The 2018 Tour of the Reservoir on 23rd and 24th June saw a team of four represent Cycling Ulster. The event proved to be excellent preparation for the riders ahead of the national championships, it proved to be a hot an sticky weekend on an incredibly challenging and tough Reservoir circuit.

On the first stage of 87 miles on the Saturday after a very positive team talk by the experienced former An Post professional Ronan McLaughlin all of the lads knew what was expected and the only place to be was at the front, after 10km a crash saw Ulster rider Lindsay Watson suffer a broken rear hanger and the talented and bright prospect Conor McCann hit the tarmac. Stage winner Ian Bibby JLC Condor also was a victim of this crash.

Ronan McLaughlin and Darnel Moore were in the mix all day on a circuit that can only be described as endless torture. Cycling Ulster Chairman and Team Manager, Maurice McAllister at the Reservoir said:

“Our races at home need to be challenging and help our riders compete at a realistic level. Despite the difficulty of this circuit our top riders showed they can be competitive at this level.”

Three of the Ulster riders finished the opening stage, Ronan McLaughlin, Darnell Moore and the gutsy Conor McCann.

McAllister commented, “The instructions for Sunday’s stage involved the team staying close and supporting our strongest rider.”

Darnell Moore was strong throughout Sunday’s stage, only losing touch with the yellow jersey group in the last 15km, finishing 40th out of just 56 finishers.