Nobby’s Last Dance

Here’s an interview

Local New York rider Norbert O’Reilly (CRCA/Sanchez-Metro) is heading back to his Irish roots to give himself one last and final test before he hits the big 40. In recent years he has been better known for his wit rather than his race results, but he’s going to do the 8 day UCI 2.2 ranked FBD Insurance Ras, along with some of the best amateurs in the World and 6 Continental Professional Teams.

Norbert has agreed to write an exclusive daily report for NYVelocity.com as he tours around the tranquil Irish countryside at high speed, with a record number of 200 riders. After one edition of the Ras, one of the English competitors was asked what he thought of the beautiful scenery. He said it looks very much like a cyclists backside. Norbert doesn’t expect to be enjoying any better of a view.

We caught up with ‘Nobby’ and interviewed him on the way up to the Battenkill-Roubaix race in Upstate New York, which he duly won, and this is what he had to say.

NYVC: What got you into cycling?

NO’R: I got into racing through friends, I used to tour with them and then some of them started racing. I thought if they can race, so can I, I knew I could beat them.

NYVC: What was your first race?

NO’R: I was 15 years old. I had a plan for my racing career; my first target was to finish in the bunch within my first 10 races. That first race was an open under 16-school boy race. I drilled it with 1 mile to go and won! However I got DQ’d, I’d given a 2 arm salute, and even though I was alone I was DQ’d.

NYVC: What happened next?

NO’R: I was dragged away from the race organizer, after some very choice words were used.

NYVC: How did it go from there?

NO’R: I won my first seven races, which were mostly club races.

Outsprinting Dmitri Wilkins in March.

NYVC: What’ happened in your 8th race?

NO’R: I probably threw a tantrum mid-race. Either I placed or threw a tantrum and packed the race in my first year of racing.

NYVC: Have your tactics changed since those early days?

NO’R: Significantly, but I don’t win so much, but I do keep hands on the handlebars.

NYVC: How many times have you raced the Ras?

NO’R: A few times, back in the 80’s. I’d say that it was back in the mid to late 80’s.

NYVC: How was your form back then?

NO’R: I had no real ambitions to really do well, so never got in great shape. I was on 88′ Seoul Olympic squad, but I didn’t make the final selection, I raced the Ras that year, but was mid pack, somewhat unmotivated. I didn’t really struggle to finish, but I had no real ambition to mix it up.

NYVC: How do you think the Ras has changed since then?

NO’R: The standard of field is much higher, it attracts a high caliber of rider. It seems to have become more prestigious and has a lot more international recognition.

NYVC: What made u decide to re-race it?

NO’R: I’ve always had it in the back of my head to redo it before I hit 40. Last summer I was told that I was going to be laid off from work, I knew I was going to adopt a child at the end of the year and I was healthy (editors note: Norbert has had some serious knee problems, for which he had surgery in 2003). As these all lined up, so I decided the time had come to go back.

NYVC: What are you expecting from the Ras?

NO’R: Hopefully to finish!

NYVC: What do you think is most that you can expect?

NO’R: To be up there in one the stages to help one of my teammates win a stage.

NYVC: What are you dreading most about the race?

NO’R: Pain! The line outs, fighting to hold my place in the bunch, riding flat out in the gutter.

Practicing his ‘suffer face’ for the Ras. Snot optional.

NYVC: How has the training this winter gone?

NO’R: As well as I could have hoped.

NYVC: What kind of mileage have you been doing recently?

NO’R: 350-400 miles a week for the last month.

NYVC: How does that compare to the last time you competed in the Ras?

NO’R: Less, around Olympic squad time I was doing about 500-600 a week.

NYVC: How did you get a place in the Ras, as it is an invite only event?

NO’R: I called an Irish ex-Olympic and Club mate of mine, who now lives in Seattle, to see if he would be up for it and also to see if he knew of any other ex-pat riders in the States who would be capable and wanting to do it. His answer was “No way!” He thought I was crazy, however he wrote back 2 weeks later cursing me out saying that all he had thought about since the original email was doing the Ras and now he was onboard. He got his teammates in Seattle interested, and both he and I contacted the race organizer, Dermot Dignam about getting the Seattle based team a place in the race, and to have me as a guest rider.

NYVC: What do you expect the team may be capable of?

NO’R: Stages wins, there’s 5 guys on squad: Mike Walsh is Cat 1 and is Washington State ITT Champ; Ken Williams is a multiple Masters World Champ on the track, and world record 1,000 in the 35-39 age group, he was also a national Crit Champ; Casey Chamberlin, currently on the National Under23 development squad. So there is definitely some talent on my team.

NYVC: What are your current racing credentials?

NO’R: I’m a New York City Cat 4 racer, so I’ll feel very at home cleaning the team’s bikes! I’d love to be their domestique going back to the team car for drinks, but the team would probably go thirsty, as I may never make it back to the pack.

Much too dashing to be fetching drinks, no?

NYVC: What do you know about the race route?

NO’R: It starts and finishes in Dublin and goes anti-clockwise around the country for 8 days. It’s about 100 miles every day, and there are 23 categorized climbs.

NYVC: Of all the stages, which stage most scares you and why?

NO’R: Stage 3 and 4, because there long over 100 miles and they have climbs throughout the stage, with the hardest climbs towards the end. The second last day has 7 climbs 4 of them are Cat 1’s. I hope I don’t lose too much time that day, so that I can start the crit on the last day, and finish.

NYVC: At which point in the race do you feel you need to reach, to start feeling confident in finishing?

NO’R: If I get through stage 3, I think I’ll make it. You get into a sort of rhythm as the days go by, it doesn’t get easier you just get used to the grind. I used to get stronger each day during stage races, I hope that still happens to me.

NYVC: Well, it all sounds rather painful and that you have a lot of hard work ahead of you, NYVelocity.com wishes you all the best, and we all eagerly await your race reports.

33 Comments

sherry

Well said Kenny & Tony. I’ve never raced with Norbert but can imagine how strong he is. A guy who always races hard should be welcome in any field. A difficult race and a strong rider should up everyone’s game. Good luck at the Ras Nobby!

restraining notice

JT.

Jackass…Is it because your on the board of a club that holds races but they dont count.

Or is he a jackass be he is not a wash up 2 who can barley hang on to the masters field.

Or is he a jackass because you know CRCA Sucks and thats why you spend half your time riding for the wonder wheels.

Frank M

Fer fooks sake Norbert,I hope your dodgy boat floats 🙂

Give jefman some tips on picking up women while you are over there- he need all the help he can get! 🙂

kookaloo!

gdfj12

Norbert, good luck on the race. I know you’ll put in a bloddy good effort. Besides on a bicycle your clutch slave won’t be going out & the flats are easier to fix, eh? ;^)

jt

How can you be doing a CRCA B race less than a month ago and a UCI race later this month? If you’re qualified for the UCI race, why were you in the Bs??? This is bizarre.

Anonymous

The bigger question is why hasn’t CRCA upgraded him, not why hasn’t he moved up to the A’s

Anonymous

can you say sandbagger? i guess beating us helped build confidence to do the fbd. a cat 4 racing with a cat 1, a national U23 rider, a national crit champ and a couple of record holders competing in a uci event. how does all work?

Kenny K

Hey the guy had surgery.

shouldn’t it be easy for 70 B riders to mark 1 guy in the park?

Anonymous

It seems to me to be pretty obvious, there is a reason why the team he is on is commonly refered to as Metro Sandbaggers. There goals for the season are simple, race the Spring Series in the 3/4 field and ride FBF in the B field. I’m not sure what type of an accomplishment it is in winning a race knowing that you are racing against someone who has only done 10 races and just upgraded? But some people (insert Metro) just need the rush of winning reguardless of who they are competing against. But it shows how they do in the out of town races. Notice any Metro results in the 3 field? Actually not even results how bout top 20? But look at the Spring Series results and you see how good they really are, OOOps I forgot someone on there team who is a 4 actually won an out of state 3/4 race, Sandbaggers Suck.

Anonymous

Norbert may have raced at a high level before, but it seems that he hasn’t had enough results recently for the CRCA to upgrade him or Judy Miller, who doesn’t seem to count local races

BlueJersey

Big deal team Metro wins the NYC Spring Series. Is like couple of their riders will get a Pro contract with the result. I am not dising the NYC local races but they are what they are. I certainly would be embrassed if I earned my cat2 status by winning races in the NYC Spring series but getting dropped like a cheap hooker racing Bear Mountain Classic, Housatonic, and others. Of course, I will be damn pissed if I spent couple of thousands of dollars on coaches, powermeters, and gears so that I can dominate the Spring Series???

Todd

Great for Norbert, bad for bike racing. I hope he meets his goals, but it’s hard to swallow a cat 4 doing the Ras. He’s jumping over many many vastly more qualified riders.

Sheesh

From all I can gather Norbert genuinely wants to upgrade but was denied by both Judy Miller and the CRCA. Can’t speak for his teammate(s), though.

Curtis L

Not just any Cat 4… read the article the man was just shy of the 88 Olympics and was a national champion of Ireland. He may not have been riding too much but he obviously has a bit of talent and experience..

Also the Metro cat 4 team minus Norbert who doesn’t have points and wants too upgrade and another rider (P.H.) who has the point and will not upgrade is not particularly strong so dont paint them all with the same brush!

restraining notice

Once again crca thinks they own the world A field b field who cares if its not an open race and is only open to “club mates” then its really not racing is it.

I happen to think that metro does sand bag but they are a crca “club” team so who cares.

If your going to wine about whos fast and who is not then open your little race to the public oterh wise shut up

Anonymous

Didn’t he win Jiminy Peak solo in 2003? When I say solo, I mean solo for most of the race. I think Jiminiy qualifies as an open race which would make him fast. I think he won a 3/4 non crca club race upstate this past april too. Once again, he wouldn’t have to be the world’s best but that would still make him pretty fast. I would suggest the club upgrades him.

For those down on the crca, join, enjoy some early season training in the park, and stop whining. I see a lot of crca guys doing well out of town they can’t be all that slow.

restraining notice

Not slow at all. My point is…well I have no point. I just dont care for CRCA and all their club flub.

Kenny K

club flub?

4 open races including Harriman.

So what if the club races are for members only, its not like its tough or expensive to join.

Anonymous

I totally understand. There should be more open races in CP. It’s the best race course in town. It’s a shame that after the Spring series there are only two open races for the rest of the season held there.

Kenny K

Oh I forgot marshaling duties.

I’m sure if you were a member it would be the first thing you would cry about.

But let someone else worry about running the race.

I have a good idea more open races! Anybody interested in organizing etc.

I didn’t think so.

restraining notice

Kenny K I am not even a “club” mate and your starting in on me.

This Mr. Man is club flub. And I dont think I like you.

Andy C

Yo Nameless!,

If you’re in CRCA and think the number of open races is too few, don’t sit around and complain, do something about it. Tell those narrow-minded do-nothings on the club board to do something for racing in NYC, not just for their lame-ass membership.

Justin

Other than Kissena – who do a great job of putting on a host of races – which other local area teams put on a race ? I’m not aware of the WS United Grand Prix or the Tour de Champion Racing. What event does BVF run ? Is there a series by Denos Wonder Wheel ? (Please correct me if I’m wrong with these clubs / teams )

Nobby

Thanks for all the supportive words. Like people have said below, I’ve asked to be upgraded, but was turned down. I’d gladly to be a Cat 3, then I’d be able to do 1,2,3 races which would be better preparation for The Ras. The same goes for the Club A race, I can’t do the A race in CRCA with a Cat 4 license.

I do think that I have my work cut out for me to finish The Ras, but I’ll give it all I’ve got.

Jon L

Good Luck Nobby, with the exception of the jelous few I think most in the NY cycling community who know of your attempt are behind you and would love to see you succed!

Tony

Nobby, good luck I hope you have a good time racing in Ireland. It’s always nice to have local racing clubs members at your caliber . I really don’t understand most of comments , if anything I think people should be happy that a rider like you is in their field .

Kenny K

I don’t know Norbert personally just by reputation as being strong local rider. And I’ve been in a couple of races with him and he is damn strong. But I agree with the previous comment guys should be happy having him in their field. And its not like he is racing negatively. He’s out there motoring.

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