Archie Ryan has been back in action in Italy for Jumbo Visma Development in two races that also featured former Irish junior champion Ronan O'Connor, riding this year for top Italian development team Colpack Ballan.
The Irish duo were in action yesterday at GP Palio del Recioto, a 147km 1.2U-ranked U23 race in northern Italy. Ryan, who has been in very good form already this season as he comes back from injury, placed 7th. O'Connor was among a large number of non-finishers, with just 43 finishing the event.
The race consisted of six laps of a circuit featuring two climbs - Colle Masua (1.9 km at 6.2 per cent) and Jago (1.7 km at 6.9 per cent) - before leaving the circuit for two further climbs in the final 40km - Via Tezol (300m at 11.3 per cent) and Fane (7.3 km at 6.6 per cent).
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On the final climb, Ryan was among the elite riders who pulled clear at the head of the race. However, as the climb went on, three riders pressed clear of the select group - Romain Grégoire (Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ), Edgar Andres Pinzon (Colombia Tierra de Atletas) and Ryan's Jumbo Visma team mate Johannes Staune-Mitte.
Towards the top of the ascent it was Colombian Pinzon who went ahead alone, though Grégoire caught him on the descent and then dropped him to win the race solo. That was his third big win in just four days having been victorious in Giro del Belvedere (1.2U), also in Italy, 24 hours earlier and won U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Saturday.
Grégoire, last year's junior European road race champion, won yesterday by 28 seconds from Pinzon. Staune-Mittet took 3rd place at 37 seconds and just two seconds after him came a six-rider group sprinting for 4th. Ryan was in that group for 7th in the race.
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On Monday, Ryan and O'Connor both lined out in Giro del Belvedere (1.2U); an undulating 166km race starting and finishing in Villa di Villa, also in northern Italy. Ryan finished in 47th place, some 3:10 down in what was his first race for a month after a bout of Covid-19. O'Connor - an 18-year-old first-year U23 rider - was competing in his first UCI-ranked race of the season and was 95th in a large group at 5:20.
Also on Monday, a number of Irish women raced Ronde de Mouscron (1.1), a 127km race starting and finishing in Mouscron in Belgium. Megan Armitage (IBCT) placed 32nd some 3:36 down on Thalita de Jong, who won in a sprint from a 26-rider front group.
Top Irish riders Fiona Mangan (IBCT) and Caoimhe O'Brien (Torelli-Cayman Islands-Scimitar) were among the non-finishers, with both riding their first race in Europe of the season.
On Saturday, Rory Townsend lined out for Wiv SunGod in Arno Wallaard Memorial (1.2), a 188km race in the Netherlands. The 26-year-old made the breakaway, which numbered seven riders at the finish, and took 6th place. The race was won by Elmar Reinders (Riwal Cycling Team). Irish rider Conor Lambert (XSpeed United Continental) was among the non-finishers.
On Saturday, EvoPro Racing were in action in Tour du Jura Cycliste (1.1), a 170km race into Nozeroy in eastern France. It was won by Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën). Conn McDunphy was the sole Irish finisher, placing 67th at 16:06. EvoPro Racing's Irish riders Tom Moriarty, Mitchell McLaughlin and Cian Keogh were among the non-finishers.
The previous day, EvoPro Racing were also in action at Classic Grand Besançon Doubs (1.1), a 177.5km race into Montfaucon in Switzerland won by Jesús Herrada (Cofidis). McDunphy was 76th at 18:01 while Moriarty, Keogh and McLaughlin were non finishers.
