Daniel Stewart is looking forward to racing with AN Post Chain Reaction next year but knows it's going to be tougher than anything he's ever experienced before (Andréa Quémener)
By Brian Canty
Daniel Stewart has said he’s under no illusions about what awaits him when he steps up to the Continental ranks next season as part of the An Post Chain Reaction team.
The Belfast man is one of four confirmed Irish riders in the team for 2016 and he’s bracing himself for the hardest racing of his career so far.
“I'm not going in with any illusions,” he said.
“It’ll be the hardest racing I've ever done but there is nothing I can do about that.
“All I can do is work as hard as I can to make myself as fit as I possible.”
Advertisement
Stewart raced in France this year with Hennebont Cycling and though he performed well he said he was disappointed with the season in general.
“I’m really happy to go up a level for 2016 but I’m disappointed I didn't achieve more this year given my improvement in fitness.
“Kurt (Bogaerts) has given me this opportunity to have a better racing schedule for next year; it will make me fitter and give me better preparation for races with the Irish team if I'm lucky to be selected.”
Related News
Stewart rode for the national team at the U23 European Championships this year and impressed team manager Bogaerts there.
They got chatting afterwards and Stewart feels the faith placed in him by the latter ill have a big impact on him next year.
“I believe I suffered from confidence issues last year where I wasn't getting results because of the demons in my head,” he admitted.
“So I’ll hope to get over that.
“Although it will be really hard racing with An Post it doesn't mean I won't be sniffing out opportunities and doing everything I can to help the team.
“Whatever happens, it will be superb preparation for any possible Irish u23 races I get selected for.
“The An Post team is well-supported and is very well-known on the Continent so I hope with Kurt’s advice and support I can continue the team’s trend of producing some top class cyclists.”
Topics
