Former Barloworld and RadioShack rider fighting back after Pegasus disappointment
For many, Daryl Impey might be best remembered as the man who was cruising to overall victory in the last stage of the 2009 Presidential Tour of Turkey when Theo Bos decided that the South African Barloworld rider might like a closer look at the barriers lining the finish straight.
No champagne or kisses, just a long, uncomfortable trip in an ambulance to hospital. He won the overall, but ended the day flat on his back with severe injuries.
But in the autumn of that year it looked like Lady Luck had finally decided to embrace the man from Johannesburg. The phone rang, and it was Johan Bruyneel on the other end; ‘we’re interested in you!’ A year down the line and things seemed to be continuing up the curve – a contract was signed with the new Pegasus team in the autumn of 2010 and the training camp was going well with the likes of Robbie’s Hunter and McEwen in attendance. Yet the bottom fell out of that carrier bag when Pegasus’s financial backers did just that and backed out – allegedly as a result of the ‘Contador clenbuterol affair.’
But in the land of the Afrikaners, giving up isn’t an option and Impey is back for 2011. It may not be at ProTeam level, but his new squad has a good programme mapped out and big ambitions for the future.
The 26 year-old took time to speak to VeloNation shortly after he won the South African time trial and rode the road race championships. Next up for him is the inaugural Tour of South Africa.
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VeloNation: You’ve signed with MTN Qhubeka – is that the same ‘MTN’ as you rode for in 2007, prior to your two years at Barloworld?
Daryl Impey: Yes, MTN is the mobile communications company that I rode for in 2007. Qhubeka is a non profit making organisation which provides bicycles for disadvantaged kids in remote communities. So you’re not just riding for the sponsors, you’re riding to help kids, too. The management is ambitious with plans to go for Pro Continental status in 2012.
VN: How did you get the contract?
DI: I always kept in touch with them and they’ve always supported me…throughout my Pro Continental and ProTour career we’ve maintained good relations. They were very patient as well, we began to talk when things started to go wrong at Pegasus but there was a chance that other sponsors would come forward or a Pro Continental licence would be granted. Time passed by, but eventually you have to make a decision.
VN: You’ve rewarded that patience right away by taking victory in the time trial at the South African championships. How do you feel about that?
DI: Well, the TT was really important for me to win as I wanted to show that I deserve to be in Europe and that my past three seasons abroad have put me on a different level. It was also great to give my new team a national jersey and just a small way to thank them for helping me out after a tough time at Pegasus.
VN: You also rode the road race, finishing up eighth. How was that day for you?
DI: Obviously the road race was major goal and it was disappointing from my end that I didn't end up going in the final split. I had hoped the move would come back, but in the end some guys clearly rode for top five rather than for first. I had the legs to win but with a team mate up the road, it made it difficult to chase it down. Christoff [Van Heerden] rode a great race and we were beaten by [Darren] Lill who rode a strong race too. I am happy with my condition leading up to the Tour of South Africa, which is important.
Since those races, I was second in a local classic here in South Africa and this weekend I will ride another short race called Ride for Sight. Next Saturday the Tour of South Africa starts, followed by the Argus and Tour of Morocco.
VN: The Tour of South Africa sounds interesting…
DI: It’s a new event but has its roots back in the Rapport Tours of South Africa which my dad rode; they ran from 1973 to 2000.
There are other local races we have to ride – it’s a South African sponsor, after all. There are some good races in Africa which we’ll be riding, like the Tour of Morocco. We won’t be ignoring Europe, either…we have two six week blocks planned for May and September. That’ll be a big learning curve for the team and I’m looking forward to carrying the role of team leader and mentor.
It’ll be nice to get the chance to ride for myself, again – in a team like The Shack you do the work for other riders.
VN: Is all the equipment in place?
DI: Yes; we’re on Eddy Merckx bikes, groupsets are SRAM, clothing is by Decca and we have sports nutrition in place. It’s a good group of sponsors.
VN: Many will remember that awful crash – are you fully recovered?
DI: It was a big setback to my career but I’m 100% over it now – no problem. My back is fine; I sometimes get a little numbness in my jaw, but that’s all.
VN: Did RadioShack offer you a contract renewal at the end of the 2010 season?
DI: I was on a one year contract and as the end of the season approached I didn’t hear much from them – and then I got the offer from Pegasus. Looking back it maybe wasn’t the best choice. There’s a pecking order for Pegasus riders to get snapped up by other teams…guys like Robbie’s Hunter and McEwen will get a ride with any squad but as you go down the team, it gets tougher. But that’s behind me now and I’m 100% focussed on MTN Qhubeka.
VN: Were you happy with your year at RadioShack?
DI: It was a bit of a disappointing season for me but I didn’t have the heaviest of race programmes with us not getting invites to some races, and the fact that the riders building up for big Tours had priority.
I’m a rider who needs a lot of racing but the races I did ride I don’t think anyone could say I didn’t do my job for the team. But the thing is that when you’re constantly killing yourself for other guys, you start to lose confidence in yourself. At the same time, I made some good friends and gained a lot of experience.
VN: Do you know what really happened at Pegasus?
DI: I don’t know all of the ins and outs but we heard at training camp that the financial backer had bailed out. There was still a chance we could go Pro Continental with other sponsors, but then riders started to look around for other teams and the sponsors were put off by that and it all snowballed.
The deadlines kept creeping out and they missed the Continental deadline, too.
VN: When we spoke to Bobby Traksel a couple of weeks ago he reckoned that there were still 17 riders without a team.
DI: The deadlines keeping on stretching was very hard on the head and there are still a lot of stressed guys with no contract out there. But you have to acknowledge that Chris White tried very hard to keep it together. He could have thrown the towel in but he kept persevering.
VN: It must be very hard to maintain focus on training in that environment?
DI: Yeah but you just have to keep riding; guys have said to me that it’s a big come down from ProTour to Continental, but I decided that I had to move on. I’m hoping that at this level I’ll get back to some wins and regain my confidence.
VN: African racing certainly seems to be coming on…
DI: There are some good quality races like the Tours of Morocco and Rwanda, and you only have to look at the results the Eritrean and Rwandan riders are getting to see that the standard is good. And at the Amissa Bongo, FDJ, Europcar and QuickStep are riding…that can’t be bad.
VN: Is the Pro world like you imagined as an amateur?
DI: In Europe there are a lot of good riders chasing a team place and it’s a dog eat dog, results driven world.
There aren’t a lot of feelings for you after a crash, it’s about money and expectations – and you rapidly see folks’ true colours.
VN: But you still have ambitions in the sport?
DI: My biggest ambition is to ride the Tour; I was so close to a ride with Barloworld then I had that crash, in Turkey. I’m happy with my new team, but I really want to get results when I’m in Europe…you’re not going to get exposure in Africa.
Folks know what happened, that I signed with Pegasus then the team collapsed…and I had interest from other teams too, so it’s not like I’m forgotten. So my ultimate goal is to get back to a European Grand Tour team.