{"id":3960,"date":"2023-04-25T07:42:36","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T07:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?p=3960"},"modified":"2023-04-25T07:42:36","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T07:42:36","slug":"exploring-irelands-cycling-history-a-look-back-at-famous-faces-and-memorable-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2023\/04\/25\/exploring-irelands-cycling-history-a-look-back-at-famous-faces-and-memorable-races\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Ireland’s cycling history: A look back at famous faces and memorable races"},"content":{"rendered":"

The history of Irish cycling stretches back more than 150 years \u2013 so there\u2019s been more than a few significant milestones along the way!<\/strong> Indeed, many\u2019s the post-race social or mid-ride pitstop spent debating the finest homegrown heroes to sit in the saddle, or trading recollections of the seminal moments in the sport over the years.<\/p>\n

With that, prepare for a little tour down memory lane \u2013 as we revisit a handful of the faces and races that shaped cycling in this country\u2026<\/p>\n

Shay leads the way!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crumlin\u2019s Shay Elliot wasn\u2019t merely a trailblazer in Irish cycling, but for all cyclists outside of mainland Europe; the first English speaker to win a stage of, and lead, the Vuelta in 1962 \u2013 to add to a burgeoning list of accomplishments \u2013 he\u2019d already staked a claim as an icon. He stepped it up a level in 1963, though, claiming the third stage of the Tour de France \u2013 and with it, the yellow jersey. His three days in yellow would stand alone for Irish riders for a further two decades, and remains an achievement with few equals\u2026<\/p>\n

Now we\u2019re R\u00e1s-ing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though the blue riband event in Irish cycling has been ongoing since 1953, the early days weren\u2019t without their complications \u2013 a feud between governing bodies prevented many would-be entrants from getting in the saddle. Thankfully, events over the two decades following saw things begin to thaw, and by the time young amateur Stephen Roche rode to victory in 1979 the annual race had become a staple of the sporting landscape; more on him to come later, though\u2026<\/p>\n

Three is the magic number<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having snagged a podium finish at Le Tour in 1985, Stephen Roche was well fancied to go on to even greater things \u2013 but his 1987 season surpassed all expectations. After becoming the first Irishman to win the Giro, he followed it up by riding down the Champs Elysee as Ireland\u2019s first and only winner of cycling\u2019s most famous race \u2013 and then capped an annus mirabilis with victory at the World Road Race Championship, the only rider alongside Eddy Merckx to complete the fabled Triple Crown.<\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s a hero<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a full five years as the world\u2019s top ranked road cyclist, Sean Kelly\u2019s resum\u00e9 was packed with stage victories, points classification wins and plenty more accolades \u2013 but no Grand Tour triumph. In fact, it was beginning to look like that\u2019s the way it would stay, until the penultimate stage of the Vuelta in 1988. Overhauling a deficit in the final time trial, the pride of Waterford finally had a GC win, and the crowning achievement of a glittering career.<\/p>\n

A very Grand D\u00e9part!<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the 1998 Tour might be notorious elsewhere \u2013 some going so far as to nickname it the Tour de Farce \u2013 it will always have a special place in the memory in Ireland, as the Grand D\u00e9part took place on our shores. Through three days \u2013 a Dublin city time trial, a loop taking in the Wicklow Gap, and a ride from Enniscorthy to Cork, the country came to a near standstill to take in one of the planet\u2019s most storied events right on our doorsteps. A bid to repeat is currently on the table<\/a>, to give a new generation an opportunity to experience it for themselves, too\u2026<\/p>\n

Those medalling kids<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Catherine Walsh claimed bronze in the Women’s Individual Pursuit B at the London Paralympics, it was truly a moment of history; the first medal of any colour, for a cyclist male or female, at an Olympics or Paralympics Games. Of course, it served to open the floodgates \u2013 through which Mark Rohan quickly raced, followed by the likes of Eoghan Clifford, Katie George\u00a0\u00a0 Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal in the years after \u2013 and was even paired with a bronze for Walsh in the Time Trial days later.<\/p>\n

Martyn makes history<\/strong><\/p>\n

The World Track Cycling Championships had gone a full 116 years without a single Irish foot stepping on the podium, but Martyn Irvine changed that when claiming a silver medal in the Individual Pursuit in 2013. It was a famous achievement that was celebrated for, well, roughly an hour \u2013 and that\u2019s because later the same afternoon the Down man went one better, landing gold in the Scratch Race. Talk about a good day\u2019s work\u2026<\/p>\n

Fancy a little more cycling history? Take a brisk journey through <\/em>a history of cycling in six stops<\/em><\/a>! <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The history of Irish cycling stretches back more than 150 years \u2013 so there\u2019s been more than a few significant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":3968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[116,121,120],"global-categories":[73],"class_list":["post-3960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-ireland","tag-irish-cyclists","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nExploring Ireland's cycling history: A look back at famous faces and memorable races - \u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Prepare for a little tour down memory lane \u2013 as we revisit a handful of the faces and races that shaped cycling in this country!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2023\/04\/25\/exploring-irelands-cycling-history-a-look-back-at-famous-faces-and-memorable-races\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exploring Ireland's cycling history: A look back at famous faces and memorable races\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prepare for a little tour down memory lane \u2013 as we revisit a handful of the faces and races that shaped cycling in this country!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2023\/04\/25\/exploring-irelands-cycling-history-a-look-back-at-famous-faces-and-memorable-races\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - 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