Vinny to represent Ireland after cycle blinder in Croatia
TRALEE Manor West Cycling Club member Vinny O’Leary’s decision to swap one endurance sport for another continues to pay off in dividends.
The Listowel man this weekfinished in the top 20 of his age category in the gruelling Istria Gran Fondo over the moutainous and stunning northwestern corner of Croatia – an achievement that earned him the honour of representing his country at the Gran Fondo World Championships in Aalborg, Denmark on September 1.
It’s a dream come true for the taxi driver to find himself at the apex of amateur cycling in Europe just four years after taking to the sport in a serious way.
The fact he was already married into one of Kerry great cycling families can only have helped – through his wife Maeve, a granddaughter of the Listowel great Gene Moriarty.
Vinny is the toast of the Tralee Manor West Club this week after the Croatian distinction. “It was pretty gruelling alright in a route that included three significant mountain climbs. I liken it to Dingle to the top of the Conor Pass, except only longer and a lot steeper,” Vinny told The Kerryman.
“I was delighted to finish so well and look forward now to the Gran Fondo World Championships in Denmark on September 1. As it’s amateur I won’t be part of an Irish team as such but I will be representing Ireland.”
“It’s a far cry from a few years ago when my doctor advised me to give up the endurance running after a knee op.
“I took to cycling instead, but just as Covid arrived, so while most people were painting their houses during lockdown and what not, I was out doing 200km loops.” Training under his coach Matteo Cigala, the lockdown proved a great period for Vinny as he came on in leaps and bounds to begin placing high in races in short order after the restrictions eased.
He’s got his cycling-steeped family cheering him on all the way.
“To be honest if it wasn’t for my wife Maeve’s support there isn’t a hope I’d be doing this, and the support of our children Barry, Lucy and Niall.”