This was my last Under 23 Team entry of the Belgian Project in the TOTN at Easter. The 4 stages had lots of diversity and great climbs in petto in the Glenns of Antrim. But from stage 1 the GC was already set with a solo escape of John Archibald (Pro Vision GB) His team was strong and he kept the yellow till the end. Little did I know at the time that he was the brother of Katie Archibald, one of the most successful GB track champions about, Katie competes at Olympian and World level with a lot of medals to show and stand her place in the peloton as well on the road. Their mum Louise a great supporter of the project since we met in 2017. John is now a pro with Ribble I think…Our team did what we expected of them…competing at the front of the race and we had a few top 10’s doing so, Some strong teams from England, Holland and France, the National Irish development Team, the Cycling Ulster provincial team, and the best of the Irish and Northern Irish club teams made it a great spectacle for the spectators too. Miss the buzz of the team car, the relief after a race when everyone is in, the camaraderie of the peloton…I have been involved since 2006 in the TOTN in different capacities, but having a team in it makes it so much more enjoyable, the stress before and the relief after…and winning something is a bonus (Video courtesy of David Mc Veigh, drone work done by Caolan Hawkins both of the BP Media Team )
