Cycling Round Up |
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STAMULLEN – M. DONNELLY TEAM LAUNCHED (By Shane Stokes Apr 15) Fresh from their strong ride in last weekend’s Beggan Trophy in Bohermeen, where they placed 4 riders in the top 12, the new-look Stamullen Road Club was unveiled last night at a team launch in the Glenside Hotel in Julianstown. The prospects of the Meath squad have been considerably boosted by a sponsorship deal agreed with local businessman Martin Donnelly, who has undertaken to back the riders for the next three years. One of the best-known teams in the country, the Stamullen – M. Donnelly line-up features a number of successful riders including the current Leinster road race champion Tom Hughes and bronze medallist Craig Sweetman. Former Irish junior champion Robert Moore and his brother Bill, who has represented Ireland on several occasions, are part of a 19-strong line-up which also features female and underage competitors. In addition to fielding teams in many of the country’s top races, the club will promote a number of important events this year. This weekend sees their running of the Brendan Carroll and Joey Whyte/Pat Howard memorial races in the Stamullen village, while in June Ireland’s top cyclists will converge on the area to compete in the national road race championships.
New sponsor Martin Donnelly has a history of supporting teams from a number of sports. He currently backs the county hurling team and the Meath ladies Gaelic football team, and is now venturing into the world of cycling after an approach from the Stamullen club late last year, which he describes as being ‘the most professional presentation ever made to me.’
There is little pressure on the riders to get immediate results. ‘If they do well, great. If they can do well in the FBD Milk Rás, that would be even better. But there is no pressure - the team will be cycling around Ireland with my name on their backs and that is something in itself’ Donnelly, who is a major supplier of power tools and accessories, then explained his reasons for getting involved in sport sponsorship. ‘The money could be spend on either sponsorship or advertising, but if I sponsor a club then that is of benefit to the community. I like to put money into the sports that I like; cycling is one of those, so I am very happy to help out.’ Leinster champion Tom Hughes articulated the gratitude of the squad to the packed hall. ‘I have been with the Stamullen Road Club for the past 15 years. I have a lot of good memories from that time, but I don’t think there has ever been such excitement as there is now with this new sponsor. We are very grateful for the support and hope to be able to repay Mr Donnelly with some good performances.’ This sentiment was echoed by team manager Gabriel Howard, who has spent over 40 years involved with cycling. ‘We very much appreciate sponsors such as Martin Donnelly because without them, we really couldn’t survive. This kind of backing makes a huge difference to a community and we will do our utmost to get results.’ The Stamullen – M.Donnelly team will target many of Ireland’s major domestic events this season, with the world ranked FBD Milk Rás and Shay Elliot Memorial pinpointed as their major targets for the year. So too the national championship road race, which will see the squad highly motivated to impress on their own local course.
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Speaking
at the launch, Martin Donnelly explained why he got involved. ‘I have done a
bit of cycling in the form of charity events, both in Ireland and America, so I
know a little about the sport. Last December I got a presentation in the post
from Gerard Cromwell (club rider) asking if I would be interested in backing the
club; I get a lot of approaches but the professionalism of that one really
impressed me and I made a few enquiries’.
‘One
night I was talking to Phil Cassidy (double winner of the FBD Milk Rás) and
asked him about the club. He told me that I “could do a lot worse than get
involved with Stamullen, that they are people who eat, sleep and drink cycling”.
When Philip said that to me, my mind was made up. Myself and Gerard Cromwell got
together and worked out a deal.’
TEAM
ROSTER 2002: