Thomas Martin winning the Tour of Armagh in 2012. There will be no name on the cup this year as the event has been cancelled due to the large number of races on the same day (Photo: Marian Lamb - Cycling Ulster)
The organisers of one of the North’s best known events, Clann Eireann has decided to cancel the Tour of Armagh this year citing fixture congestion and urging Cycling Ireland to act immediately to solve the problem.
The cancellation of the event will bring renewed focus to the debate around the domestic calender.
In recent years Irish cycling has seen a packed programme to mid May, up to the An Post Rás. However, there is a noted dip in the number of races in the summer months, which has been exacerbated in recent years by cancellations.
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With a number of notable exceptions, the season tends to gradually fizzle out once the summer starts. This is a complete reversal of trends in the past when competition intensified as the summer arrived and riders who combined racing with working could train more in the longer summer evenings.
This year's Tour of Armagh was scheduled for Sunday, April 27th. Also listed for the same day are the Waller Cup in Co Meath, the Drumm Cup in Co Kerry, the Donegal County Road Race Championships, the Ernie Magwood Super Six TT League in Co Tyrone and the Mid Ulster GP also in Co Tyrone.
The race was due to unfold just two weeks before the visit of the Giro d’Italia to the North, and would have taken the Irish riders on many of the same roads the professionals will use including Keady Mountain and Fews Forest.
First run in 1961, it has been open to A1-A2-A3 riders. But the promoting club has said because of the concentration of races on the calendar on the day the event was planned, the organising committee was forced to consider whether it was worth going ahead this year.
After discussions in recent weeks, and arising from what they feel is the lack of clarity from Cycling Ireland, the event has been called off for this year.
However, in a statement race organiser and Clann Eireann chairman John News said he was hopeful the race would return next year.
“A race like the Tour of Armagh involves dozens of volunteers in the preparation and delivery of a successful event, not to mention significant ‘sunk’ costs, and the support of the PSNI,” he said.
“To ask all those people to invest passion, energy and effort with four other events on the same day, was just something we weren’t prepared to do.”
The statement added the club had been optimistic that the standing of key races like the Tour of Armagh would be strengthened after an announcement in early February by Cycling Ireland that a new national classic league was to be established this season.
“But unfortunately progress in that regard seems to have been slow,” its statement said.
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“Given the current popularity and growth in cycling, and with Cycling Ireland working to finalise a high performance strategy, Clann Eireann CC hopes for greater clarity, cohesion and structure in the 2015 domestic racing calendar that will help to improve performance and raise standards for all riders.
“The club looks forward to early engagement with Cycling Ireland and other race promoters in that discussion.”
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The race had always been held in August and was won in 2012 by Thomas Martin, then a Eurocycles rider.
When the Tour of Ulster was called off last year Clann Eireann decided to hold the race on the weekend that event was due to take place. The stage race was however put back on the calendar, and with no time to reschedule the Tour of Armagh, it effectively became one of the stages in that race.
Aside from Martin winning the last time it was a one-day event, the race has also been claimed by some of the very best riders in the country.
In its early days the legendary Shay O’Hanlon won the Tour of Armagh in 1962, 1964, 1968, and 1977. The 1988 Olympian Cormac McCann won the race twice and more recent winners have included former professional and the last Irish rider to win the Rás Stephen Gallagher along with Conor Murphy, Adam Armstrong and Gary Cranston.
Clann Eireann stressed its other races due to go ahead this year were unaffected by the Tour of Armagh announcement.
The Clann Eireann Cup would take place as planned on March 17th, followed by the Aghagallon Cup on April 6th, which would also feature a full programme of youth racing. It will also organise the Tour of Ulster this year, May 3rd to 5th.
The club said it was also looking forward to promoting the Ulster Youth Championships in July which was, like the other events, completely unaffected by the cancellation of the Tour of Armagh.
Two of the big names to have won the Tour of Armagh, Adam Armstrong (left) and Cormac McCann. Seen here with McCann in a coaching capacity and Armstrong as a Northern Ireland team member at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games. Homepage image is also McCann. Both photographs with thanks to Marian Lamb of Cycling Ulster.
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