Jack Wilson winning the National U23 Road Race Championships in Carlingford this year from Cormac Clarke and Conor Dunne. Wilson and Dunne will receive funding next year from the Dave Rayner Fund in the UK, along with fellow U23 rider Eoin McCarthy (Photo: www.blackumbrella.ie)
By Brian Canty
Three Irish riders will receive financial support from the Dave Rayner Fund in 2014 after its latest round of grant recipients was revealed yesterday.
The fund was established in 1995 and provides much needed money to young riders in the UK and Ireland with the aim of helping them develop their racing talent abroad.
Conor Dunne (An Post Chain Reaction), Eoin McCarthy (Terra-Footwear Bicycle Line) and Jack Wilson (An Post Chain Reaction) are among 26 up and coming riders who will be helped throughout the season in what is set to be a crucial year in their development. The bulk of the recipients are UK riders.
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The fund is named after Rayner, who was a huge talent in the UK where he won the national junior road race title before going on to race with distinction in Belgium and Holland with the Buckler team. Rayner was tragically killed in 1994 aged just 27 years following a nightclub altercation in Bradford.
In the last 18 years, the fund in his memory has helped support over 150 riders racing overseas including the likes of Dan Martin, Charly Wegelius, David Millar, and Matt Brammeier.
More recent examples include Josh Edmondson, who joined Team Sky at the end of 2012, and Adam Yates who will ride for Orica-GreenEdge next season.
Conor Dunne praised the fund and said he would have found it very difficult to stay in the sport without its assistance.
“For sure, the fund has been brilliant for me because cycling is not a sport that you can take shortcuts in and the assistance has helped me enormously,” he said.
“Things like travelling overseas and racing a lot are quite expensive. But the fund has been a real God send in that regard. It takes your mind off worrying about money a little bit and I’m very grateful for the help they provide. I’ll be doing all I can to justify their support next year.”
Other Irish riders who have received financial assistance in the past include Ronan McLaughlin, Philip Bremner, Philip Lavery, Tim Cassidy, Paidi O'Brien, David O'Loughlin, David McQuaid and Shane Prendergast.
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