Gediminas Bagdonas has been one of the An Post Sean Kelly team's greatest ever riders and he took a string of fine wins during 2011 and 2012, including stage seven at the Tour of Britain (above). He was subsequently snapped up by Ag2r La Mondiale where he has spent the last three seasons.
By Brian Canty
The An Post-ChainReaction team is in its 10th year and to mark that anniversary we thought it timely to pen an article listing the riders the team has sent to the WorldTour, the highest tier in professional cycling.
The Irish-registered, Belgian-based outfit operates as a Continental-level squad and has been a superb breeding ground for up and coming riders from around the world.
They have taken on their fair share of Irishmen over the years, three of whom have graduated to the WorldTour and are listed here.
Advertisement
Several riders have graduated to ProConti teams such as Mark McNally (Wanty Groupe Gobert), Kenneth Vanbilson (Cofidis, Solutions Crédits) and Dan Fleeman (Cervelo TestTeam).
Here's the full list of riders who have made it to the sport's highest-paid ranks - including those who have already reached WorldTour or who will be there next year.
Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18, soon to be Bora-Hansgrohe)
Sam Bennett gave the team its greatest ever result when he claimed a stage of the 2013 Tour of Britain, a result that garnered him his first pro contract.
The Carrick on Suir star spent three seasons at the team (2011-2013) before eventually making the breakthrough in September 2013 when he won a stage of the Tour of Britain and finished runner-up on two more days.
He was subsequently snapped up by Team NetApp-Endura and raced in the ProContinental ranks with them before it morphed into Bora-Argon 18 two years ago.
Recently, the team were granted a WorldTour licence for 2017 and will be renamed Bora-Hansgrohe.
Bennett is set to remain at the team for at least one more season.
Shane Archbold (Bora-Argon 18, soon to be Bora-Hansgrohe)
Shane Archbold rode for An Post-Charin Reaction for two years (2013-2014) and took a great stage win in the 2013 An Post Rás from Longford to Nenagh. He also took third into Skerries on the final day in the same race.
The Kiwi was signed by Bora-Argon 18 to assist Bennett in the bunch sprints, something he’d done when they were teammates at An Post.
Archbold spent two seasons at the Irish team in Belgium and took a number of eye-catching results on the road, having made the transition from the track.
Though he failed to actually win a race in 2014, his performances were impossible to ignore and he was snapped up by Bora-Argon 18 which is now moving up to WorldTour level.
One of the standout days was on stage five of the Tour of Britain that year where he finished runner-up to Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling) following a long breakaway.
Gediminas Bagdonas (Ag2r La Mondiale)
Bagdonas celebrates with teammates after his overall victory in the 2011 An Post Rás.
The former Lithuanian national road and time-trial champion joined the team in 2011 and during his first season he proved to be a real gem, winning a marvellous stage of the Tour of Britain.
In the same year he won the An Post Rás (2.2), the Ronde de l'Oise (2.2) and was 25th at the world road race championships.
A year later he won three stages and the overall at the Baltic Chain Tour (2.2) and became national road race champion in his home country also.
He won two stages of the An Post Rás, was never outside the top 10 on any day and had six top-10s in UCI races during a glittering three-month spell.
He was then signed by Ag2r La Mondiale and remains with the French outfit.
Matt Brammeier (Dimension Data)
In the national champion’s jersey riding for An Post-Sean Kelly in 2010.
The four-time Irish national road race champion spent two years at the team from 2009 to the end of 2010.
His qualities as a rider were not unnoticed by HTC-High Road who took him onboard for 2011.
Related News
He was offered an extended contract with that team but it was discontinued and he found himself on the move; to Omega Pharma-QuickStep, Champion System and Synergy Baku.
He then signed for Dimension Data for last year when it was a ProConti team and has continued with it into the WorldTour this year; his third stint at WorldTour level
Owain Doull (Team WIGGINS, soon to be Team Sky)
Owain Doull, right, spent a year at An Post-Chain Reaction and became the 9th former rider to graduate to the WorldTour from the team.
The 23 year-old will join Team Sky next season and is the latest former An Post-Chain reaction rider to have joined the sport’s top tier of teams.
He rode for An Post Chain Reaction in 2014 and though didn’t set the world on fire, he still produced some notable performances.
He won a stage and the overall of the Le Triptyique des Monts et Chateaux (2.2) and took five top-10 finishes in the An Post Rás.
His allegiance to the British track programme leading into the Olympics this year probably cost him a shot at more results but next year could be the year where he emerges as a real star as he will focus more on the road.
Ryan Mullen (Cannondale-Drapac)
Ryan Mullen took one of his best ever road wins when he stormed to a slolo victory in the 2014 national road race championships in Multyfarnham, Co. Westmeath. (Photo: Kevin Monaghan)
One of three Irish riders to make the list, Mullen was always destined for the WorldTour after his silver medal at the U23 time-trial world championships in Spain two years ago.
It was a major coup for An Post Chain Reaction to secure his services for the following year but his rise from continental rider to WorldTour rider has been seamless - and fast.
He’s found a good home at Cannondale-Drapac in a team of young and hungry riders from places like Latvia, New Zealand, Norway and Germany.
With An Post Chain Reaction he won the national road and time-trial championships and took a brilliant seventh in the time-trial at the 2014 Tour of Britain, amongst his other top performances.
Andy Fenn (Team Sky)
Andy Fenn rode for the Kurt Bogaerts-led squad for one year in 2011 before moving into the WorldTour.
The 26 year-old rode for An Post-Sean Kelly in 2011; a year he was third in the world U23 road race championships.
He went close to a couple of stage wins a month earlier at the Tour of Britain and was 10th in the national road race championships.
He raced the full season, taking a number of UCI-ranked wins and would join Belgian super team Omega Pharma-QuickStep the following year on a three-year contract.
He is currently in his second season at Team Sky.
Dan Lloyd (Garmin-Cervelo)
Perhaps more known for his work with Global Cycling Network (GCN) and the top road career he enjoyed after An Post, the 36 year-old did take some eye-catching results - even being part of a Rás winning team in 2008 with Stephen Gallagher.
The current Global Cycling Network presenter rode for the An Post team in its early years, 2008 to be precise.
He took sixth on a stage of the now defunct Tour of Ireland, eighth on a stage of the Tour of Britain, won the overall at the Vuelta A Extremadura and was placed in several other prestigious UCI races.
He spent two years at the Cervelo Test Team before they merged with Garmin to become Team Garmin-Cervelo.
Glenn O’Shea (Garmin-SHARP)
Australian powerhouse Glenn O'Shea celebrates winning a stage of the 2.2-ranked Ronde de l'Oise in France in 2013.
The 27 year-old rode for the team in 2013 and amongst his top results were a stage win in Ronde l’Oise (2.2) and third overall.
More known for his performances on the track where he’s won three gold medals at the world championships and Olympic silver (2012) in the team pursuit he was snapped up by Garmin-SHARP at the latter end of 2013, albeit as a stagiaire.
He rode a number of races with them but injuries prevented him from giving a true account of himself and he was back with An Post for 2014.
Topics
