The An Post Chain Reaction Sean Kelly team claimed an impressive five top ten finishes between their outings at Omloop van het Waasland (1.2) and Kattekoers (1.2) yesterday (Sunday 10th March) in Belgium.
Ronan McLaughlin put in a selfless performance at the Kattekoers, battling through the cold and wet conditions to help Belgian team mate Alphonse Vermote claim second place in his home town of Flanders.
The Donegal native attacked inside the final kilometre to set up the sprint for Vermote who narrowly missed out on taking the victory with McLaughlin rolling in behind him to finish in eight place, followed by team mate Nicholas Vereecken in ninth position.
At Omloop van het Waasland in East Flanders, the An Post team were putting in similar impressive performances. After suffering two crashes and puncturing twice early on, veteran hard man Niko Eeckhout put in a gritty display to take second place.
After regaining contact with the bunch for the second time following his run of bad luck, Eeckhout attacked ferociously getting himself in to what proved to be the race winning break of seven riders. In a very tight sprint, the former three-time winner was pipped at the line with only a photo finish being able to separate between him and the eventual winner, Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise).
In the bunch behind the breakaway, a huge effort by new signing Jack Wilson in the final few kilometres of the race set Sam Bennett up for a sprint to the line with the Waterford native taking a solid tenth place.
The result for Bennett is yet another sign that he is getting back to his best, following his fourth place finish at the Pro Kermesse last weekend. Nineteen year-old Wilson can also take plenty of encouragement from this outing.
Team manager Kurt Bogaerts was in buoyant mood following the team’s performances.
“I am delighted with the whole team. They showed great heart and determination in both of the races. I think we were really unlucky not to have claimed victory in each but we will take a lot of confidence from this weekend.
Ronan put in a typical inspiring ride. He attacked from early on, forcing the pace and despite cramping throughout the last three kilometres, he put in an incredible ride to get Alphonse over the line in second.
It’s great to see Sam back in full flight and picking up results. He will only get better from here on in, but he could not have claimed tenth place without the effort from Jack. For someone so young, it was an exceptional ride and I am really pleased for him”, added Bogaerts.
Results for Kattekoers (1.2) 10th March
2nd - Alphonse Vermote (BEL)
8th – Ronan McLaughlin (IRL)
9th – Nicholas Vereecken (BEL)
Results for Omloop van het Waasland (1.2) 10th March
2nd – Niko Eeckhout (BEL)
10th – Sam Bennett (IRL)