Rás Tailteann winner Daire Feeley has spoken of the future following his victory in the race on Sunday, saying that he isn’t convinced the best path for him is to try to become a professional rider.
The Roscommon rider became the first Irish winner of the race in 14 years and also became the first Irish county team rider to triumph since 1996. Despite that success and despite his silver medal behind WorldTour professional Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hansgrohe) in last year’s national road race championships, the 25-year-old remains unsure that chasing a pro contract would work out for him.
“Two weeks ago I competed with Ireland at the Flèche du Sud race in Luxembourg,” he told The Irish Times. “I would like to represent Ireland a few more times, but as a professional cyclist I don’t know where I’d stand.
“I need that team-like environment that I have around me at this moment in time [with the All Human/Velo Revolution team]. And that is what led to my success in the national championships last year, having that group of people around me.
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“But look, if the opportunity did arise . . . well, it is difficult to see it happening. I am very happy with what I have done so far. And if it stays that way, I will still be happy.”
Feeley raced abroad with the Irish EvoPro Racing team in the past and rejoined them earlier this season. He competed in several pro events this year, netting 24th in the Grand Prix Criquielion and withdrawing from others including Scheldeprijs. He left the team several days after the latter event, returning to the All Human/Velo Revolution squad.
More recently, he was 15th on the opening stage of the Flèche du Sud and finished 28th overall.
He spoke last year about his uncertainty relating to seeking a possible pro deal.
After taking the silver medal behind Mullen last year, he said that he’d tried to race abroad previously, had made mistakes such as trying to lose weight and had suffered power and performance losses as a result, and that he suspected remaining amateur was the best option for him.
“To be honest with you, I know where my level is at,” he said then. “If I were to go abroad, I’d want to be on a team like Ryan [Mullen] and Eddie [Dunbar], and I just don’t have that capacity to do it.
“I gave it a go, made a few mistakes in the past. I’ve corrected them, which got me the results the past two years. But I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m on a great team. We all get along and we have a bit of fun. That’s what it’s about for me, at the end of the day.”
His latest comment on the subject following his Rás Tailteann win doesn’t suggest a major changing of his mind.
Feeley will now turn his attention to this year’s national road race championships in Kanturk next weekend.
“As I said earlier, if I won the Rás that would be completing cycling for me,” he told The Irish Times. “But we will have to let this one set in first of all, and hopefully turn our attention to the national championships next Sunday.”
Becoming national champion has long been a goal for him, but he isn’t feeling any pressure following his Rás success.
“Regardless of how that goes, my season is a huge success.”
