{"id":763,"date":"2019-04-11T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T08:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?p=763"},"modified":"2019-04-11T10:13:03","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T10:13:03","slug":"the-pride-of-the-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2019\/04\/11\/the-pride-of-the-nation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pride of the Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

The Pride of the Nation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As any self-respecting Irish person will well know, our nation is steeped in cycling heritage \u2013 and we\u2019ve had our share of success, too!<\/p>\n

As far back as 1963, professional cyclists began flying the Irish flag on the international circuit. Shay Elliott cemented his place in history by winning a stage of the Tour De France \u2013 securing a stint in famed yellow jersey in the process.<\/p>\n

Two decades later, Irish cycling entered something of a golden age. Sean Kelly was considered the most dominant name in road racing for half a decade, while Stephen Roche became one of only two men to win the prestigious Triple Crown of cycling – The Tour De France, the Giro D’Italia and the World Cycling Road Championship in one season.<\/p>\n

And, of course, in 1998 the nation at large was in the spotlight, as the country played host to the opening stages of the Tour de France \u2013 with tens of thousands lining the roads around the country.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty to cheer nowadays too \u2013 and the five cyclists below could well provide opportunity to dig those tricolours out again throughout the 2019 season!<\/p>\n

Nicolas Roche<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dad Stephen is a living legend \u2013 but Nic has made quite a splash in his own right. Finishing in the top ten of the Vuelta a Espana on two separate occasions in 2013 and 2015, he\u2019s been a mainstay in the Grand Tours for the past decade. Following a successful tenure with BMC Racing, he\u2019s now part of Team Sunweb\u2019s efforts to land Tom Dumolin’s atop the podium on the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9e come July.<\/p>\n

Sam Bennett
\n<\/strong>The Belgian-born, Carrick-on-Suir native turned pro in 2011, but it\u2019s over the past year that he\u2019s really made waves; winning three stages in the 2018 Giro D’Italia tends to grab international attention! Riding with Bora Hansgrohe, his reputation as a scintillating sprinter is growing rapidly, so it\u2019ll be eyes on the finish line for the year to come\u2026<\/p>\n

Dan Martin<\/strong>
\nBorn in Birmingham, the tough-as-nails Martin is probably the most decorated Irish rider on the circuit right now. Winner of multiple Tour de France stages, and a top-ten finisher in each of the last three years, he\u2019ll be seen as a legitimate threat to land on the podium this time around; last year\u2019s showing was even enough to see him get the nod as most combative rider!<\/p>\n

Ryan Mullen<\/strong>
\nWidely touted as a big star for the future, Trek\u2013Segafredo rider Mullen made his Grand Tour debut just last year in the Giro D’Italia. A time-trial specialist, the English-born competitor still has youth on his side \u2013 still just 24 years old \u2013 but is already a real prospect against the clock.<\/p>\n

Eddie Dunbar<\/strong>
\nJust 22 years young, the Cork native signed for Team Sky late last year\u2026 so he\u2019ll be Team INEOS pretty shortly! Their superstar roster means his chances at the highest level might be limited for the time being, but the Banteer boy will enjoy guidance from the best \u2013 hopefully preparing him for his own time at the top in years to come!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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