Dan Martin's stage 8 crash at the Tour de France was followed by an epic effort on his part. But it wasn't our pick for the biggest moment of the year in Irish cycling.
The 13 biggest moments in Irish cycling in 2017
1 Sam Bennett’s Paris-Nice stage win
It was the Carrick-on-Suir man’s first WorldTour win. And it came in a race his mentor Sean Kelly revelled in.
A sprint win is always exciting and the quality behind Sam Bennett on the day made this our best moment of the year.
In his wake after 190km into Chalon-sur-Saône on stage 3 were: Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin), John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo), Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors), Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb), Arnaud Demare (FDJ) and André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal.
2 Dan Martin crash at Tour de France
It may seem unusual to select Martin’s crash as one of the biggest moments of the year. But this was sheer drama; albeit the wrong kind of drama.
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Martin had already ridden really well in the opening week of the race. He took two podiums and was sitting 4th overall when his stage 8 crash began an even more incredible story.
He would fight back on the day. And though crippled with a back injury he pegged back time with several attacks as the race progressed.
Ultimately he’d be found wanting slightly in the final days of the race. But given how much his crash took out of him, his 6th place in the final standings was a miracle.
And that was underlined when, after the Tour, he was diagnosed with a fractured back from his crash.
Dan Martin’s Tour ride had absolutely everything. It had class and aggression in spades.
But above all, Martin demonstrated a compelling fighting spirit that came out when the stage 8 crash floored him.
3 Sam Bennett’s stage 5 victory at Tour of Turkey
The Bora-hansgrohe man won four of the six stages in Turkey. And he surely would have made that five but for a crash on the last day.
It was his stage 5 win that probably ranked as the best. He barged his way into position and bossed the sprint despite being caught quite far back in the final.
The uber aggressive manner of his victory really underlined his new standing in the pro game after a dream few days.
It also showed he is well capable of coping in the final dash to the line without a lead-out. And his ability to put his elbows out when needed bodes well for the years ahead.
4 Ryan Mullen’s TT bronze at European Championships
The Irish national road and TT champion took a fantastic medal in the elite TT at the Europeans. Given his class, Mullen seemed disappointed with the result.
That said, this was a breakthrough ride. He had taken silver in the Europeans TT as a junior in 2012.
And he would go on to win silver in the U23 TT at the Worlds three years later.
He was beaten by less than half a second at the Worlds; Australia Campbell Flakemore taking the gold. Last year he took 5th in the elite Worlds against the watch.
And at the Europeans this year – in Denmark in August – he was beaten by just four seconds for gold and by two seconds for silver.
Though his Worlds ride in 2016 was arguably better; the Europeans netted Mullen his first elite championship medal.
And if he goes on to better results at bigger races, which seems inevitable; this Europeans bronze will come to represent the first really big step of that journey.
5 Dan Martin final stage Criterium du Dauphiné
On the final day of the race back in June, Martin took the fight to everyone else. He came up short for the stage and overall win, but he took a brilliant 3rd place overall.
It was a similar ride to his Paris-Nice performance when aggression on the final stage saw him jump onto the final podium.
On the Dauphiné final stage Martin went clear with Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) on the final climb; the hors categorie to Plateau de Solaison.
Dane Fuglsang would drop Martin and go on to win the stage and the overall.
However, Martin rode an excellent final climb, never panicking when his breakaway companion distanced him.
He saw off the likes of Chris Froome (Team Sky), Fabio Aru (Astana), Richie Porte (BMC Racing) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), to name but a few.
6 Nicolas Roche stage 4 Tour of Guangxi
A new addition to the WorldTour this year; the final podium was nonetheless a coveted result at the Tour of Guangxi in October.
Nicolas Roche (BMC) enjoyed a fantastic final section of the year and deservedly finished on that podium in China.
He had shown his form with a top 10 in the hilly TT at the Worlds in September.
And when his chance to go for broke arose on stage 4 of the Tour of Guangxi, Roche really went for it. He attacked the field hard on the final climb, surging clear alone.
Roche would be overhauled by the finish; Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) finishing just ahead of him.
That was enough to secure 3rd overall for Roche; a reminder that his quest for his own career results is far from over.
7 Eddie Dunbar U23 Tour of Flanders victory
Having promised so much for so long; Eddie Dunbar really hit the big time with his U23 Tour of Flanders win in 2017.
The race was longer and harder than usual, yet Dunbar would win solo by almost one minute.
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The 21-year old Corkman came across the finish line well clear after a punishing 168-kilometre contest in April.
The race featured some of the best young riders in the world. And his win was the best victory ever by an Irish U23 rider.
He was in a three-man breakaway inside the final 20 kilometre. But when he left his compatriots for dead he put his head down.
And he stayed away all the way to the line in one of the sport’s true heartlands – Oudenaarde.
He rode excellently in a series of other races abroad in 2017. But just as his big season goals were approaching, a crash on the opening stage of the Baby Giro in June took him out for the season.
He limped on for a period until taking a break to recover from concussion. Thankfully he had already agreed terms with Aqua Blue Sport for 2018.
8 Mark Downey’s points race win at UCI World Cup
If there was one Irish rider who had a wonder year in 2017 it was Mark Downey. His success on the track included two golds at the UCI World Cups.
He would then seamlessly switch to road. And despite putting most of his eggs in the velodrome basket in 2017 he took a top 10 at the Worlds in Bergen.
The Banbridge man claimed 9th in the U23 road race, having earlier in the year taken bronze in the U23 points race at the European Track Championships.
But his first big success of 2017 came at the points race in Cali, Colombia, in February. He claimed gold after a long solo effort cheered home all the way by the crowd.
It was the start of an amazing year and was followed at the same meeting by silver in the madison, with Felix English. They would claim gold in the same event the following week in LA.
9 Matt Teggart Rás stage win
Like Downey, Teggart hails from the unstoppable Banbridge CC stable. And he too really came into his own this year.
After racing in France for a couple of seasons he secured a place with An Post-Chainreaction. And when he got his chance he really seized it.
The 21-year-old immediately took to the step up in racing; putting in a very solid Tour de Normandie.
And when he returned to Irish shores in May for the Rás, he blasted in to win stage 3 into Bundoran.
Any stage win by an Irish rider in the Rás is to be savoured. But the fact it went to one of our emerging younger guns was the icing on this particular cake.
And when he finished 4th the following day and took the yellow jersey Teggart’s status as one of Ireland’s very best riders was confirmed.
Deservedly he and Downey are now Team Wiggins riders.
10 Damien Shaw stage win at Tour du Loir et Cher (2.2)
Back in April Damien Shaw took a fantastic stage win at the Tour du Loir et Cher (2.2). With it came the yellow jersey which he retained for a number of days.
Aged 32 years, Shaw was just starting his second season at Continental level with An Post-Chainreaction.
His win was a victory for self belief and proof that his late start in cycling did not need to define his career.
Shaw won solo in impressive and canny style. He got clear in a seven-man breakaway, deliberately holding back for much of the stage.
And when the bunch behind began its chase, Shaw had plenty in the tank to press for home.
He split the break and eventually dropped the couple of riders who could stay with him.
At the finish he was seconds ahead of the best of the rest from the escape. And the bunch was 47 seconds back.
How craft and power got Damien Shaw his first pro victory
11 Aqua Blue Sport start Vuelta
A look back on the year would not be complete without a nod to the Aqua Blue Sport ProContinental team.
It needs to up the Irish contingent in its ranks if it is to gain more coverage in the media back home. The addition of Eddie Dunbar should help in that regard.
There is no doubting it is an exciting project with great potential. And having won a stage of the Vuelta, Tour de Suisse and the US national road title in 2017, its first year was a success.
Its start in the Vuelta was the first time an Irish team got into one of the Grand Tours.
It was an historic moment for Irish cycling even if Conor Dunne was the sole rider in the Vuelta line-up.
12 Conor Dunne atop Alto Hoya de la Mora
His may have been a story of survival rather than victory; but that seemed to endear Conor Dunne to Irish fans.
Dunne has been the quiet achiever of Irish cycling in recent years. His work ethic, racing and training, is obvious.
And having made progress every year on the bike since leaving the junior ranks, he moved into the big league in 2017.
He secured a place at Aqua Blue Sport and made its Vuelta line-up. While he went on the attack in that race – and throughout the entire season – the team's photo (above) of a shattered Dunne atop the Alto Hoya de la Mora climb will endure.
It captured his battle to survive to perfection; not to mention the sheer brutality of the Grand Tours.
Dunne had just made it to the finish of stage 15 within the time limit. And he had a rest day the following day.
It was a big moment which put him on the home stretch of his first Grand Tour, which he’d finish six stages later.
13 Katie George Dunlevy world title with Eve McCrystal
There was no way they could match the heights of 2016 when they won Paralympic gold. But Katie George Dunlevy and her sighted pilot Eve McCrystal excelled once more in 2017.
They claimed gold in their tandem category events in the road race and TT at the World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in September.
It means they are now Paralympic champions and double world champions; an incredible achievement.
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