Some of todays prizewinners including senior winner Davy Walsh and youth winner Adam Thatcher with Jim Maher, general manager, at the Riverside Park Hotel today. The Riverside Park are longtime sponsors of our Eddie Tobin open races. Despite almost dead calm conditions all competitors returned superfast times today. For the past few years its been an ambition of cyclists to break the 10 minute barrier for the 5 mile test. today Davy went one better with a superb time of 8.59. Denis McCarthy and Eoin O’Shea also returned times in the 9’s today. Thanks to everyone who helped and it was great to have Pat Whitney back out of the water for a change and on the stopwatch!
RESULTS ADDED, Order & Actual times: James Butler TT 2012
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This Sunday sees the annual James Butler Memorial 5 mile TT take place on the usual Oylegate to Enniscorthy course. All categories adult and youth welcome. Youth riders – no TT bars etc., just standard road bikes. Last year saw some super fast times with 4 riders breaking 10 minutes and a winning time of 9min 20secs. Will it be beaten this year?
Sign on from 10AM in the car park behind The Slaney Inn, Oylegate – no sign on or parking at the line. Seniors €5, Youth free.
Sign on closes and leave the car park for start line at 10.45 sharp
Prize giving directly afterwards at the Riverside Park Hotel opposite the finish line. We also have the medals for this years County TT championships to give out;
Gold: Davy Walsh, Slaney CC Silver: Declan Kinch, Slipstream, Bronze: Denis McCarthy, Slipsteam 1st unplaced A3: Dan Szczech, Slaney CC, 1st unplaced A4: Barry Murphy, Wexford Wheelers, 1st Unplaced Vet; Eoin O’Shea
Roll of Honour
- 2011 1st Davy Walsh 9mins 20sec, 2nd Anthony Doyle, 3rd Frank Dunne
- 2010 1st Davy Walsh 10mins 05 sec, 2nd Anthony Doyle, 3rd Frank Dunne
- 2009 1st Davy Walsh 10mins 09sec, 2nd Denis McCarthy, 3rd Eoin O’Shea
- 2008 1st Denis McCarthy 11mins 50sec, 2nd Paul Bracken, 3rd Patrick Dobbs
- 2007 1st Frank Dunne 10.16, Murt Doyle, 3rd Conchubhar O’Crualaoich
- 2006 1st Patrick Dobbs 10.57, 2nd Frank Dunne, 3rd Murt Doyle
- 2005 1st Frank Dunne 10mins 03sec, 2nd Patrick Dobbs, 3rd John Dobbs
(Thks to Frank Dunne for help in filling in the gaps)
The story behind the event.
Every weekend in Ireland there are road races and events in memory of deceased Irish cyclists like Paddy Flanagan, Shay Elliott or our own Eddie Tobin who contributed greatly to the sport in different ways. I asked Pat Whitney to write a few words about the story behind this event and its a unique piece of Irish cycling and social history thats almost been forgotten.
The James Butler Cup was presented to Rosslare Road Club c1987 by the late May Walsh in memory of her father, James Butler.
May lived in Kilrane not far from the old school which was used as our Club House, complete with kitchen, workshop, toilets and of course running water and electricity!
She dropped in occasionally and it was obvious she had a passion for cycling and the gift of story telling.
As soon as May appeared the kettle was plugged in. The u/age lads at the time, Stephen Duggan, Michael Griffin, Conor Barry, Brian O’Hagan, Brendan O’Gorman along with fifteen others loved to see May arrive.
Peter Connick would down tools in the workshop and we would all gather round as May recalled a time trial or a track race she won somewhere in Munster back in the 1950’s.
It was a time when cycling received a lot of publicity due to the Ras Tailteann and the names of the top Irish cyclists became household names.
It was also a time of few cars and rough roads but grass track racing proved very popular.
We were amazed as she spoke about the journey by tandem with her father to Carrick on Suir or Clonmel to compete in a grass track meet.
These races were often held at half time in a big hurling game with the track marked out on the edge of the pitch.
May and her father Jim would set out after first Mass on Sunday morning.
Jim would strap May’s track bike complete with cane wheels to his back. (The wheels can be seen mounted on the wall in Bertie Donnelly’s Pub in Dunshaughlin Co. Meath).
May carried her racing gear and food food for the day in a bag on her back.
With May steering on the front they headed to their destination without stopping (for a can of Red Bull or espresso coffee!).
On arrival they would have something to eat. Jim would get her track bike ready while May prepared for the upcoming races.
Win or lose it was straight back home after tea and sandwiches, often arriving after 9pm.
‘It wasn’t always sunny either, we got many a drenching’ she would laugh.
This was repeated every Sunday. Carrick one week, Kildare the week after.
May’s first love was time trialling and won medals at the National 25ml and 50 ml TT C’ships.
She was very successful on the track and was known throughout Leinster and Munster.
Like all the great cyclists of her generation she was a great believer in training on a fixed wheel over the winter months. Just ask Roy Doyle!
She spoke with great fondness and admiration of her father Jim. They had a great relationship, something like Katie Taylor and her father Pete.
It was a great privilige to have known May. On the bike she was a champion of the road and the track, off it, a humble and genuine person.
The James Butler Cup is a race that every Wexford cyclist should strive to win.