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A message from Drapac Cycling team owner, Michael Drapac:

To friends, supporters and fellow cyclists.

I am sending this message from Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you all for joining us today in Drapac Cycling’s last ever race.

I wish I was there with you to celebrate the end of this chapter of my life. Of course, I’m greatly saddened to be closing the door, but for a number of reasons, it was time to move on.

My love for the bike will live on as Drapac will continue to be involved through what will be known as the Damion Drapac Foundation, which will address key concepts close to my son Damion’s heart; cycling, medicine, and holistic development.

It is fitting that our last race coincides with St. Kilda’s last race as this is where I mostly remember Damion’s numerous A-Grade wins of his life.

There are so many people that the team and I would like to thank but to start:

To my cycling children: Alexandra, Damion, Patrick, and Giulian – for sharing my passion for cycling with me.

To the athletes who have committed to our holistic development program throughout the years – thank you for joining me on this journey of athlete wellbeing and supporting my continuous aspirations to broaden the often narrow metrics of what success really means.

To Alan Grindal – for introducing me and my children into cycling at the Brunswick Cycling Clinic.

To Michael Winkler – for being the first official sponsor of Drapac Cycling with Porsche.

To Agostino Giramondo – for 15 years of service, humour, and dedication.

To Jonathan Breekveldt – for managing the team all the way up to the World Tour with outstanding loyalty and integrity.

To Jason Nichols – for your support with the boys for the whole duration of the team.

To Dr. Peter Fuller – for being an outstanding physician to the team.

To Matt Keenan – for all of the guidance you have provided throughout the years.

And lastly the current steerer of the ship, Vasanta Iyer, for supporting and encouraging the boys as only a loving mother could.

I would also like to mention Mike McKay, Stu Shaw, Tom Southam and Gearoid Towey for everything that you have done for the team.

To anyone who has supported our team and our unique and holistic way of supporting elite athletes, I give my deepest and most heartfelt thanks to all of you.

 

After 16 years of racing at all levels in its sport, Drapac Cycling will be lining up one last time at Sunday’s Shimano Supercrit.

Joining the current team will be a number of Drapac Cycling’s alumni including Australian Road Race Champion Darren Lapthorne, and current World Tour rider Mitch Docker.

Said Docker, “It’s going to be good to get the band back together, and it will give us a chance to iron out the lead-out train we had back in Korea in 2006!”.

Lining up for Drapac Cycling will be the whole 2019 squad including sprint sensations Jensen Plowright and Theo Yates. “I’m excited to line up for my Drapac boys one last time at Supercrit”, said Plowright. “I’ve always looked up to the Drapac team as a kid and finally getting to pull on the kit this year has been amazing”.

“This will be my first time lining up for Supercrit, so I’m super excited to race one of Australia’s most hotly contested criteriums”, added sprinter Theo Yates. “The boys and I are going to leave it all out there and enjoy our last race with the Drapac family”.

Liam White, who has been with Drapac since 2014 is looking forward to pulling on the kit one last time, saying “I am forever grateful for the support that Drapac has provided me over the years ”.

Sport Director Agostino Giramondo will be winding up his long career with Drapac Cycling this weekend too, saying “I am truly honoured to have worked for this team over so many years and to have seen some great bike riders and people come through the system”. Agostino will be moving into a race director role, with the iconic Melbourne to Warrnambool NRS race being first up on his agenda.

General Manager Vasanta Iyer will also be moving into a new operations role with Volleyball Australia. Said Vasanta on her 3-year stint with the team, “Working at Drapac Cycling has been life-changing. Getting to work with the boys at such a formative time in their lives has one of the most rewarding experiences for me. I leave this program being incredibly proud of each and every one of them and I know that they are all destined for greatness”.

Drapac Cycling will finish the 2019 season with a National and Oceania title, two UCI stage wins, an NRS tour win (Tour of Tweed) numerous NRS stage wins and podiums, and a very successful European stint with wins, podiums and top ten results in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Drapac Cycling would like to sincerely thank all of its athletes, staff, and the team’s partners for all of their support throughout the years.

The Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development team has enjoyed a very successful racing block in Belgium, France, and Holland during the semester break.

The team took part in UCI 1.1 races Heiste Pijl, Halle Ingooigem, and GP Cerami, in addition to 4 criteriums in Holland and the Houtem-Vilvoorde, Melle, Ninove, Polare and Dentergem Pro Kermesses with Jensen Plowright, Theo Yates, Liam Magennis and Ryan Thomas posting great results for the team.

Jensen Plowright had a standout performance for his first time racing in Europe in his inaugural road season, coming 4th in both the Melle and Dentergem Pro Kermesse’s.

Said Plowright on his 4th at Dentergem, “I was feeling pretty good, after riding the break all day from about a kilometre into the race, however, cramped up in the very last sprint. I can’t wait to come back next year to see how I’ve progressed”.

Theo Yates enjoyed some podium time in Holland, coming second in the Kruningen criterium, and following it up with a 3rd in the Melle Pro Kermesse. “I’m happy to have improved on my 2017 result here”, said Yates on his podium. “Based on our performance in Europe I’m excited to finish out the year on a high with the boys”.

Current National time-trial champion Liam Magennis was found at the pointy end of most of the team’s races, also spending all day in the break at GP Cerami, only to be caught in the dying kilometres of the race. Liam is now in Girona for a training block before beginning his L’Avenir and World Championships campaign.

Drapac Cycling Sports Director Agostino Giramondo was very happy with the team’s performance, saying “Europe 2019 was a success for us both on and off the bike. With this being the last Europe trip, the riders to their credit knuckled down to make the most of it, with the team having its most successful trip in the last 3 years with one win and multiple podiums”.

Drapac Cycling is now back in Australia to begin the 2nd half of the National Road Series, with the Tour of Tweed first up.

After 16 years of competing in all levels of the sport, the Drapac Cycling team will be concluding operations at the end of the 2019 season.

The Drapac Cycling team was founded in 2004 by team founder Michael Drapac as a development program, supporting the concept of holistic development for young athletes; offering a unique environment that recognised young cyclists need to develop outside the – often narrow – parameters of the sport they practiced at a key stage in their lives.  The riders selected for what became the Drapac Porsche Development Program (when it took out its first UCI license in 2006) committed to studying alongside their racing program.

While this team, made up of predominantly young part-time riders, enjoyed a great deal of success both on and off the bike, Michael Drapac remained committed to promoting the concept of holistic athlete development to a much wider audience.

After eight successful years as a UCI Continental outfit, the team took the step to a fully-fledged professional team in 2014, taking out a Professional Continental license. Drapac Professional Cycling became the only Australian team operating at Pro-continental level, and one of only two fully professional Australian cycling teams in history.

In 2016, Drapac Capital Partners became a co-owner of Slipstream Sports and title sponsor of the World Tour team Cannondale-Drapac, continuing the team’s journey to the next and highest possible step in professional cycling, while supporting the Drapac holistic development team, which focused once again on young rider development in Australia.

While competing in the World Tour, Drapac enjoyed several successes, most notably Rigoberto Uran’s 2nd in the 2017 Tour de France. Michael Drapac was also instrumental in bringing athlete wellbeing to the World Tour, by being the first professional cycling team to run a wellbeing program. Drapac Cycling has also supported many of its riders into transitioning into life after sport through networking and internship programs.

Since registering for its first UCI license in 2006, Drapac Cycling has won 7 National and 3 Oceania titles, and over 65 UCI victories across four continents, along with numerous wins at a domestic level in Australia. The team has also had several of its riders progress to the World Tour, notably Mitch Docker, Brendan Canty, Wouter Wippert, Tom Scully and James Whelan in recent years.

The current team – the Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development Team is undertaking its European block of racing before finishing off the year with the National Road Series and the Shimano Supercrit, which will be the team’s final race.

Drapac Cycling would like to extend its sincere gratitude to all of its partners for their support for the current season, and throughout the years.

The Drapac-Cannondale Holistic Development team is embarking on its European racing block, with the team will be lining up for their first race at the UCI 1.1 Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl this Saturday in Belgium followed by Halle Ingooigem next Wednesday.

This will be 19-year-old Jensen Plowright’s first time racing in Europe. “I’m really looking forward to the next few months with the team, said Plowright. “European racing is so prestigious and I’m excited about the incredible experiences that this trip will bring me”.

The team will then head to Holland to race in some local criteriums before returning to Belgium to compete at various pro kermesses. Drapac has had a lot of European wins in previous years and is looking to build on an already successful 2019.

After battling in 2018 with illness, team captain Theo Yates is looking to get back into the racing scene, saying “After a good Nationals and Sun Tour, last year was tough for me with getting sick. I’ve finally gotten on top of everything and am keen to get back out there and drop some hammers with the boys”.

Drapac Cannondale are based in Oudenaarde, Belgium for the next few weeks. Their final race in Europe will be the UCI 1.1 GP Cerami on the 25th of July.

It is with immense sadness that we confirm the news that Damion Drapac, son of team owner, Michael Drapac, passed away on Thursday the 25th of April from injuries sustained in a collision with a vehicle, whilst riding his bike. We cannot explain the heartache felt by both the Drapac family and the wider cycling community.  We thank you for your support, and please ask that you respect our privacy during this incredibly difficult time.

For any enquiries, please contact the team at  info@drapaccyling.com

Damion’s death will affect many. If this story has affected you or you need to speak to someone, please contact:
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline: 13 11 14