Dunne: I’ve had carpet ripped from under my feet
Irish road racing champion Conor Dunne has spoken of his frustration after his team Aqua Blue Sport came to a sudden halt on Monday, when riders found they were out of work.
Aqua Blue was Ireland’s first and only professional team, headed by Cork-born entrepreneur Rick Delaney, with former professional Martin Irvine working as director sportif.
Aqua Blue became the first Irish team to compete in the Vuelta a Espana last year but failure to negotiate merger with another pro outfit means the team will now fold. All of the riders — including Dunne’s countryman Eddie Dunbar — must now find a new team in a market where spaces are limited.
For Dunne, it’s been a difficult week, as he told the Irish Examiner yesterday: “It’s just been a rubbish few days really, to have that carpet ripped from under my feet. I was looking forward to the next few years having that contract with the team but suddenly I’ve got nothing at all and I’m left to scrounge at the last minute to try and stay in the sport.
“It’s super tough. I’m just trying to stay positive really and hopefully get a new opportunity out of this. You’ve got to think positively otherwise you can get too depressed about it, the reality is if I don’t get anything then it will be the end of my career, to be honest.”
It’s not a situation that any professional athlete wants to be in. Job security is never guaranteed but when a contract has been signed, you expect your job to be there in the morning.
Dunne, one of the tallest cyclists on the pro tour, has had a strong year in terms of results and performances, winning the national title in Sligo. His completion of the Vuelta last year also showcased his dogged attitude.
“In terms of getting a new contract, I’d say my chances are 50/50. It’s hard to tell really, because I’ve only been trying for a day. It feels like it’s been two weeks even though 48 hours hasn’t even passed yet. I need to keep believing in myself though. I’m still the national champion, I have the national champion’s jersey so that counts for a lot.
“Hopefully that will shine a light on what I’ve done in my career so far. It should stand me in good stead if people see the value in it. I do believe that I am a valuable rider for any team. I get a lot of exposure for the team by riding in the breaks a lot so the Irish jersey is even more prominent. I think I’m a good signing for a team, it’s just that we have to see if there’s space anywhere. Teams only have a certain number of riders and a lot of the bigger teams have already finished those rosters. It’s going to be a case of knocking on doors and hoping that one opens, really.
“The other guys are similar to me really. There’s only a handful of us that had signed contracts for the coming year and to be honest it’s almost harder for us because we had a contract so we weren’t looking for teams already. At least the guys that hadn’t signed have had their eyes and ears to the ground to see if they had any other options. They’ve been trying all year but I’ve done nothing in the last two months in terms of looking for teams because I thought I had one. It’s like getting picked up on a bus and then getting chucked out down the road while being told to go find another one. It’s hard.
“In cycling you hear a lot of stories like this and you just hope that you can survive it really. You can just train your hardest and if it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out, maybe it’s time for a new avenue in life.
“I’ve shown I can get through a grand tour. I think my form over the past couple of years has shown that I belong in the pro peloton, it’s just that pro cycling is a competitive, dog-eat-dog world.”
Despite his career reaching this precarious point, there is no bitterness.
“I’m really grateful to the team and to Rick for providing the opportunities that I’ve had over the last two years. It’s been a great adventure that we’ve all shared together. Rick tried his best with the team and he created something pretty special for a while. It failed in the end but he really gave it a good go, it wasn’t through lack of trying that it failed.
“Mistakes were made along the way, yeah, and maybe some people didn’t share the vision of the team and buy into it like others did. I think everyone in general really gave it their best, the staff and the riders. It’s just a shame it had to end. I’d also just like to say thank you to everybody for their support. We’ve all gotten a lot of nice messages over these past few days so that means a lot.”
