Here’s a nice little video interview with An Post-Chainreaction manager Kurt Bogaerts discussing the new riders that have joined the team in the off season, including three Irishmen.
The new Irish team members are Conor Dunne, Ryan Mullen and Marcus Christie; all very strong athletes who are particularly good against the watch.
Conor Dunne (21) has been riding in Belgium in recent seasons and won the opening stage of the An Post Rás last year.
Ryan Mullen (19) joins from UK Continental team IG Sigma Sport, with his highlights last year including two bronze medals at the U23 European Track Championships and 7th in the U23 time trial at the World Road Championships.
Marcus Christie (23) cemented a courageous injury hit few years last season when a series of blistering times in the time trials on home roads saw him selected with Mullen for the Worlds.
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Also new to the teams is the Irish-born Australian international Robert Jon McCarthy who earlier this month took a silver medal in the U23 Australian National Road Race Championships.
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The teenager is originally from Fermoy. His family emigrated to Australia when he was aged 14 years and since then his cycling career has gone from strength to strength.
He won the Australian national junior national road title two years ago and was a regular fixture in the junior international team, up to an including World Championship level.
Bogaerts has confirmed that the new UK rider to sign for the team Owain Doull has joined by way of an arrangement put in place last year between Team Sky and the Bradley Wiggins Foundation on the one hand and An Post-Chainreaction on the other.
Under that arrangement, some riders will be placed into the Irish team at the behest of Team Sky and British Cycling with a view to developing, as was the case with Kieran Frend last season.
The three new Irish riders will join their compatriots Jack Wilson and Sean Downey on the Irish-registered, Belgian-based squad. Wilson is entering his second year with the team and Downey his third.
In the off season Sam Bennett moved on, signing for Pro Continental squad NetApp-Endura and Ronan McLaughlin has decided to relocated back to Ireland to race on the domestic scene.
The run down on the team's new training bikes
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