Kevin McCambridge is set to make his debut for new team Trinity Racing this weekend in Belgium. He will line out in Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux, which gets underway tomorrow.
The 20-year-old, who is getting back into action after recovering from Covid-19, is not the only Irish rider in the race as Darren Rafferty is part of the Hagens Berman Axeon selection for four stages of racing over the next three days.
While some of their rivals now have Gent Wevelgem in their legs – a race last weekend that Cycling Ireland did not send an U23 team to – McCambridge and Rafferty are two of Irish cycling’s brightest youngsters at present and can impress this weekend.
McCambridge has based himself in southern Spain in recent months and has had two recent racing outings there – both short and sharp climbing tests – to confirm he is in good condition after being ill. After winning both, he told stickybottle he “couldn’t wait to get started” with Trinity Racing.
“I’ve been
training hard the last few months at Cycle Sierra Nevada in Andalusia and I
feel I am ready for the first block off big racing,” he said, adding while he
had Covid three weeks ago, he felt on track to race.
“I found out this year I’m doing half the training I was last year and going a lot better, sometimes less is more. Belgium isn’t entirely suited to me but I’m eager to see where I can put myself with the big boys.”
Rafferty already has some racing under his belt this year, having ridden two one-day races and the four-stage Istrian Spring Trophy, all in Croatia, last month. The 18-year-old has just come up from the junior ranks for his first season in the U23-elite bunch this year and the next three days offer another great chance to find his feet and make an impression if he can.
The opening stage tomorrow is 131.7km from Antoing to Mont Saint-Aubert and features three short sharp climbs; the final one a 1.8km ascent averaging 5.6 per cent up to the finish line.
Saturday’s stage 2 is 169.9km from Bernissart to Tertre, which is mainly flat but may come down to a sprint from a reduce bunch as the finishing circuit features some inclines, though they are modest. Sunday is a split stage with a 14.2km TT in Wodecq in the morning followed by an afternoon road stage of 95.7km into Frasnes-lez-Anvaing in afternoon, with a short kicker of a climb to finish on.
