Junior Tour, 2001 |
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The club had a very successfull outing the 2001 Junior Tour - the 24th edition of the event that attracted 12 teams from Great Britain, Scotland, Holland, France, as well as the usual Irish teams. Paudi O'Brien was selected for the Irish national team and Kanturk Credit Union Cycling Club was helped to field a team in the event by V.T.S Autos, a Dublin-based company involved in the motor trade. The team members were Barry Meade, Andrew McQuaid, Eddie Kelly and Joe Marrey. Tuesday's first stage was a hill-climb on the Hill of Howth, and the main action began on Wednesday with 46-mile route based around Skerries. It was a difficult route, with the narrow and twisty roads made dangerous with rain and mud. A crash in the first few miles split the race in two, and Paudi O'Brien was unfortunate to puncture after a few miles. Left unsupported, he could not get back into the bunch and lost any hope of a high overall placing. However, he was to stamp his name on the event later in the week. Thursday's stage was 47 miles near Ballyboughal, and Eddie Kelly got involved in the main action. However, it was in Friday's stage into Dunboyne that the club members came to the fore. A break got away that included Paudi O'Brien, riding for Ireland, and team-mate Barry Meade riding with Kanturk - VTS Autos. Meade lead-out the sprint and O'Brien took the stage, closely followed by Meade in second place. After three days of racing, Kanturk was in sixth team placing, and the leading Irish team after the national squad. Saturday's 60 mile stage included two climbs of the Sally Gap and was to be decisive in the overall placing. Andrew McQuaid went in an early break but a Dutch rider forged ahead on the first climb, split the race to pieces, and rode alone for 45 miles to take the yellow jersey. The team lost its best ranked Irish club team placing to the Cycleways team. Paudi O'Brien and Barry Meade had a second go at stage honours on Sunday's final stage at Blessington. It was a very fast stage, with an average speed of almost 30 mph. O'Brien went into a six-man break that got over a minute ahead of the bunch and it appeared he might get a second stage win for the Irish team. However, the break was chased down, with the help of his team-mates, and the bunch came together in the final kilometre. O'Brien again chased the breaks in the hectic run-in to the line and came third in the sprint, closely followed by Meade in ninth place. The event was very successful for the Kanturk club which finished seventh overall in the team positions, and especially of Paudi and Barry who got the "one-two" in the stage at Dunboyne.
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