McLaughlin & Brammeier head Irish challenge at Three Days of West Flanders

Matt Brammeier in last year’s Three Days of West Flanders; a tough race often cursed with bad weather

Ronan McLaughlin (An Post-Chainreaction) and Matt Brammeier (Champion System) are set to line out this weekend in the Driedaagse van West-Vlaandren, or Three Days of West Flanders.

The UCI 2.1 level race will see a quality field begin the action tomorrow evening, Friday, with a 7km prologue time trial in Middelkerke. The following day will take the riders on a 175km road stage followed a 181km concluding stage on Sunday. Both road stages are over tough terrain and the race usually splits up, especially if the weather is wet or cold.

Brammeier rode this race last year for Omega Pharma-Quickstep, assuming support duties as the team won two stages and the overall.

An Post also rode the race last year, though there was no Irish representation in the team. Gediminas Bagdonas, who has since moved on to Ag2r La Mondiale, was An Post’s best finisher last year in 7^th place overall.

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McLaughlin will line out as part of an eight-man An Post-Chainreaction team alongside British rider Mark McNally, Australia’s Glenn O’Shea – a silver medallist in the omnium at the World Track Championships last week – and the Belgian quintet of Niko Eeckhout, Nicholas Vereecken, Alphonse Vermote, Niels Wytinck, and Steven Van Vooren.

Manager Kurt Bogaerts is confident his riders can pick up a good result.

“It’s a tough field, full of world class riders but we have enough quality to compete with the big teams. Niko won a couple of stages here before and I think a lot will depend on the weather and if it comes down to a bunch sprint. We will definitely aim to be up there in the general classification and win a stage”.