Under-Age All-Irelands, 2001
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The young members of Kanturk Credit Union
cycling club experienced all the joys and disappointments of sport at this year's All
Ireland under-age cycling championships. There was joy for medal winners Pat Ahern, Kieran
Enright, Gavin Browne and Noreen Curtin, but disappointment for Danny O'Connor and Maurice
O'Brien who both crashed while in medal contention. The two-day championships were held in Glaslough in Co. Monaghan and involved three events - a time-trial and criterium on Saturday, followed by the main road-race event on Sunday. The Kanturk Club got off to a flying start with Danny O'Connor winning the U-15 time trial, Gavin Browne won the U-13 and Pat Aherne came second in the U-12. Noreen Curtin rode well to put the U-13 team into the lead in the team category. The form held good for the criterium but disaster struck on the final road race when Danny O'Connor and Maurice O'Brien both fell at a bad bend. James Saunders was the best overall of a very large U-11 Kanturk contingent, finishing in seventh place. The others in this category were Daniel Roche, Daniel O'Brien, Eoin Leahy, Kieran Kenneally, Ruauri Casey, Elisabeth Ahern, Sharon Enright and Dennis Keane. Pat Ahern was the best U-12, taking silver medal overall, and his other team-mates were Evan Dennehy and Adrian Jordan. The U-13 was the most successful category with Kieran Enright winning gold, Gavin BrowneBronze and Noreen Curtin was the best girl. This performance was good enough to win them the team prize also. Ian Joradan was the fourth man on the team.One of the most pleasing aspects of the U-13 performance was the mature and unselfish tactics used by the team to win the overall team prize.
Maurice O'Brien crashed out of the U-14 event at a corner that claimed a lot of riders and that put paid to his medal hopes. It also unfortunately put paid to the team prize, and Anrdrew Kenneally and Keith Jordan therefor also came home empty handed. Danny O'Connor, one of the best U-15 riders in the country, was also deprived of a medal by the same corner and did well to finish fifth after his crash. Cristopher Higgins was on his own in the U-16 category and was unable to regain the team medal that he won last year. The championships were once again very successful for the Kanturk, coming second in the country in the medal stakes behind Killorglin cycling club. One of the best aspects of this year's championhips was the large number of under 11 riders fielded by the club and the success of the girls.
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