By Shane Stokes
Irish cycling has lost Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin to retirement this month, and could see another strong rider step back unless a contract offer comes through very soon.
Rory Townsend has been trying to secure a higher-level contract after competing with the Canyon dhb SunGod team for the past four seasons but, thus far, the tough climate around pro teams means that nothing has been secured.
Townsend told stickybottle he didn’t see himself staying with his current team; at Continental level where most riders are not paid and those that are receive only a small salary.
“It’s not an option for me anymore, unfortunately. It’s basically a financial thing. I simply can’t afford to carry on the way I’m going. So yeah, I’m just at a time now where it’s sort of bang or bust,” Townsend explained.
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“I have an agent looking after me, Steve Fry at M2 Sports Management. So no doubt he’s working hard. I’ve been trying to do things myself as well. But it’s a hard sell at the moment – there a lot of riders, not a lot of teams.”
Since then British-based Townsend has continued to look for a team, but to no avail. Uncertainty around the future of squads such as Team Qhubeka-NextHash plus the news last week that the Delko team will stop have placed further strain on the sport, depleting the number of available places.
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“It’s a hard time for everyone at the moment,” Townsend acknowledged.
Now 26 years of age, he has clocked up several strong results this year. He was fifth, sixth and sixth on stages of the recent Tour of Britain and third in the mountains classification.
Earlier in the season, Townsend won a stage plus the points classification in the Tour de la Mirabelle in France, and also took top-ten finishes in the 1.1 ranked Ronde van Limburg and Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl.
All solid results, but Townsend is still very unsure about the future. He posted an Instagram message in recent days making clear that he is at a crossroads.
“Hasn’t been a smooth one, but finished the season well, so if I’m to bow out (of) cycling professionally now, it will be nice to go out on a high. Still nothing tied down for 2022, and with each passing day it becomes less likely that something will come up, but the search goes on!”
He subsequently elaborated on that to stickybottle. “I’ve enrolled to continue further studies at St Mary’s University. That’s my plan for the time being. I will continue to race, just on a lower level.”
However there is still time if a team is found. “I’m definitely still open to offers. It’s just I can’t afford to continue with the current circumstances. What I’m putting into it at the moment outstrips what I’m getting out of it, and it’s not sustainable.”
