Paídi O’Brien posted one of the best results to date for the Sean Kelly Racing Team when he finished an excellent twelfth in the Under 23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium yesterday.
The Corkman came to the finish in a ten-man group which was sprinting for eighth place in the Espoir classic. He had missed out on the original 14 man break but moved forward on the tough climbs in the second half of the race, overtaking some of those who had been ahead.
Seven riders out of this original group stayed clear until the finish, with Dutchman Kai Reus winning ahead of his Rabobank team-mates Tom Stamsnijder and Dimitry Kozontchuk.
Reus won the M. Donnelly Junior Tour of Ireland back in 2003, several weeks before he took the junior world championships in Hamilton, Canada.
“It was a very good ride by Paídi,” said Sean Kelly – ACLVB M. Donnelly Racing Team manager Kurt Bogaerts yesterday. “He wasn’t in the original break but he rode very well to get back up towards the front, climbing strongly on hills such as La Redoute and reeling in several of the guys who had been up there. In the end he was sprinting for eighth, finishing just outside the top ten.”
Current ProTour professionals Philip Deignan and Nicolas Roche rode strongly in the same race during their last year in the amateur ranks, placing eighth and eleventh respectively.
Apart from O’Brien, several other Irish riders also rode yesterday’s race. However Andrew McQuaid, Mark Cassidy, Ciarán Kelly and brothers Eoin and Miceal Concannon finished outside the time limit.
O’Brien has taken a number of good results this year. He is the current Irish under 23 champion and is expected to ride strongly in the FBD Insurance Rás later this month.
Bogaert also highlighted the recent performances of Martyn Irvine, who has been staying at the Sean Kelly Academy. “Martyn has been riding well, taking thirteenth place in criteriums on Saturday and Monday,” he said. “He’s not part of the Kelly team at the moment but we are considering him for a place. We will keep an eye on him and see how he gets on.”
Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Belgium (U23, 1.2) May 1, 2006
1, Kai Reus (Rabobank) 4 hours 25 mins 30 secs
2, Tom Stamsnijder (Rabobank) at 8 secs
3, Dimitry Kozontchuk (Rabobank) at 1 min 27 secs
4, Ben Hermans (Wielergroep Beveren 2000) at 2 mins
5, Evgeny Sokolov (VC La Pomme Marseille) at 2 mins 33 secs
6, Ruslan Sambris (VC La Pomme Marseille) at 2 mins 52 secs
7, Klaas Sys (WC Soenens Germond) at 3 mins 3 secs
8, Jérôme Baugnies (Bodysol Win For Life) at 3 mins 13 secs
Irish:
12, Paídi O'Brien (Sean Kelly ACLVB M. Donnelly Racing Team)same time