Matthew Devins may have endured a frustrating year in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic threw his racing and schooling into the air, but as the New Year approaches somehow the pieces have fallen into place.
Now aged 18 years and having cut his teeth racing at home
for Yeats Country Cycling Club, Devins made the
national junior road team in 2019 and was part of the Cycling
Ireland Athlete Development Plan junior group this year.
Under the eye of coach Thomas Fallon in 2020 he corrected his training mistakes – “all my own fault”. The grapevine says that when he underwent testing through the year it showed very strong improvement in his physical capabilities.
And while he had only limited chances to show off that progress in races this year, it resulted in him being recommended to Trinity Racing.
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An elite team established by Irish cycling agent Andrew McQuaid two years ago, Trinity Racing is now stepping up to Continental level for 2021 with Irish champion Ben Healy replacing Ineos Grenadiers-bound Tom Pidcock as team leader.
Devins, from Collooney in Co Sligo, has now secured a
place on the team for 2021; a huge prize to take away from a chaotic year.
“It’s still a big shock,” Devins told stickybottle of landing a berth at a team that has quickly built a reputation as a leading development outfit.
“Because everything was done over the phone this year, it’s kind of a bit surreal. But it’s literally my dream come true.
“Even a few years back, when the Wiggins (Continental) team started I think every young fella looked at that and said ‘that’s the team I want to be in’. And now with Trinity being the equivalent of that team, it really couldn’t be any better for me.”
Devins said the fact Irish elite and U23 road race champion Healy was in the team, alongside fellow Irish rider Finley Newmark, was a big plus for him, describing Healy as “one of the best U23 riders Ireland has ever had”.
“I’ve heard a lot of those harsh stories about riders
going to France but Trinity seem to be really up to date, with everyone on the
same wave length,” he said of the English-speaking team made up mainly of Irish
and British riders.
“The team is so strong, I’d like to be a part of any of the success it has next year. Some of the riders in there are serious talents. And if I could be selected for races and do a solid job; that would be great.
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“It’s about getting consistent racing back in the legs. I’ve had a brief stint of racing in Belgium and as a junior I went to a Nations Cup race in Germany, so for me next year is about learning about racing and being full-time.”
Sligo rider Devins has not only done very well to secure a place at Continental level straight out of the juniors, he has also done it after an interrupted season due to Covid-19.
That pandemic-hit campaign meant he had limited
opportunities to shine, especially on Irish junior teams which he would have
been squarely in contention for in a normal season.
Devins said Martin O’Loughlin, a well known figure out of
the Carrick Wheelers set-up and a coach and manager with Cycling Ireland when
his teaching career allows, was instrumental in helping him this year.
“I was in contact with Martin during the summer and I was asking him advice and he got in contact (with Trinity Racing) for me. Then at the nationals I spoke to one of the Trinity guys, Jamie Barlow, and he said they’d be in touch.”
After those initial contacts were made, Devins received a
call more recently from Andrew McQuaid and they arranged for the Irish rider to
come on board for 2021.
At present, because of Covid-19, the team’s plans and who will ride particular races are not yet set in stone. But in his discussions with McQuaid Devins said the British Premier Calendar events were mentioned as a possible set of races to target.
“Instead of getting my head kicked in every week, it
would be great to have plenty of that type of racing to ride,” said Devins of
his first season out of the junior ranks and into the U23-elite peloton. “It’s
a pretty big step up and you don’t want to be annihilated.”
While he must prepare, and be braced, for that higher
mileage and higher intensity racing, Devins appears to have landed on his feet
despite a nightmare 2020 for Irish cycling, during which he also faced his
Leaving Cert.
“Suddenly all the racing and all of school was done for
me and then there was a weird gap to fill. I almost didn’t know what to do with
myself,” he said of the pandemic hitting back in March.
“It was definitely frustrating because after being on a
few Irish teams last year I was hoping to be one of the leaders this year, so
it was disappointing.”
Since completing his final year in school, Devins has
gone on to start a course in psychology in Dublin City University, which is run
remotely due to the pandemic and which he intends to continue.
“It’s completely flexible, which I think is perfect for
me. The college year is pretty short and racing really only kicks off from
March-April so I have only two weeks to juggle college and racing.”
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