Pádraic Quinn in the green of Ireland in Japan in 1997. He has been building relations with top French clubs so young Irish riders can race in Europe.
By Brian Canty
Former international Pádraic Quinn believes there would have been more Irish in the professional ranks in the 1980s and 1990s had the top domestic riders enjoyed the opportunties now on offer.
The Galway native is perhaps best known as the voice of the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana on TG4 every year.
He said the fact there are so many Continental-ranked teams today meant getting into big races abroad is not as hard as it was before.
Quinn, who raced in France between 1994 and 2000, said the system in his time – when the likes of Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Paul Kimmage and Martin Earley flourished - was very different.
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If you were a professional you were on what would now be regarded now as a WorldTour team, or at least a ProContinental squad.
There was no third tier UCI Continental level, which has acted as a manageable stepping stone for many from domestic cycling into the paid ranks.
“Definitely, the system was different back then,” said Quinn, who owns the Velotec cycling clothing company.
“You had a lot of big amateur teams in Europe, but they were amateur teams in the true sense.
Quinn, left, has been behind the Celtic Series sportives in Ireland, France, Wales the Isle of Man and Scotland.
"Being a professional meant you were on a WorldTour style team or at least a ProConti team.
"These Continental teams we see now are just riding the same races we were,” he said of those sqauds like An Post-Chainreaction and others many Irish riders are now competing with.
“But I think the system is better now,” added Quinn.
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"It gives Irish riders more exposure to racing at a high level.”
Quinn has always been very pro-active in helping to place Irish riders abroad and aims to continue in that work.
He’s heavily involved with the Nicolas Roche Performance Team in Ireland, which develops young talent.
And he has helped Irish riders secure places with amateur clubs AC Bisontine and Hennebont Cycling in recent years.
Quinn still gets out on the bike very regularly and keeps in shape despite being long retired from racing.
He has been key to building relations between the Roche team at home and those squads in France.
A number of young Irish riders have raced for periods of several months during the last few summers as a result of that relationship.
And now riders like U23 internationals Dylan Foley and Daniel Stewart, among others, are making the move full time to the French scene thanks to the introductions facilitated by Quinn through his contacts abroad.
Even junior riders like Michael O'Loughlin and Matthew Teggart have benefited from using the Irish-French relations now in place to race hard abroad as part of their development.
“I raced in France for quite a while and I always try to do what I can for Irish riders; be it finding teams for them or whatever," he said.
"I made quite a few contacts in my time racing and the fact I do business in France and Belgium just makes it logical for me to do my best.
“I think the standard of racing in Ireland is very good now; the riders are better coached than I was and they use their training time well.
"I hardly even used a heart-rate monitor, whereas riders nowadays wouldn’t step outside without one.”
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