Irish junior Leo Doyle triumphs in UCI-ranked road race in Belgium

Leo Doyle wins a Belgian UCI-ranked race with a truly international field in East Flanders (Photo: Martine Verfaillie)

Irish junior ride Leo Doyle has taken an impressive victory in a UCI-ranked junior road race in Belgium.

Doyle, who rides for Cavan-based DB Cycling Club, was best of an 80-strong international field in Balegem yesterday.

The race, in East Flanders, was run over 100km and featured riders from all over the world.

Doyle got clear in a race-long breakaway almost from the gun. As the UCI 1.14.3-ranked event neared a close it split at the front.

As one rider led the way solo, two others attacked after him. Just after they made their move, Doyle also fired himself off the front.

He caught the two riders just ahead, and then that trio mopped up the lone leader.

And though a 10-man chase group was just seconds back the road, the leaders hung on to sprint it out for victory.

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Very nice win for Irish junior Leo Doyle (DB Cycling Club) in Belgium; UCI-ranked race with international field.... pic.twitter.com/x2zzAnVlMP

— Sticky Bottle (@sticky_bottle) August 19, 2018

Doyle was fastest to the finish line, taking the win with some distance to spare to capture a breakthrough result.

He beat Gerrit Van Belligen (KTC Cycling Team) and Vincent Van Hemelen (Royal Cureghem).

The Irish teenager is currently in Belgium for a couple of weeks to try out the racing scene there.

He was not the only Irish rider in yesterday’s race. Breandan Flannagan (Powerhouse Sport) placed 14^th, just 14 seconds back and has been flying in Belgium of late.

Michael McGlynn, the Omagh Wheelers man who has impressed on hillier terrain this year, was in 27^th yesterday.

Robert Kiely of the Sundrive Track Team was also riding. He was among the non-finishers on a day when only half the field completed the course.

The race was mostly made up of Belgians but there were also riders from Great Britain, Lithuania, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Holland, Italy, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Poland.