Sean Lacey has always been a great ambassador for the sport of cycling and still has enormous motivation to win.
By Brian Canty
Sean Lacey has been one of the country’s most successful riders for the last decade but the Cork-based Kerryman says he is still as motivated to train and as hungry to win as he’s ever been.
The 33 year-old father of two is one of the real stalwarts of the domestic racing scene and usually clocks up a few big, big results every year. But there’s a lot more he wants to achieve.
- My Training Week: Sean Lacey’s quality over quantity for the time-poor
- Sean Lacey talks: 5am starts to fit in training & lessons dished out by Ciaran Power
The Aquablue rider explained part of the reason for his success is the support of his bike-mad family, adding early morning WattBike sessions are vital.
“Definitely the hunger to train hard is still there,” he said without a moment’s hesitation.
Advertisement
“I think with the calibre of racing in Ireland you need to have that commitment to train hard and I’m fortunate that is still there. It’s all for racing.
“I enjoy trying to represent myself and my team well. It just comes down to enjoyment and that’s still there.
“I’m on a team where I get on well with the manager and the team members but also, I have two kids that love going to bike races.
"They love seeing the bike coming out and the atmosphere involved in races.
“Success can vary, but there’s getting on well with your teammates and having friends on the bike too.
“So that enjoyment and the enjoyment my whole family get from going to races is one of the reasons I keep doing it. If they’re enjoying it we’ll keep it going.”
The Aquablue rider drives the pace up the Gleann na nGealt climb at the Lacey Cup, an event he has won five times.
That doesn’t mean more hours become available in the day for him, however.
“Every year it can get harder to fit in the training but it comes down to being good at managing your time and being flexible,” he explained.
“You might have the best intentions to do a session but something might happen the kids so you need to be a bit more flexible and not get stressed over potentially missing a session.
“I think that’s what happens when you’ve kids; you’ve a different perspective to training and you emphasize quality over quantity.
Related News
“Kids are number one and when they’re healthy and doing well you can move onto what’s number two and three.”
In that regard, the stationary WattBike he bought last year is where much of his training is done; his specific work outs at any rate.
Lacey, second left, said there will come a time when he'll phase out the stage races and prioritise one-day events...but that time hasn't come just yet.
“The WattBike is a nice, stable and controlled method of training," said Lacey.
“It’s not a case of waiting to look out at how windy or wet it is; it’s a case of training and having that stability is important when you’re trying to manage your time as efficiently as possible.”
It’s proved a winning formula for Lacey who traditionally starts the season like a bat out of hell.
And he plans to continue racing longer than he’ll be competitive, purely because of the love for it.
“I enjoy training and just going out cycling and I don’t see it stopping any time soon," he said.
“But when it comes to racing there is a point when you start phasing out races.
“Maybe the stage races will be phased out and I’ll concentrate on one-day races but for me, at the moment, it is about having a competitive role for myself or others in the team.
“I might be getting old but I don’t feel it. I was always on teams when I was maybe the youngest.
"I remember being on teams with the likes of Richie Cahill, David McCann, Paul Griffin, Davy O’Loughlin and Ciarán Power. I was always the youngest and now I’m nearly the oldest.
“I don’t feel old but a lot of the lads are very respectful and they might listen to me because I’ve a lot of years behind me.
“I’m getting older but I can still be competitive as well.”
The Kerry Group Rás Mumhan win from 2011 is one Lacey said he wouldn’t trade for anything but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t more goals.
“There’s a lot that I still like; the Cycleways Cup is one I’d like to do well in, the VisitNenagh Classic, the Elliott; maybe not this year or next year but I might be successful some day.”
Topics
