Lurgan’s Apollo Cycling Club held the first reliability trial of the year starting at the Goodyear Social Club on Sunday. For the uninitiated a reliability trial is a pre-season cycling event typically, but not exclusively, for competitive cyclists. It is essentially a leisure run but is usually at a decent pace. It gives an opportunity to test the fitness levels, check out the new gear (if Santa came calling) and just work off a few of those extra pounds gained over the close season.

For the first trial of the year in Mid-January conditions were almost perfect and the event attracted ninety-five cyclists from various Ulster Cycling Clubs. The cyclists with motorcycle outriders were led out by a pace car for thirty miles, with the pace increasing for the return on the sixty-eight mile jaunt. With an average of over 21mph the leading bunch returned in around three hours.

Back at the Goodyear Apollo Cycling Club members had put on a spread for all the participants and energy levels were well replenished.

Well done to organiser Andy McGibbon and to everyone who contributed to the success of the trial. Goodyear Social Club is an ideal venue to host such an event, being just outside the town and having both parking and changing facilities. Thanks go to the committee and staff of Goodyear Social Club for their assistance to Apollo.

Apollo Cycling Club is based in Lurgan and their members include both leisure and competitive cyclists. There are club runs each Saturday and Sunday morning and details are on their website. New members are always welcome. Why not check them out on www.apolloct.com or on Facebook.