Armagh City Cyclists

Emyvale GP – Race Report 🚴‍♂️

Club racers Caolan Daly and Gareth McFarland travelled to Monaghan to compete in the C3 race.

The Emyvale GP is always a big day on the cycling calendar, and Emyvale CC once again put on a fantastic event. The fast-flowing circuit made for an exciting race, with a short, steep climb up to the finish providing a tough final challenge.

A great result for the club, with Caolan taking an excellent 4th place, securing his promotion to C2 next year. 👏 Gareth also put in a strong performance, finishing 7th.

Another brilliant day out for ACC, with both riders putting in a strong showing. 💪

A big thanks to Emyvale Cycling Club for hosting a fantastic event and to everyone involved in making the day such a success.

Well done, Caolan and Gareth! 👏🚴‍♂️

Dany Blondeel 📸

🚨 IMPORTANT – ENTRY CLARIFICATION 🚨
Just to clarify, the race is open to everybody – you do not have to be a Cycling Ulster member to enter and race.
🏁 Cycling Ireland points are up for grabs in all races.
🏅 However, only Cycling Ulster members are eligible to compete for the Ulster Championship medals.
So if you’re not a Cycling Ulster member, you can still enter, race and earn Cycling Ireland points.
Get your entry in and we’ll see you on the Killylea Circuit on 6th September! 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️💪

Only one week to go

🏆 ULSTER ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026 🏆
We’re delighted to announce that Armagh City Cyclists will host the 2026 Cycling Ulster Road Race Championships on Sunday 6th September, on our Killylea Circuit. 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️ same as last year's RR
After Cycling Ulster had to find a new venue at short notice, we’re proud to have stepped up and take on the challenge of hosting this prestigious event.
This year’s Championships will see Gold, Silver and Bronze Ulster Championship medals awarded across the following categories, subject to the required entries:
🔵 Senior Men & Women
🔵 Junior Men & Women
🔵 Men: M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65, M70 & M75
🔵 Women: WM40, WM45, WM50, WM55, WM60, WM65, WM70 & WM75
It promises to be a fantastic day of racing, with some of the best riders from across Ulster competing for the coveted Ulster Champion’s medal. 🏅
📅 Sunday 6th September 2026
📍 Killylea Circuit
🚴 Hosted by Armagh City Cyclists
Please see the attached manual for more detailed information about race times, New HQ, entries and the event programme.
A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to make an event like this happen, and we’re looking forward to welcoming riders, clubs, supporters and spectators to Armagh.
Save the date – it’s going to be a big one! 💪🚴‍♂️🏆

Now open for registration via Eventmaster: https://eventmaster.ie/event/25ORf2qc0z
The Race Manual can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/4v4h7uwm

🏆 ULSTER ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026 🏆
We’re delighted to announce that Armagh City Cyclists will host the 2026 Cycling Ulster Road Race Championships on Sunday 6th September, on our Killylea Circuit. 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️ same as last year's RR
After Cycling Ulster had to find a new venue at short notice, we’re proud to have stepped up and take on the challenge of hosting this prestigious event.
This year’s Championships will see Gold, Silver and Bronze Ulster Championship medals awarded across the following categories, subject to the required entries:
🔵 Senior Men & Women
🔵 Junior Men & Women
🔵 Men: M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65, M70 & M75
🔵 Women: WM40, WM45, WM50, WM55, WM60, WM65, WM70 & WM75
It promises to be a fantastic day of racing, with some of the best riders from across Ulster competing for the coveted Ulster Champion’s medal. 🏅
📅 Sunday 6th September 2026
📍 Killylea Circuit
🚴 Hosted by Armagh City Cyclists
Please see the attached manual for more detailed information about race times, New HQ, entries and the event programme.
A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to make an event like this happen, and we’re looking forward to welcoming riders, clubs, supporters and spectators to Armagh.
Save the date – it’s going to be a big one! 💪🚴‍♂️🏆

Now open for registration via Eventmaster: https://eventmaster.ie/event/25ORf2qc0z
The Race Manual can be viewed here: https://tinyurl.com/4v4h7uwm

Armagh City Cyclists are hosting this year’s Ulster Championship Road Race on the Killlea Circuit from their new HQ at Drumsallen Primary School on Sunday 6th September.

More information and registration details to follow.

🚴‍♂️ Newry 3 Day 🚴‍♂️

What a weekend of racing!

Neil Rafferty, Colum Mackle, Niall Daly and Caolan Daly took on the Newry 3 Day, with three tough stages and plenty of action along the way.

Friday – Stage 1
The racing got underway at a blistering pace on the carriageway circuit before the final lap tackled the Greenan Road climb. Unfortunately, Caolan punctured near the top and had to take a service wheel, losing valuable time. Neil, Colum and Niall all safely finished in the bunch.

Saturday – Stage 2
It was straight into the brutal Rathfriland circuit, featuring four climbs of the infamous Rathfriland Wall.

Colum animated the race by making the day’s 10-man breakaway. The group worked brilliantly and held off the race favourites, including the yellow jersey, for much of the stage. After a huge ride, cramp got the better of Colum on the penultimate lap, but it was a cracking effort. He slipped back to the 2nd group on the road and still managed a top 20.

With Caolan’s time loss on Friday, all eyes turned to Niall in the battle for the C3 orange jersey. Neil and Caolan rode selflessly all day, keeping him in the perfect position. By the finish, Niall was level on time with the orange jersey, setting up a winner-takes-all final stage.

Sunday – Stage 3 ⛰️⛰️
Four laps of Kilcoo followed by the climbs of Reed Hall, Elm Hall and the summit finish at Spelga Dam… it was always going to come down to the final climb.

The lads rode brilliantly as a team, with Neil, Colum and Caolan emptying the tank to keep Niall in contention. Niall gave everything on the climb and, while it wasn’t quite enough to claim the orange jersey, he came away with a fantastic 3rd Overall in the C3 classification. 💪 the team finished 4th in Team Placing also!

A brilliant weekend all round. Everyone made it home safely, there are plenty of positives to take away, and of course a few “what ifs” to chat about over a coffee!

👏 Congratulations to all the stage, classification and jersey winners.

A massive thank you to NewryWheelers CyclingClub for putting on another fantastic event. It’s a credit to everyone involved, and we’ll definitely be back next year!

📸 Dany Blondeel & Jerome Rafferty

What a weekend for Armagh City Cyclists at Jeep Mondello24 in Mondello Park. 🚴‍♂️🔥

Winners of 4 person and 8 person event catergories! 🏆 🏆

4 person team - Kevin McKinney (Cup&Cone), Neil Raffery, Colum Mackle, Caolan Daly
8 person team (6 riders) - Tommy McCague (Emyvale CC), Gary Lyons, Raymond Murray, Niall Daly, Dermot Kerr, Neil Mallon (CCW)

Our 8-man team dominated from the start, controlling their race for the full 24 hours and taking victory by an incredible 19 laps.

263 laps | 912.61km | equal current course record

The 4-man race was an all-out battle with Comeragh CC and Dunboyne CC from start to finish. An early puncture left us chasing, but through grit, teamwork, and determination, we fought our way back into contention.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, we made the decisive move and got a gap which we were able to convert to a crucial lap advantage. From there, it was all about staying strong and managing the race to the finish.

We took the win by just 1 lap.

273 laps | 943.84km | New course record 💪

A massive team effort across both squads, with fantastic support from our 8-man team helping secure the 4-man victory.

Double win. Course record. Unforgettable weekend.

Mondello24 Cycle

GROUCHO’S GP 🏁🏁

Race season is now in full swing, and ACC were out in force again at the weekend on the challenging Richhill circuit.

In the C3 race, ACC were represented by Niall Daly, Caolan Daly and Gareth McFarland. A lone rider attacked on the final lap and managed to stay clear to take the win, while our resident sprinter Niall powered home to an excellent 2nd place in the bunch sprint 🥈 Another superb ride from Niall, continuing his strong form from last weekend 💪 Gareth McFarland also put in a strong performance to secure 8th place on the day 👏 Caolan rode strongly throughout the race but unfortunately suffered with cramp towards the closing stages.

In the C2 race, Colum Mackle faced tough conditions, with a strong northerly wind making for a demanding day in the saddle. The pace was aggressive from the outset, and an eight-man breakaway that formed on lap two ultimately decided the race. Colum finished safely in the bunch, adding another solid day of racing to the legs.

A great event as always, superbly hosted by Orchard CC

📸 Photos by Sharon McFarland Dany Blondeel

Great night for ACC at the Armagh Criterium, hosted by Orchard Cycling Club.

🚴‍♂️ Caolan Daly takes the win!

The combined C2/C3 event saw the C3 riders given a sporting handicap of 3½ minutes. Caolan started in a group of 7 C3 riders, while Colum Mackle and Neil Rafferty rolled out with the 20+ rider C2 bunch, who never managed to see the front of the race.

Over the course of the race, the C3 group was whittled down to just two riders, with Caolan Daly taking the win in the 2-up sprint. This man is on fire 🔥

A great evening all round and, as always, a brilliantly organised event by Orchard CC

📸 Dany Blondeel, Jerrome Rafferty

Carn 2-Day 🏁🚴‍♂️

Big rides from Niall Daly and Gareth McFarland in the C3 event (3 tough stages over the weekend):

Stage 1 :
Bunch sprint finish — Niall storms to 🥉 3rd, Gareth right there in 5th 💪

Stage 2 (TT):
Both riders take on the clock on road bikes and deliver strong performances ⏱️

Stage 3 (Lough Fea finish):
Brutal final 4-mile climb splits the bunch — both lads make the front group.
Another sprint finish… Niall just misses the win but takes 🥈 2nd 👏

👉 2 podiums for Niall
👉 9th overall on GC
👉 Strong weekend from Gareth throughout

👏 Chapeau to all who raced, special thanks to Carn Wheelers for running such a great event and congrats to overall C3 winner Robbie Tosh (Ballymena RC) who took all 3 stages!

Toby Watson 📸

Newry League Returns in Style 🏁🚴‍♂️

Tuesday evening marked the return of the Newry League for the new season, with strong representation across the categories.

In the Group 3/4 race, club riders Neil Rafferty and Colum Mackle lined out in Group 4. From the outset, their group set a strong tempo, working hard to close the gap to Group 3. Their efforts paid off on the final lap as they successfully made contact, setting up a fast and aggressive finish.

Once the groups merged, the pace intensified with a flurry of attacks stretching the field and making for a tough finale. The race ultimately came down to a bunch sprint, where Neil Rafferty produced a strong finish to take an impressive 5th place.

In the Group 1/2 race, it was a standout performance from ACC’s latest signing, Robert Dougan, who claimed the top spot in his very first club race. A fantastic result and surely a sign of plenty more to come.

Thanks to all involved from Newry Wheelers for providing a great evening as always! Looking forward to next week 😁😁 NewryWheelers CyclingClub