Scanlon ready for professional career to take off

MARK SCANLON is already back in France bracing himself for a new season and a new phase in his cycling career.

The 22-year-old Sligo man - world junior champion in 1998 - now has a permanent spot on the AG2R Prevoyance team and can’t wait to get going as a fully-fledged professional

And he won’t have too long to wait. On Saturday they jet off to Australia for the Jacobs Creek Tour Down Under which runs from January 21 to January 26. He has been back in France since last week after spending some time at home and he has already got a win under his belt - beating fellow professionals Ciaran Power and David O’Loughlin among others in Mayo the weekend before last. “There were no hills and maybe the Christmas turkey was pushing the pedals,” he said. “But I am in pretty good shape all right. I kept it going over the winter.”

Last year he spent some time with AG2R in the build up to the world championships where he was unlucky not to at least gain a top 10 placing.

At that point he had already made the desired impact and is one of two amateurs to join the professionals.

“We have a pretty strong team this year,” he said. “For the first time we have a challenger for the stage races in Laurent Rochard who was second in the Paris Nice a couple of years ago and is 20th in the UCI rankings while Jaan Kirsipuu will be there for the one-day races and the sprints.

“As for myself I am still going through the learning process so I am not going to get too psyched up about the whole thing. My aim will be to stay healthy and injury free and then see what happens. While I was with them last year it is a whole new experience at this level and I have a lot to learn.”

Last year, he missed the FBD Milk Rás through injury and he doubts if he will be available to ride Irish cycling’s showpiece this year. “The schedule is pretty hectic and I think if I am going home to Ireland it will be for a break,” he said. “But I’ll definitely be home for the national championships at home in Sligo.”

Power, last year’s FBD Milk Rás winner, is also unsure about his participation during the coming year.

Since his big win last May his wife, Lisa, has given birth to their first son, Keegan, and he has been taking up a lot of his time over the winter break.

He will join the Navigators team in Italy on February 7 for training ahead of their first race on February 18. They then ride a stage race in Italy from February 19 to 22. “We remain on in Europe until April 19 and will take in all the big races including the Het Volk and the Ghent Wevelgem,” he said. “So we will have all the very good races plus the other ones.”