Paidi O'Brien on his way to winning the National Criterium Championships this year. He will head a new racing team next year with ambitious plans that include hosting major championship races (Photo: Michael Meade)
By Brian Canty
A new Cork-based racing team spearheaded by one of the country’s best riders has emerged on the domestic racing scene.
The Osbourne Meats Blarney Village/Edge Sports Racing Team, led by National Criterium Champion Paidi O’Brien, will have a small but powerful squad in many of the country’s biggest races next year.
O’Brien will be the team’s star rider but he will have significant support from the likes of Richard Hooton (formerly of Visit Nenagh/Team DMG), the vastly experienced Denis Lynch (formerly of O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk), Owen Cummins (formerly of Planet Tri racing team), Michael Crowley (also a former Planet Tri rider) and Martin Cashman (formerly of Midleton CTC).
Advertisement
Patsy Crowley is one of the main men behind the new team and he’s optimistic that his charges can make their mark in 2014.
“Paidi is obviously the main man, he’s the best rider in the country and he’s a hard man to beat in the finish but we have a good team around him,” he said.
“Richard Hooton is very strong but had exams last year in college and we didn’t see the best of him. And Denis Lynch has as much experience as anyone. He raced in France and knows the score.”
Related News
“Owen Cummins is coming from a triathlon background but has big ambitions so we’ll be expecting things from his as well.”
Indeed, Hooton won last year's Rás Clar and Crowley jnr won the Donal Crowley Memorial in honour of his late uncle.
O'Brien's wins were numerous and included a stage at the Suir Valley Three Day, Ras Naomh Finian, Carrick on Suir on St Patrick's Day, the Stamullen GP and the John Drumm Cup in Currow, to name but a few.
The team will run the inaugural Blarney Village GP on March 16th while they will also host a mid-summer league, like they did under Planet Tri this year.
They’ll also be hosting the National Junior TT and Veteran’s Championships, as well as the National A3 and Junior Road Race Championships in September.
And as well as a dedicated racing team, they’ll have a leisure club which is welcoming riders of any age and experience to join.
While three members of this new team will leave Planet Tri, the latter team still exists, though it remains to be seen who exactly they’ll have in their roster next year.
Barry Meade – who won the Corkman and a host of other races in 2013 - will return to rally driving and Eddie Barry is also believed to be going elsewhere while Mike Storan is another believed to be on the move.
That would still leave the likes of Alan Loftus, Bob Murray and Aidan Gallery, amongst others in the original Planet Tri team.
Topics
