Having launched an online appeal last month to keep himself in the sport, Marcus Christie has found a new US squad after parting ways with An Post-Chainreaction.
Concerned that he was at a very difficult juncture in his career, Marcus Christie established an online fund just last month in anticipation of departing the An Post-Chainreaction squad and finding himself without a place on another team abroad.
However, the classy time trial rider has put those worries to bed, announcing today that he will ride on the American circuit next year with the Bissell-ABG-Giant Team.
The squad is based in Indianapolis and Christie will be its leader in many of the major events on its roster during the season Stateside.
“The native of Derry will be the team’s leader in top US multiday events and UCI one-day road races,” the team said in a statement.
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It regards Christie as “a powerful all-rounder and time trial specialist” who had gained invaluable experience in with An Post-Chainreaction.
“Christie is a determined fighter who earned impressive results even as he has battled back from a serious Achilles injury,” the US squad said when announcing the new signing.
“This year he placed 13th in the men’s time trial at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and sixth in the opening stage and wore the white jersey in the L’Etoile Des Besseges, the UCI 2.1 professional stage race in France.
Gaining selection for the Commonwealth Games proved a welcome distraction during a tough year with his trade team.
“Christie holds the Irish record for the 100-mile time trial, covering the distance in a blistering 3 hours, 27 minutes, 11 seconds. The 2015 season will mark his first extended racing experience in the United States.”
It is a fantastic turn of events for a rider who launched his crowd fund campaign just four weeks ago when he felt his cycling future was hanging by a thread.
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He told stickybottle then that while his season had started really well in Besseges, where he made the winning breakaway on the opening stage, things went downhill fast and he never really found his feet in the team after that.
“I fell into a giant slump for a few months after that and I was sitting at the back of the line-outs in Belgium.”
With each poor performance, he said he “drifted more into myself”.
“I honestly don’t know what the future holds for me,” he concluded.
Doing what he does best; Christie at full throttle against the watch in the colours of An Post-Chainreaction this year (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
The 23-year-old has already overcome major adversity; an early career as one of Ireland’s strongest time trial and track riders displaced by the Achilles injury that saw him spend three years trying to get his body back to a stage where he could even compete again.
With the help of mentor Tommy Evans – himself a former top rider turned elite cycling and triathlon – Christie got his injuries sorted. During that period he somehow kept his morale and determination and began competing properly just over two years ago.
A string of excellent time trial rides during the 2013 season and some good showings in harder road race events, including the Suir Valley Three Day, Christie was offered a place on the An Post-Chainreaction team for 2014.
He now becomes one of a number of Irish riders to compete in the US.
Former national champion Olivia Dillon (Colavita) is a long-establish pro there. Stephen Clancy has spent the past two years based in the US with the Novo Nordisk team and will ride for them again next year, though likely based in Europe.
Martyn Irvine, a former world track champion, has been based in the US for the past two seasons riding with the Unitedhealthcare team, though is moving on for next season. And Philip Deignan spent two seasons with the same team, racing mainly in the US, before moving on to Team Sky last year.
