Marine Lenehan has traded her Dan Morrissey Pissie colours for the Lidl Trek kit as she prepares to start a stagiaire with the US World Tour team.
She has already won age-related world and European Gran Fondo titles, but she can also move in road racing. And that fact has clearly not been lost on Lidl Trek, who agreed earlier this year to sign her up for a trial, which officially starts today.
Since Lenehan signed, she has finished 3rd in the women's road race at the National Road Championships - behind Mia Griffin (Roland) and Caoimhe O'Brien (Cynisca Cycling). She also won the Des Hanlon Memorial, one of the hardest races of the year, at the start of the season.
Lenehan told stickybottle recently she had already done a training camp with Lidl Trek, where they put her through her paces and carried out a full range of tests.
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She explained she also went on the books of the same cycling agency, based in Italy, as first-year U23 Killian O’Brien, who has signed with Mexican Continental team Petrolike.
“I’ve been keeping it quiet because I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was certain,” Lenehan told stickybottle of her trial, commencing at the upcoming Tour de Pologne.
“I did a training camp with them in January, where they tested all my numbers. And obviously they now want to see how I am in a rase, in the bunch. They’re happy with my numbers, but numbers don’t necessarily win bike races.
“I’m starting the Tour of Poland with them in August and then there’s some races in Belgium. We’ll see what the future brings. I’m hoping to be able to do Rás na mBan as well. It’s going to be a busy summer.”
