Historical

12 years older and 10 kilos heavier, I don't think I'll be going quite that far this time round...

Found in the Joe Daly Cycles Archives today! Brian Ahern finishing second to Malcom Elliott on Stage 5 of the 2004 Ras and wearing the County Jersey on the presentation stage.

Irish Times interview with David Daly (Tansey) on the wellbeing of the club in 1998 on its 50th anniversary www.irishtimes.com/sport/my-club-orwell-wheelers-1.168141 Navan CC - U14s . One N. Roche of Orwell relaxed at start of race and later just about to win the sprint photos - from Willow Wheelers archive .

The first Inter club league At the end of the Kelly/Roche era racing numbers were already in precipitous decline, so in 1995 the decision was taken to merge the Orwell club league with the Irish Road Club, and so the "Bell Amev Irish Road Club league" was born. St. Tiernans CC and IMBRC had been taking part in the Orwell league for the previous few years, and so they both joined in with the new league. Run over 14 weeks, and with some of the top riders in the country competin

Originally posted Tony McDowell Dave wrote: The second clipping is from the 24th of December 1990, and was a C.P. around the Green sheds. The course still went by the sheds at that stage, and it's even possible that they might still have been green at that point in time. As far as we know it was Noel's last race win, 34 years after his first. Aidan tells me it was only because he was given a huge handicap which Scratch never had a hope of overcoming, but then that's what the

BL Cars Sponsorship of Orwell Wheelers This Press Release was recently found by Damian Long and is a great piece of club history. It gives a good summary of the club history in the lead up to announcing that BL Cars would be Sponsoring a “young” Orwell team in the 1980 Health Race. On that young team were Damian Long, Paul Tansey, Richard McSherry, Joe McSherry and Sean O’Grady. Stephen Roche has been selected to lead the National Team in the Race but had turned down the offe

More articles from the Irish Cycling review Dillon was a class class bike rider, but had his priorities correct and put his studies and career first, which he was totally correct to do. Eamon Byrne became the youngest rider after Stephen Roche to win the Ras, suffered with his health though soon after. Replied by Dave Murnane on topic Irish Cycling Review This may be 1990, based on the Kelly Roche cup winner Jim Burke. The cup is of course now the Kieran Hammond memorial trop

Junior Tour 1987 Seskin Hill Carrick on Suir. The guy just on my inside with the yellow hat is Dave Heather who owned Heather Shoes on the Quays in Dublin for years.

Thanks to Peter of www.irishcycling.com and Aidan Hammond for finding and sharing this video of the Stephen Roche GP. These are the same roads we still race on every year but the bikes and fashion have changed a bit;) There are many legends of Irish and Orwell cycling racing here - how many do you recognise? <<video no longer available>> Stage 1 of the Gorey from the same year <<video no longer available>> You can see a current-day Orwell attacking at about the 06:45 mark. A

A very youthful Scott McDonald receives his medal from Stephen Roche, with Kieran Hammond on hand to remember all of the names and who had won what. Derek McArdle is in the white top in the background doing MC. Eamon Finn John O'Connor (back as a current member again after a 30ish year break!) Jude Roche receiving his prize from his big brother. Peter McWeeney

They weren't Orwell then, but Eddy Lane sent on this pic of Stephen McNally and Declan Quigley competing for Sorrento CC - before the first stage out of Navan.

Thanks to David Doyle for sharing to the club Facebook page The Orwell Wheelers Gorey team 1983: .Kevin Riney, Jude Roche, Dave Doyle, Peter Stewart, Derek McArdle and Damien Long ...with their back up team of Niall and Yvonne O'Rourke !!

Club Christmas Party 1982 at the Old Table Tennis Club in Dundrum. Paul Tansey and Damien Long on LHS? Yourself in a stripey jumper thingy on the RHS? Dare I say SRoche in the middle blocking his face??? Left to right: Kevin Riney,Paul Tansey, Tansey youngest sister!, Noel O'Neill, Damien Long, David Doyle, Stephen Roche, Shay Maguire RIP, Young Eoin O'Neill, Niall O'Rourke, Kieran Hammond RIP, Sandra Maguire, Dave Tansey, Robbie Lawless. The tall guy behind the lads im not 1

Provided by Dave Mc.. He writes... The event is the launch of the BL cars Ireland Orwell sponsorship, February 1980, in the Phoenix park. The clipping is by Jim McArdle of the Irish times, dated Monday 18th February 1980. Pictured from left to right are; Rob Phillips, Brendan Mahon, Eddy Butler, Damien Long, Liam Keenan, Niall O'Rourke, Rodger Shiels, Dave Doyle, Derek McArdle, Joe McSherry, Richie McSherry. Unfortunately Damien appears to be delivering some words of wisdom r

All from the 1979 Junior Tour, where the Irish team featured 3 Orwell Wheelers. All photos thanks to Eddie Butler (you may have already seen these on Facebook). L-R: Jim Murphy - manager (Orwell Wheelers), Martin Earley (future TdF stage winner), Vincent Murphy (Orwell Wheelers), Ted Flaherty, Eddie Butler (Orwell Wheelers), Martin Kelly. At the start in O'Connell Street. L-R: Gay Byrne, Ted Flaherty, Martin Kelly, Martin Earley, Eddie Butler Irish team getting the team aw

The Orwell Wheelers team, at start of first Junior Tour 1978 - thanks to Eddie Butler. L-R: David Doyle, Derek McArdle, unknown, Eddie Butler, Niall O'Rourke, Richie McSherry, Kevin Reiney.

Through the 1970s Noel Hammond and his team organised the Whit weekend Wicklow festival races for both Seniors and Juniors. While very few of the clubs listed in the results are still in existence there are plenty of well known names in there. The Orwell were just coming out of a very long drought on the racing front and about to hit one of the most successful periods in our history, in no small part due to the work of Noel O'Neill and Paddy Doran in getting young riders into

In the quiet years of the late 60s and early 70s the Orwell almost died out completely, with only one active cycling member for a number of years. Probably the only reason for the club to have remained in existence through those years was to keep going all of the Open races which they organised. The Whit weekend Wicklow 2 day was one of the races which Noel Hammond and team organised, and in 1972 it featured a Junior race: There's a few names on there that will still be famil

Rudge Cup 1971 Rudge Cup 1971, Noel Hammond looking like Elvis on the finish line. In the other picture is Shay Maguire in the Aaron Jumper and beside him a very very young Kieran Hammond!