New cycle of thought puts Murphy on Sydney road

Until recent times, the cycling scene could hardly have been accused of being politically correct when it came to women. Old fashioned, chauvinistic, downright paranoid about anything which might distract the labouring athlete, directeur sportifs (cycling team managers) had a saying which epitomised their attitude. "Women and cycling", they'd state dictatorially, "just don't mix."

To be fair, a few other priceless gems prevailed at the time. Shaving, eating ice cream, even walking around, were all said to endanger the chances of a decent performance. But women were especially frowned upon in the sport. Everyone "knew" that certain nocturnal activities were ruinous to performance, and so wives and girlfriends were forbidden around Tour de France competitors. And to actually employ a woman on a team? The shock which greeted Shelley Verses' appointment to the American 7 Eleven squad was palpable.

Things have improved since then. Wives now visit their husbands, women now work on teams and cyclists somehow manage to concentrate on the task at hand without degenerating into sex-crazed lunatics. The area of women's competition is still playing catch-up, though, with prize-money and publicity lagging far behind. A legacy of the bad old days.

The fact that female cyclists didn't compete in the Olympics until 1984 is a sad statistic, even more so that an Irishwoman has never been part of those races.

That anomaly will finally be corrected this time, though, nearly a year after Deirdre Murphy sprinted home fourth in the "B" world championships in Uruguay and qualified Ireland for that long-overdue Olympic appointment. Murphy will compete in the 126-kilometre elite women's road race, and will be joined in Sydney by mountain-biker Tarja Owens.

Forty-one year old Murphy was born in New York and lives in Manhattan, but took out Irish citizenship in 1982. "I am not a blow-in," she laughs, when asked about her links to the country. "I have been going to Ireland since 1978 and have a house in Corofin, where my father also lives."

Having taken up cycling in 1993, she started racing soon after - "I love cycling, I have always loved competition and I thought it would be fun to put the two together" - she made her debut on the Irish team in 1995 and won the world masters (over 35) criterium championship. A second place in the world masters championship road race followed in 1996, before she reached the top of the podium one year later. But notwithstanding world titles, last year's fourth place in the "B" world championships was undoubtedly the most important result of Murphy's career, as it secured an Olympic berth for Ireland and was crucial to her eventual selection for the squad.

Sydney-bound. And yet, at the time of her ratification, several Irish- based competitors felt aggrieved by the selection process, arguing that they had not been given the opportunity to compete in the "B" world championships or the chance to race against Murphy since. Symptomatic of the cash-strapped Irish scene, and influenced too by the gender imbalance in the sport, it is easy to understand the frustration of the Irish-based women. There are few participants in domestic races, few trips to international events, few opportunities or indeed incentives to improve. Much still has to be done to correct the imbalances.

But whatever about those faults, it is indisputable that Murphy herself has dedicated much time, money and effort to get where she is. A few years ago she walked away from a lucrative job as an investment banker on Wall Street in order to train; group sessions in Central Park or gruelling solo workouts in the New York countryside leave little time for stocks, shares and the like.

She is philosophical about the sacrifices. "It is amazing, when you find your passion, what it will do for you. I realised I wasn't particularly happy in my career, and cycling allowed me to follow my dreams."

Such as going to Sydney? "It is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. "I had a coach early on who kept setting goals higher and higher - I was like `Oh yeah, sure I'll go to the Olympics' (laughs). But all the passion and drive I have has kinda ended up carrying me along this way."

So what can the current US Masters criterium champion achieve on September 26th? Unsure herself about what to expect, national team director Richie Beatty feels that her result will depend on how the race progresses. Especially on how well she climbs on the day. "If she gets a bit of luck in the race and if the hill doesn't find her out, well then there is the chance of a top 20 finish with her strong sprint," he says. "I would be over the moon with that, because she will be racing against the top riders in the world.

"It all depends on how she handles the hill. But what she has going for her heading into the race is a great mental asset, namely an overwhelming confidence in her own ability. The opposition doesn't matter; she's there, that's all that concerns her and she will get the best out of herself in any race on any given day.

"Lots of our athletes, not just in cycling but in other sports, get intimidated by the size and nature of the event. But she has great confidence in herself and is not afraid of anyone. She is as strong mentally as any of the male cyclists I have worked with."

Indeed. And they used to say that women and cycling don't mix. How times change.