Having put in some stand-out performances towards the end of last year, Irish rider Aaron Wade is on the move from the French elite scene to Spain. The 21-year-old has signed for Club Ciclista Padronés Cortizo, a Spanish outfit with strong links to pro cycling.
Last season Wade suffered a broken arm at the start of the campaign in France, where he rode for Team U Cube 17. However, he got back into action and as his form improved, so too did the results. He secured a significant win at GP Christian Fenioux-Souvenir Gilles-Malard in August.
On a trip home to Ireland just days later he emerged best in a head-to-head with Matt Teggart (WiV SunGod) at the end of the final round of the Cycling Ireland National Road Series in Dromore, after that strong duo got clear of the others in the front group.
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In the last weeks of the 2022 campaign, Wade stepped up to the Irish Continental level team, EvoPro Racing, for a period of competition in its colours in Europe. He also competed in the Maryland Cycling Classic (1.Pro) in the US, where he made the early breakaway.
Wade, who is among a crop of very promising U23 Irish riders at present, joins the U23 line-up of Club Ciclista Padronés Cortizo, which also has an elite team. His new team has acted as a feeder squad for Burgos-BH, the Spanish ProContinental outfit. That link will inevitably raise hopes that some good results in Spain may see Wade picked up by the pro team.
Having proven well able to produce a winning sprint at the end of hard races, it will be interesting to see how Wade gets on in Spain in the coming season. He should also be vying for national selection for the European Road Championships and World Road Championships.
Cortizo's sporting director, Marcos Serrano, said Wade - who is also a talented track rider - was a strong athlete on flatter terrain and a very good sprinter. He believed the young Irishman would perform well in the Copa de Spain series of races.
