By Graham Healy
Junior Tour stage winner Darragh Zaidan (Lucan CRC) is one of the growing number of Irish cyclists moving to the Continent for the coming season, joining the French club VCC Morteau.
The first-year senior is travelling over to join his new club next month. The teenager will be based near Besançon, not far from the Swiss border.
The move came about with the assistance of Zaidan’s coach, Ryan Connor. The process of finding the right team was also aided by Serge Pineau of French team EC Mayenne.
Pineau is a well known figure in French cycling with experience in pairing young riders with ambition to appropriate clubs and teams early in their careers.
To date, Zaidan’s best results include a stage win in the 2011 Junior Tour and third overall and best junior in the Rás Dhun na nGall, in addition to National Championship wins on the track.
His new team is mainly a mix of French and Swiss riders, with Zaidan being the only Irishman. He’s still unsure of his race programme in France in the early part of the season. However, he will follow the team’s programme until after the An Post Ras before having a stint at home and then returning to France.
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“I return to Ireland on May 28th so there will be no Rás this year. I’ll race the majority of the races up to and including the Nationals.”
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Zaidan intends to focus on the road for the foreseeable future, despite showing promise on the track. “The track will be put on the back burner this year. I won’t be home for the National Track Championships; I’ll be concentrating on the road end of things in France”, he says.
VCC Morteau is a Category 2 club and racing on the Continent will undoubtedly provide an invaluable introduction to international racing for the Dubliner.
Zaidan is looking forward to the move and to the solid base it will provide him to develop in what will be his first year out of the junior ranks.
“The new team will provide me with accommodation, team kit, and transport to and from races and also the airport which saves a lot of hassle.”
He doesn’t believe the language barrier will be a difficulty.
“They all speak English and my French is OK; it’s improving with practice.”
He is slightly guarded when it comes to his longer term plans.
“My plans for the next few years are to continue to develop and give it everything. But I don't like to think too far ahead, I live in the now. I plan short term and keep my long term goals personal.”
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