Brian Connaughton (born 25th January 1943 in

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

, Ireland) is an Irish

cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

. He won the

Rás Tailteann Rás Tailteann (; "Tailteann Race"), often shortened to the Rás, is an annual international cycling stage race, held in Ireland. Traditionally held in May, the race returned after a hiatus in 2022 as 5 day event held in June. By naming the rac ...

in 1969.

Early life

Connaughton is a native of

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

and was a member of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

(Irish police).

Career

Connaughton began cycling competitively in 1962 and first competed in the

in 1966. He won it in 1969 with five minutes to spare. He also won the 1971

Tour of Ulster The Tour of Ulster is a road bicycle racing stage race held around the Irish province of Ulster, divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was first run in 1956. It is rated as a National Event on the Union Cycliste Inte ...

. In 1981, he raced his last Rás, earning his only stage win in that year.

Later life

In 1984 he opened the Cycleways shop with Philip Cassidy, another Rás winner. In 1993, they founded Base Active Distribution Ltd. Connaughton later managed the Meath Lee Strand Team.

References

Irish male cyclists Rás Tailteann winners Garda Síochána officers Sportspeople from County Meath Year of birth uncertain Police officers from County Meath {{Ireland-cycling-bio-stub