British riders Jonathan Belis and Jon Mould are the latest recruits to the An Post Sean Kelly team in what was a busy week for the Belgium based outfit, which saw Mark McNally re-sign for the team and young Irishman Philip Lavery depart.
Belis rode for Saxo Bank on the ProTour last season following a return to the sport after a serious motorcycle accident in 2009, which saw him in a coma with doctors stating that he would never walk again let alone get back on a bike.
The 23-year old from Douglas in the Isle of Man made a remarkable recovery, although he endured a difficult comeback to cycling last year with further health complications as a result of the crash.
Saxo Bank, whom he had also been riding for before the accident, decided not to extend his contract into 2012 and An Post team manager Kurt Bogaerts made his move for the undoubtedly talented rider.
Belis has great pedigree at Junior and U23 level, including winning a bronze medal in the U23 category at the 2007 World Championships, while he competed in the 2008 Olympics for GB and is a three time European Champion on the track. Having declared a clean bill of health recently, Bogaerts expects Belis to be a huge asset to the team next year.
Also joining the team this week is Mould. 20-year old Mould hails from Newport in Wales and is another with a great track pedigree. He is a member of British Cycling’s Olympic Academy programme and he represented GB at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi last year.
Like Belis, Mould is former Junior European Track Champion and he is another rider who Bogaerts is happy to develop over the coming seasons.
