Teenager O'Loughlin gets hopeful Irish team underway at U23 & Junior Euro Champs

Jack Wilson (above) and his An Post-Chainreaction team mate Conor Dunne will be the protected riders in the U23 road race at the European Championships in Switzerland this weekend.

By Brian Canty

Cycling Ireland development coach Neil Delahaye says spirits are high in the Irish camp on the eve of one of the biggest goals of the year for our younger internationals in the shape of European Junior & U23 Road Championships in Nyon, Switzerland.

"The lads are all in very good form, we had a setback in that Felix English was ruled out after he broke his wrist in a crash recently but other than that it's all systems go,” Delahaye told stickybottle from Switzerland where the racing will unfold in coming days.

"The weather has been awful out here; a lot cooler than it is in Ireland but that won't faze any of the lads. They won't be too put out by that at all.”

He added both staff and riders had had plenty of time to check out the courses for the road and time trial events.

"The circuit is a lumpy one,” Delahaye said of the road race course.

“There's one technical part to it but it's going to be all big-ring I suspect. There's probably going to be some rain at the weekend and that'll see temperatures drop so it'll just make it that little bit trickier.

“Both road races are going to be relentless; there'll be very little recovery for anyone at any stage so it'll be a good test to see where we stand."

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Eddie Dunbar has been on fire at home and away in recent months and he is in with a real chance in the junior road race, although it would be unfair to put too much pressure on one set of young shoulders (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)

First-year junior Michael O'Loughlin (Iverk Produce Carrick Wheelers) gets the Irish campaign underway tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, in the junior men's 26.9km TT.

On Friday is Conor Dunne (An Post Chainreaction) who will ride the U23 race against the clock.

Saturday morning plays host to the junior men's road race in which Eddie Dunbar (O’Leary’s Stone Kanturk) will be looking to do well. He will have the support of Daire Feeley (Donamon Dynamos), Stephen Shanahan (Limerick CC) and O'Loughlin.

Sunday sees the last day of competition and the four-man U23 road team of Conor Dunne, Jack Wilson, Eoin McCarthy (Terra Safety) and Daniel Stewart (East Antrim Audi) will be aiming to set up either Dunne or An Post-Chainreaction team mate Wilson for a result.

Assisting Delahaye, former British pro and Great Britain double Olympian Neil Martin will act as directeur sportif alongside An Post-Chainreaction manager Kurt Bogaert's. Stacey Kelly will act as soigneur.