Irish U23 rider Luke Smith will join compatriot Adam Ward in a Girona-based team next season.
Smith has put in place an attractive arrangement for
himself that will see him combine his college course with his season in Spain.
About to go into his third season as an U23, Smith is
currently in third year at Carlow IT where he is doing a degree in Sports
Science.
He will ride alongside Ward next season as part of the Antiga Casa Bellsolà team, a relatively new squad for U23 riders that is preparing for its third season in the European peloton.
One of the team’s sponsors is the Cenit sports performance centre in Girona. It is a coaching and support base for professional and top flight amateur athletes, including cyclists.
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Between January and September Smith must work in the
sports industry as a condition of earning his degree.
He has managed to secure a place working with Cenit,
meaning his time in Girona will see him race a full season in Europe while
completing his third year in college.
“I’m flying out on the 4th of January and starting the placement on the 7th,” he explained to stickybottle of what sounds like a dream arrangement.
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“I have to log a total of 500 hours
(working) and the placement is flexible which allows me to train and race at a
high level out there.
“I’ll be living there from January until September working in Cenit, which is one the team’s sponsors, while also training and racing.”
Smith, now aged 20 years, rode for
Ireland in the junior road race at the World Championships in Bergen in 2017.
He also rode for Ireland on the track as a junior, including at the Europeans.
He was 2nd and 3rd in the Irish road race and TT championships respectively as a junior and last year took bronze in the elite sprint at the National Track Championships.
This year he took silver in the elite
title race at the National Criterium Championships, silver in the U23 TT
championships and silver in the elite individual pursuit at the National Track
Championships.
He also won a number of elite road races this year, including the Oldcastle GP the Boyne GP.
Smith has represented Ireland in Kreiz
Breizh Elites in France over the past two seasons and Gent-Wevelgem in the U23
Nations Cup.
Next year he is targeting further
Nations Cup selection for Ireland and will aim for results in the national road
race and TT championships.
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