Over the course of the next weeks and months we are going to feature and have a chat with each of our brand ambassadors, giving you a bit more insight into what makes them tick, how they came on board with us and what the plans for the upcoming season are.
First up is fellow Irishman, Cormac Daly who came on board in January last year after a conversation about the potential purchase of our wheels. Needless to say, everything clicked into place and Cormac is now our only Stateside ambassador.
You'll find Cormac racing for Good Guys NYC, once of the most exciting teams in the US, regularly bumping shoulders with the "big boys" of crit racing and US stage racing, even though he has a full time job. No mean feat!
Hopefully when he is back on home soil this year, we'll get Cormac in to HQ for a sit down and a ride out.
In the meantime, we had a chat with the man himself about work, racing and everything in between.
IN FEW WORDS, TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW YOU, CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
I'm from Kenmare, Co Kerry and have been racing my bike since 2014 as a junior and haven't looked back since finding a big passion and love for the sport. I have a degree in commerce and Hospitality management which gave me the opportunity to move to the US.
YOU'RE NOW BASED IN NYC? WHAT TOOK YOU FROM IRELAND TO THE BIG APPLE?
My career path in hospitality and business took me to New York City in 2017 where I'm currently working as a Revenue and Rooms manager in the largest luxury hotel in the city called the Lotte New York Palace. With 909 rooms it's a huge operation and definitely requires a fair bit of commitment to juggle my cycling life around the hard working NYC environment.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH GOOD GUYS AND HOW DO YOU FIND THE CYCLING CULTURE IN THE US? WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST?
I met the team after a local race in 2019 and haven't looked back since. There's a great atmosphere within the team where everyone fully supports each other and motivates one another to give their best. Overall there's great camaraderie within the team and we make a big effort to train together and make the most of our time available. We will usually meet up every morning in Central Park at 6am and train for 2-3 hours before work. The team is very diverse with riders from all corners of the world which makes it unique and it has proven to be an invaluable learning experience for me. Cycling culture in the US in general is different to back home with a heavier focus here being put on criterium racing. These styles of events attract bigger crowds and make it more interesting for spectators that don't really follow the sport. This style of racing has proven to be better supported and backed by sponsors and looks to be the way forward for American bike racing.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RIDE?
My favorite ride in the US is in California around the Santa Monica mountains. It really reminds me of the riding in Spain and it surprised me how good the riding is there with an ideal climate in the winter and some proper climbs. My favourite ride at home has to be along the Beara Peninsula and over the healy pass. I'm yet to find riding that trumps the beauty we have on our doorstep in Ireland.
WHAT ARE YOU RIDING AT THE MOMENT? (WHEELS/BIKES)
I'm currently riding a Specialized Allez Sprint with Aero Wide 50s for criterium racing and a Specialized tarmac with Aero Wide+ 50-Ds for Road racing.
HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR WHEELS?
I can't get over how good the performance is on both sets of wheels, They're light enough for climbs but deep enough to go fast in crits and flats. They are also super comfortable and prove to have great durability for racing as well. With the wider rim it allows me to have a wider tire and the cornering on these wheels has been second to none. Having put them to the test on many fast crits as well as some serious descents they have given me more confidence in the corners which has been a huge benefit to my performance.
WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON?
This year I plan to compete again locally in New York as well as attending some of the bigger criterium races across the US. We are also planning to participate in some stage races as well and hopefully we will make it to Ireland for some racing as well.
Thanks for Cormac for taking the time to speak to us. There's no doubt big things coming this season so keep an eye out for updates. You can follow Cormac on Instagram for all your tech and riding goodness @cormacdaly.
