Anyone remember Julian Dalby...?

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.

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:

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.