Pat McQuaid is president of the Federation of Irish Cyclists and the man most responsible for bringing the 1998 Tour de France start to Ireland. He was Irish Road Race champion in 1974 and two-time winner of the Tour of Ireland in the colours of Emerald Cycling Club.
His father and uncle founded Emerald back in 1949 after they moved to Dublin from the North.
Membership: It's always been a select club that had a very high standard. Membership has usually hovered around the 25 mark, with the emphasis on quality rather than quantity. We have a couple of juniors also.
Status: For nearly 50 years now the club has geared itself towards producing top cyclists that can compete at the highest level, whether at home or abroad. In terms of Irish cycling, the aim with most of the riders in the club would be to compete internationally and that's why it has stayed small and prepares for big competitions.
Honours: We have the unique distinction of having a club member represent Ireland in six different Olympic Games. Going back to 1948 my father Jim was selected to compete in London and in 1968 he managed the Irish team in Mexico. In 1972, my brother Kieran competed in Munich and another brother Oliver raced in Montreal. In 1984, I managed the team in LA which included another club member Gary Thompson and in 1988 my cousin John was in Seoul.
Finest Hour: For myself, the two Tour of Ireland wins in 1975-76 were great club moments but also in 1975 three club members (myself, Kieran and Oliver) were all in the Irish team for the British Milk Race which my father managed and which also included a certain Sean Kelly.
Worst Moment: We did have a member Liam Toolan who died in a tragic accident during a race in the Phoenix Park back in the early 1970s.
Club Hero: That would have to be my father and uncle who were mentors of the club from the early days and great supporters down through the years. Jim would always encourage the riders to go for international level and kept the very highest standards in the club.
Greatest Rivals: On both a club and family level, it would have been the Lally's from Obelisk Wheelers. Sean, Tony and Jimmy were all at their peak at the same time as us and there was a similar situation with the McCormacks.
