The track bronze medal winners in 2010; Sean Downey, Martyn Irvine, David McCann and Philip Lavery
Former international rider Ryan Connor has been named as Northern Ireland’s manager for the cycling team to represent the North in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year.
Having former been selected as a rider for the Games, Connor has wasted no time setting out his stall for the job at hand and has already begun the process of building his squad, seeking expressions of interest from riders.
The team will take in the road race, time trial, paracycling events and will also been seen in action on the velodrome, where they enjoyed great success last time out in India in 2010 in taking a bronze medal in the team pursuit.
The riders on that occasion were Philip Lavery, David McCann, Sean Downey and Martyn Irvine.
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While McCann has retired from top flight competition, Connor will have plenty of talent to pick from.
Lavery and Downey have improved hugely since the last Games and are racing certainties to make the time this time around, while Irvine is now a professional and World Track Champion and once fit would probably be the first name on the team sheet.
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However, others like Jack Wilson and Daniel Stewart have also come through the ranks since then and other more established names who will be counting on being there include Peter Hawkins and Connor McConvey.
Michael Hutchinson has declared for Ireland in recent years and would be a good bet for a medal in the time trial and Marcus Christie is also on the comeback trail and would undoubtedly love to make the team if he can remain illness and injury free.
Connor is a very experienced campaigner, having won a lot of races during a successful career – including the Tour of the North three times - and represented the North and Ireland in his day. He was on the team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne and was 16th in the 25 mile TT. He also rode the road race that year and was 26th.
He has ridden in the colours of Ballymena RC and Usher Irish Road Club and on the international stage was a member of the UCK Vannes squad in Brittany in France. He has moved into management in the past few years, looking for Ulster teams at development/U23 and junior level.
While the Games are obviously some time away yet, Connor has urged those interested in being consider for selection to step forward and inform him of that. He aims to prepare the riders in the best way he can to try and win some medals just over the water in Glasgow. He can be reached for now at [email protected] and there will be a more formal application process in due course.
Best of luck to him and to all of those hopeful of making the team.
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