Irish riders set to line up in Flandrian races

An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly Racing team are gearing up to compete in two Belgian races in the coming days. A quartet of Irish riders are set to feature in a couple of meetings that take place in the famous Flanders region this week.

The Irish based outfit will be testing out the newfound strength and depth in their squad as they line out for Le Samyn (1.1), a one day race on Wednesday the 2nd of March and also Driedaagse West-Vlaanderen (2.1), a three day race meeting taking place between the 4th and 6th of March.

It will be the first block of racing the team has done in a couple of weeks and An Post team manager, Kurt Bogaerts, is pleased with how the season is progressing thus far;

“We have had a very good start to the year already and I’m delighted with the progress the guys have made. We were really involved in the racing in (Etoile de) Besseges a couple of weeks ago and that was really a good start. We have taken a lot of positives from the past couple of meetings but the challenge now is to keep the momentum moving upwards.”

Among the Irishmen, Jack Wilson is named as part of a strong An Post team that hope to put their stamp on the cobble-clad roads of Flanders tomorrow. Bogaerts is targeting this race to springboard Wilson’s season into action;

“Wilson didn’t get off to an ideal start in Marseille, by his standards. I am hoping with these upcoming couple of races, that he will get up to the pace and we can begin to see some strong results from him. He has been working extremely hard in training, and we just hope he can reap the fruits of his labour tomorrow.”

The An Post team last raced Le Samyn in 2014 with Belgian, Maxime Vantomme, taking the spoils on the day. It is the 48th edition of the race and spans a total of 202 kilometres with challenging signature obstacles, all of which Bogaerts is cognisant of;

“We last raced this race in 2014. It is a very exciting race with a lot of cobbles in the final few kilometres. It is a really typical Belgian race with the wind being a huge factor along with the cobbles on the steep ascents. It will make it a very challenging race but one we’re extremely looking forward to returning to. If we can get our fast guys in the breakaway near the end, we have a great chance to do well.”

Westmeath native, Damian Shaw, is also poised to make an impact in this week’s racing action as himself and Connor McConvey make up the Irish An Post contingent for the three day race, Driedaagse West-Vlaanderen (2.1). The former fireman caught Bogaerts’ eye after a stellar 2015 season and the team manager says his new recruit is adjusting well to life as a full-time racer.

“Shaw is getting stronger every day. He has targeted his speed as an area where he can improve but at the last outing, he did some work for the team and went really well”, he explained.

“It is a big adjustment for him at the moment but I know he is enjoying every minute of it. For the first race, it was a bit of a shock to the system. It was all hands on deck as he was just trying to follow the wheel in front of him but he is eager to learn and improve and is enjoying the different types of races he’s now able to compete in.”

Bogaerts continued to comment on his wealth of options in team selection and his aims for the upcoming calendar races;

“Everyone is fighting fit at the moment so touch wood that stays the same. We were unlucky last year with the timing of a couple of injuries but we’re in good shape because we have a full deck to choose from.

We are a couple of weeks without racing so the guys are chomping at the bit to get going again. They are very well rested since after the heavy block of training we did at the beginning of the year so the team should have plenty in their legs for the upcoming races. I’m delighted with how the team is progressing at the moment and looking forward to seeing how they get on.”

An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly Racing Team in action at Le Samyn (1.1) in Belgium, Wednesday, 3rd of March.

Jack Wilson (IRE)
David Montgomery (IRE)
Connor Mc Convey (IRE)
Calvin Watson (AUS)
Jordan Stannus (AUS)
Nicholas Vereecken (BEL)
Emiel Wastyn (BEL)
Jasper Bovenhuis (NED)

An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly Racing Team in action at Driedaagse West-Vlaanderen (2.1) in Belgium, Wednesday, 4th-6th of March.

Damian Shaw (IRE)
Connor McConvey (IRE)
Calvin Watson (AUS)
Nicholas Vereecken (BEL)
Emiel Wastyn (BEL)
Jacob Scott (GB)
Jasper Bovenhuis (NED)
Oliver Spark-Kent (AUS)