Stephen Clancy in action in his Limerick CC colours
Limerick teenager Stephen Clancy has been voted male Irish-based rider of the year in a poll conducted by Cycling Ireland. He will be presented with his award at federation’s annual dinner in Dublin at the weekend.
Veteran rider and former Cycling Ireland board member, Orla Hendron has scooped the female prize after medalling at the UCI World Masters Tack Championships in Manchester in September.
Limerick CC’s Clancy began the year as an A3, in what was his first year in the senior ranks. He accumulated enough points to end the year an A1.
He grabbed a series of good results in races like the Tommy Sheehan Memorial, Des Hanlon, Cycling Pursuits Cup, Lacey Cup and Specsavers Cup and won the Sliabh Luachra TT in Currow.
Advertisement
Clancy also won the Munster A2 road race and TT champs and rode Ras Mumhan on the Irish development team.
He rounded off the year very well, taking victory in the Charleville 2-Day in September, where he won the TT stage.
The 19-year-old is a second year student at UL, where he’s studying PE with maths. His plans for next year include a move to the team known as The Edge in 2011 and his first assault on the An Post Ras.
“I’ll continue to do the big stage races in Ireland and possibly try out a bit of racing on the Continent, something like Belgium during the summer next year,” he told stickybottle.
He described himself as being “absolutely thrilled” to win the award, which he said was unexpected.
“I’m very thankful to everyone who voted. I hope this is just another stepping stone on my path to bigger and better things. I'm looking forward to next year already".
The winner of the women’s award, Orla Hendron has been a popular contributor to Irish cycling for many years, having just stepped down from the Cycling Ireland board and the women’s commission.
Related News
She finished second in the season-long Joe Daly’s Cycles Velotec Women’s National League and scooped third place in the Trek Women’s Classic League.
Her 2011 highlight came at the World Track Masters, where she took two medals for Ireland.
In the 45-49 age group points race she was out to defend the world title she had won in Portugal last year. In the end she had to be content with silver after a hard fought contest. The Orwell CC rider showed her versatility by later taking a bronze medal in the scratch race at the championships.
In the Club of the Year category, Cycle 4 Sick Children based in Limerick has been voted best of 2011 by Cycling Ireland members, from a shortlist of eight clubs nominated by the provincial commissions.
The club as formed 18-months ago by Liam and Stacy Mulcahy and has already built up a national following for its community work including training the largest number of Sprocket Rocket leaders as well as fundraising for worthy causes.
Gary McIlroy of the Usher Irish Road Club has emerged with the Volunteer of the Year award. Throughout the year he undertook race organisation and commissaire duties, from the smallest events right up to An Post Rás.
He was also on Cycling Ireland’s road commission and the college of commissaries, where he is the outgoing grading officer.
The awards will be presented on Saturday night during the Cycling Ireland National Awards Dinner in the Radisson Blu Hotel along with medallists in the national championships and winners of the Women’s National League and Classic League.
Orwell’s Orla Hendron has won the female award
Gary McIlroy is volunteer of the year: Pictured here presenting Mark Dowling with his Hill Climb Nat Title
Topics
