Island Wheelers Cycling Club, Coalisland, Co. Tyrone. Northern Ireland Official website for the Island Wheelers Cycling Club
2011 was a massive year for the Island Wheelers Cycling Club, and what better way to celebrate success by a night out with good food, a few drinks and great company! On Friday 25th November the Wheelers left their lycra at home and donned their finest attire for the annual club dinner, held at the Viscount Restaurant. Like previous year’s, when it comes to food, the Wheelers turn out in force! This year was no exception, with over 40 Wheelers and their significant others in attendance. The food was fantastic, and the craic even better, with a great night had by all.
After dinner, all attention was turned to the prize giving with chairman, Aidan Lafferty handling proceedings. Before handing out the prizes, Aidan gave his first speech as new club chairman and reflected on the progress the club has made over the last 12 months. He recognised that everyone in the club had achieved some sort of personal goal this year and congratulated everyone on this. He also pulled a few crowd pleasing jokes for good measure, he really taking his new role like a duck to water!
The first prize of the night was awarded to Richard Davidson for 1st Vet. Richard has consistently finished in the top 5 of the ICL races and dominated in the Time Trials. His progress has been phenomenal considering he only started riding a bike a few years ago! He has shown what you can achieve with hard work and determination, he is going to have the competition running scared next season.
The youth of the club is the future if the club, this year it was great to see the numbers in the youth growing. The Altmore Hill Climb, held on Friday 4th August saw 3 juniors from the Wheelers tackle the gruelling 5 mile hill climb; Tiernan McVeigh, Nathan Weir and Matthew McAllister, and were each awarded their trophy for winning their age group in this event.
The most dedicated youth prize was awarded to Conor Boyle. Conor has been out all year and attended all the events in the East Tyrone League. Keep up the good work Conor!
The final award of the evening was award to the Clubperson of the year. This award was decided by a vote by all the members present at the dinner, with Sheena O’Neil coming home a clear winner. Sheena, as always, has put her heart and soul into the Island Wheelers, and the Clubperson of the year trophy is no more than what she deserves. The trophy is a small way of saying thanks from everyone at the club for all the hard work she continues to put in.
A number of photos from the night are now on the clubs Facebook page here.
- Vet Champion – Richard Davison
- Clubperson of the year – Sheena O’Neil
- Most Dedicated Youth – Conor Boyle
- Altmore Hill Climb – Tiernan McVeigh
- Altmore Hill Climb – Nathan Weir
- Altmore Hill Climb – Matthew McAllister
