Michael O’Loughlin set for Baby Giro after breakthrough week
Michael O'Loughlin is now set for his biggest test, at the Baby Giro, after his breakthrough ride at the Rás. He was one of the men of the race, taking 8th overall and the U23 classification (All photos by Sean Rowe)
By Shane Stokes
Having taken some excellent international results as a junior and already confirmed his continuing progression since turning U23, Michael O’Loughlin had a breakthrough An Post Rás.
The Carrick-on-Suir man riding for Team Wiggins ended the race 8th overall. He also won the U23 classification.
The only thing he lacked was a big impact stage win or even a podium; his best on any of the eight stages being the 12th place he took last Friday into Donegal.
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However, he was in the thick of the action all week, looking especially good on the climbs.
But for ending the 181km stage 5 from Buncrana to Dungloe in the chasing group rather than the breakaway there is little more consistency he could have asked for.
On that decisive stage the race for the yellow jersey was won. Eventually Rás winner James Gullen (JLT Condor) made the six-man escape.
And four of the breakaway would finish more than 4½ minutes ahead of the eight chasers, including O’Loughlin.
But still only aged 20 years, he may well return to the Rás to have another go.
“If I come back next year, hopefully I will be up the standings again and maybe try to go for a stage next year as well,” he said.
“But in my first Rás, to take a jersey, I am very happy,” he said of his U23 overall win.
“The boys worked really well for me all week, so I have to thank them as well.
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that he would be snapped up by a large pro team before next year’s race.
But for now O’Loughlin is says he is not looking that far ahead, adding he is very happy with in the Team Wiggins set-up.
“I haven’t really thought about it yet,” he replied when asked about teams for next year.
“Things have been great with Team Wiggins. I will look at that in a few months. I am really happy with how things are at the moment so we will keep going with that.”
He added his Rás ride, the first UCI stage race where he was one of the men of the race, has done “a lot” for his confidence.
“I had a big block of racing at the start of the year. Then I had a few weeks off, and now I am into another block of racing.
“To kick off things with some good results, I am looking forward to the next races already. Hopefully there is a bit more to come.
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“Next up is the Baby Giro; I will go there. It will be the first really good U23 race. It hasn’t been on in a few years.
“I am really looking forward to that. Then nationals will be the next race after that. They are two races I am hoping to do well. At least get some experience out of the Baby Giro anyway.”
Having won U23 gold in the road race at the nationals last year and taken bronze in the elite contest, behind Nicolas Roche and Matt Brammeier, he will go to Wexford in a month’s time as one of the favourites.
He is also very strong against the watch though must get past both Ryan Mullen and Eddie Dunbar if he wanted to win U23 TT gold at the Irish championships.
It is not beyond him to beat one or both of those. O’Loughlin won the TT stage in the Trophée Centre Morbihan Nations Cup even two years ago as a junior.
And in his first year as a junior he took an incredible 8th in the TT at the World Championships in Ponferrada. Last year he was 4th in the elite TT nationals; behind Roche, Dunbar and Mullen.
And that was good enough for the U23 bronze medal.
“I hope to do well there again,” was his understated assessment of his chances at the championships."
Reflecting on the final stage of the Rás on Sunday from Ardee to Skerries, he said the final around the Blackhills circuit was very tough.
“I wasn’t too sure how I was going to go. In previous editions into Skerries, I think it has been a bit more straightforward.
“But with that category two climb, the Australians obviously had a plan to go for it. The race isn’t over until it is over. So they went.”
He said the climb of Snowtown, just before the halfway point in the 129km stage was a nervous moment.
“I was positioned quite poorly going into the bottom of the climb. But I still ended up going over the top with the yellow jersey,” he explained.
“But he didn’t have as many teammates going into the bottom of it. The Australians got away and then there was a group of us behind.
“It looked a bit shaky there for a while. And also Matthew Teggart was up the road,” he said of the An Post Chainreaction who won a stage, held yellow for a day and was nearest to O’Loughlin in the U23 classification.
“I knew I had two minutes to play with, but still we had 60 kilometres to go at that stage,” he said.
“It was by no means easy at all. Even when we hit the circuits; it did come back together.
“But to try and keep it together for a sprint for Chris Latham was still too hard. There were a lot of tired bodies out there and the hill is a big factor every lap.
“It is a lot tougher stage than I thought it was going to be. But I supposed that is the story of the Rás, isn’t it?”
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