The video below offers some great insights into the approach taken to training by one of the country's very strongest squad's Team Aquablue. The piece perhaps best captures their mental approach to preparing for a season on Irish roads.
Having enjoyed a massive 22 wins last year in their maiden season as a leading race team on the domestic scene, Cork-based Aquablue have begun the new campaign much in the same way.
One of their star turns, Damien Shaw took the season-opening Lacey Cup in Tralee and has since won the Cycleways Cup on Navan; with both wins coming by way of riding every one off his wheel.
Another hugely strong rider, who wears the blue kit of the squad for the first time this year, Bryan McCrystal has looked similarly powerful.
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He went of scratch in the Traders Cup in Dundalk in the first weeks of the new campaign and dropped everyone he was with, powering on alone towards victory each time he caught those up ahead.
He was even more impressive last Sunday in winning the Des Hanlon Memorial in Carlow, a race that every rider in the country would give their right arm to win.
McCrystal went clear in the early break and again dropped everyone as he powered to another fantastic solo victory.
But it's not just all about McCrystal and Shaw.
Their team mate Robin Kelly took victory on the first Leinster race of the year in the shape of the Ned Flanagan Memorial in Kildare.
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And riders like Sean Lacey and especially first year U23 Dylan Foley have looked menacing when animating some of the hardest fixtures so far this year on their way to podium finishes.
Olan Barrett is another loitering with intent and whose name has been constantly in the results in recent weeks, with a really big win surely just around the corner.
Aquablue is by no means the only top squad in the country, with plenty of really strong men North and south having done serious damage already this year.
But they are a really tight and powerful unit who seem to be able to pull off fantastic rides regularly under the leadership of Tim Barry.
Have a look at this clip of their training camp and listen to Barry's voiceover for insight into how a professional approach has been injected into a domestic team to achieve the results they have.
The film has been produced by Jill & Adrian from Black Umbrella Productions.
We think the combination of insightful content, great shots and slick production values makes it one of the best videos they've created in the last couple of seasons.
