Archie Ryan is set to get back into action for Team Ireland at Tour de l'Avenir later this month, after a prolonged break from racing, but before then he will competing with his trade team, Jumbo Visma Development.
Ryan had an incredible season last year, with 4th overall at Tour de l'Avenir and stage victories in Ronde de l'Isard (2.2U) and Tour de Slovaquie (2.1), the latter on debut with the Jumbo Visma World Tour team. However, he then suffered a recurrence of a knee injury during the winter and has not yet raced this season.
He will now make his season debut this weekend at the one-day Gran Premio Sportivi di Poggiana - Trofeo Bonin Co (1.2U), some 166km starting and finishing in Poggiana in northern Italy.
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While the race features relatively modest climbing, it is an attritional course that could suit Ryan. However, while securing a result would be a confidence-booster for him, some 10 months after his last race, the real value of Saturday's race is that it will help ease his way back into the peloton ahead of the much stern test of Tour de l'Avenir, starting on August 20th.
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The Team Ireland line-up is comprised of Ryan along with Dean Harvey, Kevin McCambridge, Odhran Doogan, Aaron Wade and Jamie Meehan. While Darren Rafferty has been a star performer this year, winning Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta-Mont Blanc (2.2U) and finishing 2nd in Giro Next Gen (2.2U), he will not ride Tour de l'Avenir.
Former world track champion, and ex ProConti rider, Martyn Irvine also returns as manager of the Irish team for the French stage race and said he was delighted with the selection of riders available to him.
