Aquablue Sport are an Irish Pro-Continental cycling team. The brainchild of Cork man Rick Delaney, they are competing in the second tier of world cycling. In football terms, they would be second division, with big ideas to be first division in a year or two. They were the first ever Irish team to go to the start line of this year’s Vuelta Espana, competing against some of the greatest teams in the world. They actually managed a stage win, on Stage 17, when Stefan Denifl was first home, an absolutely historic achievement. One of their top riders, American Larry Warbasse is National Champion for 2017 and they won the Tour of Austria 2017, again through Stefan Denifl. Not a bad start for a brand new team. Internationally, they have Irish riders, Matt Brammeier, Martyn Irvine and Conor Dunne in their ranks. Through their Academy programme, they are giving a huge boost to young Irish talent, supporting them on the domestic scene. Their management team are predominantly Irish and they have a base in Cork, as well as in Monaco, France. They wear the Irish tricolour on their kit, along with a shamrock on their bikes.
So, not quite the Sunday morning set up, eh. This lot are the pros, the elite, out there on the world stage, a million miles from the rest of us.
Earlier this year, I entered an online competition. It’s one of those competitions where you answer a few questions, enter your email address, your phone number, press “Enter Now” and forget about it. I mean, nobody wins these things; it’s just a marketing gimmick. Now, I’m always entering these things, never expecting to win. In all honesty, I wouldn’t win an argument and I mean that.
I’m working on a course in E-Commerce and Business at the moment. It’s quite possibly one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. It can be pretty complicated at times, especially at my age, but overall, it’s thoroughly enjoyable and fun. It has given me an opportunity to turn some of my ideas into possible business ventures and who knows what the future will hold.
On Thursday morning 01 June 2017, my phone was ringing on the desk. Obviously, it was on silent, but the part that really got my attention was that the incoming call was from France. As I wasn’t aware of anybody I knew being in France, I decided that it was one of those scamming calls, where your account is hacked if you answer it. I didn’t answer it and after a few minutes, it rang again. I blocked the number at this stage, wishing they would buzz off and bother somebody else. After a while, we headed down to the canteen for coffee and I noticed I had a voicemail. What do I do here, check it, ignore it, take a chance, delete it? Will my bill next month be a million euro if I do? Eventually, I took a chance and pressed the voicemail button.
The message was from Aquablue Sport, asking me to phone them immediately. I phoned home, asking my wife what she thought. I told her that I remembered entering a competition, but I mean nobody wins those things, as they are all fake and they were hardly interested in signing me up for the upcoming races across Europe. “Call them back you feckin’ eejit” was the nugget of advice from the other half, so I did.
The next few minutes are a blur, as Jamie, their marketing director assured me that I had won the competition and the prize was a Ridley Noah SL, Team Edition bike. If it was a car, it would be an Aston Martin or Ferrari equivalent. You can’t walk into a shop and buy this bike, it’s one of a kind, no other amateur on the planet has one and now, they’re telling me that I’ve won it. Jamie said that they would make an announcement later on that day. As the day progressed, there was nothing and doubt began to settle in. It was a wind up, one of my friends with nothing better to do and I fell for it. I was annoyed with myself for getting so excited, screaming down the phone line like a child on Christmas morning. However, at 5pm, Aquablue made the big announcement on their website. I was the winner, the bike was mine.
On the terms and conditions page, it was stated that it would take up to 12 weeks before the prize would be delivered. You see, the European Cycling season doesn’t come to a halt for anybody, let alone me. Aquablue were busy, very busy, moving their team from country to country. Every night I watched the day’s highlights on Eurosport, waiting to see the Aquablue kit and most especially the bikes. I watched the GCN video, where Dan gave a presentation of the team bike and even Aquablue’s own video, with Larry Warbasse doing similar. The Ridley website has lots of bikes, but none like the one I have just won.
One evening, I took a chance and sent them a message, asking if there was any possibility that a lorry might be passing our house that they could put the bike on it. I know, like a big child waiting for Santa Claus, it was cheeky and I actually expected them to tell me to sod off, “we’re busy”. However, I got a message back that they were working on it.
Wednesday July 19th 2017. Its’ just another day in school, we’re working on internet publishing and web design. After lunch, there is a guy with a camera present. We are assured that he is recording a promo for the course, to attract more candidates for next year. As I have a huge interest in media, social media in particular, I’m totally engrossed in what’s happening. I hear a door opening behind me, but pay absolutely no heed to it, as web hosting, domains and SSL Certificates are more important.
There’s a little bit of commotion, I turn around and I can’t believe it. It’s one of the legends in Irish Cycling, Martyn Irvine, standing behind me with the bike. Aquablue have been working behind the scenes, to make my winning the competition even better. All my classmates, my family and the training personnel are in on it. I’m speechless, totally overwhelmed and excited.
For the next half hour or so, I feel like a celebrity. They take literally hundreds of photographs and video. I get to have a great chat with Martyn about training, diet, rest, bikes, crashes and god only knows what else. They say that sometimes you shouldn’t meet your heroes, as you may be disappointed. Well obviously Martyn Irvine didn’t read that book, because I have never met a nicer, friendly all round good guy in my life.
The jewel in the crown of course is the bike. It’s from Belgian Manufacturer Ridley. It has a Shimano Di2 electronic gear system. What that means is that there are no gear cables, it’s all wireless. You press a switch and it transmits a signal to the relevant gear component. The wheels are by Knight Composites, fully carbon and extremely fast. The saddle is by Fizik, with carbon fibre rails. The pedals are by Look; once again, you’ve guessed it, carbon fibre. Everything about the bike spells quality. Its distinctive colour and finishing kit, the way it looks, is just something else. As a fan of the sport, it’s a pure dream. To pass through town, most people don’t even give it a second look. Pass another bike rider and you know what they’re saying, “look at your man, the lucky sod”.
I wonder how many people here enter online competitions. You know the like and share things, for an opportunity to win an exciting prize. They are always just a marketing ploy, right. I mean, nobody ever wins those competitions, right.
So, what would be the chances of Aquablue Sport ever coming to Cahir, Co. Tipperary. Imagine Aquablue taking one of their elite riders to Cahir, have their lunch in the local hotel, present a no hoper like me with one of their top level professional bikes and make a video of it to show all over the world. That would or could never happen, sure it couldn’t.
Well guess what. It could happen and it actually did.
The Unknown Bike Rider 