A runner, a runner and a Taoiseach go racing

THE late Charles Haughey famously won the Tour de France for Ireland with a little help from Stephen Roche, and yesterday it was the turn of the current Taoiseach to give a dig-out to one of our cycling heroes.

Enda Kenny was in Dungarvan in full cycling regalia (blue shirt and all) to lead out thousands of participants in this year’s Sean Kelly Tour, in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland. Seeing as he managed to get through the morning without falling off his bike, causing a crash or running over any innocent cats, the event could only be deemed a success.

So successful, in fact, with up to 8,000 cyclists of all shapes and sizes taking part in four different routes over the weekend, that the Taoiseach has decided that cycling will be a metaphor for the country’s route to recovery, with the former world number one as its figurehead.

“I’ve absolute admiration for Sean Kelly and what he did and the characteristics he displayed — of self-belief, of conviction, of courage and of real dedication — are what we need as a country as well,” he said.

In fact, if you didn’t know better, you’d almost think he was pushing the former world number one cyclist into a different race altogether: “He’s a role model not only for an individual but for us as a country and if the Irish people put their minds to it, there is nothing that we can’t achieve.”

But relax Gay Mitchell, it won’t come to that.

Napoleon always preferred lucky generals and so far in his reign, Enda has been deemed a lucky Taoiseach (or as lucky as any taoiseach who inherits this mess can be), and yesterday he even brought the weather with him as the sunny south-east lived up to its name.

Also lucky was the fact that, when a wheel came off before the start of the 50km cycle, it was from Kelly’s bike and not that of the Taoiseach. Handlers must have dreaded “wheels coming off for Kenny” photos. Now, if Brian Cowen had been taking part...

The Sean Kelly Tour, the brainchild of the former world cycling champ and supported by the likes of Waterford County Council and the Waterford Sports Partnership, has ballooned since its inception a few years ago.

Yesterday’s event was joined by Olympic silver medallist and double world cross-country champion John Treacy, now chairman of the Irish Sports Council.

The runner, the cyclist and the Taoiseach linked arms while the sun glistened across Dungarvan Bay and the masses headed off on their routes, but no sooner had the Taoiseach left to complete the third 50km circuit than the black clouds started to gather overhead and a few raindrops could be felt.

Back to normal then.