Conor Hennebry - Unknown county rider to An Post Chain Reaction
The Tipperary man proved that a rider can start the season under the radar and end it with a contract for a Continental team in his back pocket.
His season was quite simply staggering and included a Tour of Ulster title, despite not winning a stage.
The fact he did it that way shows his intelligence as a rider, picking the right moves and fighting for every second.
He had some brilliant rides in the likes of the John Beggs Memorial and the Deenside Cup, not to mind taking a couple of marvellous wins in Belgium in the amateur kermesse scene.
He is an example to all young riders who are not blessed with outrageous natural talent – and that’s by Hennebry’s own admission.
He will realise a dream in 2017 when he takes on the big boys in an An Post Chain Reaction team kit; all this despite having been an unknown club rider just a couple of seasons ago.
Advertisement
Katie George Dunlevy - Paralympic gold medal
No surprise to see Dunlevy make the RTE Sports Person of the Year because she has been as much an inspiration bike rider as an inspirational person, triumphing over adversity with a smile on her face.
When the highlights reel of 2016 goes up, nobody will forget hers and sighted pilot Eve McCrystal’s elated reaction on the roadside in Rio when news has been confirmed they have won the gold medal in the time-trial.
And not content with just that they followed up with silver in the road race in what was a truly memorable week for Irish cycling.
Honourable mention here as well must go to another member of the team and that’s the outstanding Eoghan Clifford of Galway Bay CC who won gold in the C3 time-trial.
Anna Turvey - National TT champ & Euros bronze
We must admit to not knowing a lot about her when she declared for Ireland but after she won the national time-trial championships by over three minutes she was impossible to ignore.
The 36-year old was quickly in the elite track team and in her first major – the Euro Track Championships, she went home with a bronze medal in the individual pursuit in France in October.
She also went to the UCI World Championships in Doha, finishing a very respectable 28th in the time-trial.
Mark Downey - UCI Track World Cup gold
The Banbridge CC man gets better and better each year and 2016 was the year where he really showed he has what it takes to step up to the next level.
He’s still just 20 so expectation must be kept in check but firstly winning a major race in France despite being outnumbered in the winning break and secondly, winning gold in the points race at the UCI Track World Cup in Apeldoorn in November.
There were plenty top rides before those, such as an eye-catching GC ride in his debut An Post Rás, and if he strings it together next year in the colours of CC Etupes we think a pro contract could be in the offering the year after.
Ryan Mullen - UCI World Champs TT 5th
Related News
The performance of the year from any Irish rider in any discipline.
The progress Mullen has made in his first year as a professional was clear for the world to see in Doha in October when he finished fifth in the elite men’s time-trial at the UCI World Championships.
It was an extraordinary display from the 24-year old who beat the likes of Taylor Phinney, Tom Dumoulin and Rohan Dennis, without much fuss it must be said.
He has had a difficult season with injuries he never complained about and performances that were well below his best, as a result of said injuries.
So to see him compared to TT kingpin Tony Martin on the biggest day of the year augers very well for him personally and his Cannondale-Drapac team next year.
Dan Martin - Tour GC ride
Each year Dan Martin delivers special performances on big days and this year, he did it time after time after time.
Third in Fleche-Wallone, third at the Volta A Catalunya as well as a stage win and third at the Criterium du Dauphiné would be enough for most but Dan’s Tour was even better again.
He went into the race as his team’s protected man and rode a textbook race, sniffing out any opportunities that came – while looking for more.
His ride to Andorra (stage nine) on the most grisly of days was incredible to watch and saw him jump to third overall on GC.
That was a day he was second in Bagneres de Luchon, descending the Peyrsourde in pursuit of Chris Froome like a man possessed.
Seven minutes down by the time he reached Paris might sound a lot, but three minutes off second place will be all the motivation he needs to have another crack in 2017.
Eoin Morton – An Post Rás stage win
The domestic road race moment of the year; Morton riding out front all day with Bryan McCrystal before jumping clear inside a kilometre to go and holding off a charging bunch be seconds.
It was the kind of win dreams are made of and will no doubt motivate many, many county riders to try and do the same thing.
He actually went into the 183-kilometre stage as leader of the KOM classification and said beforehand that all he wanted to do was maybe preserve that.
And when he went away with McCrystal with 100 kilometres to go, few gave them much hope.
Their lead swelled to over seven minutes before the chase ramped up…but it was just a little too late as the Swords man held on.
It was an amazing day for McCrystal too who finished with the KOM jersey and missed the yellow jersey by mere seconds.
Topics
