Cycling goes back to Phoenix Park to honour Irish giant of road
Crowds once thronged to the Phoenix Park to watch bike racing. And this weekend, after an absence of years, the peloton returns to its spiritual home in Dublin. Above, Oliver McQuaid on his way to winning stage 9 of the Dairy Rás Tailteann in the Phoenix Park in 1983. He is followed by race winner Philip Cassidy of Raleigh Ireland (Photo: RásTailteann.com)
Tomorrow after a long absence bike racing returns to the Phoenix Park for the new Noel O’Neill Trophy.
The Orwell Wheelers-run events will hopefully prove the beginning of a long term return to the part; regarded by the Dublin scene as Irish cycling’s spiritual home.
It has hosted all the greats in the past in the Rás Tailteann and Tour of Ireland, and even the Tour de France back in 1998.
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The evening races that were run in Tuesday night’s for decades were as much a social as sporting outing.
And of course there were some terrific battles down the years in other races like the Jack Woodcock Memorial, Tour of Fingal and a host of youth events.
And when the racing gets underway tomorrow morning, it will honour Noel O’Neill; such a giant of the road he’s getting a race named after him during his lifetime.
O’Neill has long been associated with Orwell Wheelers but it was in the colours of Brady Wheelers that he really hit the heights.
His crowning glory was in the 1965 national road race championships when he took gold; blasting across to the breakaway solo and winning the sprint.
They were the halcyon days of splits and multiple federations within Irish cycling and when Dickie Rock knocked The Beatles off the top of the charts.
Noel was on the top of his game and went on to represent Ireland in the World Championships in San Sebastian that year.
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During his career Noel also won the Birr Three Day, Shay Elliot, Sean Dillon Memorial, Tour of the Gaps, Tour of the Slade and the BAR in 1964 and 1965 - for combined times and placings in TTs and road races.
Tomorrow’s racing in park comes after something of a false start last year when Orwell was set to base the National Road Championships there.
A change of venue was forced due to the visit of then US vice president Joe Biden and the club eventually put on an excellent championships in Kilcullen.
But now they’ve delivered on their plan to get bike racing back into the park. And one of the key driving forces behind the plan, Stephen O’Shea, said everyone at the club was delighted park racing was back to honour Noel O’Neill’s achievements.
“We’re delighted to be back in the park and it’s on the Khyber Pass course which will be hard; proper racing,” he said.
“We should see lots of the best guys going flat out to win. And really that’s exactly the way to honour somebody like Noel because he raced like that himself.
“Noel will obviously be there and hopefully we’ll see some of the older generation come up and watch the races, even those who haven’t been around for a long time spectating.”
This will be a great occasion and there are two races on the day; the A4s have their own 40km race which will also feature women and masters.
And the A1-A2-A3-Junior race will be 80km. The A4s are first off, at 9.30am, with the headline event scheduled to start at 10.30am.
Sign-on will take place in the area between the Papal Cross car park and the top of the Khyber Pass; opening at 8am and closing at 10am.
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