Junior Tour of Ireland

July 10th through the 15th was the Junior Tour of Ireland. Marcus Smith and I joined two guest Specialized riders, Jackson Long and Stephen Basset for the six stage race in Castlebar, Ireland. Masters teammate, Craig Roemer, was the director of our four man team.

Racing in Ireland was an incredible experience. We raced along roads with beautiful scenery next to the Atlantic Ocean, through the green hills and small villages. It was interesting to see so many long haired sheep in and along the roads in the countryside. They seemed to be used to the cyclists because most of them did not care that we were passing feet away. We were fortunate that the rain was not a big issue for us.

We found the people of Ireland to be especially friendly and hospitable towards us. The townspeople were very happy to have this race in their community. One person that was especially helpful to our team was Sean McNicholl. He was our driver, mechanic, guide and good friend throughout the race. We spent a lot of time with Sean and got to know him well. He helped to make our trip memorable and so much fun.

As far as racing goes, we won the Overall Team GC. Individually, Stephen finished 4th, Marcus 5th, Kyle 11th and Jackson 21st. We had three podium finishes in the six days of racing, including a stage win.

I especially want to thank Craig Roemer for being an enthusiastic and motivating director. He played a huge role in Specialized Juniors getting the team GC. Craig was so organized with his race plans, course recon, and logistics for the whole race. Thanks for being there for us Craig!

Kyle Torres