Sean Lacey has had a very long break from racing and did very little cycling last summer. But he says he is hungry to get stuck into the action again in the next few weeks.
By Brian Canty
Sean Lacey admits he has no idea where his form is as the days count down to the start of the new domestic racing season.
The Aquablue CC man has been one of the most prolific winners on the home scene for a number of years now.
He boasts a fine palmarés but having not raced since the final stage of the An Post Rás last year he believes he will be playing catch-up for a while.
“I haven’t raced since that day in Skerries last May and probably only rode the bike 10 times last summer because we moved house,” explained the former Rás Mumhan winner and father of two.
Advertisement
“There’s a lot of fitness lost and it’ll take me a while to get back into that.
“I have to be realistic; I can’t expect to hit the season all guns blazing.
Wrapping up the overall win at the National Classic League in Donegal back in 2010 (Photo: Marian Lamb)
“There’s a lot of great races early on and I won’t know how good I am until the Lacey Cup or the Cycleways Cup,” he said of the early season fixtures in coming weeks in Kerry and Meath.
“But I’m going in with the mindset that it might take me a few races to find my legs then so be it.
“I’ve set my main goals for April and May for that reason.
“That’s not me being coy, I might start the season in great shape… I really don’t know.”
Last year he targeted Rás Mumhan and the An Post Rás and did well in both.
“I trained particularly for those and whatever happened left and right of them was just the way it was going to be,” the Tralee man concluded.
“Rás Mumhan went relatively well. Obviously I’d liked to have won it again.
Related News
Battling Mamore Gap in the An Post Rás of 2012 in the colours of Dan Morrissey (Photo: Toby Watson)
“I made the break the first day and by the second day I was down by a second overall.
“The third day I nearly made it across to the break and if I did it would have been the defining moment of the race, more than likely. But that’s the way it works.
“My form was very good and you just need a small bit of luck but I can’t regret anything there.
“I was 5th overall so that wasn’t a very bad result.
“My next goal was the Rás and I did well enough. I was the best county rider on stage two and we won the team prize.
“And I had a few days in the blue jersey so as my two main goals they didn’t go too badly.
“When you set goals like that other races are sacrificed, sometimes it’s the right choice and sometimes you might regret making the choice but looking back I don’t have any regrets.
With team mate Tim Barry just after Barry won Kerry Group Rás Mumhan in 2010; Lacey would win it the following year. Barry is now his manager and is directing Aquablue’s operations from the team car (Photo: Pat Doherty)
“I had some results and in the races I wanted to do well in the form was there so I have to be happy.”
Lacey will be part of star-studded Aquablue CC team for the coming season and said he’s excited to see what they can do as a team.
Anthony Walsh, Sean McKenna, Greg Swinand and Colm Cassidy have all joined from UCD CC while Cathal Moynihan, formerly of Tralee BC-Manor West, and Dylan O’Brien, who moves from O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk CC, are other notable additions.
“I’m hungry enough now to be honest,” said Lacey.
“I enjoy racing and getting in the breaks, working up and over. Hopefully I’ll have a role to play and the team will be strong.
“If I can’t be in the shape to win; by all means I’ll be helping my teammates win.”
