Now racing in the peloton in the Irish champion's kit this year, and having become a member of one of the hit squads of the domestic scene, Oisin Ferrity is staying relaxed and taking it all in his stride.
Just two weekends into the new 2023 campaign and the 17-year-old from Coalisland, Co Tyrone, has two wins under his belt. He claimed victory on Sunday in the A2 race at the Life Credit Union Newbridge GP, Co Kildare. And on the opening weekend of the season he took his first win, in the A2 event at the Seamus Kennedy Memorial in Co Meath.
While Ferrity is national junior champion now, and so wearing his champion's kit, he said he doesn't feel the weight of it. Asked if it brings added pressure he said: "No, not really. I don't really like to put pressure on myself, I just like to enjoy the racing."
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And having changed clubs this year - from Island Wheelers in Co Tyrone to Caldwell Cycles, a successful racing team - Ferrity said he was very grateful to his home club, describing it as "a great club".
"(Moving teams) was more about having a few more boys to race with, especially in the likes of the National Road Series which is combined (seniors and juniors) this season. And then I just want to learn off the likes of Darnell Moore and Adam Ward this year, they're very good."
Ferrity was in Island Wheelers at the same time as the Rafferty siblings - Darren, Adam and Aliyah - and said the success of all four "I think comes from just pushing each other on".
"And then, obviously, with us seeing Darren doing so well, that gives you perspective about where things could go. And I think that's really motivating, it's lethal to see," he said of Darren Rafferty, now with Continental team Hagens Berman Axeon.
A first-year A Level student at St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon, with this year to complete and one more to come, Ferrity said his schooling was not interfering with his cycling at present.
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"It's just about a bit of time management, having a plan set out for the year for racing and being fit to knock it back a bit when it comes to exams," he says.
This year, he will take advantage of the Easter break to go to Belgium to race for just over two weeks and intends to get stuck into the kermesse scene there.
"I was supposed to go to Belgium last summer but then I crashed in the Junior Tour and broke my wrist so I never got over," he said of the opening stage crash last July that saw him and fellow Irish team rider Quillan Donnelly crash and break their wrists.
While Ferrity was "back on the bike about a week later" on the home trainer, he ran out of time to resume racing by the time that injury healed.
"It was really frustrating more than anything, knowing that I had good legs (for the Junior Tour). But, here, it's part of the sport. It's something I had to take and move on."
Asked if he wanted to try full-time racing, especially in Europe, at some point, he said he was hoping that ambition would one day be realised. But for now "I'll just see what comes, see what happens".
"The main hopes for this year would be making the Junior Tour, Europeans and Worlds (Irish) squads," he added.
On Sunday he emerged with victory in Newbridge CC's A2 Newbridge GP at the end of five laps of racing around the 17.2km circuit. Ferrity arrived at the finish with UCD Cycling Club's Ruairi Byrne and Eoin Kelly, but unleashed his finishing kick to win.
"It was a fairly attacking start and then a big break went away about two laps in, about 10 of us in it," he said. "Most of us stayed together until the last lap and then myself and two UCD fellas jumped away. So then it was the three of us to the line. We rode quite well and then in the last few kilometres they started to do up and over attacks. It was tough to cope with that, but I was fit to cover everything."
