Three and a half months after he finished a surprising and superb second to Ryan Mullen in the national road-race championships, Daire Feeley has confirmed that he will compete this year with the UCI-registered EvoPro Racing team.
The Roscommon rider was previously with the Irish team in 2019, racing an international programme, but then decided to concentrate on domestic competition. Speaking after the Irish road-race championships in October, Mullen said that he didn’t harbour intentions of racing again on the international circuit, but he has clearly changed his mind.
“I am delighted to be able to make a return to the highest level of racing with what is a team of friends,” he said in a team statement on Friday. “During my time away from the team in the past two years I have seen a major turning point in my performance, both mentally and physically.”
He indicated that part of the reason for his change of heart is to be given scope to also concentrate on other areas of life rather than being required to follow a rigid approach.
“EvoPro are providing me with an opportunity that will allow me to excel both on and off the bike. The team will have a high-performance focus while allowing riders to pursue other areas of interest in life, both of which are vital for the development of a rider. Cycling can be a selective sport by nature and having the opportunity to pursue other interests while racing at the highest level will only contribute to high performance, both on and off the bike.”
EvoPro Racing is the only Irish UCI-registered men’s road-racing team.
It is owned by former Cycling Ireland president PJ Nolan and former professional and past road-race champion Morgan Fox. It made its debut as a UCI Continental level team in 2019 and has continued to compete since then. Previously featuring riders from a range of different countries, it has switched to a very Irish-centric roster for this season. A total of 10 riders out of the team’s 14-strong lineup are from Ireland.
“I’m thrilled to have Daire back on board,” Fox said. “He has developed immensely in the last few years and is a very clued-in young man. He was knocking on the door of a big pro result towards the latter half of 2019 so it will be great to see him blow that door off its hinges in 2022.
“I have appointed him my road captain and feel that we have a great understanding of each other, and of how this team works and ultimately delivers. We have really good communication and he is the type of guy who only needs to be told once and the job is done.”
Fox said that he will be one of the leaders of the team and also an important team-mate for the others on the squad. International races aside, he said that there is a key target for the riders on home soil this season. “Alongside Conn McDunphy we have riders who took two out of the three podium places at the 2021 national road-race championships, and will be aiming for that missing gold medal this year.”
