Rick Delaney is the man behind Aqua Blue Sport but he is the first to admit he is just one cog in a huge wheel who has managed to bring the whole project together. “We’ve done a wonderful job in conjunction with our partners and our staff.”
By Brian Canty
Aqua Blue Sport team owner Rick Delaney has said the team’s first official training camp in Monaco was a huge success and “there was a clear energy from the get-go”.
The Corkman, now residing in the principality, believes everything is on track and “better than we would have anticipated” as the clock ticks down to their debut race in Australia.
The squad gets underway at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race at the end of January but has its official launch the week after next.
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But from January 1st, this Sunday, the team officially comes into being as it is registered ProContinental from that date.
“Everything is on track and better than we would have anticipated,” Delaney said of what has been a whirlwind few months getting ready.
“The riders gelled very, very quickly and there was a clear energy that you could see from the get-go.
“Guys are hungry for success and it was a fabulous week.
“We did one-to-one meetings with the riders,” he continued on what they got up to.
“We sat down with each rider individually chatting about their goals and objectives and where they’d like to see themselves in the next 24 months.
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“There was cardiac screening, meetings with the team doctor, there was team-building, kayaking, product discussions with suppliers, we had our nutritionists and suppliers.
“Obviously we did some riding, bike-fitting, handing over equipment, we discussed the race programme and the philosophy of the team and we discussed how we wanted them to perform in the coming months and years.
“We explained how we are a team without a sponsor and we’re working for Aqua Blue Sport Ltd and we don’t have a sponsor and everyone is representing this brand and the guys are very excited by that.”
The team plan to hold their official launch in January and Delaney believes people will have a clearer picture about what the team aim to become from that.
“I think people are failing to understand and they’ll get it in time is when we go live in January,” he said in relation to how they will be more than just a cycling team aiming to win races.
“The e-commerce side of this, the website is just spectacular.
“I was back in Ireland yesterday with the web designers and it’s fantastic, it really is brilliant so when that’s launched in conjunction with the team and you see the crossovers and the synergies between both, the whole picture will form and I’m really excited about that.”
On a personal level, Delaney admitted it will be a proud moment for him when he sees the flag drop and a project he dreamt of last year come to fruition.
“It will of course be an immensely proud moment for everyone involved,” he said.
“I’m not just saying it for the sake of saying it but it’s been a massive commitment from everybody.
"Even WorldTour teams we’ve spoken to and even the riders are flabbergasted with how we’ve managed to put what we’ve put together so fast and so professionally.
“We’ve done a wonderful job in conjunction with our partners and our staff.
“We delivered our kit to all our riders, we delivered all our equipment to all our riders in December, that’s sort of unheard of.”
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