Irish riders Sam Bennett and Sean Downey have been selected as part of a six man An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly team for the Tour of Britain (2.1) which starts this Sunday (15th September) in Peebles, Scotland.
Some of the best teams in the world are set to line out on Sunday but the An Post team will hold no fear going into the Tour, having consistently challenged the likes of the Sky Pro Cycling team and Omega Pharma Quick-Step team last year with their aggressive style of racing winning much praise from neutral cycling fans.
British rider Mark McNally, Kiwi riders Aaron Gate and Shane Archbold and Belgian Nicholas Vereecken make up the remainder of the six man team. A gruelling eight days and nine stages awaits the riders with the race including a 16 kilometre Individual Time Trial on stage three and an 88 kilometre final stage into London city.
The An Post team can take a lot of heart from last year’s outing. Couple that with the team’s form at the moment and there is clear cause for optimism going into Sunday. Sam Bennett appears to have taken his cycling to a new level recently and with the World Championships coming later this month, the Tour of Britain provides the perfect platform for Bennett to impress.
The Carrick-An-Suir sprinter has accumulated a string of good results of late including taking victory at the Pro Kermesse in Kortemark, Belgium, while finishing fourth at the UCI ranked 1.1 Schaal Sels.
Team manager Kurt Bogaerts believes consistency is the key to Bennett’s run of good form.
“With Sam, we know his ability and we know his potential so it’s just a case of ensuring he is more consistent in his performances and he has done that this season. He has been delivering really solid results in the past few weeks so let’s hope it continues. It’s always a big challenge going up against the likes of Cavendish and Wiggins but Sam is capable of giving these guys trouble so I’m excited for Sunday to come around.”
Speaking on his team’s chances, Bogaerts feels his team’s aggressive style is vital to potentially securing a stage victory.
“We like to ride aggressively and we showed last year that we are not just there to make up numbers. Our riders are in great form; Sean Downey is in good shape and has been climbing really well, so he will be key to how we perform. As always, we will try to ensure we are in the breakaways and challenging for any points on offer and with a bit of luck we may be able to get a stage victory - that will be our goal”.
An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly Team for Tour of Britain (2.1) 15th – 22nd September 2013
- Sam Bennett (IRL)
- Sean Downey (IRL)
- Mark McNally (GB)
- Nicholas Vereecken (BEL)
- Aaron Gate (NZ)
- Shane Archbold (NZ)