Stephen Clancy and his team building a bond for the new season

At a time when Ireland's other professional cyclists are following a more conventional build-up to the 2017 season, Stephen Clancy is in the Dominican Republic building houses with his team-mates.

Clancy's Team Novo Nordisk squad are currently in the midst of constructing three dwellings in an impoverished community on the island, echoing a similar campaign last year in Mexico.

Aside from the altruistic side of the project, the purpose behind the idea is to bring the team closer together and create a bond which will help them at tough moments during the racing season.

"There are a lot of stray dogs around, many children with not even shoes on their feet, walking around in rubble," Clancy told The Irish Times from at the build site.

“The homes are built out of just scraps of metal here there and everywhere. There are people washing clothes by hand. It is really an eye-opening sight to see.

“As a bike rider sometimes you question your purpose in life, your meaning. You wonder if you have any greater significance. So for us to contribute and give back to society is really special. Through that process we can grow closer and develop a greater bond as a team. That should help us on the bike, as well as human beings.”

All-diabetic riders

The team is unique in that it features all-diabetic riders. Each are there because they are strong athletes with type one diabetes; a major goal of the team is to show that such a diagnosis need not profoundly impact a life.

The riders use devices which regularly monitor their blood sugar and they either take insulin or eat to adjust and keep things within the normal parameters.

Clancy was diagnosed at 19 years of age and is now 24. In 2016 he feels he stepped up a level by participating in much harder races and wants to build on that.

“Heading into some of those races, I was a little bit unsure if I was capable of riding there,” he states. “So even just getting through a race like the Tour of Utah, which doesn’t suit me down to the ground, was important.

“If I go back next year to other races of a similar level, I would be hoping to achieve more. I will have the confidence in the legs and the capabilities to step it up.”

The team house build was set to conclude on Thursday. The riders will spend a little more time in the Dominican Republic before travelling to the US and another team camp there.

Clancy will then return to his European base of Girona, logging the hard kilometres needed for a strong 2017 season.