Having been called up from their U23 development teams to the Lidl Trek and Bahrain Victorious World Tour line-ups for AlUla Tour, Liam O'Brien and Seth Dunwoody will line out again for the top-tier selections this weekend.
And this time they'll swap the heat and sand of the Saudi desert for the cooler conditions of the south of France, where they will race alongside compatriot Jamie Meehan (Cofidis), who has already got his European season underway.
Dunwoody and O'Brien will be in action at the 176.6km Classic Var (1.1) tomorrow, Saturday, before the 154km Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var (1.1) on Sunday, when Meehan will be racing against them.
Tomorrow's race into Brignoles does not include the uphill finish of the past two years, meaning the sprinters capable of negotiating the lumpy terrain through the race, may feature. However, with almost 2,000m of elevation gain, over 16 short climbs, it will be a hard day out.
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The course will likely be better-suited to Dunwoody than O'Brien, who favours longer climbs. And though Dunwoody will be in the same team as experienced German sprint, Phil Bauhaus, it will be interesting to see how he does tomorrow, specifically how far into the race he will play a part.
On Sunday, the terrain is similar, though the inclusion of a 1.6km climb, averaging just over five per cent, to the finish will spice things up. O'Brien's team will likely ride for Quinn Simmons while Lenny Martinez seems a likely contender for Dunwoody's Bahrain Victorious.
Meehan's team line-up is more open, and the Irishman has already performed quite strongly at Tour de la Provence. However, Frenchman Clément Izquierdo has been in good early-season form and he may be the man to watch for the French team.
While the three young Irish riders are in action in France, another up-and-comer, Emma Jeffers, is down to start the 118.8km Clasica de Almeria (1.Pro) in Spain. Though there are some climbs to negotiate in the first half of the race, they are modest. This is a course that could suit a sprinter like Jeffers.
An Irish track international, Jeffers won two races for Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team last season and has every right to count herself in the mix this weekend in what will be just her second race of the season.
