Kieran Frend signs for An Post

The An Post Sean Kelly team today announced that they have concluded a deal to sign the talented young British rider Kieran Frend on a one-year contract, while fellow Briton Mark McNally has reaffirmed his commitment to the team by re-signing for the 2013 season.

Twenty three year-old Frend, who spent last season with the Node4 – Giordana team, joins the An Post setup as part of their budding relationship with the Bradley Wiggins Foundation. Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France champion Wiggins has been acting as a mentor to Frend and the pair spent the last week at a training camp together in Majorca.

An Post Sean Kelly team manager Kurt Bogaerts has welcomed the signing of Frend and believes the team’s program will benefit a rider of his physique.

“Kieran is an excellent up and coming rider and I am very happy he has decided to join the team. I have watched him compete several times and he was also recommended to me by Daniel Lloyd who raced with us in 2008.

“Kieran has a climbing physique and is naturally more suited to hilly races so I think our program will be a good match for him. He will get more opportunities to test himself against the best riders in the world and this is definitely something that will help him develop as a rider”, Bogaerts added.

Liverpudlian rider Mark McNally has re-signed for the 2013 season and will join his new team-mate for their first training camp in Calpe next week. McNally had a mixed season last year showing glimpses of good form but injuries at key times ultimately disrupted his campaign.

Bogaerts is pleased to have McNally on board again for the upcoming season and believes this will be a key year for the talented rider.

“Mark has great ability and is capable of making the jump up to a bigger team but he needs to be competing for a full season without any disruptions and the results will come. He was unlucky last season having trouble with his appendix and wisdom teeth and he achieved some good results but he just needs to show more consistency. With a good winter’s training under his belt I believe we will see the best of him”.

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