Connor McConvey receiving his climbers' classification overall winner jersey at the Tour of Azerbaijan earlier this season. He has a strong case to fill the fourth and final place on the Irish team for the World Championships in Florence in three weeks, though others are also in contention.
By Brian Canty
With the World Road Race Championships in Florence just over three weeks away and competition for places on the four-man Irish team intensifying, Belfast strong man Connor McConvey believes he has what it takes to help the team contend in the 272.5-kilometre race.
The Synergy Energy Baku rider is enjoying his best ever season on the bike and despite fracturing his pelvis in a crash at the Tour of Austria in June, the 24-year-old said he’s fit, fresh and is coming into what he believes is the form of his life.
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“I’m coming around really nicely again,” said McConvey.
“It’s nice to be back at the front end of the peloton again," he added, referring to a race in Slovenia at the weekend where he notched sixth and 12th in a criterium and road race.
And though the task of playing a team role at a World Championships with over 3,000 metres of climbing is a much bigger one, the Belfast climber and 2013 An Post Rás runner up is adamant he can do what is required of him.
“I think the first three spots are taken for sure (by Dan Martin, Nicolas Roche and Philip Deignan). But for the fourth spot, it’s all about what that person can bring to the team. Everyone in contention is capable of doing the job but who can do it best?"
"Given what will be required of you - helping the others for the first 200k, there’s no question of being there after 260k or whatever. But the hilly nature of the course suits my characteristics as a rider so with me coming into good form now, it should help me to get in contention to get selected."
“You need someone who is a bit of a horse who can basically just help the guys as much as possible in the first 200k and to be able to do that, you need to know your way about the bunch and guide them and help them when they’re in need,” he added.
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“I know Dan more than I’d know Nico but I don’t think that’s so important. I’ll be there to do a job and it doesn’t really matter who it is for, you just do what you have to do. It’s a tight knit group anyway.”
Interestingly, the former An Post-Sean Kelly rider represented Ireland at a World U23 Championships back in 2008, also in Italy, and with Dan Martin as one of the men to watch. Ronan McLaughlin was the other rider in that three-man team.
McConvey has also ridden U23 Nations Cup races while also worn the Irish jersey at two European Championships.
Next week he’ll travel to the Tour of China for two one-week races, but he may get a call to come back to Europe before starting the second race and while his team believe he can contend in the overall standings in both races in China and would be backing him with protected rider status there, they seem willing to see him progress and would release him for Irish team duty for the Worlds if he is selected.
For now, McConvey's focus is on getting the result that he believes will see him given the nod for Florence.
“The race in China will have me as the GC rider for the team and it’s one I’ve earmarked since the start of the year. It has a flat 5-kilometre TT, and that suits me. However, the team, and (director David) McCann in particular, have been really good in terms of the World Championships, and have put me up in a training camp in hilly Austria, where I can work on being ready for the Worlds."
“I’m doing some superb work in the hills to try and lose some weight. We have decided to go for the Worlds, to prepare 100 per cent for it and work to be there for Dan and Nico when they need it most. I want to arrive there as ready as possible, if selected, of course."
“The team and I believe that I can do it. Climbing into the top three in climbs over 1000m at the finish of races and taking mountains jerseys already this year shows that."
McConvey has been in great climbing for this year, was one of the strongest in the An Post Rás on the climbs and took the mountains classification in the Tour of Azerbaijan.
He concluded: "Having the enforced break at the end of June means that I’m now feeling fresh and motivated, ready for what feels like a new season. This is a chance that may not come around again, so I am going for it.”
