After a testing time at the U23 Tour of Flanders, we assess what each of the Irish team is capable of and what's expected of them at their next Nations Cup outing in France on Wednesday. Above, Eoin McCarthy of Ireland in action at the Tour of Flanders at the weekend (Photo with thanks to Joe Duffy)
La Cote Picardie U23 Nations Cup tomorrow, Wednesday, is another race of opportunities and challenges for the Irish team.
At 180 kilometres and with lots of short hills included, not to mention racing against the best U23 riders in the world; this will be a very interesting outing for the Irish team from a number of angles.
Here, cycling coach and commentator Paddy Doran of Peak Endurance Coaching assesses the outlook for each of the Irishmen involved in the French showdown.
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1 Eddie Dunbar
Eddie Dunbar will be riding his first U23 international race for Ireland and has already proven he is well capable of racing against the world’s best at junior level and beating them. This is up another level again and he will be racing against riders who may be up to three years older and with three years more experience. So a good performance here, which he is well capable of, can further enhance his reputation and value to major pro teams. (Photo: British Cycling)
2 Sean McKenna
Sean McKenna has been one of the stars of the 2015 domestic scene and now gets an opportunity to race at international level. It will be interesting to see how he adapts. It’s a big step up with an increase in distance, speed and challenging terrain. But it is a great opportunity for him. A good ride here, maybe simply finishing strongly, can see him becoming part of this Irish squad for the remainder of his U23 career.
3 Jack Wilson
Can Jack Wilson make the top 10? Wilson has consistently shown he can survive these races and has ridden quite well in some of them. However, having been racing on the An Post-Chainreaction team for a while now, some big performances are required for him to make the step to the next level. (Photo: Joe Duffy)
4 Javan Nulty
He was selected for the Nations Cup last year and rode the Tour of Flanders, which he failed to finish, before coming home in 97th place in La Cote Picardie. He had been focussed on the track of late, where he has been part of the Ireland team pursuit line-up. However, with lots of other U23 riders looking to break into the road team, Nulty needs to aim to both finish the race and make a contribution to the team effort.
5 Ryan Mullen
The strongest of the Irish U23s, Ryan Mullen, is injured after his fall in Flanders on Saturday and will not start. His absence is a blow, especially since it was his 6th place finish at the Nations Cup ZLM Tour in Holland last year that qualified Ireland for the World Championships. However, his name dropping off the team sheet represents an opportunity for somebody else to come in. (Photo: JMarc Hecquet)
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6 David Montgomery
If selected in place of Mullen this would be another opportunity for Montgomery to prove that he can race at this level after a good performance in last Saturday’s U23 Tour of Flanders where he was best of the Irish. His bike handling skills from cyclocross and MTB racing, coupled with his power, could well produce a good performance on this course.
7 Daniel Stewart
Now in his third year as an U23 rider, Stewart is based in France and this is the first time he has ridden a Nations Cup race, outside of the European Championships last year where he was 101st. To finish tomorrow would be a good result and anything else a bonus. (Photo: Pat Doherty)
The race is one of a small number of really important events in terms of good U23 riders putting themselves in the shop window for major pro teams.
If a European manager is looking at these races to recruit riders he will only see the top finishers and riders who do exceptional things during the race.
Riders who are able to show a lot of aggression and constantly be near the front of the race in the thick of the action will attract attention.
It’s a big test for the team but other Irish riders have risen to the challenge over the years and gone on to greater things.
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