Movistar rider Gabriel Cullaigh has vowed to get himself back into the top flight of the sport after he announced he will step down to the domestic Continental level with Saint Piran in 2022 having been unable to find a new WorldTour contract.
Cullaigh barely raced at Movistar, which he joined in 2020, and told CW in an open and expansive interview that he “felt very lost at points” in his two years there.
Now he’ll return to domestic racing with the hope of resurrecting his pro career. “I owe it to myself to give it another year. Working with Gary [Sadler, his coach], I can make it work. The main thing is focusing and enjoying my racing and competing. Hopefully the results will come, and with that I can continue this lifestyle and jump back up.” He said James Shaw’s move to EF Education-Nippo for 2022 after three years outside the WorldTour gave him hope.
He said the only WorldTour team that had shown interest in signing him was Qhubeka-NextHash but due to sponsorship concerns, the future of that entire squad remains uncertain so he decided to sign with Saint Piran.
“Because it’s a British team the priority is the British stuff like the National Series, Tour Series and Tour of Britain, but Lamps [Steve Lampier, manager] wants to take us abroad two or three times a month. I’ll have a good bit of racing and there will be opportunities,” said Cullaigh.
Tough years
“Last year was a write-off,” he told CW. “There was Covid and then I got shingles but I recovered from that. At the start of this year, the team had brought in Iván Cortina which I was excited about.
Esta historia es de la edición December 16, 2021 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 16, 2021 de CYCLING WEEKLY.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
Why do modern aero bikes look less aero?
Are today's aero bikes really faster, or is marketing just getting better? Joe Baker investigates...
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain