The An Post-Sean Kelly team has announced the signing of Irish rider Sean Downey for next season. The deal is initially for one year.
Downey, who was 11th overall in the An Post Ras this year and finished 25th in the U23 TT at the World Championships in September, has been based in France in recent years.
He told stickybottle recently he was planning to move from his French Cote d’Armor squad for next year but was not sure where he would move to.
This afternoon, Thursday, the An Post-Sean Kelly manager Kurt Bogaerts announced Downey has signed for the Belgium-based team.
“It’s no secret that we have been after Sean for a while now and I’m delighted that he has joined the team. He’s a young rider with huge potential. He’s strong in all departments – a good time trialist and a climber too,” Bogaerts said.
“In his short career he’s already had some bad injuries, but he’s come back from them every time and showed real character. He joins the team with great confidence and I’m looking forward to seeing him at the training camp in December.”
From Dromore in Co Down, Downey was the youngest ever winner of the Tour of Ulster as an 18-year-old in 2009. He also won the U23 road race title that season.
In 2010, when riding for the VC La Pomme Marseille team, he crashed badly in the Ronde de I’Isard in France, losing consciousness.
While this disrupted his season he recovered well enough to win a bronze medal in the team pursuit at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He was the highest placed Irish rider in the An Post Ras last year.
