Second in the An Post Rás when the race finished on Sunday, Connor McConvey is continuing the push to advance his career and to clock up some big results this season. The 24 year old Irishman finished on precisely the same time as Rás winner Marcin Bialoblocki (UK Youth) and has a number of upcoming events where he will seek to land his first win of the year.
“It is funny, I don’t feel any more confident or any less confident. I just still feel the same person,” he said after his Rás runner-up slot. “At the end of the day, it is not the world championships or anything. I think the biggest thing for my confidence has just been the consistency all year. I hit the ground running in Langkawi and it has been the same in every race – I have had some sort of result.
“I was second in Thailand, second in Azerbaijan mountains, second here… The ball has been running consistently. I still need to win a race and stop coming second, but I have been there or thereabouts in the sharp end a lot of times. That just gives you a bit of self belief. But I still feel like the same rider as I have ever been.”
McConvey was speaking to VeloNation in a video interview carried out after the finish of the An Post Rás and said that he had a busy schedule ahead. He will seek to capitalise on his good form and morale in those races, knowing that big results there will make it easier for him to advance for the 2014 season.
“I have a 2.1 in Estonia on Wednesday [actually Thursday – ed.], then a 2.1 in Latvia, a 1.1 in Latvia, the Tour of Austria and the [Irish] nationals.
“The nationals is a big target. In a way it is always difficult and this year there is a lot of people who are just one man teams, as always. You basically have An Post [the An Post Chainreaction Sean Kelly team – ed.] versus all the other pros. I will do everything to be in good shape for it but it is always a bit of a lottery…it is still very important.”
McConvey appears to have moved to a new level this season, with his transfer from the An Post Sean Kelly setup to the Synergy Baku team working well for him. He’s been riding different types of races and being guided more closely, and feels like things have worked out well.
“I kind of needed a change of programme and eventually got that this year. For whatever reason, I don’t know, in terms of results and stuff things have clicked,” he said.
“I have been pretty much doing the same thing, but maybe it is the racing programme. I have also started working with David McCann this winter. Maybe it is that, I am not sure, maybe it is just the team. I don’t know, but things have been changed a lot.”
In the video above McConvey talks about these topics, as well as his An Post Rás ride and his plans for the future.