Welcome home celebration for JB Murphy

"Start saving for Tokyo," Liam Walker warned everybody who turned out for last night's celebration in O'Connell's, writes Brian Byrne. "I think this young lad is going to go all the way."

The occasion was to mark Kilcullen Cycling Club's JB Murphy's success in taking a bronze at the Junior Track Championships in Italy last week. "As far as I'm concerned, he was the moral winner of the gold," Liam Walker said, noting that the gold and silver winners never passed the young Athgarvan man in the sprint, and JB was only held back with 25 metres to go by a young Polish rider who was never even going to be in the medals.

But that didn't take from the very obvious happiness shown last night by his Kilcullen CC colleagues, family, friends, and sponsors. As Liam said, 'it is a wonderful occasion for this small club in Kilcullen'. "We have a young man who can go to Europe and win a silver in his first track race ever, and bronze in his first world championship."

O'Connells upstairs lounge was decorated with a number of flags — the blue and white of Athgarvan, the one from Crossmaglen Rangers because that's where his number one fan, Granny Bernadette is from, the national flag, and the black and white of Kilcullen. "That's the winning flag," Liam said, "because JB is a winner all the way."

JB's next big race will be in the Senior European Championships in Berlin, 'because he needs to get experience at that level'. And then on to the World Cyclocross Championships in the Netherlands in February.

None of that travelling is cheap, and, never one to duck an occasion, Liam pointed out that 'we're about €2,500 short of money for these trips at the moment'.

A good job, then, that there were sponsors and supporters there, and their contribution to the journey so far was emphasised in Liam's speech. "Murphy Surveys, I can't thank them enough, they've even given us a van because we're going to have to tour more or less the world to try and get this young man to the World Championships."

Apex Construction. Planet X.

Kildare Credit Union Kilcullen — 'they approached us and said they had some money, and we were very happy to take the hand and all'.

Henry Talt, 'he keeps us and our van on the road'.

Elite Electrical. Alan Carey.

And Cycling Ireland. "I'd have been one of their strongest critics over the years … but they have come up trumps, they have taken a young man from being a raw track cyclist to becoming one of the tops in the world."

Also JB's parents, Brian and Joanne, and his sisters Alex and Kate. "They're superb, fully supportive, the greatest support you can get."

Ray Murphy of Murphy Surveys thanked Liam himself for his work into JB's career. "Behind every success is somebody who puts their heart and soul into a project," he said. "We're delighted to be supporting the Club and we will continue to support them and JB into the future."

Ciaran McKenna of Cycling Ireland also praised the 'huge amount' of people behind JB's progress and promised to be fully behind clubs and riders 'who produce winners'. "We will give them every facility that we can."

Kildare South TD Martin Heydon offered congratulations to JB, his family and the Club. "I'm sure your family and you have made huge sacrifices for you to get where you have. That doesn't happen without support, and we all know the passion that Liam Walker has … when he needs something done for the club and competitors, he doesn't take no for an answer. Which makes it all worthwhile when a talent like JB comes along, and I've no doubt there will be more achievements in the future."

And the young man of the night himself? Well, JB recalled that it all started about five years ago when he asked his Dad for 'a bike with crooked handlebars'. "It came, and I found I liked it, and then I went over to Kilcullen Cycling Club. Liam put me on the bike and followed me, then said to my Da, 'he'll do rightly, we'll take him on'. He threw me into my first race at about two months, and it was hard but it was fun."

JB outlined how he went to his first big race in the Errigal International, where he realised just what level of ability had to be met. "So I trained harder, got into contact with people like Martin O'Loughlin who took me under his wing. I did my first year of Junior and it went well. Then I went to my first cyclocross championships and I loved it."

Thanking everybody who has got behind his efforts, JB says his progress so far has been like 'going from the first step to the top of the stairs'. "I went to Majorca in June, where I did mad training. A world of pain, but definitely worth it in the end. And I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for everyone in this room tonight."

He particularly singled out Liam Walker and his son John for their help. "Liam is always behind me, roaring for me to move up because I'm 'not racing when I'm at the back of the bunch'. He's always there for me, and always gives the true word, pointing in the right direction but letting me make up my own mind. John is also there all the time, dealing with punctures, snapped cables, broken wheels and derailleurs. There's always a solution, and he gets things working again."

For his Mum and Dad and his sisters, and his grandparents, 'they have put miles and miles of work into me … they are all amazing'. He presented Joanne with flowers, and a 'JB's Dad' jacket to Brian.

Liam Walker got the last word, thanking his wife Peggy for 'giving me the latitude to do what I want … nearly always', and John, for always coming through with the best support a father can have.

All in all, it was one of those really good nights, of deserved appreciation for very good people.

Save for Tokyo.

Photos: Brian Byrne/Kilcullen Diary.