Irish rider Jennifer Neenan, who won four medals at the National Track Championships this year, is set to ride with a Spanish team next season.
The 21-year-old is currently in her
third year of a marketing degree in Maynooth University but this year has been
studying at Edem, Valencia, Spain, as part of an Erasmus year.
She will race in 2020 with the Alicante-based
Vib-Natural Greatness UCI Continental team. It will ride mainly national events
in Spain.
Neenan said she would be in Valencia until May
with her college course and would race with the team until then and also during
the rest of the season.
She added when the racing programme became clearer she would plan he travels and may mix her season with periods of racing in Ireland.
“It will mainly be the Spanish cup races
we’ll ride. It’s going to be a massive step up for me but it’s a great
opportunity that I was lucky enough to get so I’m going to give it my all,” she
said.
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“I'm also hoping this will show to the
Irish girls at home that we can go abroad like the guys while keeping up
college.
“My goals will become clearer later on
when I get the full calendar. But for now it’s about learning as much as I can
and hopefully I’ll come home for nationals strong and competitive.”
Neenan added that as the team was Spanish-speaking it
would also force her to improve at the language. Her new team will have a mix
of U23 and junior riders for the coming season.
Neenan enjoyed a solid year this year with her best
results coming on the track.
She was part of the Sundrive Track Team outfit that won
elite gold in the team pursuit at the national championships.
From Ratoath, Co Meath, she also underlined her strength as an individual by winning silver in the omnium and bronze in the individual pursuit while also taking a Madison bronze.
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