WET, WINDY AND cold weather conditions on narrow muddy roads saw the two local riders do battle against a top class field of up to 80 riders from as far away as Belgium and the UK’s finest.
Amanda Gallagher (pictured above left) from Gweedore and Caldwell Cycles Omagh and Conor Halvey, Letterkenny and Errigal CC traveled to Perth for the Junior Tour of Scotland as part of the National Irish Youth Talent Team.
The team was made up of four boys and three girls namely Halvey, Adam Ward (Omagh Wheelers, Co Tyrone) Mark Smith (Skyway, Co Louth) and Aaron Doherty (Covey Wheelers, Co Mayo) and the girls comprised of Gallagher and Orla Desmond (Galtee Wheelers, Mallow, Co Cork) and Meave Gallagher (Castlebar Wheelers, Co Mayo).
The weekend’s racing composed of four stages, two road races a time-trial and a Criterium for the final stage on the Monday.
The girls were the first off each day fielding up to 60 riders on day one followed by the boys with just over eighty competitors on the start line on day one.
With the wet conditions and narrow roads there were sure to be some coming together and there was crashes galore in all races.
Gallagher got held up by a major pile up on the first stage and clawed her way back through the field to the main bunch and finished in the pack, day two and the time-trial being her favorite where she fared much better and finished the weekend without any mishap.
Halvey (pictured in third place above) avoided a large crash on his first stage and came away with a third place finish on stage three and finished just outside the top 10 on the final stage.
This brought the Irish squad well up in the GC standings and may well have done much better but for Adam being involved in a crash on the last stage and Aaron having to withdraw from the same stage with a mechanical.
All riders finished without injury and now looking forward to the next big race which is Ras Na Nog held just outside Drogheda,Co Louth in one week’s time.
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