Hitting targets: Daire Feeley, leading, and iTap nailed their first goal, Rás Maigheo, and now gear up for the Tour Of Ulster (Photo: Sean Rowe)
By Jessica Lamb
Teenager Daire Feeley's mature ride at the Gas Networks Ireland Visitnenagh.ie Classic has set up ambitious plans for his Team iTap at this weekend's four-day AmberGreen Energy Tour Of Ulster.
A stage win, general classification top five and the U23 jersey are the targets the Irish Talented Athlete Program directeur sportif and coach Jonathan Gibson has taken aim on, following Feeley's 12th place behind Paidi O'Brien in the 160km Classic.
The ride, Gibson believes, showed the work they have done on Feeley's muscular endurance and enhanced the view that hard races, no matter the distance, are the 18-year-old's speciality.
The Rás Maigheo yellow jersey was the second U23 home and the only teenager in the top 20.
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"Daire has been developing his muscular endurance over the last 18 months with me,” Gibson said.
“Taking his Leaving Cert in June prevents him from doing really long miles for that development.
iTap flat out at the recent team time trial event in the VisitNenagh.ie Classic (Photo: Sean Rowe)
“But what training he has done he has adapted to well and that can be seen from his form now and in Nenagh.
"I went up to him in the group he was in in the last 8km of the race and told him to go full-gas to the finish.
“He did that, and it took a huge effort for Sean McKenna [10th] to catch him coming in the road to the finish.
"To ride away from a select group of riders that included Damien Shaw (Asea), David McCarthy from JLT and others at just 18 years old after 160km showed huge muscular endurance.
“His power to weight ratio for such a young rider is exceptional.
"He also has the race craft and no fear of riding hard in a group or on his own; hard races suit him whether they are short or long, it doesn’t really matter.
“And I have no doubt that he will get a contract with a professional team in the coming years."
Feeley came into Nenagh after a solid ride at Rás Mumhan which was hampered by injuries sustained in the Des Hanlon that required a course of antibiotics.
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The iTap lads definitely have one of the most distinctive kits on the Irish scene and if they get their way will be riding against the pros within three years.
The Roscommon rider guested for Killorglin at Rás Mumhan but will be in iTap's jersey at the Tour of Ulster where the team hope to build on their win at Rás Maigheo earlier in the season.
It is a team that was put together in September and Gibson feels is really starting to gel with focussed training.
"We had a number of training camps and the work done and trust developed has grown with the racing program since the season opened,” he said.
"Darragh Bailey is the best sprinter out of the group and Daire Feeley is the strongest all-rounder.
“David Brody is also a good rouleur and a man for those hard, cold, wet days. His power-to-weight ratio has been improving consistently.
"Jordan McGinley is developing as the climber amongst the lads and his strength is steadily improving after a horrendous 2014 with pneumonia and sickness. He spent over six months off the bike."
Darragh Bailey racing against the watch last year; the team says he is the best sprinter in its line-up (Photo: Pawel Sadowski – Shutterstills.com)
Long to medium term, Gibson has big plans for the team.
"I want to develop iTap into a world leader in rider development and to have a Continental racing licence for the team within three years,” he said in reference to the same third tier level of professional cycling that, for example, the An Post-Chainreaction races at.
"When one looks at the stronger teams such as Aquablue and Asea, these are all filled with grown men and even McKenna is three years older than our own Daire Feeley.
"The development of a rider can be a strange entity, as can be seen with McKenna who was ordinary for years and has only powered up in the last couple of years.
"Our coaching partners believe that our riders have still to hit this curve and we are looking to next year and the year after for this to happen.
"So yes, next year and the year after we will be a very strong force in Irish cycling and, when we can win at will, it will then be time to race abroad."
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