Here’s a video I uncovered from 1986, it’s edited highlights of the Gorey 3 Day, although quality is poor it’s a different world back then when cycle races used main roads with little traffic, how times have changed.
The race was always held over the Easter weekend, it was a prominent event in the Irish cycling calendar. The first stage was on Saturday, starting in Bray and raced to Gorey. Then in Gorey a 4 mile time trial on Sunday morning followed by a circuit race in the afternoon. The final stage on Easter Monday started in Gorey and raced back to finish in Blessington.
In those days the race assembled at the old Bray Wheelers clubhouse, and was neutralised to the top of the main Wexford road at Kilmacanoge, where the race started. It went down the main road through Arklow and finished on the outskirts of Gorey.
The race was created by Sam Darcy, who was a member of the Irish Road Club and lived in Tallaght, Dublin. Sam who was originally from Gorey felt there was a need for a stage race that catered for second category riders, there were many stage races for all categories at the time and the top first cat riders usually won the lot.
Gorey situated about 60 miles from Dublin, was the ideal location to race to, Sam worked his magic, and got the town involved and the race was born.
Over the years the race became an institution. While ‘first cats’ could not ride it. It was very popular with the majority of seniors and juniors from all over Ireland. With entry numbers getting curtailed as numbers approached 200.
This particular edition of the race in 1986 was during it’s ‘heyday’ and many people will like to see this video. It will bring back memories of a classic race that many people enjoyed.
The race was eventually won on the last day by a Junior rider Gareth O’Donoghue from the Sorrento Cycling Club. Kevin O’Brien (Irish Road Club) was second and Sean Lally (Concorde CC) third.
Many thanks to Joe Murphy for bring me around on the motorbike.
There are some more videos of the individual stages in this ‘Irish Cycling Videos’ section on YouTube
Video and Editing by Peter Purfield
2 Comments
The year I took up road racing.
Cycling hasn't changed, people change and they change for their own greedy reasons. I raced in the 1980's when cycling was still a real, fantastic sport. Look at the sorry state of it today. Bicycles made out of toxic carbon fiber shit materials and every single thing made in sweat shops in china. Gone are the days of craftsmanship from Italy and quality bikes made of the highest grade steel which wasn't much heavier than carbon. Bicycles today look like mountain bikes. Bike races look like mountain bike events. With those stupid looking helmets that all of you wear and those ulgy looking yellow jackets. You look like council workers. The country is destroyed because all of you individuality played a part in destroying the country and the sport. Irish Cycling is run by a bunch of money grabbing tossers who haven't a clue about cycling. A cycling licence is now close to 200 euros. Get people to put some style, flare, and beauty back into cycling. Its become a boring, communist, ulgy looking sport, with skinny looking men, drinking soya milk to keep their weight down to 9 stone anorexic's.