Liam O'Brien, the first-year U23 rider now competing in the colours of Lidl-Trek Future Racing, has been going about his business, riding strongly for his new team, in what are his first weeks in the U23 ranks and in the pro bunch.
The 18-year-old, who was a stand-out junior when competing for local club Fermoy CC last year, now has six races under his belt, including his first stage race.
He has also had his first taste of climbing under real pressure, and fared very well riding against some of the biggest teams in the world.
He took in Tour des Alpes-Maritimes (2.1) in France last weekend, a two-day stage race which featured a number of World Tour teams, including Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Cofidis, Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Groupama-FDJ and Team dsm-firmenich Post NL.
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On the opening stage, some 165.5km from Levens to Antibes, O'Brien was 83rd some 5:43 behind victor Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), who won in a sprint from a reduced main field of about 70 riders.
O'Brien was unfortunately caught behind a crash with one lap to go on the large finishing circuit, ending his hopes of finishing closer to the front. However, on the second stage of the race last Sunday, when the riders tackled several climbs, he looked in good shape.
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That stage took the riders 131.8km from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Vence and started with the ascent of Col d'Eze from the line, a climb of 6.9km at 5 per cent average gradient.
The riders then crested the cat 1 Col de Châteauneuf after 50km, a climb of 6.9km at 6.3 per cent, before tackling the cat 2 Carros climb, some 5.3km at 5.2 per cent.
In the finale, there was 6km of climbing - in two stretches averaging 5.3 per cent and 7.8 per cent - up to a plateau of about 3km to the finish line.
As the field broke up on that last ascent, O'Brien held his place in the front group for a long time, after making every split in the peloton during the day.
"I was in the front group fighting for position right up to the very last climb, I just lacked that last bit towards the end on the final climb," he told stickybottle of being distanced a little in the final section.
He eventually finished in 32nd at 1:21, and eighth rider on the rider behind the 24-rider group sprinting it out for victory.
The stage was won by Benoît Cosnefroy from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team mate Aurélien Paret-Peintre, with Cosnefroy also taking overall victory after stage 1 winner, Vernon, lost 10:45 on the stage. O'Brien ended the race in 59th overall, at 7:14, and best of his team.
