THE 1987 Tour de France champion Stephen Roche has paid tribute to the man who sold him his first serious racing bike, Joe (Tansey) Daly, who died on Monday.

“I have a monument to myself in Dundrum, but Joe was himself a monument there,” Roche said yesterday from his hotel in France.

“He did a huge amount of good for cycling.”

Daly passed away after a short illness.

He was a few weeks away from his 90th birthday, yet continued to work each day in his well-known bike shop in Dundrum, showing characteristic energy.

“I heard he was ill and had planned to fly back to see him,” said Roche, who was from the area and started cycling with Orwell Wheelers, a club with a long-running connection to Daly.

Roche won the 1978 Rás Tailteann on a Raleigh 753 he bought in the shop, and remained in contact with Daly during his career and afterwards.

Daly started the business back in 1951 and helped many into the sport, both by selling bikes and giving advice, and also helping to teach children about road safety.

He played a significant part in bringing bike lanes to Dublin.

He was also a driving force behind the fundraising and construction of the monument to Roche’s stunning 1987 season, when he won the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and the World Championships.

“The reason he lived and worked so long is that this flame was burning inside him, this love and passion for the sport,” said Roche.

Daly, who was married for 50 years to his late wife Kathleen, is survived by his sons and daughters Paul, Bernadette, Francis, Catherine, David and Claire.

His removal will be this evening from Fanagans Funeral Home in Dundrum to the nearby Church of the Holy Cross, Dundrum, arriving at 5.30 pm.

His funeral mass will start at 11am tomorrow, going to Shanganagh Cemetery afterwards.