*If you get up the road, don’t take John Buller with you* as you will race for the second spot most of the time!! I heard someone say last year…and in most cases, it was like that. I know John since his mountain bike days, he caught my eye again when he switched his talent to the road and in 2018 he became a graduate of the Belgian Project and was sent to Belgium for a few weeks to get some experience in the kermesse world. He did well and landed some decent results. His guest father Hein Derynck got him in the local Molenspurters Team in Tielt, and John became a popular guest rider, even had a supporters club from the care home Hein was employed as a caretaker. The inpatients regularly came to watch John, I witnessed such joy when John passed his fans each lap, they went buck daft, and for them, John was their champion! When he came back to Ireland after that summer his racing became even better, raced in 2019 with the Bioracer U23 team and when the team stopped in 2020, he joined his beloved Banbridge CC again. A few wins in 2020 followed but badly interrupted due to the pandemic as for many other riders. The french team Bisontine who has a good relationship with Irish talented riders noticed his hunger for more and offered him a place in the team, a big step up for John, which he proudly accepted…He will follow in the footsteps of his club mates Mark Downey and Matthew Teggart who both done well in France over the years. We wish John a successful time in the land of cheese and wine, it can not always be frites and mayo..lol.. We are so proud of him!
John told social media: Delighted to finally announce my 2021 plans, been on the radar for a couple of months now. This year I will be taking my racing abroad racing with Amicale Cycliste Bisontine a French DN1 team. Excited for what this year brings after a covid fulfilled year last year. Fingers crossed for racing and normality in 2021. Big shoutout to Galibier for the support this winter with quality kit making the winter miles more pleasant! And to Banbridge Cycling Club for the ongoing support and help as always! Let’s see what France has to offer
