Tribute to David James McCall

Davy McCall - Remembered by Jack Watson-Cycling Ireland

Firstly I would add my condolences, coupled with those of my family and the Board of Cycling Ireland to Davy’s partner and family. Our thoughts are also with those involved in Tuesday night’s race either as competitors or organisers and the burden they have had to bear following Davy’s horrific accident.

When I received the call from Tommy Lamb on Tuesday night I just couldn’t take in the news regarding the accident and its results. How could such a larger than life guy like Davy be taken when he was doing what he loved so much? Later on that evening I spoke to Marian and she confirmed it. Here was a second stalwart of Cycling Ulster following Brian Marshall’s untimely death as the result of a cycling accident just some 15 months ago, killed practicing the sport about which we all care so passionately.

As I remarked above, Davy was a larger than life guy and a real character within Ulster Cycling and indeed further a field.

My recollections of Davy probably go back much further than the majority of people around Ulster Cycling today as I can remember him riding in the schoolboy league run by the late Ivan Towell, Winston Price and myself back in the late 70’s. And I watched as he progressed from these events to become one of the most feared riders in senior racing and indeed training as he only knew one way to train and race and that was 100 %+. His dedication and commitment was finally rewarded when he attained selection for the Northern Ireland team to compete in the
Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumper.

But Davy was not a selfish guy as even when racing at the top level and holding down a high pressure job he came on to the Executive of the Ulster Cycling Federation, as it was then called and typical of Davy he brought with him the same commitment as he displayed in his racing and training. Always coming up with new ideas, although not always feasible, but he kept his fellow executive members on their toes.

He detested the dark days of cycling in the North when riders and clubs were forced to take sides and I lost count of the times he phoned me to talk over some idea that he had come up with which he hoped would help to break the impasse which existed. And indeed after we all came together Davy said to me “What was it all about over all these years?” Yes indeed, but he was more than happy when we could all work together again in harmony for the good of cycling in Northern Ireland and Ulster.

When Davy decided to become a commissaire it was the old poacher turned game keeper syndrome but I was glad to see someone with Dave’s knowledge and background come aboard as he was a great example to those with possibly similar thoughts.

But when commissairing he missed being in the thick of things in the race and indeed vice versa when he was racing. He regularly said to me, with tongue in cheek, “Can you not get me a blue racing jersey with commissaire on the back so I can do both the things that I enjoy doing at the same time”. He wanted to progress as a commissaire and was upset when he missed last winter’s commissaire upgrade course and the last time we spoke was at the National Criterium Championship in which he was Comm 2 to Mickey Robb when he asked me to ensure that another upgrade course would be held this year.

We have lost one of the true characters of Ulster Cycling who led by example but I know that Dave will be in our thoughts for many years to come.

Jack Watson,

Ards CC
Hon. Sec. & Vice President Cycling Ireland