Tourmakeady Race
It was Latvian 1-2 in Tourmakeady, Co Mayo, last night at the local festival race after a last ditch attack was swamped.
Janis Blinovs and Ainars Maskalans, both riding for promoting club Western Lakes CC, took 1st and 2nd on a night when the A1s failed to fire on all cylinders.
The riders faced two laps of a lumpy 25km course, with three climbs on the circuit to be contended with.
It has a handicapped affair, with the A4 limit group having 3½ minutes over the A1 scratch riders from the start.
And in between them were A2 and A3 groups, and it was the latter than did a lot of damage on the night.
The A1s got reasonably well organised on the opening circuit and at the race’s halfway point the gap was down to 2:20.
But the A3s were riding particularly well – the experienced Nigel Forde of Galway Bay CC getting them organised.
And such were their efforts that after catching those ahead of them, the combined A3-A4 group held of the chasers.
A bunch sprint looked on the cards until deep inside the final kilometre when Diarmuid O’Callaghan of Burren CC put in a strong attack.
He pulled out a gap that looked like it just might prove the winning of the race. However, the sprint from the group behind mopped him up.
And it was Blinovs and Maskalans who went passed him first to take victory and the runner-up placing.
Johnny Kelly of Annagh Wheelers was also in the mix, getting past O’Callaghan for 3rd.
O’Callaghan then hung on for 4th place ahead of Bryan Hyland (Westport Covey Wheelers) and John Bird Kelly (Ballintubber CC).
Fri, July 20: Tourmakeady Festival Race
Promoted by Western Lakes CC
1 Janis Blinovs Western Lakes CC
2 Ainars Maskalans Western Lakes CC
3 Johnny Kelly Annagh Wheelers
4 Diarmuid O Callaghan Burren CC
5 Bryan Hyland Westport Covey Wheelers
6 John Bird Kelly Ballintubber CC
