Leave no man behind: Ireland's Matt Teggart and Michael O'Loughlin finish side by side on a summit finish in the Alps at Tour de l'Avenir.
Irish team Tour de l’Avenir stages in Alps
The U23 Irish team is counting the cost of two stages in the Alps at the Tour de l’Avenir. Two of the riders have been forced out of the race and the four remaining have lost time.
All of the team rode very well on the opening six stages. They combined as a unit to get clear in fantastic escapes.
Michael O’Loughlin went very close to winning Thursday’s stage 6 in a breakaway. And on stage 4 Darragh O’Mahony did the same from another breakaway.
Mark Downey has taken three top 10 places. And Matt Teggart has held the climbers jersey for most of the race.
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Top, Darragh O'Mahony and Daire Feeley battle hard. Middle and bottom; Teggart having just relinquished the climbers' jersey on Friday and climbing well yesterday.
Meanwhile, Daire Feeley and Ryan Reilly had also made a strong contribution.
But over the past two days the race went into unchartered territory for the Irish team; climbing mountains we are used to seeing in the Tour de France.
And as a new experience for every one of the team, it is no surprise they have found the terrain very difficult. Without question, the best U23 climbers in the world are in this race.
That deadly conspiracy of the course and their rivals meant that, without experience of these climbs, the Irish were always going to be on a learning curve.
Irish team two stages in Alps
Friday’s stage 7 saw the riders tackle 118.4km from Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Hauteluce-Les Saisies.
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There were two cat 2 climbs in the first half of the course. And the stage concluded with a summit finish atop the cat 1 to Hauteluce Les Saisies.
Yesterday’s stage 8 took in two cat 1 ascents – Comet de Roselend and Les Arc 1800. It then concluded at the summit of a cat 2 climb at Sainte-Foy Tarentaise.
Egan Arley Bernal, a 20-year-old Colombian who rides with ProContinental team Androni-Sidermec-Bottecchia, won both stages in some style.
The Colombians weren't hanging around. Top, Egan Arley Bernal winning stage 7. Middle, his team working for him on yesterday's stage 8. Winning his second stage on the trot yesterday, and wearing the yellow jersey.
He took Friday’s stage 7 by a minute from James Knox of Great Britain. Yesterday’s stage 8 was tighter at the top, though the yellow jerseyed Colombian won from a lead group of four.
On Friday’s stage 7 Mark Downey spent time in the breakaway and was 2nd over two of the cat 2 ascents.
In the end Teggart was best of the Irish; finishing 67th at 10:12. Michael O’Loughlin was 93rd at 16:16.
Darragh O’Mahony, Daire Feeley and Downey came home in 113th, 114th and 123rd; all in a group at 23:01. And Ryan Reilly would place 133rd at 28:47.
Yesterday Teggart and O’Loughlin were 42nd and 43rd at 19:21. O’Mahony and Feeley were 91st and 94th in a group at 34:49.
Unfortunately for Downey, a bout of illness forced him out of the race today. Furthermore, Ryan Reilly today succumbed to injuries he sustained during a crash on stage 5.
Going into the last stage today, Teggart is best of the Irish in 45th overall at 29:33. O’Loughlin is 86th at 35:37. Feeley is 98th at 57:50 and O’Mahony 108th at 1:03:53.
Today’s final stage 9 takes the Tour de l’Avenir riders up the HC Col de la Madeleine at the halfway point.
And it concludes with another summit finish up the cat 1 Col du Mollard.
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