Wallace Caldwell Memorial Road Race This Saturday

Monday, March 18, 2013
This Saturday, 23rd March, Ballymena Road Club – Chain Reaction cycles – will promote their annual Wallace Caldwell memorial road race at Galgorm.This season’s race is being held on just the fifth weekend of the 2013 season and most of the riders will be facing their first major scratch race of the year as the season to date has been made up of relatively short and flat events.
 
Saturday will prove to be an excellent dress rehearsal for those seeking success in the big Easter showcase event – the P&O Ferries Tour of the North stage race which follows just six days later - (Friday 29th March – Monday 1st April)  Sponsorship boost for Caldwell road race.Ballymena Road Club cyclists received a boost for this weekend’s Wallace Caldwell memorial road race when two sponsorship cheques were presented to the club. Ben Morrow of Woodside’s Chemists on Church Street and Jonathan Keys of J and R Keys tile shop, Castle Street, have both given their financial backing to the event which has been an annual fixture on the NI racing calendar for forty-six years.Ben Morrow is himself an established racing cyclist and has taken part in the Caldwell race on many occasions over the years.
 
The support of these two generous sponsors will mean that the event will again carry a generous prize list which includes a £100 prize for the first rider home.There will be prizes for the first six finishers, as well as category awards for A2, A3 junior, veteran and ladies. Ballymena RC riders who don’t qualify for a top six or category award will have three additional "BRC Club prizes” to race for.
 
The race starts from Galgorm and follows a route to Ahoghill, Portglenone, Maghera, Garvagh, Ringsend and then the tough climb to the Cam forest.Then it’s a fast downhill sweep to the outskirts of Limavady before turning right and the even tougher climb up to the Springwell forest.Then it’s on towards Coleraine before turning right on to the Garvagh road and left through Aghadowey to the Brown Trout. The final miles take in Kilrea, Clady and Portglenone before the final test up Tully climb and on through Ahoghill to the Galgorm finish, a total distance of 78 miles. The event usually finishes between 2.00 and 2.10pm.
 
Ballymena Road Club – Chain Reaction Cycles – have a full field of eighty riders and a reserve list of ten riders for the Wallace Caldwell memorial. The Ballymena Road Club entry includes Michael Carroll, Matthew Brennan, Ryan Currie, Karl Taylor, Simon Taggart, Chris Beattie and Hall Booth.
Amongst the favourites are former winner Gary Cranston (Madigan) and his team mate Glen Kinning who is a former winner of the Red Hand Trophy. Thomas Martin (Eurocycles) Simon Williams (Orchard) and James McMaster (Curran) are also on the entry list. Former BRC members Conor and Leo McAlister (CRC Vitus) have also entered but are currently on the reserve list.
Last year’s race was won by Dubliner Ryan Sherlock of Cycleways. BRC associate member Leo McAllister was seventh, while Ryan Connor was best for BRC in twelfth.Hugh McCullough is appealing for race marshalls and feels that help may be in short supply as many club members assume that the organisation of the event is being looked after solely by the race committee, which is not the case.
 Please make yourself available to assist, contact Hugh on 07743 240 975 2012
 
RESULTS
 (1) Ryan Sherlock (Cyclesways) 3 hours 8 minutes 53 seconds (2) Fraser Duncan (Eurocycles) 3.09.08 (3) Gary Cranston (East Antrim) 3.09.47 (4) Mark Buchanan (North Pole) 3.09 49 (5) Thomas Martin (Eurocycles) st (6) Liam Curran (Curran Racing) 3.10.28 (7) Leo McAllister (Chain Reaction) (8) Desi Foley (Phoenix) (9) Declan McCartney (Roe Valley) (10) James McMaster (Curran Racing) all same time