The Junior Tour will continue to be the scene of many great battles after a former Irish stage winner turned businessman has agreed to become the new title sponsor (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Following the huge response of the Irish cycling community in recent months when the Junior Tour of Ireland faced financial collapse, the showpiece event has received a further boost that effectively secures the race’s future for many years.
A former stage winner turned businessman has agreed a deal to become the event’s title sponsor.
While the organisers are remaining tight lipped for now on the identity of the new backer, stickybottle has learned the funding is a six figure sum.
This will be spread over an initial three years, with an option on the part of the organisers to avail of a second three-year period.
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Martin Earley won the first Junior Tour of Ireland and went on to a top pro career, taking stages in the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. Seen here at the feed station at the 1993 World Championships in Oslo (Photo: Sirotti)
Once the funding is accepted for the second term, which is expected, the deal will be worth over €100,000.
Race director Alice Sherratt has confirmed the broad details of the new financial package but said the identity of the businessman involved will not be disclosed until a later date.
The agreement involves the backer having naming rights on the race and is a very significant sum of money for an event of this size.
The deal caps a massive turnaround in the race’s fortunes in just a few months.
Mark Scanlon winning the world title in Valkenburg just a few months after winning the 1998 Junior Tour. He came out to support the recent sportives (Photo: Sirotti)
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In late October at Cycling Ireland’s annual meeting, a motion was put forward which would have levied all licences with a €2 fee to help save the race.
Sherratt explained at the meeting that the cash surplus built up during the boom years when the race had sponsors had been exhausted.
And with no new title sponsor coming in, the race had run out of money.
The motion to apply the fee to the federation’s licence holders was defeated, but there was overwhelming support for the event among those present.
Dan Martin winning a stage in the 2003 edition, just before he became sound on the national issue (joke! - Ed)
Acting on a suggestion by Gabriel Howard of the Stamullen club, which was advanced by Martin O’Loughlin from Carrick, it was decided to run a number of sportives to help the race.
They have since been held and were supported generously, meaning a significant amount of money was raised.
A Junior Tour Trust was also established into which those who wanted to help the race could lodge cash donations.
Those funds allied with the money now on offer from the new title sponsor all but secure the event for the next decade.
We’ll bring you more on this when we have it.
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