Ask anyone in Irish cycling who “Dinky” is, and they’ll know instantly. Ask them who Dillon Corkery is… and they might need a moment. “Even on the national team, all my stuff is labelled ‘Dinky’,” he laughs. “I don’t think anyone knows my actual name.”
Dillon didn’t grow up in a sporting household, but he and his three younger sisters were thrown into every activity imaginable. He was quick, competitive, and always game for anything. An early hip injury led a physio to recommend cycling to help stabilise his body. His first proper races? The youth Irish national championships. He won the TT, the road race, and the criterium. “I was like… this is good craic,” he grins. “Three gold medals on my first go isn’t bad.”
Before cycling took over, his heart belonged to Gaelic football — fast, physical, chaotic. “I wasn’t the best footballer, but I was quick, a scrapper. You could be 15 points down at half-time and still come back. That heart and determination… that’s what I take with me.”
The road to the pro ranks was anything but straightforward. Dillon left Ireland the same year COVID-19 hit, just as he was ready to “have a real crack at it.” Lockdowns, cancelled races, and limited opportunities meant he didn’t get a proper international season until his final year as an U23. He was already older than most riders breaking through and admits he nearly walked away from the sport multiple times. “I was finished with the bike,” he says. “I went home. I had no intention of coming back.”
But his family pushed him to give it one more year. A strong season opened the door to Continental racing, where the learning curve was steep but rewarding. Then he was flying in early 2025 until a heavy crash set him back again. “Sport is full of ups and downs. You just have to take them as they come.”
Despite everything, Dillon’s riding remained unchanged: aggressive, tough, and committed. “At the end of the race I’ll always try to do the maximum. That’s just who I am.”
Joining Team Picnic PostNL marks a new phase — one focused on refinement and making the most of the resources around him. “Being in a WorldTour team gives you that little bit more,” he says. “Bike fitting, nutrition, recovery… I still feel nowhere near my capacity. I think there’s another 10 or 15 percent still to find.”
For Dillon, success over the next years won’t be defined by a single result. “It’s about personal development — improving my numbers, the way I race, staying consistent, avoiding sickness and injury, and just squeezing everything out.”
Ask him to describe himself in three words and he doesn’t hesitate long: “Heart, energy, Irish,” he laughs. “Basically all the same thing.”
A fierce competitor with a huge personality and a deep love for the sport, Dillon arrives at Team Picnic PostNL ready to give everything he’s got — and maybe a bit more.