An Post - Sean Kelly and other Conti teams with young talent

[Zinoviev Letter]

Sean Kelly's comments about transfer fees and/or development fees for small teams losing riders to ProTour teams caused a bit of discussion on this forum, but something else about the article is actually more noteworthy. Not least because it's about something that is actually happening rather than about something which has little chance of ever coming in.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kelly-calls-for-uci-to-introduce-transfer-fees-in-cycling

Indeed, the team has demonstrated it's commitment to the development of younger riders with a host of new signings for next season, including two Lithuanian riders: Gediminas Bagdonas and Darijus Dzervus. The two will join Ireland's Philip Lavery and Sam Bennett, Britain's Andrew Fenn, as well as Belgians riders Kenny Terweduwe, Kess Heytens, Kevin Claeys and Dries Hollanders all of whom were recently confirmed as joining the squad for 2011.

That's a lot of new young talent.

Bennett and Lavery are the two big prospects in U23 Irish cycling at the moment, Bennett the current U23 national champion. Fenn is a Junior Roubaix winner and British U23 champion. Bagdonas and Dzervus I hadn't heard of, but both look like they've had some good results in Belgium over the last year. Does anyone know anything about these two Lithuanians, or the four Belgian riders? How good are they?

Also, how about other small teams? Who has signed a whole bunch of quality prospects? Who are the neo-pros or nearly neo-pros to look out for in 2011?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Orbea - feeder team for Euskaltel. More or less any talented young Basque ends up there.
Lizarte - a Basque amateur team, provides neo-pros to Euskaltel and Movistar
Trevigiani Dynamon Bottoli - Italian amateur team that's usually good at spotting talent that moves up through the ranks
Rabobank Continental - nuff said.

 

[Tuarts]

Jayco-Skins, used to be SouthAustralia.com, they're 2008 squad...have a look.

Other Ausse squads:
Drapac Porche
Genesys (used to be Praties, one word: Porte)

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Jayco-Skins, used to be SouthAustralia.com, they're 2008 squad...have a look.

I was asking more about the 2011 squad - who has exciting looking prospects to keep an eye out for next year.