Teenager Mark Downey is set to go up against Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins at a prestigious track meeting in the UK this weekend. Above, on the front of the group in France the weekend before last in the green of Ireland (Photo thanks to Be-Celt.com)
By Brian Canty
First-year U23 rider Mark Downey will race against the world’s elite this weekend when he takes to the boards in the UK for an event known as the Derby Revolution.
The Banbridge CC man will ride the individual pursuit, omnium and the madison; the latter with fellow Irishman Fintan Ryan.
He will line out against the likes of Mark Cavendish and 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins.
“It’s just going to be an experience; I know I’ll walk in and see Wiggo and Cav and go ‘Holy shit!’" Downey said.
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"But we’ll go in with no fear and whatever happens, happens."
Downey already has plenty of experience on the track including riding the madison, above. But the opposition this weekend will be a step up, and another great opportunity for the emerging Irish international.
“The last time I rode a bunch race on the track was last year so I was saying to Brian (Nugent, high performance coach) and David (Muntaner, Irish track coach) that we’re not going to compete if we’re not going to ride these races.”
Downey’s invite to the UK comes on the back of some solid performances in the national colours at the recent U23 European Track Championships in Greece.
He also rode well at the Kreiz Breizh Elites race in France; a UCI 2.2-ranked stage race featuring some of the most promising emerging talent on the Continent.
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“I shocked myself in terms of what I was able to do in France because I was straight off the track and I got a phone call saying I was required for Kreiz Breizh,” he said.
“The first few stages I was shitting myself because the longest stage I’d done was the national championships three and a half weeks before it so I was panicking a bit.
Downey's brother Sean, left, has decided to step away from full time racing with the An Post-Chainreaction team just as the younger of the pair is weighing up going full-time against starting university in the next couple of months (Photo: Toby Watson)
“I went into it with an open mind and no pressure but I was able to pull some performances out of the bag.
“I rose to the occasion and I seem to be able to that from time to time.”
Downey is currently in France racing and will stay there for much of the remainder of the season.
"You need to be there if you’re looking to go places; you need to be there and have people see who you are,” he said.
He is currently debating whether to go full-time on the bike next year or begin a university degree course.
“I’ll know more in the next few weeks when I get back home, I’ll have a think about it then,” he said.
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