Tuesday, June 01, 2010
THIS year’s Tour of Ireland international cycle race has been cancelled due to "financial difficulties" but the organisers are already making plans for its return in 2011.
The race attracted worldwide attention last year when Lance Armstrong returned to the Irish roads – this time with the Astana team – to mix it with a star-studded field.
While he did not figure in the general classification at the end of the race, the Tour de France legend brought the crowds out in their thousands despite some very inclement weather.
Fans had been hoping for more of the same this year but there had been rumours the race would not go ahead – it was reduced to three days last year – and yesterday the worst fears were confirmed when the organisers announced the cancellation, citing financial difficulties.
"Despite significant commercial and public sector funding, economic conditions have meant that the additional investment required to make the event viable has not been forthcoming in time for this season," race organiser, Alan Rushton, said.
"The professional race, revived in 2007 after a long absence, has been hit by the current economic situation.
"We fully intend to bring it back for 2011 when the private sector environment is stronger," he said.
Rushton, along with Pat McQuaid who is President of the UCI, world cycling’s governing body, brought professional cycling to Ireland during the halcyon days of Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche through the Kellogg’s City Centre series and the Nissan Classic.
Yesterday’s announcement came the day after the FBD Rás ended, and for some of the riders who participated in that event there will be little time for rest.
Connor McConvey (An Post/Sean Kelly) who was by the leading Irish rider in fifth position overall, and Dublin teenager, Philip Lavery, who was involved in a succession of attacks all week, were included in the Irish team that left yesterday for the Coup des Nations (a four-day stage race for U23 riders) in Quebec. The race runs from Thursday to Sunday.
Apart from his courageous performances over the past week Lavery won the Kruiseke-Wervik in Belgium in March and was 35th in the last U23 Nations Cup race – the ZLM Tour. He turned in another fine performance to finish second to the two-time Rás champion, Chris Newton, who has multiple track medals from both the Olympics and the world championships, in the Lincoln Grand Prix earlier in May.
Sam Bennett, who had six top 10 placings from the eight stages and won the penultimate stage in last year’s FBD Rás, is another member of the team.
The Carrick-on-Suir teenager, who rides for VC La Pomme in Marseilles missed this year’s Rás but he won the final stage in the Rhone Alpes Isere Tour two weeks ago and last weekend finished 37th out of 200 starters in the amateur Paris-Roubaix. He went to Quebec yesterday complaining of a sore throat.
The Irish team is completed by the reigning national junior champion, Charles Prendergast (Mayo Wheelers) and the runner-up to him last year, Marcus Christie from Banbridge. Aaron Buggle withdrew on medical advice after taking ill.
The McQuaid link with Irish cycling is continued into another generation through Andrew McQuaid who is the team manager, while Mick Kennedy, brother of the legendary Rás rider, Seamus Kennedy, is the mechanic.
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