Michael O'Loughlin in the green of Ireland at the European Road Championships in Switzerland, where he rode the junior time trial today (Photo: Matalide L'Azou)
By Brian Canty
Michael O’Loughlin has finished 24th out of 72 riders in the European Junior Men's Time Trial Championships in Nyon, Switzerland, this afternoon.
The first-year junior, who rides for the Standard Life Nicolas Roche Team, clocked a time of 37 mins 22.72secs for the 26.9 kilometre circuit.
He was some 1minute 47 seconds slower than winner Lennard Kamna of Germany.
He scorched around the two-lap course in 35:35.58, with French and Norwegian riders taking the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
The new champion, who won't be 18 years until September, looks a really talented prospect and he had a significant 26 and 35 seconds to spare over the next placed riders.
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O'Loughlin can take a lot of credit for his display, as it was a very testing course in wet conditions. And the distance was longer than he had to race on a time trial bike before.
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Despite the wet roads, O'Loughlin threw the bike into the corners. Perhaps most encouragingly, went faster on the second lap than the first which shows maturity despite his youth.
He will have learned a lot from today, his first outing at this level, and will be back next year to push for a higher placing.
He will also look to the Junior Tour of Ireland next week with a view to making an impression from the off in the opening time trial, which is just over six kilometres long.
However, his immediate concern is Saturday's road race at the Europeans, where he will form part of a four-man Irish junior team alongside Eddie Dunbar, Daire Feeley and Stephen Shanahan.
Next up for the Irish is Conor Dunne in the U23 TT tomorrow afternoon.
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