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Last Updated: 14 Oct 2020 - 12:47:15 PM |
The Ireland team spent the past couple of days making final preparations for today's start of the Tour of Ireland. Training, getting reacquainted, talking amongst themselves about their hopes, plans and aspirations for the race and spending some time with the media to speak about these goals and the return of major professional teams to these shores.
On Monday Nicolas Roche, Philip Deignan, Brian Kenneally, Dermot Nally, Martyn Irvine and Derek Burke had a photocall and press conference at the Lyrath Estate Hotel just outside the first start venue of Kilkenny. Paul Griffin was still in the process of travelling from Asia and many of the media were also still on their way to the race, but the other six riders plus team manager Cian Lynch were available to those reporters present for questions. Irishcycling.com was there to get words and some pictures.
Q: Philip, you have been getting over the injury you had earlier this year - how did the Tour of Germany go for you?
Philip Deignan: It was good. The first five days went pretty well, I was getting better and better each day, and then towards the end I was becoming a bit tired. That is normal for the first big race back after two months of injury. But I got around it okay so I hope it will be all right this week.
Q: Have you got enough confidence now to know that you can give it 100% here without reoccurrence of the injury?
PD: Yes, I think that the injury I had is now behind me, it is finished. You have to think positive about these things, you can't always be worrying, you need to look forward. I am pretty confident that all the injuries I have are all solved now.
Q: How did you get ready for Germany? I believe that Polynormande was your first race back
PD: Yes. After the Tour of Catalunya I had three weeks off the bike because I had a torn calf muscle and then I got four or five weeks training in before the Polynormande race and then the Tour of Germany last week.
Q: It is quite an intense block before doing your first Grand Tour [Tour of Spain], so how do you handle something like that?
PD: Well, you just have to hope that your body recovers well, just take it day by day. After the Tour of Ireland I have nearly a week so we will see. Obviously I don't want to turn up at the start of a three-week Tour tired, so I will see how it goes this week.
Q: Are there any particular stages that you would like to have a go on?
PD: Well, I think the first stage is going to be pretty crucial, going up St. Patrick's Hill. I think the first couple of stages are definitely the hillier ones so I'd like to go well on those ones.
Q: Brian, you have ridden the Ras Mumhan a few times and you know those roads well on stage two, I guess
Brian Kenneally: Yes, but I haven't done it in that direction. I don't think I have ever raced down into Killarney that way. I think the descent down will be very tricky, we usually come up from there. I have done the Healy Pass a few times in the R's over the years, it is pretty hard. I think that the second half of the stage will be very hard.
Q: So, with local knowledge, do you fancy your chances for King of the Mountains points?
BK: I don't know. For me it is just a case of seeing how I am feeling. I don't know how I will do at this level of racing, it is new for me. It is a new level so I don't know how I will get on. I will just have to wait and see. I feel okay, but it is just a new ground, really. It is a few years since I have raced at this level.
Q: Did you watch the Nissan where it was on before?
BK: Yes. I think I saw most of them the first couple of them were always in Carrick and went through Piltown. The time trials actually went through where I live. We always went to see it every year, and I never thought about getting an opportunity to race it. It is great, it is brilliant. We had heard a rumour for a few years that there was going to be a Tour of Ireland but it didn't come true. So it actually happening, and especially it coming down the side of the country, is great.
Q: You were going very well in the Ras. What did you do after that?
BK: I took a break with work commitments I had to take a break from racing for about five weeks, and then come back afterwards. But at this time of year in Ireland there are gaps between the races. I have been doing some track, though, so I got some intensity in the last few weeks I hope it will do me good here.
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| Derek Burke (r) and Philip Deignan |
Q: Derek, how far as the race going from your home?
Derek Burke: About 30 minutes. It is good to be going quite close to where I am from.
Q: Are there going to be a lot of fans, people coming out to watch you?
BD: I think there will be a few all right but I don't think it will be as big as it was during the Ras. But it should be good, my family will be there at the weekend, my mum and dad are going.
Q: And it is the toughest stage, Galway to Galway
DB: Yes, 232 km, so it is a very long stage and very hilly as well and narrow roads.
Q: Do you know the Tourmakeady climb well?
DB: Yes, I know the route pretty well because I did some of it yesterday with David O'Loughlin. It was a good spin, he hammered me up the hills. But it was good we did four and a half hours, we just got used to part of the route that we weren't too familiar with.
Q: How did you prepare for something like this?
DB: Well, I was up in Belgium for about two weeks I did some kermesses out there and I did the Tour of Brabant as well. I rode hard out there and then I came back and rode the Suir three day, I trained and then I rode the Ballinrobe two day. I have been taking it easy for the past week.
Q: Dermot, your family is originally from Cork but you haven't been there too much?
DN: No, I haven't been there at all. The last time I was there I won that stage of the Ras.
Q: So you haven't seen St. Patrick's Hill - you don't know what to expect?
DN: No, I have no idea.
My form is not too bad. I have been doing specific training for the track. It is quite intense, I probably lack a bit of endurance, but it should be okay.
Q: How has this year been? You're back racing after a bit of a break
DN: Yes, I am focusing on the track. It is good to have that to train towards I'm busy enough with my work, so the time off I get is used for that. I think I've got some good form thanks to that.
Q: Nicolas, who do you see the main competition as being?
Nicolas Roche: I think it is one of those races where there is competition everywhere and from everybody. It is very hard to predict because there are short stages, long stages, hard but not too hard. Most of the stages could finish in the sprint. The race could be over after 10 kilometres - a group of 15 or 20 riders could get clear and take 20 to 25 minutes. Especially if it is a nice day.
That happens a lot in August, the typical racing is that you fight for 10 minutes and then a group goes, all the teams are represented and that is it you just to train until the end [if you miss it].
On the other days there will be a lot more aggressive riding.
If it is hard I think that the Schleck brothers should do well, they are definitely amongst of the strongest in the bunch. But then it could be a strong sprinter who does the damage - for example, say if Cooke gets up the road and can get over the climbs, then he can possibly take bonus seconds in the sprints as well. Maybe the winner will be a strong sprinter, or an overall general classification rider.
Q: With teams of seven riders, do you think that will give somebody like Cooke less of an advantage?
NR: I think that seven is alright. Six is too small, eight is normal, but I don't think seven makes that much difference. It is just one less.
Q: What would you be happy to achieve from the race?
NR: Well, I came here to win like everybody else who has a number on his back. But I will take each day as it comes.
Q: Is it the overall classification, or stages which are the target?
NR: Well, the overall could depend on what happens on the first day. But I will try to be there as well. If I can try to take the overall, well then of course, yes I am going to aim for that. I think there is a good team there to defend, to ride, which is also important. If we miss the move, or if we have somebody else in the move, but then I will be happy to help or to go for stages.
Q: You mentioned earlier in the year that it was nice to be able to come back and race in Ireland in something like this
NR: Yes, as I was saying earlier, I had heard stories about the Tour of Ireland. You always think that it is a myth, that I won't see it in my time, that maybe it won't come back until my son's time. But since April I was almost certain that I was coming. I was really excited about that. The first thing that I did was that I went to the team and said that, hey, you have to let me go, this is very important for me. they said that I should concentrate on the Giro and if the Giro goes all right, then there will be no problem to do the Tour of Ireland. So I was very excited about that.
Q: Do you feel the benefit of having done the Giro? Do you feel a difference in your legs, has it helped your form?
NR: People say that the Giro changes a man, but you don't just wake up one morning and say, yes, I am a changed man, I feel stronger because of the Giro. Since then I have had some rest days and a lot of hard training, so if I feel better is it just because of the Giro, is it just because I did some hard training, or is it none of those two factors? It is hard to say. But hopefully next year if I do the Giro a second time, if I feel more comfortable in the race then I will know that doing the Giro the year before did help.
Q: Are you happy with your form and the way it has been building since your break?
NR: Yes. I didn't know what to expect when I came back to racing in the Polynormande that is very short and hard racing because it is just up and down all day. The French Cups are very particular because there is just attacking, attacking, attacking - that just wears you down, so I didn't know what to expect. I knew that I had good form training but I had to see what it was like racing. Then I realised I was all right and then I confirmed that in the Tour de l'Ain. So hopefully the form is still there for this race.
Q: Martyn [Irvine], you have done some very good rides this year in races such as Liege Bastogne Liege and the Tour of Picardie. They are pretty tough races. How do you think they are going to compare to this?
MI: Well, I would say that this is going to be more of a challenge. I hope to have some more of that kind of form but it was a long time ago. So I hope there is some form in there, somewhere, that is the main thing.
Q: Have you done any specific training for this?
MI: Well, it's the same as Derek I have been in Belgium, at the Tour of Brabant, doing kermesse riding and some Top Competitions trying to race on them and doing pretty well. Then much of the last month has been doing track so hopefully it will all balance out well. Fingers crossed.
Q: Nicolas and Philip racing with of these riders quite often, but what is it like for you to race alongside the big names?
MI: It is brilliant and I am glad to be here. I will try to help the lads as best as I can. My main goal is to get around the thing.
Q: You are racing with the Ards club - is there any sign of somebody offering you something?
MI: No, not yet. Fingers crossed.
Q: This could be a good shop window for you
MI: It could be, or it could be a disaster! [laughs] We will see how it goes.
Q: Cian, what are your expectations for the race?
Cian Lynch: Well, I think that Nicolas and Philip can certainly be aiming for a stage and a good overall placing. There is a great mix here, a great balance between ProTour experience and also the number of lads that we have on the track programme, between Martin, Brian and Dermot.
And also in terms of under 23s, there is great balance between Derek and Martyn and we will be drawing upon their experience and their strength to be aiming for an overall high placing with Nicolas and Philip.
Q: Is as personally fulfilling to be involved in the race of this size as a manager?
CL: It is. It is something that I have been working towards with Frank Campbell, the High Performance manager. He has been in this position before, and I have to say that it is a great honour to be here, this being the Tour of Ireland. When we were talking about Patrick's Hill and that, I did check out those videos, but I couldn't figure out what gear they were using on them!
It is a great honour. I think there will be great support for this Irish team out on the road and at the stage starts and stage finishes. We will use this week to work with the Irish team out on the road, gain a bit more experience, because this race is here next year and the year after. So it is something that we are going to have to be prepared for in the future.
Q: Do you think it is something which can help the growth of the sport?
CL: Definitely, definitely. Even the timing of the race is in the end of August, it is before people go back to school so you're going to have an awful lot of support out on the road, and like I say, at the finishes.
When you think about it, the likes of Stephen and Sean Kelly, Laurence and the Kimmages they raced as pros but they didn't get to race on an Irish national team as such, they raced on their respective professional teams. So doing this for the Irish team will be a great experience for the guys here.
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