Aqua Blue Sport

Aqua Blue Sport
Team data
UCI code	SECTION
nationality	Ireland
License	Professional Continental Team
First season	2017
Last season	2018
discipline	Street
Wheel manufacturer	3T Cycling
staff
General manager	Stephen Moore
Team manager	Stephen Barrett
Sportl. ladder	Tim Barry Nicki Soerensen
Name story
Years	Surname
2017-2018	Aqua Blue Sport
Website
www.aquabluesport.com

Aqua Blue Sport was an Irish cycling team .

The team was founded in the run-up to the 2017 road cycling season and received a license as a UCI Professional Continental Team . It was the first Irish Professional Continental Team.

Aqua Blue Sport received a wild card for the Vuelta a España 2017 and scored there with the victory of Stefan Denifl on the queen stage for the greatest success in team history. Nevertheless, the team was not invited to the Vuelta a España 2018 , which was sharply criticized by the team management. The team did not achieve any major successes during the 2018 season. In the middle of the season, the wheelhouse was changed. Denifl and his colleague Adam Blythe gave the previous outfitter 3T Cycling , the racing machines with only one chainring, partly to blame for the failure of the team, as the chain had often fallen off and riders had knee pain. After merger negotiations with Vérandas Willems-Crelan failed, management announced in August 2018 that it would cease operations at the end of the season. Racing was actually stopped in September due to financial difficulties. In the same month, the team operator was no longer able to make the salary payments and requested the staff to use him to make use of the bank guarantee deposited with the Union Cycliste Internationale as part of the licensing.

2018 season

Success in the UCI Europe Tour

date	run	Cat .	winner
17th of June	Elfstedenronde	1.1	Adam Blythe
August 1st	1st stage Tour of Denmark	2.HC	Let Norman Hansen

Success in the UCI Oceania Tour

date	run	Cat .	winner
February 1st	1st stage Herald Sun Tour	2.1	Let Norman Hansen

National road cycling champions

date	run	winner
July 1	Irish Championship - Road Racing	Conor Dunne

team

Team roster
Surname	Date of birth	country	Previous team
Shane Archbold	February 2, 1989	New Zealand	Bora-Hansgrohe (2017)
Adam Blythe	October 1, 1989	United Kingdom	Tinkoff (2016)
Matthew Brammeier (Jan 1 - Jun 30)	June 7, 1985	Ireland	Dimension Data (2016)
Mark Christian	November 20, 1990	United Kingdom	Team Wiggins (2016)
Stefan Denifl	September 22, 1987	Austria	IAM (2016)
Eddie Dunbar(Jan 1 - Sep 12, note )	September 1, 1996	Ireland	Axeon-Hagens Berman (2017)
Conor Dunne	January 22, 1992	Ireland	JLT Condor (2016)
Andrew Fenn	July 1, 1990	United Kingdom	Sky (2016)
Aaron Gate	November 26, 1990	New Zealand	An Post-ChainReaction (2016)
Let Norman Hansen	February 11, 1992	Denmark	Stölting Service Group (2016)
Peter Koning	3rd December 1990	Netherlands	Drapac Professional Cycling (2016)
Michel Kreder	August 15, 1987	Netherlands	Roompot-Oranje Peloton (2016)
Daniel Pearson	February 26, 1994	United Kingdom
Casper Pedersen	March 15, 1996	Denmark	Giant-Castelli (2017)
Lawrence Warbasse	June 28, 1990	United States	IAM (2016)
Calvin Watson	January 6, 1993	Australia	An Post-ChainReaction (2016)
Source: UCI

Note: Eddie Dunbar , team change

2017 season

Success in the UCI WorldTour

date	run	driver
June 13th	4th stage Tour de Suisse	Lawrence Warbasse
September 6th	17th stage Vuelta a España	Stefan Denifl

Success in the UCI Europe Tour

date	run	Cat.	driver
2nd-8th July	Overall ranking of the Tour of Austria	2.1	Stefan Denifl

National road cycling champions

date	run	winner
25th June	American Championship - Road Racing	Lawrence Warbasse

team

Team roster
Surname	Date of birth	country	Previous team
Adam Blythe	October 1, 1989	United Kingdom	Tinkoff (2016)
Matthew Brammeier	June 7, 1985	Ireland	Dimension Data (2016)
Mark Christian	November 20, 1990	United Kingdom	Team Wiggins (2016)
Stefan Denifl	September 22, 1987	Austria	IAM (2016)
Conor Dunne	January 22, 1992	Ireland	JLT Condor (2016)
Andrew Fenn	July 1, 1990	United Kingdom	Sky (2016)
Aaron Gate	November 26, 1990	New Zealand	An Post-ChainReaction (2016)
Let Norman Hansen	February 11, 1992	Denmark	Stölting Service Group (2016)
Leigh Howard	October 18, 1989	Australia	IAM (2016)
Martyn Irvine	June 6, 1985	Ireland	Madison Genesis (2015)
Peter Koning	3rd December 1990	Netherlands	Drapac Professional Cycling (2016)
Michel Kreder	August 15, 1987	Netherlands	Roompot-Oranje Peloton (2016)
Lars Petter Nordhaug	May 14, 1984	Norway	Sky (2016)
Daniel Pearson	February 26, 1994	United Kingdom
Lawrence Warbasse	June 28, 1990	United States	IAM (2016)
Calvin Watson	January 6, 1993	Australia	An Post-ChainReaction (2016)
Source: UCI

Individual evidence

1. ^ Decisions of the License Commission for the 2017 season. uci.ch, November 25, 2016, accessed on December 4, 2016 (English). 
2. ↑ Nordhaug, Brammeier, Irvine, Dunne first riders named for Aqua Blue Sport. cyclingnews.com, October 3, 2016, accessed December 4, 2016 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Denifl: "Our team boss is not the bad guy". In: radsport-news.com. September 1, 2018, accessed September 5, 2018 . 
4. ↑ Aqua Blue Sport “pissed off” about Vuelta disregard. In: radsport-news.com. April 11, 2018, accessed September 5, 2018 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b} Blythe: 1-way crank for Aqua Blue-Aus jointly responsible. In: radsport-news.com. September 4, 2018, accessed September 5, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Ireland's first professional cycling team to cease operations at the end of the season. In: the42.ie. August 27, 2018, accessed on August 27, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Aqua Blue Sport can no longer pay its drivers. In: radsport-news.com. October 2, 2018, accessed October 2, 2018 . 

Web links

• Official website
• Aqua Blue Sport in the ProCyclingStats.com database