Junior Tour 1999

Junior Tour 2000

The Kanturk-based riders that competed in the 1999 Junior Tour of Ireland made an unprecedented impression on the event. Commenting on the performance of the Kanturk riders in the Tour, the Irish Team Manager, Barry Monaghan, said that it was superb and "absolutely exceptional and unprecedented". Such praise resulted from a week which saw two riders wearing the Yellow Jersey, coming first, second, fourth and sixth in the King-of-the-Mountains category, winning a stage, coming second overall in the Individual Classification, third overall in the Team Classification, and second in the Points Classification. These achievements will be seen in context when it is considered that Junior Tour of Ireland is a major week-long event, with over seventy competitors and International teams such as Britain and Holland.

Initially, five riders were chosen to represent the North Cork Credit Unions Cycling Team on the Tour. These were Daniel and Dennis Lynch, Stephen O'Sullivan, Willie Curtin and Michael Dennehy. When Willie and Dennis were subsequently chosen for the Irish team, David Geary was added to the team.

The Tour began on Tuesday with a brief, 1.7 mile prologue time-trial in Clonee, Co. Dublin. This saw Dennis Lynch go into second place, just three seconds behind the leader.

Wednesday was the first real day of action which took place over a hilly, demanding course in North Co. Dublin. An early break of eight riders got away that included Willie Curtin, Dennis Lynch and Michael Dennehy, along with a Dutch and British rider. Philip Ahern, riding with Safari’s, also got across to the break. This group worked well together initially and gradually extended their lead to two minutes and twenty seconds over the leading bunch. Some of the group could not keep up the momentum, however, and the cohesion of the break faltered leading to unsuccessful attempts by Willie Curtin and Dennis Lynch to get away in front. A dramatic chase by the main bunch saw the gap closing to just twenty seconds before the final sprint in which Michael Dennehy and Willie Curtin came fourth and fifth.

The final compilation of the results of the stage created a sensation with riders drawn from Kanturk Credit Union Cycling Team now dominating the event, with three riders in top five positions and leading in three of the categories. Dennis Lynch was in the lead overall, and wore the yellow jersey. Willie Curtin was second and wore the green Points Jersey, and Michael Dennehy was fifth overall and wore the King-of-the-Mountains Jersey. Moreover, the North Cork Credit Unions Cycling Club had moved into third position in the Team Classification, behind the Irish and Dutch teams. This put them ahead of eleven other teams, including the British and all the Irish Provincial teams.

Thursday’s stage, based in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, was a tense and dramatic affair for North Cork interests at the event. Stephen O’Sullivan punctured after just eight miles and lost contact with the leaders. He rode very well on his own for the rest of the stage to try and preserve team time. Dennis Lynch, who was wearing the leader’s Yellow Jersey, lost contact with the bunch twice because of a puncture and a bike change, but regained contact and retained the Jersey. The North Cork Credit Unions team also retained its third place. Michael Dennehy finished fourth in the stage and climbed to fifth place overall. Willie Curtin, riding with the Irish team, still wore the King-of-the-Mountains Jersey and lay second overall.

Friday's fourth stage was another hugely successful day for Kanturk-based riders. In a very tough circuit based in Stamullen, Co. Meath, Daniel Lynch, riding with North Cork Credit Unions, got away from the bunch in an early two-man break and at one stage he was race-leader on the road and threatening to take the Yellow Jersey from his twin-brother, Dennis, riding with the Irish team. The Irish team brought the break back however and Willie Curtin was pipped at the final sprint by a Dutch rider but he took the overall lead and now wore the leader's Yellow Jersey. Daniel Lynch and Michael Dennehy, riding with the North Cork Credit Unions team, came third and fourth in the stage and Michael now wore the Leading First Year Junior Jersey. Dennis Lynch, who was leading up to this stage, now wore the Points Jersey.

Saturday's seventy-mile stage over the Wicklow Mountain was the toughest of the Tour and many felt that it would decide the final outcome of the race. It was to be a day of tactics and strategy, and also a day of both heartbreak and triumph for Kanturk riders. In a successful tactical move to prevent the second-placed Dutch rider from attacking the Yellow Jersey, Willie Curtin covered him while other Irish team riders attempted to get away from the front. It was a move that was anticipated by the North Cork Credit Unions manager, Dan Curtin, and when Brian Ahern of the Irish team attacked, David Geary of the North Cork Credit Unions team went with him. Willie Curtin therefore conceded the Yellow Jersey. Geary powered the break and with fifteen miles to go himself and Ahern of the Irish team were left in front and looked certain of a stage win. However, it was heartbreak for Geary when the break was swallowed by a chasing bunch of nineteen riders within three hundred metres of the line. But it was triumph for Daniel Lynch who won the bunch sprint to take the stage and establish himself as a top quality sprinter. It also put him into second place, just seven seconds behind the race leader.

The final stage of fifty-five miles on Sunday was a tightly controlled affair in which no significant breaks were allowed to develop. Michael Dennehy, however, came second in the stage.

At the end of the event, Willie Curtin won the King-of-the-Mountains Classification and David Geary, Daniel Lynch and Michael Dennehy were second, fourth and seventh in the same classification. Daniel Lynch came second overall in the Tour, and after six days of racing was just seven seconds behind the leader. The Irish Team, with two Kanturk riders, won the Team Classification, and the North Cork Credit Union Team was third, just behind the British Team and ahead of the Holland, Leinster, Munster, Ulster and five other teams. Michael Dennehy was second in the Points Classification and Willie Curtin and Dennis Lynch were sixth and seventh.

Junior Tour of Ireland 2000

Michael Dennehy was an automatic choice for the Irish team for the 2000 Junior Tour and Kanturk decided to enter two, four-man teams. A sponsorship consortium joined Kanturk Credit Union to make this possible and it involved Senator Windows, Global Life and Finance, Keary's of Mallow, and Munster Business Systems.

Kanturk Team A consists of Barry Meade who is last year's under 16 National Champion: David Geary who came third in a Junior Tour stage last year: Sean Lacey who held the yellow jersey and was a stage winner in the three-day Ras Dun na nGall, and Conor Murphy who has had a number of domestic race wins during the year.

Kanturk Team B consists of Stephen O'Sullivan who is coming back into form after his Leaving Cert: John O'Shea who was third in a stage of the Dunboyne three-day: Edward Kelly who has had five domestic wins this year and Tim Ahern who was on Irish Team panel last year.

The 2000 event had 90 riders in 29 teams from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Belgium and France. Tuesday’s first prologue stage took place on August 8th and was a 2.4 mile Hillclimb on the Hill of Howth. It left both Kanturk teams nicely positioned mid-way in team-classification and the leading Irish club teams. The stage was won by Kieran Page from the English team and he was to hold the Yellow Jersey until the finish.

Racing began in earnest on Wednesday and so also did a run of bad luck that was to plague both Kanturk teams for the remainder of the Tour. Normally, the decisive events occur later in the race but this 52 mile stage, centred on Newbridge, was to be dramatic and controversial. The event was riddled with crashes and punctures, a third of the field was distanced and both Kanturk teams were to have heavy losses.

Tim Aherne punctured after three miles, just as the initial attacks were taking place. He failed to regain contact and lost 21 minutes. David Geary punctured next, lost contact, and spent the rest of the stage desperately trying to reduce his loss. A crash in the bunch then brought down Conor Murphy. He initially appeared to be out of the race but re-mounted after receiving medical attention and did extremely well to reduce his loss to sixteen minutes. As the Kanturk service was dealing with Murphy’s injuries John O’Shea got caught up in another crash in the main bunch and damaged his bike. The delay in getting a spare bike to him was costly and he lost twenty-one minutes on an ill-fitting bike. However, the good news on the stage was that Michael Dennehy had taken over the King-of-the-Mountains (KOM) category. Murphy and O'Shea had to go to hospital but were discharged after their cuts had been cleaned and dressed.

Thursday’s stage covered 45 miles over a ten-lap circuit in Balbriggan that included a sharp climb. Michael Dennehy lost his KOM jersey by one point and Sean Lacey punctured and lost a lot of time. Barry Meade was especially prominent on the climbs. Kanturk’s bad luck continued on Friday’s 47 mile stage was, based in Clonlee. Dennehy made an early attach and a group of three gained fifty seconds by the first KOM prime. Dennehy won the maximum points and regained the KOM jersey. The exceptional bad luck was to continue however. Conor Murphy fell again, and Lacey and Kelly and punctured, all within minutes of which made service difficult. They all regained the bunch which came together each other for the final sprint in which Dennehy came second to an English rider.

Saturday’s sixty-mile stage in the Wicklow mountains included the climbs of the Wicklow Gap and Sally Gaps. Conor Murphy started, even after his second crash and he now had bruises and cuts on his forehead, both knees and elbows, both sides of his back and on one buttock! Over thirty riders were distanced on the first climb but the main contenders remained together and Michael Dennehy was first over the top to consolidate his lead in the KOM category. The Kanturk jinx returned again on the descent of the Sally Gap when David Geary ran into the back of the French team-car, shattering the window. He was taken to hospital with cuts to his jaw and received seventeen stitches. Barry Meade took a wrong turn, rode almost twenty extra miles on his own and didn’t start the following morning. Sean Lacey, Conor Murphy, John O’Shea, Michael Dennehy and Edward Kelly remained in a lead bunch of twenty riders and the sprint was won by a member of the English team.

Michael Dennehy extended his KOM lead by winning the first prime on Sunday’s 50 mile stage, followed by Sean Lacey. To further confirm his form, Dennehy came third in the final sprint.

On the one hand, the 2000 Junior Tour of Ireland will be remembered as one of frustration by Kanturk Cycling Club. However, Michael Dennehy retained the King-of-the-Mountains jersey that had been won by Willie Curtin the previous year, and the eight riders can be justifiably proud participating in what must be one of the most gruelling events for Junior athletes in the country.

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