The annual Ballymena Road Club – Chain Reaction Cycles – Reliability Trials will be held this Sunday 27th January when it is expected that cyclists from all over Northern Ireland will assemble at Rex Bonar House for the 10am start. Everyone will be hoping for better weather conditions than those experienced last weekend, whenever snow and slippery road surfaces severely curtailed local cycling activities.
Registration for Sunday’s event will commence at 9am with an entry fee of £10 being charged. The entrants will divided into two groups with a choice of two distances of 53 miles and 75 miles.
The racing men’s group face a 75 miles ride, which will take in Antrim, Greystone, Templepatrick, The Longshot to Ballyrobert, then Mossley, Greenisland, Woodburn, Kilroot, Glynn, Larne and the pit stop at Ballygally.
Then it is on around the coast road and home via Glenarm, Carnlough and Glencloy before the fast run in through the Braid to Broughshane and back to base, where hot showers and post event refreshments await. This group averaged 19.5 mph last year.
The touring section’s 53 miles ride has a target speed of 16mph and their route will take them out the Larne Road towards Glenwherry and then right on to Ballynashee road and on to Ballyeaston and the Lower Ballyboley road to Kilwaughter and on to the pit stop at Ballygally, where toilet facilities are available. Anyone who doesn’t want to ride as slowly as 16mph are advised to join the faster "A” group, or else just content themselves with the slower pace of the touring group.
Cycling Ulster require that riders, who are intending to take part, have already applied for their 2013 Cycling Ireland membership. Those who haven’t received their membership card are requested to present a letter from their club secretary stating that they had applied for their licence. In recent seasons the racing licences haven’t usually been received until the first weekend of racing in late February, although this year I know of many "early applicants” who have already received their membership cards in the post, these having been issued directly from Dublin.