Ken Tobin (38) takes the Christy McManus Memorial in Roundwood, Co Wicklow, yesterday in his second season back after a break from racing of 19 years.
One of the most exciting prospects in Irish cycling in the mid 1990s, Bray man Ken Tobin was the best junior rider in the country and in his first year as a senior won a series of races including a round of the defunct classic league and gained full international selection.
However, injury called a halt to his senior career before the sport had seen the best from him; a very bad crash when he hit a motorbike in full flight going for the win in the Des Hanlon Memorial junior race causing physical problems that came back to haunt him.
Almost two decades later, during which he got married and had children and built his name as a talented DJ on the dance music scene, the 38-year-old put away the turn tables, dusted down the cycling kit and decided to give it another go last year.
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But persistent injury and a broken collar bone in last year’s Gorey Three Day made the comeback harder than he had hoped for. And when those injuries, including tendonitis and neck problems, took a wrecking ball to much of his winter, the signs did not look good.
However, having based much of his recent preparation around cycling the 13km to a from work between his home in Malahide, north Dublin, and Santry along with weekend spins of “no more than three hours”, his class has outted.
Yesterday afternoon he sailed across the line in first place at the Christy McManus Memorial in Roundwood, Co Wicklow, to win a race he last captured 20 years ago.
“It was great to do it with the kids there, absolutely; my son and daughter I think were very proud today,” he told stickybottle.
“My daughter would be aware of my cycling years ago. She’s discovered Google so she’s found photos and stuff and will say to me ‘was that really you dad’. So she has some idea that I did all of this years ago.”
Tobin had put together a string of solid placings in the early season that saw him upgraded from A3 to A2. And last Tuesday night he was beaten for the win at the Bikeworx Series in Mondello Park, Co Kildare only by John Lynch.
“It was a really tight sprint and John is obviously just coming off the Rás and I found out later he has won national track titles so to be beaten by a small margin by a guy like him; I was very happy with that. I could sense the form was coming in the past few weeks, even riding club races I could feel it.”
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Tobin (far left) on his way to winning the National Junior Road Race Championships in Cork in 1993 with Michael Woods from Carrick and Ruairi Mitchell of St Tiernan's.
He was active from the start today, a strong attack in the opening miles seeing him gain ground alone. But with nobody willing to ride across and work with him, he sat up.
“I had a few more digs the next two or three laps and Declan Kinch (Slipstream) was very active as well. There was attacks going constantly and then being brought back as the race went on so I just said I would sit in and see what happens; I was being watched.”
The attacking continued well inside the final 5km, with the last breakaways being mopped up only at that point. Tobin opted to keep his powder dry and gamble on those who had been chasing all day not letting up in that regard. It was a plan that worked well.
“Coming into the last corner, I was fifth going in and then Kinch led out the sprint. I put it into the 53X12 and then kicked again on the 53X11,” he said of his winning dash to the chequered flag.
"I was delighted because I couldn't have sprinted in that gear even a few months ago. I've been working with the 'A1 Coaching' guys and Aaron Buggle has been great; showing me some techniques and tweaking the training. Even though I don't put huge hours in, those changes they've helped me with have really made a difference.
“After breaking the collarbone last year I was determined to get back and to be strong and fit and to challenge. So I’ve just been going about my business since then; doing the training I need to do.
“But the winter I’d put in was really only in prep for A3 racing. So when I got the upgrade to A2 so early it was a bit of a shock to the system and I was really just playing catch up. I upped the training a few miles and just got stuck into the longer races.
“The Coombes Connor in Drogheda a few weeks back was the first time I’d raced, or even cycled 130kms.”
Tobin said he feels he can win an A1 race this season.
“It more than likely wouldn’t be one of the longer ones but I know there’s a win in me still, another win. I targeted two wins at the start of the season and the Christy McManus was one.”
He says a family holiday will cut his season short in late August though he would consider riding the Suir Valley Three Day before wrapping up for the summer. The An Post Rás next year is “on my mind, but we’d have to see how that goes”.
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