Dany Blondeel is presented with his award for Volunteer of the Year by legend Sean Kelly at the Cycling Ireland awards night in Dublin on Saturday.
Brian Canty
One of the most popular winners at the Cycling Ireland awards on Saturday night was Dany Blondeel, founder of the Belgian Project eight years ago.
The project has helped place countless young Irish riders in Belgium, giving them exposure to some quality racing and training in the sport’s European heartland.
Blondeel – who turns 60 years next year - has been engrossed in the sport all his life and his passion has remained undiminished since he moved to Newtownards after he got married 25 years ago.
He feels just about as Irish as any of the riders he places in his home country every year.
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“I’m chuffed to win it,” he said of the award.
“It really means a lot to me and I was nearly in tears when I was named the winner. It was amazing.”
Blondeel faced some stiff competition for the award but few could argue with his selection.
“I’ve always loved placing guys in Belgium to see what they’re made of,” he continued.
“Peter Hawkins was the first rider I placed in Belgium eight years ago and he went pro for a while after it.
“Since then there’s been a steady flow; Matt Doyle raced and he was a great prospect. Cathal Clarke went over through us, we sent Marc Heaney and Cameron McIntyre last year.
“Craig Rea was taken on by Tomac CC but he crashed in his second race and broke his collar bone.
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“But to be honest, I get hundreds of e-mails every year from young guys wanting to go.”
It’s not as simple as sending them on the first flight, however.
“You have to sift through them and get the best ones,” he explained. “I like to see the riders in a race, results mean nothing.
“I need to look at guys and though it’s mainly been Ulster riders who have gone, we sent Daragh Zaidan (Adamstown CC) last year.
(Darragh has received bursary through the project for next year and was part of the composite team for the Tour of the North back at Easter.)
“You need a certain character and a certain personality to go to Belgium because they’ll stay with friends of mine and they’ll need to be well behaved.”
Blondeel has done pretty much everything a cycling fanatic can do.
He’s raced - badly, by his own admission - and run supporters clubs, managed, coached, mentored; he’s been a national commissaire and just about everything in between.
And though he turns 60 years old next year, he doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.
“I couldn’t do as much as I’d have liked this year because I had a health setback.
“But there’s a Belfast to Brussels flight starting in March and that’ll allow me and more riders to go over, we hope.”
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