Ireland’s Village Prepares to Honor Late Cycling Legend, Gabriel ‘Gaybo’ Howard, With a Special Tribute

Gabriel Howard is one of the biggest names in cycling. Born and brought up in Ireland, Gabriel gathered a lot of fans during his days. Now the village of Stamullen is set to honour one of its famous sons with a statue unveiling. The organizers have set the event for Saturday at 2.30 pm.

Howard lost his life tragically in 2018 because of a farm accident. He was synonymous with the sport of cycling in Meath. The entire event is in honor of the legendary cyclist and visionary.

Gabriel Howard- A Legend and a Visionary

Howard had a very successful cycling career where he gathered many victories. However, after retiring from the sport, he continued working for cycling. He formed the Stamullen Road Club in 1983. The reason for starting this club was to create the next generation of cyclists. Howard was successful in developing some national champions over the years. The Stamullen Road Club established itself as one of the best cycling clubs in Ireland.

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Howard did not stop there and then shifted his focus to organizing races. Some of the events that he organized included the Stamullen Grand Prix, Brendan Carroll Memorial, Garristown Grand Prix, and Monie and Pat Nolan Memorials. He also brought the National Road Race Championships to his village in 2002. A man full of vision, Howard took the initiative of driving a minibus full of teenagers and took them to races in the UK and France.

Howard then shifted his focus to commentary. He commented on the Tour De France race in 1998 and also on the National Road Race Championship. According to the independent.ie, Howard took part in more than 22 races upon his retirement. After fully retiring, he took on administrative roles and started officiating the local races. In 2012, Howard’s dedication and commitment to the sport paid dividends. He finally got inducted into the Hall of Fame of Drogheda Independent Sport Star of the Year Awards.

A Lifelong Contributor Towards Cycling

In 1975, he completed a solo charity ride from Gormanston Beach on the east coast to Salthill in Galway in the west. He also came back the same day. The whole initiative planned to raise money to build a new community hall in Stamullen. It was the beginning of a long commitment to raising funds for his local community and others.

His club and community will remember Gabriel on Saturday at 2.30 p.m. It will unveil a memorial plaque just up from St Patrick’s Church in Stamullen. Hopefully, people will remember his legacy and keep working for the betterment of cycling.

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