Through his involvement with An Post-Chainreaction and also his managing Irish U23 teams, Kurt Bogaerts makes a lot of decisions effecting Irish cycling.
An Post-Chainreaction team manager Kurt Bogaerts has said while Connor McConvey has been riding well of late and was unlucky to miss out on selection for the Rás, he had picked the time well in advance.
The Belgian, whose team will be looking for stage wins and targeting the general classification on the race, believes any one of the riders in the line-up can win a stage.
“I made this selection a long time ago and I feel it’s the right one,” he said.
“Connor McConvey is riding really well and is unlucky to miss out," Bogaerts added of the 27-year-old who has finished in the top 10 in the race three times; 4th in 2010, 7th in 2012 and 2nd in 2013.
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“We have a new system on the team with long-term selections and I want to try this new approach, so we will see how it goes,” Bogaerts added.
Two years ago McConvey was very unlucky not to win the Rás, finishing on the same time as overall victor Marcin Bialoblocki. His missing out on selection this year has raised more than a few eyebrows (Photo: Sirotti)
Bogaerts also revealed he had personally intervened along with Sean Kelly, to keep Irish team rider Jack Wilson in the sport after he decided to walk away last year.
Wilson, who was convinced to return to the An Post-Chainreaction team for this season, is one of only two Irishmen in the Rás line-up, national champion Damien Shaw being the other.
They will take their places on the start line in Dublin Castle tomorrow alongside Aaron Gate, Nicolas Vereecken and Emiel Wastyn.
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“Jack has come from a long way,” Bogaerts said. “He was basically at the end of his career last year.
“He stopped cycling but since coming back he now has a renewed motivation and is at a really good level. His consistency has ups and downs but is improving all the time.
Kiwi Aaron Gate wins stage 5 of the Rás into Ballina last year. He also won stage 2 into Carlow, finished 5th on the final general classification and won the points competition so he'll be one to keep an eye on in the week ahead (Photo: Ramsey Cardy - Sportsfile)
Bogaerts continued: “Gate is, I think, in really good condition but I’m not sure how the general classification will work out with the toughness of the course.
“Wastyn is a pure sprinter who can win a stage in the sprint and I’m excited to see how he will fare.”
Shaw, who was in the top three in the final three stages of the race last year despite coming into it injured, has once again suffered a set-back on the run in to the Rás.
According to the team Shaw’s crash at the Fleche du Sud two weeks ago resulted in a hairline fracture to his finger.
While he was sidelined for a number of days he was able to return to racing last weekend, at the Shay Elliott Classic in Co Wicklow.
And while he still has problems gripping the handlebars properly the team has retained its confidence in him.
While that injury is a setback to the Mullingar man’s performances, a much more serious incident did not stop him grabbing to 2nd places and a 3rd place finish on the final three stages of last year’s Rás.
A bad crash in the final metres of the Visit Nenagh Classic the month before the Rás last year, saw him break a bone in his shoulder.
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