Peter Hawkins departs IG Sigma Sport, signs for rival UCI Continental-ranked team

Belfast Boy: Peter Hawkins spent this season and last with IG Sigma Sport but is now on the move to a rival squad

One of the leading riders in the Irish and British pelotons over the past two seasons, Peter Hawkins has departed IG Sigma Sport after two years with the British squad.

The Belfast man will ride for the UK-based UCI Continental outfit Madison-Genesis, led by former leading professional rider Roger Hammond.

Hawkins will again target the biggest races on the UK scene, including the Premier Calendar and Tour Series criteriums.

With fellow Irish rider Dominic Jelfs for a team mate, Hawkins will also ride the An Post Rás next May and will likely ride some foreign stage races and one day events with his new squad.

Hawkins had been based in Belgium for a number of seasons before he relocated closer to home on securing a contract with Continental rankedIG Sigma Sport for 2012.

He had a fantastic season with them last year, winning a string of races in Ireland and emerging as one of the most consistent riders in the Premier Calendar before eventually taking 4^th overall. He was 13^th overall in the Rás, getting inside the top 10 on five of the eight stages.

He also rode a very strong Tour of Britain, with a best result of 5^th on the opening stage into Norwich. His aggression on that race saw him make a number of prominent breakaways and resulted in a trip to the podium for the combativity award.

At the start of this year he appeared to be going perhaps even better than 2012 and was clearly watching his form in advance of the Rás where he was looking for a stage win and possible outright victory.

He took 4^th on stage 2 into Nenagh, lifting the yellow jersey from the shoulders of stage 1 winner Conor Dunne (Iverk Produce Carrick). However, on his first day in yellow, Hawkins crashed on stage 3 into Listowel and was forced out of the race with a broken collar bone.

While he returned to racing after a period, he never really recaptured the form he had shown in the early season or last year.

However, the 26-year-old is a quality climber and sprinter and as an athlete unafraid to take chances on the road, the move to Madison Genesis will surely see him back to his best form next year.

We’ll catch up with Hawkins in the next day or two and get his reaction to his move.