Anyone remember Julian Dalby...?

Fender76

I remember back in 89 or 90 when I was a lad racing under 16's he was Irish champ and I though he was deadly... I think he had long hair like Fignon and had a really cool bike (can't remember what it was...).. I was sure he was going to turn pro but I believe he's a doctor now...

Tenzor07

Fender76 wrote: »

had a really cool bike (can't remember what it was...)..

I think you mean his Pro-Flex bike, the one with a large carbon bar bolted onto the sloping top tube with the saddle clipped on and which acted as the suspension? One of the craziest designs ever!

bcmf

When I was racing back then he was top of the pile (whereas I was bottom). As you say it was taken as a given back then that he was bound for greater things.
I remember he got embroiled in a row with Federation of Irish Cycling which either was about him not getting picked for the Olympics (I think) or as a result of the row, not getting picked.

Zorba

Yes i remember him too i was racing under 16 at the time and also thought he was some sort of cool god, there was him and yer man John Sheenan.

According to this blog

http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2008/01/

He spent 7 yrs studying medicine and he's a consultant in St. James now :eek:

(Scroll down to the Medicine Man entry).

Zorba

bcmf wrote: »

When I was racing back then he was top of the pile (whereas I was bottom). As you say it was taken as a given back then that he was bound for greater things.
I remember he got embroiled in a row with Federation of Irish Cycling which either was about him not getting picked for the Olympics (I think) or as a result of the row, not getting picked.

He didn't make himself too popular with them anyway from what i can remember, ie not wearing helmets in races, think there were a few other things he done to piss them off but can't remember them now.

Chips Lovell

He was the guy who was thrown off the Rás for wearing the wrong coloured socks, wasn't he?

Zorba

el tonto wrote: »

He was the guy who was thrown off the Rás for wearing the wrong coloured socks, wasn't he?

Yes was thinking it was something stupid like that or he was wearing the wrong jersey or something.

Fender76

Tenzor07 wrote: »

I think you mean his Pro-Flex bike, the one with a large carbon bar bolted onto the sloping top tube with the saddle clipped on and which acted as the suspension? One of the craziest designs ever!

Yeah, that was it alright...!

Heard he turned up pto a race with a Swastika on his helmet....

RobFowl

Fender76 wrote: »

Yeah, that was it alright...!

Heard he turned up pto a race with a Swastika on his helmet....

It was at the RAS the day after he was almost thrown off the race for wearing socks that were not all white !!
As a protest he showed up with a swastika on his crash hat (likening the comm's to Nazi's).

Junior

Tenzor07 wrote: »

I think you mean his Pro-Flex bike, the one with a large carbon bar bolted onto the sloping top tube with the saddle clipped on and which acted as the suspension? One of the craziest designs ever!

Sounds like your describing an Allsop Suspension bike not a Pro Flex bike, I think he was the first guy around to turn up riding a Carbon frame as well..

RobFowl

Junior wrote: »

Sounds like your describing an Allsop Suspension bike not a Pro Flex bike, I think he was the first guy around to turn up riding a Carbon frame as well..

I remember them now, Ugliest looking bikes you could imagine !!

Junior

RobFowl wrote: »

I remember them now, Ugliest looking bikes you could imagine !!

Aye my dad got Kelly to test the first one in Ireland, my younger brother raced one for a couple of years, hand made Terry Dolan frame.

keno111

in fairness to Jules the helmet was not a political statement more a hairy motor biker fashion statement. seem to remember himself and Raphael kimmage wiping each other out on the last corner of a city centre crit in the 80's. wasn't to upset meself as left the way clear for me :D.

dave2pvd

Raced 'against' him in the Coca Cola GP in Bray. I was a junior. He and Sheehan were on top of the world back then.

Tenzor07

Junior wrote: »

Sounds like your describing an Allsop Suspension bike not a Pro Flex bike

Yeap your right, i remember the Allsop suspension on his mtb, awful looking, thankfully no one else was duped into buying one..

sy

The James Dean of cycling back in those days and a class act. I think he had a tattoo on his leg? which was pretty far out at the time! This was an era when we were slagged for wearing glasses :pac:

SurferDude41

Ah Yes Julian Dalby,

If memory serves, It was the 1988 Ras. There was a stage end in Clonakilty, Anthony Dineen won the stage into Clon, that bright and sunny afternoon.
Julian Dalby was involved in a bad crash, and had abandoned a couple of days before. I had heard of Julian Dalby, but couldn't put a face to the name at the time.
I travelled to Clonakilty earlier that day, with the intention of seeing the stage end, and riding an evening criterium.
We arrived in Clon, hours before the Ras stage end.

I was hanging around the stage finish area, and to entertain myself. I struck up a conversation with a pair of weird looking characters.
One had bleached blonde hair, With a grid pattern cut in to the sides.
His legs were those of a racing cyclist, and were heavily cut and grazed.
The guy seemed articulate inteligent, and very funny. in a strange other worldly sort of way...
His pal was this lanky French dude, who spoke fairly good english.

Anyway, the three of us ended chatting up some local girls:D
And we were invited back to their appartment, just off the main street.
Spent the entire afternoon drinking coffee, chatting and listening to music with the Clonakilty girls.
At this point I still had no idea, who these guys were.
My new pals mentioned, they would also be riding in the evening criterium.

Later on that evening, as I was getting ready for the evening race.
I bumped into the same pair of jokers.
As I recall, the French guy had those new fangled Time Pedals on his bike. He had dammaged one of the cleats, and was having problems clipping in.
I even let the guy lean on me, while waiting for the start gun.
The Lanky French dude, took off like a scalded cat on the first lap....I really tried to hold the guys wheel, I guess I just ran out of talent:eek:
He turned out to be JJ Henry, and went on to become a fairly good pro cyclist.
Julian Dalby cruised to an easy second place, that evening.

When the race finished, both were given a severe roasting by Dermot Dignam:D
As They both abandoned the Ras, neither would have been allowed to enter a race, for the duration of the Ras.

I used to hear some strange stories about Julian Dalby.
Like he slept on a straw bed, in the Basement of his parents house....Weird stuff indeed....:eek:

RobFowl

dave2pvd wrote: »

Raced 'against' him in the Coca Cola GP in Bray. I was a junior. He and Sheehan were on top of the world back then.

I rode that as well, free red coca-cola bottle at the sign on......

Bikerbhoy

Can I ask about another character from the past a one Conor Henry anyone know what path his life took after cycling ??

dave2pvd

RobFowl wrote: »

I rode that as well, free red coca-cola bottle at the sign on......

I wonder where that bottle ended up....

I remember riding out to the race from Rathfarnham with my kit bag over my shoulder. That part was easy. The ride back on wobbly legs: not so much.

I tried to latch onto the senior group as they went by - not a chance in hell.

It rained. A downpour. Brakes barely worked. The fronts wouldn't release on their own - required assistance from my fingers.

IIRC, Sheehan (or was it that sprinter from Orwell?) crashed on the right-hander entering the main straight. Right in front of me. I hung on as long as I could, trailing the seniors. I had figured out that I was on for 3rd junior overall - podium Then some gobsh1te went streaking by me right before the line. Was that you Robfowl? If so, I am still pissed off about it!

I wonder how Dalby did that day? That kid always reminded me of Johnny Lydon.

emtroche

He was back doing a bit of track racing in 2004.

The horns on the helmet were a nice touch!

shnoop

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shnoop

well that didn't quite work, try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pxyx9Q7ZM

Junior

shnoop wrote: »

well that didn't quite work, try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pxyx9Q7ZM

Jesus H Christ ! There's a blast from the past, I still have my Cidona Jersey from that era ! I've spotted a good few people I know in it, that looked like a tough circuit - I would have been 13 back then ! Some great racing back then all the same..

sy

Junior wrote: »

Jesus H Christ ! There's a blast from the past, I still have my Cidona Jersey from that era ! I've spotted a good few people I know in it.....

I'll second that! I still have my old Navan Avonmore Jersey from that era. The Navan lads rode well that day, Phil Donie and John were well up but Dalby and Henry were flying. Great footage shnoop where did you dig that one out of? and very well edited

olmo

I remember seeing him on rollers in the Phoenix Pk in '91 or '92 before a race. I remember hearing he had a snake that died, he got it skinned and used it for bar tape!

Fender76

Wow.. Great video...! Man he really was a class act.. he was miles ahead of the pack in what looks like a very fast race...
Pity he didn't go the whole way.. he could have been a contender.....

Junior

Fender76 wrote: »

Wow.. Great video...! Man he really was a class act.. he was miles ahead of the pack in what looks like a very fast race...
Pity he didn't go the whole way.. he could have been a contender.....

there was a big amount of shoulda coulda wouldas from the 90s which partly killed off the cycling scene here in ireland, riders like Dalby, Spratt, Fitzy, Robert Power, Peter Daly, Hourigan, Mick Woods all had the talent to turn pro, but it's a case of right talent wrong time and for some a lack of decent leadership and dedication.

trad

I was a Commissaire when Julian was in his hayday. He was a superb bike rider. I got a lot of complaints about "collusion" between him and John Sheehan. My attitude was don't be complaining to me, if you are better than him /them beat them.

The incident with the swaztika I was on that Rás. Whilst it might have been a jibe at Commissaires, the UCI Chief Commissaire was a Belgian Jew whose family had been decimated in WWII, the insult might not have been intentional but it hit a raw nerve.

He used to winter in Guadalupe racing there and always came back in superb form for the start of the season.

I'm fairly sure he is now a Surgeon at St James' Hospital.

kevvhayes

i remember a great interview with him in the sunday tribune years ago. probably written by paul kimmage. the piece had a fantastic photo of him splashing water from a bird bath onto his face. did he used to have a bit of a mohawk? cant find the pic on the internet now. maybe someone who knows their way around the net a bit better than me might be able to find it!!!

sy

kevvhayes wrote: »

.... did he used to have a bit of a mohawk? cant find the pic on the internet now. maybe someone who knows their way around the net a bit better than me might be able to find it!!!

Watch above linked video on YouTube at 13.06. Good shot of a very young (everybody looks young!) Kevin Kimmage? at 6.35 who went on to win the Ras the following year. Anybody confirm