Mark Christian (GB) winning the Junioren Rundfahrt in 2008
The An Post-Sean Kelly team has announced the signing of four new riders and the re-signing for next year of Irish U23 champion Sam Bennett.
In what appears to be a great move for the team, the Irish-Belgian outfit has signed Australian Scott Law and British rider Mark Christian.
Both are U23 riders and are products of their respective countries’ elite track programmes.
Law, a 20-year-old from Blacktown, New South Wales, is a stage winner in the Tour of Geelong and has represented Australia from the age of seventeen.
He has won no fewer than 20 track, TT and road race Australian and Oceanic titles since his mid teens. He is the reigning omnium and scratch race Australian champion at elite level.
He was Junior Champion of Champions at the Australian track championships four years ago and has represented Australia in the World Championships and Oceanic Championships at junior level.
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An Post Sean Kelly’s other star signing today, Mark Christian is a 20-year-old from the Isle of Man.
He was a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth games in the 40km scratch race.
He first signed for the GB Olympic development programme in 2007 and won the Junior Rundfahrt in Germany the following year as well as medalling at the Junior European Track Championships.
In 2009 he won the British madison title in Manchester, alongside fellow Manxman Peter Kennaugh, who now rides for Team Sky. The same year Christian also won silver in the U23 team pursuit and bronze in the U23 points race at the European Track Championships in Belarus.
The two Belgians also signed by An Post Sean Kelly are 19-year-od Joren Segers from Lommel and 20-year-old Niels Wytinck from Eeklo.
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Wytinck is the 2011 Ronde van Noord Holland (1.2) winner and was 9th in the junior Tour of Flanders two years ago. He joins from the Belgian Colba-Mercury team.
Segers is a road race and criterium specialist and joins the An Posts from the Omega Pharma-Lotto Davo team. He has had a number of top five placings this year.
An Post-Sean Kelly manager Kurt Bogaerts said he was particularly delighted Sam Bennett had re-signed for the team for another season.
“He had a difficult start coming back from an injury from the previous year, which took time to sort out. During the second half of the season everything came together for him and he produced some great results, the highlight of which was his win at the GP van de Stad Geel.”
“Next season I’m sure we will have him fully fit from the start of the year and I really expect him to be one of the most important members of the team in 2012.”
Bogaerts said he was looking forward to working with the four new signings.
“All four riders have a lot of potential and they’ve shown they have the talent based on previous results. Our plan is to develop them long term, so I hope they will be part of the set-up for a few years. Both Law and Christian have good track experience, which was something we looked out for. Gediminas Bagdonas had a similar track history so I hope they will turn out like him.”
Mark Christian (GB) in yellow at the Junioren Rundfahrt in 2008
Scott Law (New South Wales) winning the Australian National Scratch Title last year
Sam Bennett is staying with An Post-Sean Kelly
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