Xeno Young flies across the cobbles during his TT ride at the World Road Championships in Bergen yesterday (All photos by Sean Rowe)
Martin O’Loughlin on Xeno Young, Ben Walsh at Worlds TT
The Irish junior team manager Marin O’Loughlin has praised his charges at the World Championships in Bergen.
O’Loughlin believed while the riders finished down the field, they had acquitted themselves well after a long and hard season.
Ben Walsh has been the dominant junior at home all year, winning the Junior Tour and the national TT title, among many victories.
Xeno Young has had a very different year, focussing mainly on the track. He took silver medals at both the European and world championships in the individual pursuit.
He was also 11th in the European Road Championships TT last month.
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Yesterday both Irish juniors rode the 21.1km TT in Bergen; Young taking 30th at 1:34 and Walsh was 45th at 1:56.
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The title was won by Tom Pidcock, the British rider who was already the junior world cyclocross champion.
Martin O’Loughlin said he was pleased with Young and Walsh.
“They both were technically good and went as hard as they could on the day, especially considering the phenomenal seasons that they both have had,” he said.
O’Loughlin implied it was going to be hard for the riders to peak again having secured their big results of the season in July.
“Some of the riders were stronger at the stage of the season, and Pidcock is a super talent,” O’Loughlin said.
“But you look at Ben in the Junior Tour and the Nations Cup in France and Germany this summer, and the European and World medals that Xeno won; it was a long season and they were decent performances.”
Toda is the final time trial day at the World Championships, before the focus switches to the road races.
Nicholas Roche will be competing in the elite men’s time trial. The 31km race against the clock will see the riders finish on a 3.4km climb.
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