Matthew Teggart celebrates a stage win at the Junior Tour this year and is now in France in search of a place on the Irish team at the World Championships. (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
By Gerard Cromwell
Irish junior riders Michael O’Loughlin and Matthew Teggart went to France yesterday for a stint racing with the AC Bisontine club.
The Nicolas Roche Performance Team duo are in Besancon after an agreement was signed by team founder Nicolas Roche with the French club during the Tour de France rest day this year.
"The initial contact with the French club came through Paraic Quinn,” says team manager Phil Finegan.
"I then spoke to Pascal Orlandi, the Bisontine manager, a couple of times during the year about linking up. And he met with Nicolas during the rest day of the Tour and they signed an agreement.
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"It’s a place where riders can go for two or three weeks to get some hard racing. The worlds team hasn’t been announced yet but I’d be hopeful that we’d have a good chance of getting three or four on that team."
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Having won the Wexford Two-Day last weekend, Michael O'Loughlin will line out for AC Bisontine (Photo: Sean Rowe)
O’Loughlin is on a hot streak of form at the moment; the Carrick-On-Suir teenager following up two stage wins at the Junior Tour of Ireland with a silver medal at the national road race championships.
He then won the final stage and took overall victory at the Wexford Two-Day last weekend.
While injury stilted Teggart's early eason, he too has been in good form of late; taking victory in the Groucho Grand Prix before he too won a stage at the Junior Tour of Ireland and took the green jersey classification.
"Michael did an absolutely fabulous ride to win the Wexford two-Day last week and is in really good form and Matthew is hoping to get over and do a few good rides and put himself in the shop window for the worlds," said Finegan.
The duo are hoping a stage race in France this weekend and some more racing over the next 10 days will help them hone their form ahead of the Worlds, with both hoping for selection.
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