“There would be no Fox River cycling club without Herman Kavanagh.” - Max Jenkins
Although Fox River formed around captain Cliff Cuthbert late in OCM season 51, it was the discovery of the sprint potential of Herman Kavanagh that made the club into what they are today.
The young Manx rider had grown up carrying the sound-alike name of the ‘real tour’ sprint legend, and had looked at cycling as a hobby rather than a career, but when Fox River turned semi-professional, the club lucked into a few riders with untapped potential.
Considered by many to be too old to complete the grueling training required to make a competitive cyclist on the OCM, Fox River had to take the opportunity and threw all available resources at Kavanagh, choosing to pursue the Flat Race specialty over the Cobbles.
By season 52, the training had begun to show payoff, as Kavanagh c...
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“There would be no Fox River cycling club without Herman Kavanagh.” - Max Jenkins
Although Fox River formed around captain Cliff Cuthbert late in OCM season 51, it was the discovery of the sprint potential of Herman Kavanagh that made the club into what they are today.
The young Manx rider had grown up carrying the sound-alike name of the ‘real tour’ sprint legend, and had looked at cycling as a hobby rather than a career, but when Fox River turned semi-professional, the club lucked into a few riders with untapped potential.
Considered by many to be too old to complete the grueling training required to make a competitive cyclist on the OCM, Fox River had to take the opportunity and threw all available resources at Kavanagh, choosing to pursue the Flat Race specialty over the Cobbles.
By season 52, the training had begun to show payoff, as Kavanagh claimed his first result, a 2nd place at Kluczbork - Brzeg in Division 6.
Season 53 would be Kavanagh’s breakout year, as the rider claimed 7 wins and 10 results total, including his first at Taka-Shima Street Race, an admitted personal favorite. This season saw a somewhat unique feat of Kavanagh claiming a win in every division from 7th through 4th.
After a reset season 54, Kavanagh would ride to 5 wins and 9 results in season 55, including a 2nd place in the World Tour at Wexford - Dublin, his best finish for the national team.
The following seasons Kavanagh would be a model captain and teammate, taking top 9 finishes in the La Coupe de la Soif Éternelle twice, and claiming stage results at Volta da Lagoa dos Patos. Kavanagh would also finish in the top 9 at the Baltimore Invitational several times, a classic of the 4th division.
But Kavanagh’s peak came earlier than the teams. As the rider aged, his team moved up the divisions, but the personal results started to dry up. The club found new captains, and failed to support Kavanagh with the flat race leadouts he truly needed. He did remain a consistent competitor, but the top spots of the podium remained just out of reach, and top 9s became a goal rather than a consolation.
Kavanagh also saw younger days marred by bad luck. On one of the two occasions that the rider was focused on reaching top form for a strong run of races, he picked up an injury that canceled any chance of glory, and the chance at sprint tours, such as the Division 3 Kangaroo Tour, always seemed to be just badly timed for Kavanagh to contest.
By Season 62, one day after his birthday, Fox River confirmed that the rider was ready to ‘cycle into the Caribbean sunset’. The club politely refused, and asked Kavanagh to remain through several more seasons to be followed by a guaranteed long-term contract as team trainer.
Kavanagh’s favorite result was probably the win at São José do Norte - Mostardas, stage 2 of Volta da Lagoa dos Patos. One of the few opportunities that Kavanagh got to show off ‘what might have been’ had the club pursued a squad for cobbling instead of sprinting.
While some further results may still be hoped for, Kavanagh will spend his last few races and seasons happy in the sun, and will finally be given a long-deserved break from his multi-season burden: carrying Fox River on his back.
Isle of Man