A MASSIVE BOOST TO IRISH CYCLING
The man behind sponsoring the team Stephen Murphy
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Irish cycling received a major boost with the launch of the Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn Group / M. Donnelly / Sean Kelly Cycling Team at the Murphy & Gunn showrooms in Milltown today.
The team is an amalgamation of last year’s separate entities, the domestic based Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn Group squad, and the Belgian based M. Donnelly / Sean Kelly Team and will be the only Irish professional cycling team in 2007.
Directeur Sportif: Kurt Bogaerts with the team Morgan Fox (Irl), Paul Healion (Irl), John Dempsey (Irl), Simon Kelly (Irl), Paid OBrien (Irl), Tim Cassidy (Irl), Mark Cassidy (Irl), Stephen Gallagher (Irl), Christophe Beddegenoodts (Bel), Tim Meussen (Bel), Rieno Stofferis (Bel),Devi Vervaecke (Bel) and Glenn Bak (Den)
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The Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn Group / M. Donnelly / Sean Kelly Cycling Team will comprise of eight Irish riders, three Belgians and one Dane, and will be a continental or third division professional team. The squads have also merged their back up personnel, the team now being supported by both Irish and Belgian management and coaching staff.
The sponsors show off their latest signings
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The team is endorsed by former world number one Sean Kelly and has attracted some of Ireland’s top young riders from all around the country. The team will be based at the Sean Kelly Cycling Academy in Merchtem, Belgium and will focus primarily on the development of young Irish cyclists.
The team are just back from an impressive season-opening performance at the Tour of Qatar against some of the top riders in the world. As well as international races, the squad will target the country’s most important races, with the FBD Rás and the national championships top priority.
The team will also have two amateur development teams attached, Team Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn in Ireland and the Sean Kelly Cycling Academy Team in Belgium, an innovation that means younger riders will form part of a club feeder squad and will also gain international experience throughout the year.
The team will be managed by Belgian former rider Kurt Bogaerts and overseen by former world number one Sean Kelly.
The Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn Group / M. Donnelly / Sean Kelly Cycling Team will ride American made Specialized bikes and will wear Spin11, Lotto and Craft clothing, Specialized shoes, helmets and glasses.
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Two people very much connected with sport Des Cahill reminisces with Martin Donnelly
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Robert Kehoe of Newlyn Group, Stephen Murphy of Murphy & Gunn and Martin Donnelly of M Donnelly & Co. with their team
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The Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn Group / M. Donnelly / Sean Kelly Cycling Team
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The team have a scrum to get a picture taken
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Stephen Roche talks to Stephen Murphy and Sean Kelly tries out the new Specialized bikes
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One of the new BMW 320d Touring Team Cars
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Declan Byrne of Cycling Ireland talks with Malcolm Goggins of Team Murphy & Gunn Newlyn
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REACTION:
Former world number one cyclist Sean Kelly said:
“This team is an extension of the Sean Kelly Academy, set up by Cycling Ireland to give young Irish cyclists a base from which to compete in Belgium. The pro team is the next step up from that and is designed to give young Irish riders a programme of top international races that they would otherwise not have had. They will compete at a much higher level than they can in Ireland and hopefully from here they can progress to a higher level again and maybe get onto a ProTour team in the future.
Of course to have Irish sponsors on board is magnificent. To get sponsors on board is not easy because a lot of our racing will be done outside of Ireland, so we are indepted hugely to Murphy & Gunn, the Newlyn Group and Martin Donnelly because they are all Irish sponsors. The team itself will be based outside of Ireland, because it’s very expensive to travel to Belgium or France for the quality races.”
1987 Tour De France winner, Giro d’Italia winner and world champion Stephen Roche said: “I think this team is a fantastic opportunity for young Irish cyclists. It is something that myself and Sean could only dream of when we were racing in the 80s. To have a team sponsored by Irish businesses and with Irish riders, we could only imagine something like that. For myself and Sean, going to the continent on our own was very difficult, the language, the culture, everything was new to us and it made it very tough at the beginning. Now with this Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn / M. Donnelly team Irish guys get to race abroad. They live together, eat together, train together, and it’s a great advantage. This team is now a benchmark for young kids getting into the sport in Ireland. It’s something to aim at and I think it’s fantastic for the sport here.”
Team road captain and former Irish road champion Morgan Fox: “This team is the best organised team I have ever been on. The background staff are so professional and to have Sean Kelly on hand to give you advice is fantastic. This year we have some very good young riders on this team who would probably never have gotten the chance to ride some of the races they will be riding. Paul Healion already proved what can be done when he almost pulled off a stage win at the Tour of Qatar. With Murphy & Gunn / Newlyn Group and Martin Donnelly’s support this year, hopefully some of these young riders will develop into future stars of world cycling.”
2. Principal sponsor Stephen Murphy said: “Murphy & Gunn are delighted to be able to continue the development of Ireland’s top cyclists. This team is about giving young Irish guys a chance to develop to the best of their ability. Whilst we had a fantastic season in 2006, having two teams in Ieland last year probably defeated the purpose a little, as the pool of riders is not as big here as it would be in the likes of Belgium or France. This year we have joined forces with Sean Kelly’s team and now have the experience and support of one of the world’s best ever cyclists in our bid to help Irish riders progress to the highest levels in the sport. Murphy & Gunn will also continue our association with the domestic cycling scene with our club team and also our sponsorship of the Shay Elliott Memorial.”
3. Robert Kehoe of Newlyn Group property developers said. “Newlyn Group is again delighted to be able to assist Ireland’s top young cyclists in 2007. Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche have already proved that Irish cyclists can be worldbeaters given the right environment and with a bit of determination. You can’t ask for better than to have Sean Kelly at the head of the team. He has done what most riders can only dream about and his knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport can only help these youngsters along the road to success.”
4. Martin Donnelly of M. Donnelly & Co. said: “My involvement with this team is really a progression of my involvement with the Stamullen M. Donnelly club and the M. Donnelly Junior Tour of Ireland. Cycling is one of my favourite sports and I get out on the bike quite regularly, so I know how hard it is! While I only cycle for pleasure, it’s a lot harder for these guys who are trying to break through to the big time and I’m delighted to be associated with this young squad. With Sean Kelly, one of the world’s best ever cyclists behind them, they have already put in an impressive opening performance at the Tour of Qatar, against some of the very best teams in the world. It augers well for the future and maybe we can encourage more youngsters to take up cycling. We might even produce another Irish Tour winner or world champion in years to come.”
MURPHY & GUNN / NEWLYN GROUP / M. DONNELLY SEAN KELLY CYCLING TEAM
Rider list:
Morgan Fox (Irl)
Paul Healion (Irl)
John Dempsey (Irl)
Simon Kelly (Irl)
Paidí O’Brien (Irl)
Tim Cassidy (Irl)
Mark Cassidy (Irl)
Stephen Gallagher (Irl)
Christophe Beddegenoodts (Bel)
Tim Meussen (Bel)
Rieno Stofferis (Bel)
Devi Vervaecke (Bel)
Glenn Bak (Den)
Directeur Sportif: Kurt Bogaerts
Assist. Dir Sportifs. Georg Van Oudenhove and Michel Bogaerts
General Manager: Sean Kelly
Sponsors
Murphy & Gunn (BMW, Lexus and Toyota Dealership, Milltown, Dublin)
Newlyn Group (International Property Developers, Dublin)
M. Donnelly & Co. (Power Tools and Accessories, Glasnevin)
Milwaukee Heavy Duty (Power Tools)
Specialized (Bikes, Helmets, Shoes and Glasses)
BMW (Team Cars in Ireland)
Leaseplan (Team Cars in Belgium)
Craft (Under Garments)
Spin11 (Race Clothing)
Lotto (Leisure Clothing)
Mavic (Wheels and components)
Wcup (Sports Nutrition, Bottles and cages)
Almero (Meat Producers)
Websites:
www.teammurphygunn.com
www.seankellycyclingacademy.com