By Louise Hickey
Having already sampled the tough U23 scene in Italy during an extended racing block this year, 19-year-old Ronan O'Connor is hopeful of stepping up to some of the hardest races in Europe next season. He has deferred his college place, meaning he is free to have a clear run at full-time bike riding as he pursues the dream of one-day turning professional.
A former Irish junior road race champion, O'Connor raced at home with Orwell Wheelers before joining Italian Continental team Colpack Ballan at the start of this year. The team is one of the best squads in cycling for emerging young talent and the Irish rider did very well to even secure a place there. Next year will be different for O'Connor as he will go back to Europe have already begun his apprenticeship, thus knowing what to expect.
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He will ride again for Team Colpack Ballan and should also be in contention for U23 national selection in what will be his second season, of four, in the category. This year the biggest race he rode was the five-stage Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta-Mont Blanc (2.2U), where he got up the road. His best result came in U23-elite race, Zane Monte Cengio, where he placed 6th after 130km in hilly terrain.
He'll race next year in the knowledge he has a place in a business and law course waiting for him at Technical University Dublin if, and when, he wants to take it up. It is a college with a sports programme that would also be able to help support his cycling. But he believed returning to Italy for the full season in 2023, rather than having exam commitments like this year, when he did two stints in Italy, would build on the progress he has already made.
"I only did half a season really," O'Connor told stickybottle of his racing in Italy this year. "I did two weeks over the Easter break, but I really only started racing (properly) from July. So, it was kind of half a season. I know the team want me to have a full season next year, so I decided to take the year out and see how it goes."
He said given the level of Italian racing, which has a full schedule of UCI events for U23s as well as races in other parts of Europe available to his team, he could only benefit from regularly competing in longer and harder events.
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"I’m competing at a high standard, so I can base myself off the highest level for under 23. It’s easy to see my improvements (as well as) where I have to get to. The mountainous terrain also suits me a lot better than (races in) Ireland. I perform best on longer climbs so I’m definitely looking forward to a longer time (in Italy).
"I'd definitely be hoping to ride the under 23 Giro and also hopefully the Tour de l'Avenir. They would be two big stage races I'd love to do and hopefully perform well in the GC in those races."
The opportunity now ahead of O'Connor, though it will be challenging, is a fantastic one and comes about a decade after he was first introduced to cycling.
"When I was about eight or nine, I was in my aunt’s house in Donegal and there was absolutely nothing on the TV, so I watched the Tour de France," he said. "Ever since I started watching it, I suppose it was my dream to become a professional cyclist. I’m always looking for the next step up. My goal after junior was to get on the Continental team and my next goal will be to ride professionally."
He joined Orwell Wheelers, based in Dundrum in south Dublin, aged 12 years. "They were a big help starting out. They took us to Holland for track cycling when we were younger," he says of the club.
There followed weekly sessions of training and honing his skills on the cycle track in Corkagh Park, Dublin, before he started to race. O'Connor announced himself properly on the domestic scene by winning the Irish junior road race crown in 2020.
Since then he has represented Ireland at the road Worlds and Europeans, both as a junior in 2021. And with a very strong Irish squad now assembled at U23 level, O'Connor has a great opportunity to make an impact in races riding in the green of Ireland, as well as for his trade team. He says the recent success of Irish cyclists in the pro peloton has spurred him on.
"Sam Bennett actually was definitely a big inspiration; seeing all Bennet did for Irish cycling and watching him win on the Champs-Élysees inspired me a lot. And also Nicolas Roche; him being part of my club at Orwell Wheelers and then seeing his success."
