Chris Reilly is on the move to the new race team based in the west, hoping a strong performance in the Rás could possibly bring a ride with the national team (Photo: www.blackumbrella.ie)
By Gerard Cromwell
After spending his career thus far with local club Bohermeen CC, 29-year-old Chris Reilly is moving to the new Liquidworx - Fit Science team in 2014 in the hope that having some teammates around him will help him secure bigger results.
Reilly returned to cycling after spending most of his 20s running cross-country and took victory at the Black Rose Grand Prix in 2012.
He also put in a strong performance in his debut Rás last year, falling just short of a podium place on stage seven in Cootehill.
Having gone clear with eventual stage winner Lasse Hansen of Denmark and German Kai Exner in the final 10km, Reilly’s eager-beaver riding style finally saw him fade in the final kilometres. He was swallowed up by the peloton while the other two contested the finish.
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“A day long break had just been caught and I saw a couple of lads going and I went with them,” he recalls.
“I rode a bit hard to get us away initially and then there was a wee drag coming in the road and I lost contact. I was maybe a bit naive, riding too hard, as I always do. And it was a missed opportunity to get a top three on a stage of the Rás.”
“It would have been absolutely brilliant for me. I only started taking cycling seriously and doing the proper training in 2011 really. I rode underage to first year junior but then packed it in and started running.”
“I wasn’t too bad, just did cross country and 5km races. I did around 17mins for 5km so I wasn’t too bad but I wouldn’t have been as competitive as I was on the bike. Cycling was always in the family. My sister Marie is big into cycling and my family is very much involved in the club.”
“I just happened to see a nice looking bike one day and just bought it. I got back in slowly, thinking I’d do a few duathlons and triathlons but I never went that way. I just got straight back into racing.”
“To ride the Rás was a major achievement for me. I didn’t think I’d ever do the Rás and I’d say there were a lot of people around that didn’t think I’d have it in me to do it either.”
This year, lone ranger Reilly took victory at the Monie Nolan Memorial in Balscadden and two very close second places at the opening stage of the Tour of Ulster and the Galway Grand Prix.
But he feels he can improve even further with a few teammates around him.
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“I would never have thought I’d leave Bohermeen,” admitted Reilly.
“I’ve been riding with them since I was under 12. I’ve been riding on my own for the last few years and just feel that if I could get into a team I could do a bit better.”
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Reilly’s move west came after the Liquidworx squad announced they were looking for riders on stickybottle recently and he applied to join the team.
“I wanted to see what it would be like to ride with a team and I was looking to get into one for next year. I was never approached by anybody so it wasn’t a case of turning any other team down. It was the first time I saw a team advertising for riders, so I applied.”
Liquidworx- Fit Science are a new team based in Mayo, run by Derek Bowyer and Simon Walsh.
Here, Reilly will line up alongside brothers Patrick and Ciaran Clarke, Tyrone man Gareth McCormack, junior international Jason Prendergast and Corkman Brian Canty.
With the riders based in all four provinces, Reilly realises that he will still be on his own for some of the domestic season but hopes that the team will converge for the major events.
“It will be a strong team and I think we will ride together well. I’ll probably be on my own for the local races or the evening races, but in all the major races there will be a team going to it.”
“I just hope to improve on last year, get a few results, ride well and learn from where I went wrong last year.”
As well as his local race, the Waller Cup, Reilly has earmarked the An Post Rás for another go next season.
“I’d love to do the Rás again. Every county rider wants to do the Rás. It’s a great opportunity to test yourself against the pros and see where you would be compared to them.”
“You get cuter the more you do it and with an Irish team being selected from the race this year it will be a great incentive for county riders to do well. If I could get a trip away on an Irish team... that would be brilliant.”
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