The youth have been racing prolifically over the last couple of weeks, with no less than nine of them in action in the Underage and Orwell leagues.

In R2 on the grasstrack, Killian O'Brien and Ciaran Keogh both notched up fantastic wins in the TT for their age categories, with Saul Wyse a super 2nd in the U14s behind Keogh. Uisneach Sheridan just lost out on the podium in the TT in that category, while Alice O'Brien showed great improvements in the U10 - coming a fantastic 5th in the second race, clearly gaining in confidence and strength as the evening progressed.

Keogh, Sheridan and Wyse put in fine performances in their races, but a big handicap meant they couldn't quite get on terms with many of the U12s - something to improve on for next time!

R3 was in Ballinastoe, giving the youngsters a taste of mountain biking. It was Andrew Ryan's turn to shine, with a brilliant win in the U12 race, while Killian O'Brien once again collected a great gold in the U10s. Sister Alice was belting along the trails as well, fighting in out in a tough category - much like Uisneach Sheridan, who took joint 5th in the U14s' TT, and 4th in the race.

There was then a record turnout for the club hill climb last night, with the youth riders tackling a shorter version of the full climb, as far as the car park. While it might be no surprise to see the two oldest riders on the podium, they still deserve full recognition for their times and the suffering they endured.

Luke Keating took the top spot with an amazing ride, while Jamal Ahmed won an excellent  bronze less than a minute behind him. Sandwiched between the U16 riders with an exceptional time that was exactly 30 seconds behind the winner was Uisneach Sheridan. Andrew Ryan pipped Sulayman Ahmed for U12 honours, while Killian and Alice O'Brien both pushed themselves hard on the night and recorded splendid times.

The youth riders return to action next Monday evening in Corkagh Park, and we hope they'll enjoy the chance to hit the circuit as much as the seniors do. They're gaining tonnes of valuable experience in the Underage League, with plenty of lessons learned along the way, and it's great to see them progress from week to week. It's not about the winning, it's the taking part that counts!

Underage Interclub League - R2 Grasstrack Racing, Shanganagh Park (28/7/2014)

Underage Interclub League - R3 Mountain Biking, Ballinastoe (11/8/2014) 

Under 8s - Timetrial
Faith Robinson 4.04
Laura Higgins 3.45
Noah Harris 3.22

Under 8s - Race 1
1st Faith Robinson
2nd Laura Higgins
3rd Noah Harris

Under 10s - Timetrial
Brendan Conroy 2.58
Finn Harris 3.12
Lily Sheehy 5.08
Alice O'Brien 5.23
Killian O'Brien 4.34
Finn Buck 3.57

Under 10s - Race 1
1st Killian O'Brien
2nd Finn Harris
3rd Lily Sheehy
4th Finn Buck
5th Alice O'Brien

Under 12s - Timetrial
Andrew Ryan 3.51
Garrett Keogh 4.25
Samuel Massey 3.03
Seán Lundy 3.05
Ethan Mackey 2.40

Under 12s - Race 1
1st Andrew Ryan
2nd Ethan Mackey
3rd Sam Massey
4th Sean Lundy
5th Garrett Keogh

Under 14s - Timetrial
Orla Conroy 2.34
Sean Conroy 2.31
Rory Brady 3.05
Adam Doherty 2.22
Uisneach Sheridan 3.05
Brendan Conroy 2.58

Under 14s - Race 1
1st Adam Doherty
2nd Orla Conroy
3rd Rory Brady
4th Uisneach Sheridan
5th Brendan Conroy

Club League Hill Climb (14/8/2013)