Irish young guns in flying form against top pros in Belgium

Teenager Michael O'Loughlin of Team Wiggins is showing a fantastic ability to slot right in with the pros. And An Post-Chainreaction young guns Angus Fyffe and Sean McKenna were in the thick of it with him.

Currently in their first season in the pro bunch, several of Irish strongest young riders but in very strong performances in Belgium yesterday against top opposition.

Teenager Michael O’Loughlin lined out at the 170km Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde Meulebeke (UCI 1.2) for Team Wiggins, with Angus Fyffe, Sean McKenna and Damien Shaw all riding for An Post Chainreaction.

None of the Irish riders troubled the top of the results, but riding a race of such length in their first year at this level and one that is ostensibly for sprinters, they took to the line looking for strong performances rather than a victory.

And that’s exactly what they delivered; all staking their claim for a place in the Irish teams for the Europeans and World Championships.

The event was won by Belgian Pieter Vanspeybrouck of Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise from Briton Chris Latham, a team mate of O’Loughlin’s at the Wiggins team.

And rounding out the podium after 3hrs 44mins at an average speed of 45.4km per hour was Amaury Capiot, a team mate of the winner.

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Vanspeybrouck came home just four seconds ahead of a 39-man group sprinting for 2^nd place as what was left of the main field fractured in the final.

O’Loughlin, still only 19 years old and in his first year out of the juniors, was best of the Irish, finishing in 46^th place just 12 seconds down in a race where his team’s effort was all for Latham.

After him, McKenna was just a further 12 seconds back in 58^th place, while Fyffe came home in seven seconds after his team mate in 69^th place.

Damien Shaw was in a group just a little further back, crossing the line in a group 1:36 down.

All four Irish men did very well to finish on a day when almost 40 riders abandoned.

O’Loughlin’s strong ride follows an attacking performance at the GP Stad Zottegem (UCI 1.1) last week. He would fail to finish but was on the attack several times, as you’ll see in the clip below from the four minute mark.

Shaw and McKenna were also listed as non-finishers while Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18) in 81st place.