Cormac Mcgeough Jelly Belly Maxxis: He may be relatively new to road racing but heading into just his third season on the roads he has secured a place with the Jelly Belly Maxxis team. The Continental-level outfit rides the major pro races in the US.
Irish cyclist Cormac Mcgeough signs for Jelly Belly Maxxis
US-based Irish rider Cormac Mcgeough has secured a place with the American Jelly Belly-Maxxis team.
Mcgeough (21) raced for a period in Ireland last year. And with a place at an American Continental-level team he now faces an exciting season ahead.
He has only raced for three seasons on the road but made something of a breakthrough last year.
Mcgeough secured a stint with Trek-Landis, an elite US team. He rode the Tour of the Gila and the Cascade Classic.
In Ireland he rode several races, including the An Post Rás. He told stickybottle Tosh and Philip Lavery had been particularly helpful to him during his time in Ireland.
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“Having the Irish flag by my name means a lot to me,” he said of now riding under an Irish licence.
“I’m from Carrickmacross in county Monaghan and I’ve been an Irish citizen since birth. I’ve visited frequently my whole life, mostly family in Dublin."
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Cormac Mcgeough with Jelly Belly Maxxis; third rider from right.
Mcgeough continued: “I spent the 2017 summer racing and training in Clonee. It was my first time bringing a bike over and competing in Ireland.
“Philip Lavery and I were really close training partners. And Tosh helped me a lot. I raced the Rás, the nationals, and I won the Meath GP.”
Unusually for a rider who will now be competing at Continental level, he only began road racing after he left school.
“My racing career started when I began college in the US. We have a bustling collegiate cycling league.
“This will be by fourth season racing on the road. And I couldn’t be happier to be a part of Jelly Belly’s nineteenth season on the road.
“I caught the attention of Danny Van Haute, director and owner, late in the 2017 season. And he asked me to ride for him.”
His move to Jelly Belly Maxxis means Cormac Mcgeough becomes the second Irish rider to land a place with an American pro team.
Limerick’s Stephen Clancy is now going into his fifth season with ProContinental team Novo Nordisk.
Mcgeough has been in a training camp with his new team in North County San Diego over the past week.
And riding for a squad back by a sweets company he joked that it had presented particular problems so far.
“Things are great but I’m having a hard time controlling my intake of Jelly Belly jelly beans,” he said, adding the strawberry banana smoothie Sport Beans were a weakness.
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