Liam O'Brien, Killian O'Brien impress at prestigious Ronde de l'Isard | Video

Liam O'Brien is stepping up at in France at Ronde de l'Isard, one of the hardest and most prestigious UCI-ranked stage races on the international U23 calendar (Photo: Dion Kerckhoffs-Cor Vos)

Liam O'Brien (Lidl Trek Future Racing) has enjoyed a very strong start to Ronde de l'Isard, one of the hardest and most prestigious UCI-ranked stage races on the international U23 calendar. It counts Ireland's Archie Ryan and Ben Healy among its stage winners in recent years.

O'Brien (20) has climbed with the front group on the first two stages of the race, including making the select group on yesterday's summit finish at Côte de Cauterets, in the Midi-Pyrenees, with 3,000m of climbing.

The stage won by Belgium's next classics and general classification big hope, 19-year-old Jarno Widar (Lotto Development Team), with O'Brien now into the top 10 overall with three stages remaining, including the cat 1 summit finish atop Pla de Soulcem on Saturday

Though O'Brien is in his second year with the Lidl Trek U23 team, compatriot Killian O'Brien (Petrolike) is in his first year out of the juniors. The 19-year-old is also performing very well in France, even though the first part of his season was ruined when he was sidelined with a knee injury.

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Liam O'Brien is among six riders all on the same time overall, some 18 seconds down on Widar, who has already won 29 UCI-ranked races as a junior and U23.

On Wednesday's opening stage - some 149km from Saint-Mont to Bagnères-de-Bigorre with 1,800m of elevation gain - the riders tackled a cat 2 climb, which was crested 5km from the finish, with a descent all the way to the line.

Liam O'Brien finished 14th - in the lead group of 17, all on the same time - with the victory going to Huw Buck Jones (Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme). The select group formed on the climb, with O'Brien climbing at the front of it. Killian O'Brien, riding for a Mexican UCI Continental team, was 50th at 1:41.

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On yesterday's stage, Belgium's Widar took a solo win, by six seconds, at the top of the concluding climb. he was just ahead of a 15-strong chase group. Liam O'Brien was at the rear of that group, 16th on the stage.

Killian O'Brien's climbing talents stood him to good stead on yesterday's 132km stage from Luz-Saint-Sauveur to Cauterets, where he finished just 25 seconds down on Liam O'Brien's group, containing the general classification talents. He is 37th overall at 2:24.

Tomorrow's stage takes the riders some 143km from Aspet to Salies-du-Salat, with 2,500m of climbing, including the cat 1 Col de Menté in the first half of the race.

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