Morgan Fox, the co-founder of the EvoPro Racing UCI Continental team, has said he is delighted to have re-signed Daire Feeley for the coming season. Fox has also outlined to stickybottle more details about the new deal struck between his team and Cycling Ireland.
The arrangement includes 16 contracted riders - with 10 Irish cyclists already signed for this year - as well as a number of other specialists from Ireland (details below) and very young Irish riders. An Irish women's UCI team is also in the offing.
The "specialists" can include cyclocross, track or MTB riders and there are four places in the EvoPro Racing set-up for those riders. Two contracted stagiares, which must be U23 riders, will also be taken on from August 1st this year for the final months of the season.
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News the team is working towards creating a women's UCI-ranked team comes as the number of female Irish riders competing at a very highly level has increased in the last couple of season.
Continental team EvoPro Racing was founded three years ago by ex-pro and former national champion Fox and former Cycling Ireland president and former national cyclocross champion, PJ Nolan. This year it will also place promising young riders in elite teams in Europe.
If those riders show they can cope with the step up in standard, they will then be taken into the EvoPro Racing team as part of the new arrangement hammered out with Cycling Ireland, whose name and logo will appear on the team's kit this year. The team will ride Dolan bikes this season.
That deal will see EvoPro Racing becoming an 'academy' for young Irish cyclists and now 10 Irish riders are signed by the squad for this year. Other emerging Irish riders will also be able to use the EvoPro Racing's base in Belgium for racing and training and may be called into the team for races later in the year.
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While those details were known before now, Fox has set out the other arrangements, above, to stickybottle. He confirmed Feeley's signing today, Friday, in what is a return to the squad he rode for in 2019.
"I’m thrilled to have Daire back on board. He has developed immensely in the last few years and is a very clued in young man," Fox said. "He was knocking on the door of a big Pro result towards the latter half of 2019 so it will be great to see him blow that door off it’s hinges in 2022.
"I have appointed him my road captain and feel that we have a great understanding of each other how this team works and ultimately delivers. We have really good communication and he is the type of guy who only needs to be told once and the job is done.
"It’s hard to show the near misses to the public he had in pulling off a big result in 2019. In fact I don’t think he realises himself that’s something you witness in the team car. That sudden hesitation in the peloton , an argument between Quickstep and Alpecin of the like. Suddenly the gap opens.
"I have full faith in him as a leader and a team mate. Alongside team mate Conn McDunphy we have two of the three podium places at the road nationals and will be aiming for that missing top spot this year."
Fox said the new relationship between Cycling Ireland and EvoPro Racing was thanks to the work of federation chief executive Matt McKerrow and new president Liam Collins, along with the board and staff at the national governing body.
"We are working desperately hard to develop this program to include a ladies Continental team in 2022 along with a holistic development strategy off the bike," Fox said. "Exposing riders to this level of racing will showcase the talent we have in this country they just need a chance to get on that stage.
"This will allow athletes to focus on the task at hand but have skills to fall back on should things not quite work out," he said, adding any companies and other parties who were interested in working with the team could get in touch.
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