Dominic Jelfs won in France and Bulgaria in 2012 and will ride for ‘Madison Genesis’ next year
Following a season during which he continued to progress under the radar and took his biggest win to date, Dominic Jelfs has just become the latest Irish international to secure a contract with a UK-based team.
He will ride next season in the colours of ‘Madison Genesis’, the new squad that has been put together by former pro road racer and World Junior Cyclocross Champion Roger Hammond. The British international is not long retired and has today unveiled the line-up of his new team.
As well as Jelfs, other names on the roster include outgoing Rapha Condor Sharp rider Dean Downing and London Olympian and European and World track gold medallist Andy Tennant. Former British national cyclocross champion Ian Bibby is also in the squad, as is current British hill climb champion Jack Pullar.
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British-born Jelfs has done a lot of racing in Europe in recent years. However, he has ridden on Irish development teams and also made a number of Irish U23 Nations Cups teams in recent years.
Jelfs, who rode for French team ‘Hennebont Cyclisme’ in 2012, claimed the silver medal behind Sam Bennett in the U23 National Championships in 2010, a year in which he also rode the FBD Rás on the Irish development team.
He took the biggest win of his career just weeks ago when in September he grabbed a stage of the UCI 2.2 Tour of Bulgaria.
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On the fifth stage he managed to get into the winning break of 13 riders, who were to finish three minutes ahead of the peloton. Coming towards the finish, Jelfs jumped clear of his breakaway companions to win by five seconds.
He had won another race, in Brittany, earlier in the year.
Hammond said today that he had been aware of Jelfs from Team GB training camps before Jelfs declared for Ireland. He said he had been struck by Jelfs’ strength and positive attitude despite mixing his winter training with working part time during the off season.
Jelfs joins a number of other Irish internationals in the UK pro peloton.
Peter Hawkins has re-signed for IG Sigma Sport after a very successful maiden campaign with them in 2012. Felix English has re-signed with Rapha Condor Sharp after starting with them in 2012 while Aaron Buggle is joining that team for next year.
Philip Lavery rode for Node4 Giordana and Stephen Halpin for Metaltek SCOTT in 2012, though it is unclear where they will ride in 2013.
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