Roche riding the 2012 Worlds; he’s now got his own junior development team (Photo: Toby Watson)
The new ‘Nicolas Roche Performance Team’ is taking shape for its first season next year, with the final line-up of riders having been confirmed following the application process of recent weeks.
It had been intended to sign up six riders for the team. However, given the number of applicants and the strength of those who applied, team principal Nicolas Roche and manager Philip Finnegan have decided to go with a total of eight riders for next year.
The selected team is a very strong one, with a mix of first-year and second-year juniors who Finegan and Roche believe can begin progressing towards maximising their potential as bike riders.
Confirmed for the squad are four first year juniors – Darragh Long from Dublin, Matthew Teggart and Mark Downey from Banbridge and Fintan Ryan from Wicklow.
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They will be joined by four second year juniors – David McCarthy and Dylan Foley from Cork, National Junior Road Race Champion Liam Corcoran from Castlebar and Danny Bruton from Co Dublin.
The eight have been selected from almost 50 applicants.
As well as Roche and Finegan at the helm, experienced senior rider Barry Sutton from Co Clare has also joined the management team at the development squad.
Finegan told stickybottle he was delighted with the strength of the line-up.
“We’ve had most of the best riders in the country apply for a place on the team so we’re delighted that the concept has gone down so well,” he said.
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“We’ve a great mix of experience and abilities and we feel we’ve a group of riders who will work well as a unit and ride as a team, which is the main thing we want to teach them.”
“We received 46 applications from junior riders and after consulting with a range of cycling people we chose eight riders and they agreed to come on board. They represent the four provinces and I’ve visited them and their parents over the last ten days outlining our plans for 2013.”
“We’re overwhelmed with the support and really looking forward to the new season and getting the lads on the road.”
The squad will meet Roche next Wednesday week at the “Evening with Stephen and Nicolas Roche” being put on by Garda CC in Westmanstown, west Dublin.
The team will target races at home and abroad, with the first major goal coming in the shape of the Gorey Three Day over the Easter Weekend.
As the season goes on other key events will include the Corkman Three Day on the May Bank Holiday, the Junior Tour, the National Championships and the Suir Valley Three Day.
Finegan said the team already has a steady flow of invites for foreign stage races and will be riding in France, German and the UK. He believes having eight riders will ease pressure on those who have exams next year.
The emphasis is on instilling a professional approach in their preparation and racing, wrapped up in a team ethos based on developing the riders towards full-time careers from a very early age.
Cara Finegan will be involved with the team logistics while husband Philip has called on his long-time team mate Aidan Crowley to help with other aspects of running the set-up such as building and maintaining a team website - http://www.nicolasrocheperformanceteam.com/
Finegan is still working on finalising the title and secondary sponsors line up, team vehicles and bike deal. He said some of those elements have already been put in place and when the final parts are ready, the team will be in a position to make further announcements.
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