Not to be outdone, the pressure this past weekend was on David’s older brother, Raymond, who entered the Rás Dhun ná Gall for the second year in a row. With mixed fortunes last year, Raymond came out on top and won the event by the closest of margins.

    Along with Raymond Pauley and team manger, Kenny Dunlop, Raymond was one of over 100 riders who started the 42 mile trek which left Letterkenny and headed towards Derry and returned back to Letterkenny and both Dunlop and Pauley finished in the main bunch, just three seconds down on stage winner Michael Devins.

    Saturday’s 66 mile stage whichtook the riders over three mountains, saw Dunlop, Devins and 10 others break away shortly after the start of the stage on the first climb. These 12 stayed away to the end and finished some two minutes and 45 seconds on the main bunch. Dunlop took third place on this stage and now was in joint second overall with 11 of the top 12 on the same time and still remained three seconds behind Divins.

    It was now all down to race leader, Divins and his team to hold onto the yellow jersey on Sunday’s 63 mile mountainous stage. However, Dunlop had a goal to take the yellow jersey on this final stage. Everything was now suiting Dunlop with the race staying together, until the last 20 miles of the race. It was at this point, that Dunlop got two punctures and had to stop a third time as he was given a bad wheel change from his second puncture. On hand was Kenny, his manager, who got him going again, but it took the young Dunlop 10 miles to get back onto the group.

    With six miles to go, eight riders made a break and these were allowed to go as they were no threat to the race leader Devins and the remaining top 11 men, which included Dunlop.

    Dunlop attacked at the start of the one and a half mile climb towards the hilltop finish and saw that the yellow jersey could not respond and caught three dropped riders from the front group and took sixth place on the stage and still had a second to spare over new second place man Aidan Yates of Usher IRC, Dublin and also new third place man Joe McGill Ravens CRT, Dublin. Former race leader Devins, dropped to 9th place overall.

    Along the way over the three days, Dunlop was third overall in the king of the Mountains competition. This outstanding performance has saw Dunlop being upgraded to a category one rider for the remainder of the season and also come under the eyes of the U.C.F Under 23 manager Paul Smyth and possibly under the gaze of the Ireland team manger Declan Byrne. Raymond Pauley’s performances gave him a creditable 45th placing in the Rás Dhun ná Gall

    Rás Dhun ná Gall

    Stage 1 Result

    1, Michael Devins of Connaught,1:26:20; 2, Philip Duignan of Fourmasters, 1 Second; 3, Paudi O’Brien of Kanturk Credit Union, 2 Seconds; 4, Tim Cassidy of Usher IRC, 3 Seconds; 5, Brian Nugent of Classic Walls, same time; 6, Darren McCullough of Newry Haledane , same time.

    Stage 2 – 66 miles

    1, John O’Shea of Kanturk Credit Union in 2:47:25; 2, Michael Devins of Connaught, same time; 3, Raymond Dunlop of Lakeland CC, same time; 4, Stewart Gibson of Orwell Whl, same time; 5, Matt Dempsey of IMBRC, same time; 6, David Brennan of Connaught, same time.

    Overall: 1, Michael Devins of Connaught, 4:13:45; 2, John O’Shea of Kanturk Credit Union, 3 Seconds; 3, Raymond Dunlop of Lakeland CC, same time; 4, Stewart Gibson of Orwell Whl, same time; 5, Matt Dempsey of IMBRC, same time; 6, David Brennan of Connaught, same time

    Stage 3 results:

    1, Michael O’Donnell of Dublin Skip in 2:38:57; 2, Philip Marshal of Toyota North Down, 12 Seconds; 3, Stephen Enright of Usher IRC, 23 Seconds; 4, Philip Duignan of Fourmasters, 26 Seconds; 5, Tim Cassidy of Usher IRC, same time; 6, Raymond Dunlop of Lakeland CC, same time.

    Final Overall: 1, Raymond Dunlop of Lakeland CC, 6:53:11; 2, Aidan Yeats of Usher IRC, 1 second; 3, Joe McGill of Ravens, 1 Second; 4, Matt Dempsey of IMBRC, 25 Seconds; 5, David Brennan of Connaught, 28 Seconds; 6 John O’Shea of Kanturk C.U., 33 Seconds.

    1st KOM: Joe McGill of Ravens, 3rd Place Raymond Dunlop; Junior: Philip Duignan of Fourmasters; Vet Jim Cassidy of Garda Motorway

    Cuilcagh Hill Climb on Wednesday 18 July 2001 All Lakeland CC: