Aqua Blue Sport

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]

Aqua Blue Sport
Team information
UCI codeABS
RegisteredIreland
Founded2017
Disbanded2019
Discipline(s)Road
StatusUCI Professional Continental
BicyclesRidley (2017)[1]
3T (2018)[2]
WebsiteTeam home page
Key personnel
General managerStephen Moore
Team manager(s)
Team name history
2017–2018
Aqua Blue Sport

History

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
As of 5 January 2018.[11]
Rider Date of birth
 Shane Archbold (NZL) (1989-02-02)2 February 1989 (aged 28)
 Adam Blythe (GBR) (1989-10-01)1 October 1989 (aged 28)
 Matt Brammeier (IRL) (1985-06-07)7 June 1985 (aged 32)
 Mark Christian (GBR) (1990-11-20)20 November 1990 (aged 27)
 Stefan Denifl (AUT) (1987-09-22)22 September 1987 (aged 30)
 Eddie Dunbar (IRL) (1996-09-01)1 September 1996 (aged 21)
 Conor Dunne (IRL) (1992-01-22)22 January 1992 (aged 25)
 Andrew Fenn (GBR) (1990-07-01)1 July 1990 (aged 27)
Rider Date of birth
 Aaron Gate (NZL) (1990-11-26)26 November 1990 (aged 27)
 Lasse Norman Hansen (DNK) (1992-02-11)11 February 1992 (aged 25)
 Peter Koning (NED) (1990-12-03)3 December 1990 (aged 27)
 Michel Kreder (NED) (1987-08-15)15 August 1987 (aged 30)
 Daniel Pearson (GBR) (1994-02-26)26 February 1994 (aged 23)
 Casper Pedersen (DEN) (1996-03-15)15 March 1996 (aged 21)
 Larry Warbasse (USA) (1990-06-28)28 June 1990 (aged 27)
 Calvin Watson (AUS) (1993-01-06)6 January 1993 (aged 24)

Major wins
2017
Stage 4 Tour de Suisse, Larry Warbasse
 United States Road Race Championships, Larry Warbasse
Overall Tour of Austria, Stefan Denifl
Stage 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

Sources[12][13]

Grand Tours by highest finishing position
Race 2017 2018
Giro d'Italia – –
Tour de France – –
Vuelta a España 128[lower-alpha 1] –
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 – –
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
DNS Did not start

National champions
2017
American Road Race, Larry Warbasse
2018
Irish Road Race, Conor Dunne

Notes
  1. Stefan Denifl originally placed in 58th but after confessing to doping his results were annulled.[14]

References
  1. "Aqua Blue Sport to ride Ridley bikes in 2017 - Gallery". cyclingnews.com. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. 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.
  3. "Aqua Blue Sport 2017 season". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. "Nordhaug, Brammeier, Irvine, Dunne first riders named for Aqua Blue Sport - Cyclingnews.com". 3 October 2016.
  5. "'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.
  6. www.aquabluesport.com
  7. "The Team Aqua Blue". wayback machine. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  8. "La Vuelta".
  9. "Denifl and Preidler handed four-year bans after blood doping confessions". 27 June 2019.
  10. "Rick Delaney has left the group: The story behind the rise and fall of Aqua Blue". 30 August 2018.
  11. "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.
  12. "firstcycling". firstcycling.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  13. "ProCyclingStats". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  14. "Denifl and Preidler handed four-year bans after blood doping confessions". cyclingnews.com. Cycling News. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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