Who are your top ten irish cyclists ever?

padohaodha

Hi, just debating last night who are the top ten professional irish cyclists ever? We were fairly agreed about top ten,with a handful of discrepancies,Here's my tuppence worth...

1 sean kelly
2 stephen roche
3 shay elliot
4 martin earley
5 dan martin
6 nicholas roche
7 sam bennett
8 martin irvine
9 paul kimmage
10 philip deignan

I'm open to changing my mind or other cyclists I might have forgotten.Interesting to see what others think

MPFGLB

I would not put Kimmage before Deignan

And that list will change soon with Mullen & Dunbar both world class ...just a few more years

Inquitus

1. Sean Kelly
2. Stephen Roche
3. Shay Elliot
4. Dan Martin
5. Martyn Irvine
6. Nicholas Roche
7. Martin Earley
8. Sam Bennett
9. Philip Deignan
10. Paul Kimmage

Would bump Martyn as he has been a track world champ, drop Earley a few spots as his palmares is not as good as Roche or Dan, but with a GC stage win he betters Bennett for now. Kimmage last because his integrity with regard to doping he never had any chance of getting results.

Eamonnator

Martin Earley has two Grand Tour wins, one in TdF and one in Giro, and represented Ireland in the XC MTB Olympic Race in 1996, but still not enough to push him past Nico Roche.

MPFGLB

Kimmage doped as a rider btw

MPFGLB

Nico Roche has a top 5 and a top 6 in a GT ..as well as 2 GT stage wins

Inquitus

MPFGLB wrote: »

Kimmage doped as a rider btw

Yep I have read his book, but it seems to suggest he did it once or twice and that was the extent of it and only as a measure to get round, not to the level where he might be winning races.

Casula

Going back a bit in time I know but any space on that list for the likes of Alo Donegan? Despite not being a pro, his achievements for the era he cycled in still look impressive: First cyclist to break the hour in 25-mile TT, Navan Road, 1934.

Beasty

If you're going to include non pros then 'arry (Reynolds) must deserve a mention.

MPFGLB

I must admit I never heard of Alo Donegan or 'arry Reynolds

Is there an Irish cycling hall of fame?

Casula

MPFGLB wrote: »

I must admit I never heard of Alo Donegan or 'arry Reynolds

Is there an Irish cycling hall of fame?

Yes. It's here - http://www.cyclingireland.ie/page/about/hall-of-fame

Eamonnator

MPFGLB wrote: »

I must admit I never heard of Alo Donegan or 'arry Reynolds

Is there an Irish cycling hall of fame?

Yes and both of the above are in it

MPFGLB

Thanks


I suppose Martyn Irvine will be in it one day

Redfence74

What about Mark scanlon

Inquitus

Redfence74 wrote: »

What about Mark scanlon

Obviously Junior world champion but beyond that he never really made enough of an impact at senior level to breach this top 10, close between him and Kimmage for the final spot though I guess.

RobFowl

1 sean kelly
2 stephen roche
3 dan martin
4 nicholas roche
5 shay elliot
6 martin earley
7 sam bennett
8 philip deignan
9 paul kimmage
10 Ciaran Power

Tweaked the order, took Martyn out as he has not (yet) done enough on the road. Ciaran has a GT finish and 2 raseanna verall wins as well as a number of stages wins and one day ones as well.

Alan McCormack and John Brady there or thereabouts too.

Dan in 3rd and he has 2 monuments as well as GT top 10's and stages.
Nico above Martin early as he has overall GT top 10's which i would rate above stages (my opinion).

odyssey06

Hard to find fault with the list from @Robfowl.

Very hard to separate Nico & Shay Elliot... Nico wins on longevity (15 GTs completed), but Shay had a podium Vuelta finish.
I think both of them above Martin Earley as a high Grand Tour finish is worth a few stage wins.

Right now I would put Phil Deignan just above Sam Bennett, but I expect Sam B to overtake Deignan, Earley and maybe Nico and Shay over his career.

Lusk_Doyle

Nico and Dan one and two cos that's whom my kids are named after! The rest can fight it out amongst themselves!

odyssey06

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Nico and Dan one and two cos that's whom my kids are named after! The rest can fight it out amongst themselves!

What, no Stephen!?
I suppose Earley would seem a little Victorian.

padohaodha

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Nico and Dan one and two cos that's whom my kids are named after! The rest can fight it out amongst themselves!

Good job you werent a fan of this fella :-)

Mugser

RobFowl wrote: »

1 sean kelly
2 stephen roche
3 dan martin
4 nicholas roche
5 shay elliot
6 martin earley
7 sam bennett
8 philip deignan
9 paul kimmage
10 Ciaran Power

Tweaked the order, took Martyn out as he has not (yet) done enough on the road. Ciaran has a GT finish and 2 raseanna verall wins as well as a number of stages wins and one day ones as well.

Alan McCormack and John Brady there or thereabouts too.

Dan in 3rd and he has 2 monuments as well as GT top 10's and stages.
Nico above Martin early as he has overall GT top 10's which i would rate above stages (my opinion).

1 sean kelly
2 stephen roche
3 dan martin
4 nicholas roche
5 shay elliot
6 martin earley
7 sam bennett
8 philip deignan
9 Ciaran Power
10 Ryan Mullen

I'd take Kimmage off the list, Ciaran has Irelands top ever Olympics finish too (joint top with Dan now since last year though) + he never doped!
Mullen for his performance in the worlds TT last year gets a nod

morana

well if kimmage is gone for doping that means others have to go too.

PEter crinion, Liam horner, peter doyle and if you put nicohlas roche above elliot then you must be new to the sport

MPFGLB

RobFowl only looks young but he has been round a while ... :D

Beasty

MPFGLB wrote: »

RobFowl only looks young

Have you seen him


:pac:

RobFowl

Beasty wrote: »

Have you seen him


:pac:

Here I am

JK.BMC

Kelly
Roche
Elliott

I think this is more or less a certainty in terms of personnel for our 'top 3'

I'm not too sure about the order of the next 7 but I would have Dan, Nico, Earley, Deignan, Power, Bennett and Kimmage

Personality should be irrelevant in these kinds of polls but it can be a powerful influence when thinking of a 'legacy' or reputation and hence 'top 10 greatest....' etc

padohaodha

Matt brammieir or however you spell his name?

RobFowl

JK.BMC wrote: »

Kelly
Roche
Elliott

I think this is more or less a certainty in terms of personnel for our 'top 3'

I'm not too sure about the order of the next 7 but I would have Dan, Nico, Earley, Deignan, Power, Bennett and Kimmage

Personality should be irrelevant in these kinds of polls but it can be a powerful influence when thinking of a 'legacy' or reputation and hence 'top 10 greatest....' etc

I'd rank Dan above Elliot as he has 2 monument wins and a GC top ten at the TDF, Elliot has a second at the worlds a podium at the Vuelta.

Exiled1

When you go below the first six pros in approx. pecking order, you must consider several guys who chose not to go to Europe as pros and, consequently never got to show their undoubted potential.
There were two golden eras in amateur cycling in Ireland, the thirties with Alo Donegan and Harry Reynolds and the sixties with Shay O'Hanlon, Paddy Flanagan, Liam Horner and a few more.
And what would Mick Murphy have achieved with proper training etc. ???

dastardly00

padohaodha wrote: »

Matt brammieir or however you spell his name?

Hmmm don't think I'd have Brammeier in the top-10 in my opinion.

Yes he has been National Road Race champion three times and National TT champion once, but he's never ridden a Grand Tour and has only one other pro win to his name (Stage 4 of Ster ZLM Toer GP Jan van Heeswijk in 2015).

Roadtoad

What's the respect and fascination for a race fixing drug taker that most include?

I'd throw in Paddy Flanagan, who used pass me on the way to work. Fast!

J Madone

morana wrote: »

well if kimmage is gone for doping that means others have to go too.

PEter crinion, Liam horner, peter doyle and if you put nicohlas roche above elliot then you must be new to the sport

Peter Doyle winner of 186 races incl Ras and Tour of Ireland , also national champion. Packed it in when he was 30

RobFowl

For all those throwing in top amateur and domestic cyclists look at the OP's post.....

padohaodha wrote: »

Hi, just debating last night who are the top ten professional irish cyclists ever?

Chuchote

RJ Mecredy
The brothers Walker

dastardly00

RobFowl wrote: »

Here I am

^^^^
D.O.B: 18-Dec-1963

I didn't realise that you were that old RobFowl! :pac:

RobFowl

dastardly00 wrote: »

^^^^
D.O.B: 18-Dec-1963

I didn't realise that you were that old RobFowl! :pac:

Not that far off .......

average_runner

I wouldn't have Sean Kelly in the list at all.
Sorry no time for anyone that failed drug test once, never mind twice.

Martin or Nico for me at the top of the list.

NeedMoreGears

I've said it before (around 6 or 7 years ago) and I'll say it again. :D

NeedMoreGears wrote: »

26 miles, six days per week, all weathers for 40 years on a fixie made of concrete with 2 or 3 stone of letters plus whatever shopping that the older people needed. One time we reckoned he travelled more or less 250,000 miles on that bike. Even after he retired he used to cycle the route. No wonder he made it to 96 in reasonable nick.


PS in the new money that's 42 km per day with around 12 -20 kg material with him. Letters were those things people used to communicate with before the interweb.

In terms of places 2 through 10

2 sean kelly
3 stephen roche
4 shay elliot
5 martin earley
6 dan martin
7 nicholas roche
8 sam bennett
9 martin irvine
10 philip deignan

robyntmorton

^ Pushing the definition a little, but I'd allow it. He cycled for a living. He was paid for it. He was a professional.

sparrowcar

Greg Callaghan

Irish - Yes
Cyclist - Yes
Professional - Yes

Has won 3 world events and currently leads the World Series. Has to be in the mix?

Macy0161

average_runner wrote: »

I wouldn't have Sean Kelly in the list at all.
Sorry no time for anyone that failed drug test once, never mind twice.

I thought we'd established by now that "never failed a drug test" didn't mean never doped?

Anyway, I have "A Man for All Seasons", and David Walsh explained one of them away...

mcgratheoin

average_runner wrote: »

I wouldn't have Sean Kelly in the list at all.
Sorry no time for anyone that failed drug test once, never mind twice.

Martin or Nico for me at the top of the list.

Give us your whole list so. I assume there's no Kelly, no Roche, no Elliot, no Kimmage?

morana

on mature reflection

1. Kelly
2. Roche
3. elliot
4. Martin
5. Earley
6. Man utd
7. Kimmage
8. Irvine
9. A McCormack
10. Sam Bennett




its just a joke

Beasty

morana wrote: »

on mature reflection

1. Kelly
2. Roche
3. elliot
4. Martin
5. Earley
6. Man utd
7. Kimmage
8. Irvine
9. A McCormack
10. Sam Bennett




its just a joke

Nice to see you putting sheer quality/class ahead of Kimmage....

Would have thought you could have pushed them up to no 3 at least though. 2 World Championships must count for something

rizzodun

sparrowcar wrote: »

Greg Callaghan

Irish - Yes
Cyclist - Yes
Professional - Yes

Has won 3 world events and currently leads the World Series. Has to be in the mix?

Agreed, but that's not the type of 'cycling' they're in to 'round these parts! :pac:

Wicklow, two weeks from now, is the place to be.

sparrowcar

rizzodun wrote: »

Agreed, but that's not the type of 'cycling' they're in to 'round these parts! :pac:

Wicklow, two weeks from now, is the place to be.

It was tongue in cheek..
Can't wait #fillthehill

maddness

MPFGLB wrote: »

Kimmage doped as a rider btw

That's unusual.....