Eddie Dunbar will captain the team going to South Africa
A team of Irish schoolboys will take in an international stage race in South Africa in the first weeks of the new season.
The five-man squad, made up of riders from Kanturk CC, will compete in the TRAC Tour in late March and early April. The race, which attracts the best schoolboy teams from a number of African nations, features five stages over four days.
The riders will negotiate a number of tough climbs as well as a 20km TT and a criterium.
Gerry Francis, who has been well known in Longford CC in recent years, is from South Africa and says he’s delighted to be bringing a team back to compete in his home country. The line-up includes his son Joshua, who has joined Kanturk from Longford CC.
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“The race is in its second year and by all accounts it was a great success last year,” Francis said.
“The very best teams from South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe will be there and the organisers were delighted when I contacted them about bringing a team from Ireland.”
Francis believes the riders are all strong enough to be able to compete well in the U16 race. However, he said the emphasis is for the teenagers to enjoy the trip and experience a different culture just as much as to take in the international racing.
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“There’s no pressure on any of them to produce results. We’ll be taking them to a few places to see South Africa. We’re going to go to Durban, which is where I’m originally from, and we’re planning to visit some local schools and community projects.”
“Then we’re also going to do some scuba diving, fishing and surfing and a day’s safari at the Hluhluwe game reserve; so it’s not all just about the racing.”
The Kanturk riders travelling to the race are: Eddie Dunbar, Jeremy Lawlor, Dylan O’Brien, Joshua Francis and Dillon Corkery.
The team will travel from Ireland on March 22nd and will return on April 2nd. As well as manager Francis, some of the other parents will also travel out with the riders.
Dan Curtin of Kanturk has helped organise the trip and may also travel with the riders.
The race unfolds over four days from March 29th to April 1st. It features stages of 85km, 68km, 56km, a 45-minute criterium and a 20km TT.
The riders have already begun preparing and held a training camp earlier this month in Kanturk. A further two training camps are planned in January and February, all under the watchful eye of Philip Lavery.
The TRAC Tour consists of three separate events; for U16s, juniors and U23s, meaning the team can return over a long number of years. Funds raised from the event are to be distributed to the developing communities along the route of the race.
The riders and parents have raised the money themselves to pay for the trip, with a number of fundraising drives including a turbo trainer marathon outside Supervalu in Kanturk.
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