So many photos to share and just picked another batch to relive some great memories of the past 11 years
Still a few on the scene in 2019 …CU Track Team Year?
Champ of Champions David Mc Cann who had an impressive CV build up as a pro rider, David was an olympian, commonwealth international rider and multiple Irish Champ on the road and TT (his speciality). Won about everything you can win in Ireland and made furore in Asia as a profound Stage Tour Winner in the East.
Easter 2010…3rd visit of the then called Decock-Sportivo team, they compete still at the highest level as an amateur team (UCI 1.12) and last year won over 100 kermesses and interclub’s in total! They now called https://www.facebook.com/wtdeckockvaneyckdevoscapoen
Peter Hawkins (one of my first graduate of the BP) and Conor Dunne ( Ex Irish Champ 2018)Peter now a teacher in Newcastle (GB) and runs a successful coaching business, Conor still racing as a pro for the Israel Cycling Academy
Lindsay Gamble (Fellow Ards CC member)…my first ever mechanic for our composite teams…still amazed he has all his fingers left..top mechanic for the national team in the past, and now for the Evo Pro team
Jake Gray at the Town Centre races in Newtownards in 2014…I was recovering from a heart procedure and just out of the hospital..my life changed a bit that year
Marc Potts first win in Belgium ( Ypres region) as a graduate of the Belgian Project…beating Frederik Toortelboom, a well-renowned Belgian top amateur from the Ostend region
Martin Grimley has defiantly a tiger in the tank…driving force behind the success story of off-road racing in Ulster and beyond
I will be always grateful to my early year’s sponsors such as Eamon Mc Convey, here seen at a Christmas CX in Lady Dixon’s park Belfast in 2014 I think. They believed in what I was trying to do.
This folk-rock band from Belgium came over in 2012 to support the Belgian Project fundraiser in Newtownards…The concert was in aid of the Children’s Heartbeat Trust which the project still support now. The concert was unique in N-Ireland as we managed to get an award-winning Flute Band ( Newtownards Melody), an Irish Dancing group (Realta) and a Belgian band (Blunt) on one podium playing the finale ” The fields of France”
International Tour of the North Composite team of the project in 2015…some class riders and principals made it a memorable Easter
The Man of the Ras… just admire any amateur who finish such top race and glad to say it will be back in 2020…here interviewing Niall O’ Hagan and Joe Henry from the County Antrim team Velo-Cafe Magasin
Here seen with Zak Hanna who raced for us in our Ras Donegal composite team’s, and was the captain of the team…Zak became after a very successful mountain cross country runner, representing Ireland at World and European level…Our gazebo was also the Red Cross HQ at a mountain bike championship near Banbridge (hence the curtains my wife made to secure privacy)
Here seen with the lioness of Ballymena Eileen Burns…a lovely person I would describe Eileen, who is a role model for any aspiring young girl who would love to take on the sport
One of the first bursary holders of the project…Shenna Mc Kiverigan from Banbridge who was a multiple Irish Champ, her sister Niamh now making furore in the off-road scene and current bursary holder. Shenna is now a volunteer firefighter and runs a sports massage company and travels with teams abroad as a masseuse
Our Ras Donegal team in 2015…this lads went above the call of duty to promote the project and what we stand for…an even chance to “Live the dream” Very proud of them that weekend in June at one of the top stage races in Ireland…would love to see that race coming back in the calendar as many of his winners progressed to bigger things
