Hugh Óg Mulhearne has made a splash in France in recent weeks and is now one of the top ranked juniors on the French scene (Photo: Fabien Lenfant)
Hugh Óg Mulhearne has made a splash in France in recent weeks and is now one of the top ranked juniors on the French scene. The teenager, who is riding his second season as a junior with French team AS Villemur Devo U19, has been really aggressive and has clearly progressed during winter.
Though he has already been selected onto the Irish team, including at the UCI Cyclocross World Cup and at the Quanta Capital Junior Tour of Ireland last year, he seems to have shot forward in his abilities in recent months. And in the very competitive world of French junior racing, he looks like one of the best at present, hitting the top of the rankings there.
The 17-year-old has already spent time at the very top of the junior road racing ranks in France; No 1. And though he was knocked off top perch on Sunday, he remains one of the top-ranked juniors, currently sitting at No 3 in the rankings.
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They are currently topped by Robin Brugier (CC Etupes U19), after he won Classic Coeur de Brenne U19 on Saturday, where Mulhearne was 4th. Brugier currently has 80 points at the top of the rankings, followed by Joria Ravon (Team U LH Junior), who has 70 points. And then comes Mulhearne, in 3rd place on 64 points.
The 17-year-old from Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, opened his season last Saturday week with 4th in the 96.5km Mapei Classic in Villemur-sur-Tarn. His Irish team mate, Darragh Byrne, was 7th in the same race, which split to pieces on a hilly course; all the riders in the top 50 finishing in ones and twos.
Mulhearne followed that up the next day with 34th at the 84km Ronde Bessieraine. This Saturday he was back in flying form again, taking 4th place at the 130km Classic Coeur de Brenne, part of the 10-man breakaway in Vendoeuvres, before placing 34th yesterday at the 116km Trophée de la Ville de Châtellerault.
