Michael O'Loughlin in the colours of AC Bisontine on the front of the breakaway in France, where he has taken his first foreign win as a junior (Photo: Marine Comby)
By Brian Canty
Michael O’Loughlin has taken a fabulous win in France this afternoon, beating his three breakaway men in a sprint for the line in the Prix de la Chapelle lès Luxeuil race in the north east.
And in more good news from an Irish perspective, Matthew Teggart took ninth.
Both riders are in France for an 11-day period of training and racing with the AC Bisontine team and will return to Ireland tomorrow, Monday.
They are hoping they have done enough to secure a place on the Irish team for the Junior World Championships in Spain later in the month.
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O’Loughlin is a certainty to make the team, Teggart less so.
But he has done his chances of selection no harm at all in recent months, winning a stage of the Junior Tour and performing consistently well throughout August.
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Today, O’Loughlin managed to jump away with three others - Vincent Humbert (Lyon Sprint evolution), Julien Souton (VC Saint Denis) and Martial Noirjean (VC Valdahon Val Vennes) – in the final five kilometres of the 120 kilometre event before beating them all in the gallop for the line.
The Carrick teenager who, like Teggart, riders for the Nicolas Roche Performance Team, said he was delighted to take a win in France, especially as a first year junior.
"I attacked a lot during the race to test out who was strong," he added.
"In the final 5km I didn’t really know the riders or how well they could sprint so I led out the sprint early and won it.
“It's great, I'm happy because AC Bisontine had five men in the top 10. And it's good for morale too because the world championships are only two weeks away now."
Michael O'Loughlin (left) and Matthew Teggart (right) in the colours of their French club with Soline Lamboley, French national champion and world junior track championship sliver medal winner (Photo: www.be-celt.com)
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