Racing

Orwell Wheeler's rider Evan Keane produced another outstanding performance to successfully defend his Noel Teggart Memorial title in County Down on Sunday, taking victory in the prestigious C1 event after 124km of aggressive racing on the challenging Rathfriland–Annaclone circuit. While Keane crossed the line first, the victory was very much a team effort. From the drop of the flag, Orwell Wheelers were to the fore of the action, with Padraig Moran, Luke Keaney, Joe Nathan an

Orwell Wheelers riders were once again to the fore at two busy Leinster racing events over the past week, recording podium finishes and valuable points against strong fields. Bohermeen A huge field of 165 riders lined out in Bohermeen, with Orwell riders featuring prominently across several groups. The standout result came in the Green Group where Terry Ferries produced an excellent ride to take victory and secure top spot on the podium. The club also enjoyed a strong showing

With reigning champion Sean O'Kane in Belgium racing for the next two weeks, his three-in-a-row Club Hill Climb title was up for grabs. The young guns were eyeing the prize! On a blustery evening in South Dublin, club members sized up the challenge of the Piperstown climb. With a super-strong tailwind, times were always going to be fast. While many riders had done a lot of recon in the days leading up to the Thursday evening event, in the end it came down to watts per kilo. W

Saturday morning in Drogheda saw legs and minds refreshed after the Rás. Lining up for a 90km circuit were Padraig, Liam, Sean, and Evan — the defending champion of the Sean Lynch Memorial. After a welcome spell of sunshine, conditions returned to normal, with wet roads and dirty bikes. From the gun, Liam and Evan were particularly active, jumping into moves, but with a stacked start list, it was difficult to know which ones would stick. The accordion effect in the peloton co

Naas, Co. Kildare – 24 May 2026 Orwell Wheelers enjoyed a successful evening at the Naas CC Open Time Trial, with riders claiming two category victories. Shaun Kelly produced an excellent ride to win the M60 category in 21:37, while Ian Devlin topped the Road Bike category with a strong time of 23:56.

VC Glendale played host to the Wilson Nesbitt GP, with two Orwell riders represented, Padraig and Sean, in the C1 race. Once again, there was a high-quality start list, with the Rás blues wearing off and around 35 riders on the start line. It was a windy day with intermittent showers throughout. With a four-minute handicap to the C2s, there was no messing around as we were pulling up and over from the gun, with Kanturk still fresh in the minds of Sean and Padraig. After just

Two weeks since the Appleby Orwell Women's League 2026 came to its conclusion with the now famous Pine Forrest TT. The rain gods were kind to us with only a sprinkling of rain but a stronger head wind meant while times were good only one rider went faster than their first round. Over the past few weeks we have seen new talent emerging, riders growing in confidence and many women who started as beginners becoming stronger, more motivated and competitive with every race. T

A strong field of 124 riders lined out on the Dunsany / Kilmessan circuit for the latest round of IVCA racing. In the White group Harry Rochford produced an excellent ride to secure 3rd place on the night. The Orange group saw Michael Hickey take a well-earned victory after a competitive race, while Ronan Simms delivered a solid performance to finish 7th in the Black group. Meanwhile, the Batterstown–Trim 25-mile time trial took place on the same evening, with riders facing w

Orwell Wheeler's riders delivered a series of standout performances at the IVCA 10 Mile Time Trial Championships in Moyvalley, Co. Kildare on Saturday 31st May, competing in tough conditions against a strong national field. At the head of the race, Brian McNally took a commanding overall victory with a superb time of 21:53, setting the benchmark for the day ahead of Mark Kidd (22:05) and Paul Coffey (22:10). Just behind the podium, Orwell’s Cesar Lopes produced an excellent r

Orwell Wheeler's Shine at Wicklow Classic Orwell Wheeler's delivered one of the standout club performances at the inaugural Wicklow Classic, with riders featuring prominently across the day's racing and securing both a podium finish in the headline C1/C2 event and victory in the C3 race. The demanding 100km course, promoted by St Tiernan's CC, combined repeated ascents of Hollywood Hill with a summit finish on the Wicklow Gap, ensuring only the strongest riders would be in co

Stage 5 of the Ras is always a funny one, after 4 days of hard racing, bodies are tired and the prospect of it being the last stage is a welcome feeling, but bittersweet. By that point of the race, I’d grown into the race day by day, enjoying each aspect more and more and falling into the routine. It can be overwhelming at first, but that feeling of being absolved by the race is hard to find anywhere else. There’s not many other instances in our years where we open ourselves

Ever since this year's Ras Tailteann route was announced in early 2026, the prospect of racing up the Wicklow mountains and famous Shay Elliot climb was too good an opportunity to miss, despite the fact I had only stepped back on the indoor bike on 1st of January 2026. This was as a result of an unfortunate accident in September 2025 where I broke my ankle and required two surgeries before Christmas to correct my ankle placement. As someone who was always been active in life,

Evan Keane: The 71st Rás Tailteann was a race I came into with a lot of confidence. I was coming off the back of a win at the Sliabh Luachra Classic, a stage win at Rás Mayo, and the team also taking Stage 1A of Rás Mumhan, so morale in the camp was high heading into the week. Going into the race, I knew the general classification probably didn’t suit me perfectly as a bigger sprinter/puncheur rider, so I had targeted Stages 1, 3 and 5 as my main opportunities. As Luke mentio

Sean O Kane : Stage 2 of the Ras was one that most riders feared. 192km of grippy Munstter roads with no shortage of climbing, including the Caha Pass & Windy Gap. The year to boot had been a frustrating one so far, with constant sickness, punctures and bike issues curtailing any momentum. Despite this, I had gotten some decent results in some stages races & 1 day races with the highlight being 13th place in Ras Mumhan 1b, but I knew I had much more to give. With it being my

A week on from Stage 1 of the Rás Tailteann and I’m only really starting to properly reflect on the whole experience. This is only my second year racing bikes, but honestly, once last year’s Rás finished, my head was already fixed on the next 12 months. Straight away, I started planning everything out with my coach, Cormac. We looked at what needed to improve, where I could get stronger, and what it would realistically take to make the Orwell team again. For me, that process

Orwell Wheelers Team Announced for Rás Tailteann 2026 Pinergy Orwell Wheelers have announced a strong five-rider line-up for Rás Tailteann 2026, (May 20th - 24th) with the squad arriving at the start line as one of the most cohesive and well-drilled teams in the country. The team of Evan Keane, Luke Keaney, Sean O’Kane, Padraig Moran, and Joe-Nathan Matar will each line up for their second Rás, combining valuable experience with a season built on collective execution, clearly

Moyvalley Orwell Wheelers Deliver Strong Weekend of Results in Moyvally TT and Meath Road Races It was another highly successful weekend for Orwell Wheelers, with the club delivering standout performances across both time trial and road racing disciplines in Moyvally and Meath. Racing got underway on Saturday with the Vets 10-mile TT in Moyvally, which attracted a competitive field of 35 riders. Orwell riders were prominent throughout the results, led by an exceptional perfor

Shay Elliott Classic The 2026 edition of the Shay Elliott Classic delivered another brutally hard day on Wicklow roads, with strong winds, aggressive racing and a revised course that removed the traditional summit finish on the Shay Elliott climb due to ongoing roadworks. For Orwell Wheelers, the race was marked by committed and aggressive riding throughout the day, with the club represented prominently in attacks and breakaway moves from the opening kilometres. Joe Nathan an

Appleby Orwell Women’s League – Round 4 Race Report Round 4 of the Appleby Orwell Women’s League brought another evening of competitive racing, with riders tackling a fast-paced circuit and no shortage of attacking intent throughout both events. The racing was aggressive from the outset, with strong efforts across the field and plenty of close battles right to the line. In the B Race, the pace stayed high throughout as riders fought hard for position on every lap. Consistency

The combined White/Red race saw an aggressive contest from the outset, with a five-rider Red group breakaway establishing itself and ultimately staying clear to contest their own honours. Behind them, the White group race developed into a chase scenario, where Neal Hudson produced a strong solo ride to take victory. Harry Rochford secured 4th place, while Jonathan O’Brien finished 6th in the same group. In the Orange group, a large field of 43 riders came down to a fast and c