Irish riders Philip Deignan and Matt Brammeier have travelled to Malaysia in advance of the upcoming Tour de Langkawi, and are adjusting to the heat and time difference before the drop of the flag on Sunday.
Brammeier signed up with the MTN Qhubeka team in January and has been riding strongly thus far. Aggressive in several races, he has shown that his winter training has paid off well.
He is a rider who is known for his attacking style of racing and will have opportunity to tap into that during the eight-day race. He’s also adept at working in the leadout train, having done so in the past to help set up sprinters such as his-then team-mate Mark Cavendish, and will play the same role for the MTN-Qhubeka fast men when big-bunch finishes look to be on the cards.
Past history
Brammeier has past history of success in the race, taking the King of the Mountains title last year.
The four-time Irish road race champion was left without a team at the end of last season but MTN-Qhubeka were able to bring him on board due to an increase in budget. The African squad will ride its first Tour de France in July and Brammeier could potentially make his debut in that race.
Deignan is competing with the Sky team in the event. While he is one of their strongest climbers, he played down his chances, telling The Irish Times that he is still building form at this point of the season.
Adding to that physical condition is one of his biggest priorities, along with backing any Sky riders in contention.
He rode impressively last season in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España and, like Brammeier, could be in line to make his Tour debut in July.
If the duo are there, history could be made for Irish cycling. Dan Martin (Cannondale-Garmin), Nicolas Roche (Sky) and Sam Bennett (Bora Argon 18) are expected to ride. If Brammeier and Deignan also take part, it would mean that a record five Irish competitors could be on the start list.
In other news, Irish duo Sean Downey and Conor Dunne will be part of the An Post Chainreaction Sean Kelly lineup in the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen in Belgium.
