Aqua Blue Sport was an Irish UCI Professional Continental cycling team founded in January 2017 which folded at the end of the 2018 season.[3][4]
 | |
| Team information | |
|---|---|
| UCI code | ABS |
| Registered | Ireland |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Disbanded | 2019 |
| Discipline(s) | Road |
| Status | UCI Professional Continental |
| Bicycles | Ridley (2017)[1] 3T (2018)[2] |
| Website | Team home page |
| Key personnel | |
| General manager | Stephen Moore |
| Team manager(s) |
|
| Team name history | |
2017–2018 | Aqua Blue Sport |
History edit
The team was set up by businessman Rick Delaney, assuring funding for at least four seasons with two-year rolling contracts offered to the riders.[4] The project was based on a self-sustaining finance model, with revenue generated from an online cycling marketplace www.aquabluesport.com being used to fund the professional team.[5]
Aqua Blue Sport featured a 16-rider roster[6] for 2017. Having gained considerable success in the early months of its maiden season, Aqua Blue Sport was invited to the 2017 Vuelta a España.[7] Despite losing their team bus to an arson attack, the team continued at the Vuelta. On stage 17 of their first Grand Tour, Stefan Denifl crossed the finish line first, ahead of Alberto Contador at the summit finish of Los Machucos,[8] however his win was later stripped after he confessed to blood doping.[9] In its first year, the team won its first individual stage, its first national champion, its first overall at a stage race, and its first stage at a Grand Tour (although the latter two were later stripped as a result of Denifl's doping admission[9]).
On August 27, 2018, the team announced that it would not be racing in 2019, citing difficulties in obtaining race invitations from race organizers and a failed merger with the Vérandas Willems–Crelan team.[10] and ceased racing immediately.
Team roster edit
- As of 5 January 2018.[11]
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Major wins edit
- 2017
- Stage 4 Tour de Suisse, Larry Warbasse
United States Road Race Championships, Larry Warbasse
Overall Tour of Austria, Stefan DeniflStage 17 Vuelta a España, Stefan Denifl
- 2018
- Stage 1 Herald Sun Tour, Lasse Norman Hansen
- Elfstedenronde, Adam Blythe
Ireland Road Race Championships, Conor Dunne- Stage 1 Danmark Rundt, Lasse Norman Hansen
Supplementary statistics edit
| Grand Tours by highest finishing position | ||||
| Race | 2017 | 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
– | – | ||
 Tour de France
|
– | – | ||
 Vuelta a España
|
128[a] | – | ||
| Major week-long stage races by highest finishing position | ||||
| Race | 2017 | 2018 | ||
 Tour Down Under
|
– | – | ||
| Paris–Nice
|
– | – | ||
 Tirreno–Adriatico
|
– | – | ||
 Volta a Catalunya
|
– | – | ||
| Tour of the Basque Country
|
– | – | ||
 Tour of the Alps
|
73 | – | ||
| Tour de Romandie
|
– | – | ||
 Critérium du Dauphiné
|
– | – | ||
| Tour de Suisse
|
39 | 41 | ||
| Tour de Pologne
|
– | – | ||
 Benelux Tour
|
– | – | ||
| Monument races by highest finishing position | ||||
| Monument | 2017 | 2018 | ||
| Milan–San Remo | – | – | ||
| Tour of Flanders | – | – | ||
| Paris–Roubaix | – | – | ||
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | 32 | 66 | ||
| Giro di Lombardia | – | – | ||
| Classics by highest finishing position | ||||
| Classic | 2017 | 2018 | ||
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | 58 | – | ||
| Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne | – | – | ||
| Strade Bianche | – | – | ||
| E3 Harelbeke | – | – | ||
| Gent–Wevelgem | – | – | ||
| Amstel Gold Race | – | 59 | ||
| La Flèche Wallonne | 105 | – | ||
| Clásica de San Sebastián | – | – | ||
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| DNS | Did not start |
National champions edit
- 2017
American Road Race, Larry Warbasse- 2018
Irish Road Race, Conor Dunne
Notes edit
- ^ Stefan Denifl originally placed in 58th but after confessing to doping his results were annulled.[14]
References edit
- ^ "Aqua Blue Sport to ride Ridley bikes in 2017 - Gallery". cyclingnews.com. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Benson, Daniel; Fletcher, Patrick (30 August 2018). "Rick Delaney has left the group: The story behind the rise and fall of Aqua Blue". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Aqua Blue Sport 2017 season". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Nordhaug, Brammeier, Irvine, Dunne first riders named for Aqua Blue Sport - Cyclingnews.com". 3 October 2016.
- ^ "'Amazon for bikes' site to help new Aqua Blue squad become self-sustained in three years". cyclingweekly.co.uk. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ www.aquabluesport.com
- ^ "The Team Aqua Blue". wayback machine. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "La Vuelta".
- ^ a b "Denifl and Preidler handed four-year bans after blood doping confessions". 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Rick Delaney has left the group: The story behind the rise and fall of Aqua Blue". 30 August 2018.
- ^ "2018 rider roster and first races confirmed". Wayback machine. Aqua Blue Sport Limited. 1 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "firstcycling". firstcycling.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "ProCyclingStats". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Denifl and Preidler handed four-year bans after blood doping confessions". cyclingnews.com. Cycling News. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
External links edit
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