Irish rider Leo Doyle is set to take a break from his studies, after graduating with his degree, to take up the offer of a place at a UCI Continental team next year. While the 23-year-old has been exposed to international racing regularly since he was a teenager, 2024 will be his first campaign as a Conti rider.
He rode for Austrian team ARBÖ headstart ON-Fahrrad this year, after initially guesting with that squad for some UCI-ranked racing in Europe at the end of the 2022 campaign.
Next season he will join a growing number of Irish cyclists in the pro peloton, when he will race mainly in Europe but may also complete in races with his new team, XSpeed United Continental, in North America, Asia and perhaps Africa.
He will be one of 15 riders – of nine different nationalities – on the XSpeed United Continental in 2024. He has decided to defer a post-graduate course in university for a couple of years, though has just graduated from his primary degree course.
Doyle is from Co Cavan and came up through the ranks as part of the DB Cycling Club, winning a race in Belgium in club colours back in 2018. In 2021 he was part of the Irish U23 team that raced in the Etoile d’Or UCI Nations Cup race in France.
In recent years he has raced at home and in Europe for Dutch team TWC Tempo Veldhoven before moving to Austrian elite squad ARBÖ headstart ON-Fahrrad for last year.
He rode very strongly in the road race at the National Road Championships in Tyrone this year, when he eventually finished 10th. He was part of a chasing group with Ryan Mullen and Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe), with a couple of others, chasing lone leader, and eventual winner, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost).
Doyle was also 5th on a stage of Rás Tailteann and competed in stage races and one-day events throughout Europe with ARBÖ headstart ON-Fahrrad, including in Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
We’ll have an interview shortly with Doyle about his plans for next year with his new team.
.
.
.
#Leo #Doyle #defers #college #studies #UCI #Conti #team #contract
Source link
