Matteo Cigala flying on Rás, not ruling out pro team trial this year
Matteo Cigala was 4th on today's stage of the Rás. And he says he is hoping for more this week and beyond. Above, sprinting to 10th on the opening stage into Longford (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Having already taken two top 10 places in the An Post Rás, including 4th today, Matteo Cigala is hoping for more.
And the young Italian, who has settled in Ireland in recent years, is also not ruling out a return to the pro peloton later this season.
The former Italy U23 international said while he has no set plans, his Aqua Blue Academy team is linked to the Aqua Blue Sport ProContinental team and he would jump at a trial with the pro squad later this season.
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At the end of today’s 146km Stage from Longford to Newport, Cigala took 3rd in the bunch sprint. That placed him 4th on the stage as Dutchman Jan-Willem Van Schip had jumped in the closing stages to win solo.
Cigala was 10th on the opening stage yesterday and said that his team was instrumental in helping him to his result today.
“It was a fast sprint; my teammates put me in the right place with one kilometre to go,” he said.
“Then it was mostly a descent until the last corner. Basically my sprint was really getting the position right.
“I came out of the last corner in the top five and I held it all the way to the finish. I was able to get past one guy maybe ten metres before the line.”
He said with his 10th place on the opening stage he had already relaxed into the racing.
“A goal was to get a top ten in one of the stages. I got it yesterday. And top five is just a really, really great result for me in the Rás,” he said.
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Asked whether a stage win was a realistic goal he replied: “It is definitely possible, even though at the same time you need to be really, really lucky.
“But the way I am going, the way I am sprinting this year, it is definitely doable.
“Now we have a couple of stages where it is possible that we arrive in a bunch sprint and I will try to be up there. Definitely.”
And he was now hopeful that with two good results under his belt he would enjoy the racing more. He believed if he could do that a better result was perhaps more likely.
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“When you ride with less pressure and you enjoy more the race, usually you get the best results.”
Still only aged 23 years, Cigala raced at a high level in Italy, making the World Championships team.
But he decided to stop racing while he was still an U23 with a number of years remaining in that category.
He moved to Ireland a couple of years ago to go to college and be with his girlfriend here.
He began racing a little with Navan Road Club before moving to Aqua Blue; a Cork-based team that draws very strong riders from all over Ireland.
Cigala decided to set up his own coaching business in Ireland, Cigala Cycling. And he took a leaf out of his own book in training harder this winter with a view to a slightly more serious racing campaign this year.
He is top of the Cycling Ireland rankings and as his form in the last two days shows, he is once again able to compete in UCI races.
“For the moment I have no goal to come back professional, but you never know if a contract comes,” he said when asked would be consider the pro ranks.
“I am still 23; 24 in September; there is time,” he said. “You never know, but we will see what happens. A stage win would definitely help.”
He added it would be “really cool” if his team’s association with Aqua Blue Sport, the Irish pro team in its first year, could lead to a period in pro racing.
“If I could do a stagiaire race before the end of the year, it would be a really great achievement and great opportunity. It would be the icing on the cake on my season. Let’s hope for the best.”
Asked if he regretted stopping cycling for a period and if he was simply burned out at the time he said: “No, the year when I quit, there was a mix of things going on through my life.
“It was maybe the best way; to give up. At the same time, I probably was still a bit young and a little bit immature to make the decision.
“But at the same time I still think that (if) you become professional, or if you are one of the top riders in the world, then you can really make a living out of it.
“But if you are a fair [average] rider, it is difficult to get something out of the professional world. But I am enjoying my life now.
“I am coaching, organising training camps. I have my own business. I am still in college part-time. And I cycle for fun.
“I really love cycling in Ireland; I really love the people and the country. I like everything I am doing.
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