David McQuaid had many great days with the Synergy Baku Cycling Project but there were plenty days when things went every way but the way he wanted. He announced his decision to step away from the role of General Manager last week and here, he tells us a little more about what was like in the team - and what the future holds for him.
By Brian Canty
Former general manager of the Synergy Baku Cycling Project David McQuaid has talked about his reasons for stepping away from the team after four successful years.
He said it took a personal toll on his health and “it seemed like the right time to go”.
The Irishman was at the helm from the team’s very inception and helped them grow from inception into an established and respected force on the Europe and Asian circuits.
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“I started to think about it towards the end of the 2015 season," he said of leaving.
"We knew then - mathematically but not officially - that the Olympic qualification for Maksym (Averin) was achieved,” he said.
Indeed, one of the goals McQuaid and the team set out at the start was to qualify riders for the Olympic Games this year and to his credit they over-delivered, sending three to Brazil.
“It seemed like a good time to step away. At the end of this productive three-year cycle it was the right moment I felt,” he added.
He departs a team he was instrumental in growing, from the front, from a mere concept into a serious pro outfit; with all of the sporting and financial challenges that goes with that.
Running the team was not all glamour, with presentations to make to the media and business plans to complete and execute to keep the show on the road.
There were many ups and downs over the course of his term, from against-all-odds giant-killing acts on the road to lingering worries about money and logistics off it.
Despite operating in an oil-rich country such as Azerbaijan, the Synergy Baku Cycling Project hadn’t pockets nearly as deep as some teams operating in the sport.
“It’s no secret Azerbaijan is a wealthy nation from oil and gas, but the oil price crash has hit them very, very hard and cash-flow is tight on the ground,” he acknowledged.
The team’s long-term sponsor, the Synergy Group, was not directly involved in the oil or gas industries but was involved with others who were indirectly affected in the country, like the banking sector.
He said 2015 was a tough one in the team.
"While knowing deep down that 2016 was going be a stressful year on the body with robbing Peter to pay Paul, we had at that time two elite riders going to Rio from a Continental team, which would later become three,” continued McQuaid.
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Those riders were Croatian Matija Kvasina and Ioannis Tamouridis (Greece) while the team had all the while been nurturing a strong group of U23 riders.
McQuaid’s partner Julia was also involved as logistics manager and together they travelled a lot with the team, something that took a toll on the former.
McQuaid has a lifelong history in the sport; first as a rider and now in the business end of the game and will very likely pop back up again in pro cycling in the years ahead. Above, winning a stage of the Junior Tour in Dungarvan in 1996.
“To be honest, my health deteriorated as a result of the work, nothing too serious but enough to feel it.
“For now it’s about shedding those extra kilograms. I’m home now for a year, fully focused on things here.
“I think in this period I’m the heaviest I’ve ever weighed and that doesn’t sit too well with me, so it’s finger out time!
“2017 is an important year for me personally too so I’m happy in ways it is all filtering out.
“Having said that, the work is still ongoing; the contract is finished but there is still an administrative handover and also (work) trying to assist some riders and staff, those who wish to change, find new teams for 2017.”
McQuaid, with the significant help of Irishman David McCann and former top pro Jeremy Hunt made it to the start-line of the then HC-ranked Tour of Langkawi in 2013.
That was two months after they were officially allowed to race – a not too insignificant accomplishment.
The team will finish this road season ranked in the top three Continental teams on the UCI Europe Tour, which ensures automatic invite status to any event in Europe 2.1 class in 2017.
They were prolific winners on the Asia Tour – and still are, with their win total for this year currently 17, including national championships.
“Look at races like the Tour of Croatia where we took the lead ahead of five World Tour teams and defended it in a team time trial on a fraction of the equipment the others had.
“To be there and have a rider like Mark Cavendish specifically commend the team for its jersey defence; little things like that meant and mean a lot to us.”
And though he’s departing the team, he has no intention of disappearing for long.
“Who knows what 2018 will bring, but one thing is for sure, I’ll be back knocking on the same doors again.”
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