At the age of 19 as an amateur cyclist Stephen Roche wins the Rás.
In the early days of his career as an amateur cyclist Stephen Roche became the youngest ever cyclist to win the Rás.
The Health Race formerly Rás Tailteann was sponsored by the Health Education Bureau. After nine days and 900 miless, Stephen Roche cycles home to victory.
Roche talks to Brendan O'Reilly during the final day of the Rás.
Roche went on to become the first and only Irish cyclist to win the Tour de France in 1987. In the same year he also won the Giro d'Italia.
Title: |
Wheels in Unison Health Race '79 |
Clip Duration: |
00:02:13 |
Material Type: |
Video |
Clip Title: |
A New Hero for Irish Cycling |
Information: |
'Wheels in Unison: Health Race '79' is a cycling documentary produced and directed by Michael O'Carroll and presented by Brendan O'Reilly. The programme documented the Health Race, once called Rás Tailteann, which was staged from 23 June to the 1 July 1979.
To prepare himself for the film, Michael O'Carroll had travelled to watch the Tour de France to learn more about the technique of international cyclists. His own car, a Ford Cortina, was specially adapted for the task of filming the race. A passenger door and the boot door were removed so that the cameraman could get the maximum number of angles. In the RTÉ Guide 10 August 1979, page 10, Stephen Roche is described as "the star of the film". The documentary went on to win a Jacob's award in 1980. |
Local Keywords: |
Stephen Roche, Fame, Cyclist, Rás, Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Cycling |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Arts and Culture |
Contributor(s): |
Brendan O'Reilly (Reporter) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ One |
Broadcast Date: |
15/08/1979 |
Production Year: |
1979 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
LX3432 |
IPR Restrictions: |
Rights Reserved - Free Access |
Rights, Terms and Conditions: |
Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
part/extract |
Colour: |
Colour |
Sound: |
Mono |
Aspect Ratio: |
4:3 |
Language: |
English (eng) |
Original Language: |
English (eng) |
