or 3 riders in it. They had a huge incentive to keep the break clear and it ended up crossing the line with a 5 min gap. With 1km to go 2 riders broke clear and Ciaran bridged across to them, then attacked alone for the final 500m winning with fresh legs.The day featured heavy rain but it never dampened the teams spirits.
The team enjoyed the evening and watching the Dubs win too. The next day Niall was clearly tired at breakfast from the work the day before where he and Eoin both got a top 20 on the stage. The final stage featured the Ras climb of Long womans Grave which witnessed a huge pull on the front by Eoin dropping the bunch down to 25 riders. We then got to the final climb of the day, the 7.3% 7km climb of Cooley Mtn the lead group had a 4min gap and wouldnt be caught but Ciaran was in the first group of 3 riders at the summit finish, behind the leaders. Niall came in for 18th on the stage having been aggressive throughout and attacking 10km from the climb to have a minute lead at the bottom. Overall UCD finished joint 6th in the team prize and the riders had a great weekend and another trophy for the ever expanding cabinet. We would like to thank Mil for his support on the weekends racing.
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