The lure of the international pro peloton has proven too much for Sean Downey after a break of just a few months since departing An Post-Chainreaction (Photo: Toby Watson)
With his younger brother Mark having joined the Dynamo Cover Pro Cycling team in recent weeks, Sean Downey has now agreed terms with the squad.
The move comes as the older Downey departs An Post-Chainreaction and was not planning to race abroad again next year.
He had already busied himself developing the family business Downey Cycles in Banbridge since hanging up his racing wheels during the summer.
But the lure of the international peloton has proven to much and so both Downeys will now race abroad next year together.
Their new squad will register as a UCI Continental team, with Irish legend Stephen Roche on board to mentor the riders.
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It will be managed by the Breton Yann Dejan, a past manager of Team Geumsan Chrono in Asia.
He will be assisted by former French pro Benoit Salmon, who was the best young rider in the 1999 Tour de France and who has been working with VC La Pomme Marseille, plus Sébastien Duclos.
The latter has been running the Attack Gusto Cycling Team in Asia.
Former pros Joel Pelier and Bruno Cornillet will also have an input.
It seemed the national road race championships in Omagh in June would be the last race the Downey brothers would ride together. But that has now been turned on its head.
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Dynamo Cover is an insurance company based in the UK that focuses on insurance products for cycling.
It was founded two years ago by Alex Mills, a former candidate on the BBC show The Apprentice.
The squad will race in the UK and France but also hopes to ride some races in Asia.
Downey will relish a return to French racing, having cut his teeth on the scene before joining An Post-Chainreaction for four seasons.
His younger brother Mark (19) is also a very strong rider and already has a silver medal from the junior European Track Championships in his palmares.
The teenager has followed brother Sean's footsteps on the road, having already represented Ireland several times in 2015 in his first season as an U23 athlete.
The An Post Rás will be a major goal for their new team in 2016 and it also hopes to ride the Tour of Britain.
Team spokesman Jean Vantalon said that the team’s Celtic heritage is crucially important, and that it will have an academy in Dublin for junior riders.
“The first year will be Continental in order to improve the riders and help them progress towards Continental Pro.
“The project is initially five years but will be a long term contract, developing into a much bigger team.”
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