Weekends three and four of the Espoir group based out of Castelsarrasin France have gone better than the two previous weekends, even with minor setbacks in some cases.

For the most part the European experience is starting to sink in with athletes as they get used to the racing loads, the recovery process, and the getting ready for the next races.

Even though J-F Laroche is not an Espoir yet, he is the one getting the most bang for his buck with this experience. With solid performances in most races and a win last weekend Jean-François is definitely ready to take on a track camp put on by Eric Van den Eynde starting March 31st in Aigle, Switzerland.

While this past weekend did not go as well for the Espoirs as planed, there are big opportunities next month with two stage races programmed.

Until the end of March all riders will focus on preparing for the month of racing ahead. In some cases, such as Cameron and Ryan, it will be an opportunity to get back to race shape after suffering from tonsillitis and a knee problem respectively.

For the rest of the crew it is business as usual as progression is coming day by day with good signs leading to good competitive racing in April and May.

Coming up next weekend is the Tour du Canton de St-Ciers, a 2-day stage race that will serve as a stepping stone to get ready for the Tour de l'Indre (won by Cory Lange in 2002) April 3-6. During that time, Ian Condron will join up with the track camp in Aigle until April 8th.