Is the first time you have had support from the Dave Rayner Fund?
No, this is the second year I have received support for the Dave Rayner Fund and I am extremely grateful to be given such great support.
What is your cycling history ?
I started cycling about 5 years ago. My whole family have all a massive interest in the sport and most of them including my Dad, Uncle and both my Grandfathers all represented Ireland and raced at a very high level with appearances in the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. With this family background in the cycling I simply grew up around the sport and learned to love it as much as they do. So in my head from I was no age, all I wanted to be was a pro cyclist. Since I stated cycling I spent my first 2 years with my local cycling club (Banbridge CC) and after that I rode for another 2 years with the Nicolas Roche Performance Team. Over the four years I managed to get some good results and although suffered a lot of injury and sickness I have had numerous spells abroad over the 4 years with Irish And Ulster teams and got to see for myself how good the standard of racing was abroad. I knew that’s where I needed to be if I wanted to make anything of this so I as soon as I hit the U23 category the opportunity came up so I certainly wasn’t going to turn it down.
What team are you joining in 2016?
I am joining the French team Amicale Cycliste Bisontine again for my second season in 2016.
Tell us a bit about your team.
They are a French DN2 team. The team are based in Besancon, France. They are a very well known team throughout France and Jean de Gribaldy who was a Pro rider in the 40’s & 50’s who went on to be a DS for a number of Pro teams in the 70’s & 80’s formed the team.
Do they have they a website/FaceBook or Twitter we can link to?
http://www.amicalecyclistebisontine.fr/
What is your race programme looking like?
It’s looking like all of my race calendar will be in France and will be based around the DN2 Coupe de France and Elite National races.
Where are you going to live?
I will live in the town of Besancon at the apartment which the team owns with some of the other riders.
Your Twitter name and any website or blog links.
Twitter; @matthew_teggart
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/matthew.teggart.12
Www.matthewteggart.wordpress.com