The Irish-Portuguese road racing squad, Velo Performance U23 Development Team, is already making plans for next year - after its inaugural season in 2025 - and is looking for new riders.
The team has raced in Ireland and across Europe this season with the intention of helping our emerging riders gain international experience and develop their talents.
It is now seeking expressions of interest from riders who are interested in racing in the team's colours in 2026 and who believe they have what it takes to jump into UCI-ranked races on the European scene.
"Our mission is to motivate, uplift, and support young athletes in their pursuit of excellence - both on and off the bike," the team said as it seeks expressions of interest from riders for next year, which can be sent to it via it's website.
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"At Velo Performance, we believe in nurturing not just talent, but also character, resilience, and a lifelong passion for cycling. By fostering a culture of growth, teamwork, and perseverance, we empower every athlete to unlock their full potential and chase their dreams with confidence."
The team’s sponsor, and under whose name – VeloPerformance – it competes, is a cycling tours, holidays and coaching company based in Portugal. It is run by Iúri Jorge, a former Continental rider turned coach.
For this year, the team signed Irish riders Michael Collins, Christopher Marshall, Eoghan Lattimore, Conor Prendergast, Cal Tutty, Willem O’Connor and Hugh Butler. They were joined by British riders Jacob James and Arthur Thomas Gardner.
They competed in Irish races, including Dornan Rás Mumhan, where O'Connor was one of the stars of the show, with a breakthrough performance on his way to 3rd overall.
It opened its season with a block of UCI-ranked racing in Greece, including two stages races; Visit South Aegean Islands (2.2) and Tour of Rhodes Powered by Rodos Palace (2.2). It also raced through the season in Britain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, France, the Netherlands and Slovenia.
