The Men in Green: On the front at the Tour of Belgium (Photo: www.at-evh.be )
By Caroline Martinez
Plans by the An Post-Sean Kelly team to move up a level from UCI Continental to Pro Continental will not come to fruition for next season and have been put back until at least 2014.
Manager Kurt Bogaerts has also said he expects a number of the more established riders in the team to leave the squad in coming months and that young riders are now being sought to take their place.
He added that talent would win out over nationality when new riders were being brought in.
In an interview with France’s Direct Velo, Bogaerts confirmed the team had held recent talks with a number of sponsors with a view to raising the budget needed to move up to Pro Continental level.
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However, he added while those plans are still very much in the pipeline the Irish-Belgian team will continue to race at Continental level next year. It means they will be able to ride the An Post Ras again but will not be eligible for invitations or wild cards into some of the sport’s very biggest races.
Because the step up in level will not take place in time for next season, Bogaerts believes some of his stronger riders will leave.
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“I hope of course that many riders can secure a professional contract with big teams. I think Gediminas Bagdonas, Mark McNally and Kenneth Vanbilsen will leave us.”
Bagdonas and McNally were very close to contracts with GEOX and Europcar respectively last year that eventually fell through.
Vanbilsen is a Belgian U23 who has secured some fantastic results this year, including victory in the U23 Tour of Flanders.
His anticipated departure against the backdrop of his recent form and the possible departures of Bagdonas and McNally would not come as major surprises.
However, their absence would leave a sizeable hole in the team’s roster that would need to be filled with quality if the transition to Pro Continental were to remain a realistic objective for 2014.
"We are getting ready for this and are working on recruiting new riders,” Bogaerts said of the anticipated departures.
“Our team will be younger. Talent will have the advantage over nationality. Finally, Niko Eeckhout, our leader over the past four years still hasn't decided on his plans ahead of next season.”
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