Liam O'Brien (Lidl Trek Future Racing) may have already taken some excellent results at home and abroad as a junior and U23 rider, but the 20-year-old has well and truly announced himself on the international cycling scene in France today.
Competing on the queen stage at Ronde de l'Isard (2.2U) - one of the most prestigious U23 stage races in the world - O'Brien took the race by the scruff of the neck 5km from the finish. And by the time he was done, only one rider could live with the pace he set.
Even the phenom that all of Belgium, and much of Europe, is heralding as the next Remco Evenepoel - race leader Jarno Widar (Lotto Development Team) - couldn't match O'Brien on the upper slopes of the cat 1 Pla de Soulcem to the summit finish.
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O'Brien led solo as the race climbed towards the line and only Colombia's Juan Felipe Rodriguez (Team Sistecredito) was able to get back on terms with the Irishman, beating him to the line in a photo finish sprint.
They were 1st and 2nd on the stage, some seven seconds up on yellow jersey Widar, in 3rd place. And having moved up to 5th overall yesterday - with a 20km attack to take three seconds at an intermediate sprint - O'Brien is now 2nd overall with just one stage remaining.
The Irish rider is just seven seconds down on Widar, with today's stage winner, Rodriguez, in 3rd at 20 seconds. And that means O'Brien, who came up through the ranks with Fermoy Cycling Club, is odds on to finish on the podium, and might yet even win the race outright.
Today O'Brien was patient in the select group on the final climb - some 13.2km averaging 6.2 per cent gradient. After the front group had been trimmed right back by the gradient, O'Brien attacked with just over 5km to go.
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While he pulled clear, he was followed by Milan Donie, a team mate of race leader Widar at the U23 Lotto team. However, after they eked out a lead of 10 seconds - with O'Brien driving it on - Donie couldn't live with the Irishman's climbing powers and was dropped.
O'Brien began the day 16 seconds off the yellow jersey, and when he continued to extend his advantage today, to 22 seconds, he was virtual yellow jersey. With about 4km to go, the eventual stage winner, Rodriguez, attacked the yellow jersey group and went off in pursuit of lone leader O'Brien.
It took Rodriguez 3km to catch his Irish rival; that duo joining forces just after they passed the 1km to go marker. The Colombian then just edged out O'Brien for the stage victory; both having ridden out of their socks to drop Widar on the final climb.
Killian O'Brien (Petrolike), the first-year Irish U23 rider, was 35th on the stage at 3:11. He is coping more than solidly on the climbs in what is effectively his debut at this level of top tier U23 stage racing.
The race concludes tomorrow with a 150km stage from Saubens to Saint-Girons. There is a significant climb in the final third of the stage; the 14.2km Col de la Core. There follows a sharp descent for almost 15km and then it is gently downhill for the remaining 17.5km to the finish.
If O'Brien could get ahead of Widar going over the top of that climb, and build a gap of over 30 seconds, he would have a fighting chance of making it all the way, especially if he was with riders willing to work. However, whatever happens, the Irishman has announced himself today.
