Senior Men's Elite / U23 National Championships Road Race 2026 Race Report

Cong played host to the 2026 National Championships, with a grippy course through the Mayo countryside comprising two large loops, including the principal climb of the day, Ail Duil (1 km at 7%). The majority of the favourites were in attendance from abroad, including Mullen, Meehan, Dunwoody, and the reigning champion, Rory Townsend, among others. With such a strong start list, our primary focus was the team prize, though it wasn't going to come easy with Velo Performance starting with nine riders and, for all intents and purposes, being a Continental team in all but name, while Caldwell Cycles Powerhouse were on our mind!

We had great support on the road and in the car from Ted, Gráinne, Róisín, Jason, and Liam's, Padraig's, and Evan's parents, providing valuable feeds throughout the race, especially important over 156 km.

The first segment of the race ran from the start until the first ascent of Ail Duil. There was no control, with the pro riders expected to chase everything while also being closely marked. As a result, a group of club and Continental riders slipped away early. Liam tried to bridge across on many occasions but never managed to get any sort of proper gap during this phase. On a 1 km, 3% drag, two more riders launched across, and at the top the pace completely died in the bunch, becoming more reminiscent of a Sunday yellow spin in December. Coming into the base of Ail Duil, Sean moved up to the front of the bunch and led Liam and the rest of the peloton into the climb, allowing himself some room as Meehan launched a bomba in no time. After a fast descent onto the main road, TT champion Mullen lit the afterburners and bridged across with a few others, and once they reached the group up front, they were never seen again.

Disaster struck for Padraig as he punctured and needed a double wheel change, something that would have led 90% of the peloton to call it a day, pull out of the race, and chuck on the enthralling World Cup matchup between DR Congo and Uzbekistan.

At the start of the second big lap, Sean anticipated the move with Peden as the peloton stalled, and Liam bridged across with the two Velo riders and the Shark, among others. This allowed the group to build a gap before the second ascent of Ail Duil. Meehan once again launched a bomba to rip the peloton apart and bridge to the group in front. Despite the peloton regrouping on the main road, there were many tired legs. After a lap of chasing the cars solo, Padraig got back after a monumental effort.

The tired legs in the peloton were telling, with Liam, Evan, and Sean riding off the front in what must have felt like a throwback to Mumhan 1A. Suddenly there was a big gap to the peloton, with Velo driving it after a significant number of riders got across, including Padraig, as well as several Velo riders. From here on out, it was Velo Performance versus Orwell for the team prize, with two small laps remaining. Once the group behind was gone, it became more about whittling the front group down further and breaking away.

As we crossed the finish line, attacks were flying off the front, with Velo putting a lot of pressure on Orwell by using their numbers. Orwell, however, covered moves as best they could and kept bringing things back together, matching Velo's numbers in each move. This meant splits were constantly forming and coming back together, sapping everyone's legs.

As tired legs grew even more fatigued, Sean's seemed to get stronger after robbing gels from Liam and Evan and asking everyone in the group at least once for a bit of water. After three-quarters of a lap, there was finally a group clear on the road as the relentless attacks cracked the group behind and the strongest riders got away. The composition was three Orwell riders, with only Evan missing out but immediately covering moves behind, along with Meehan, two Caldwell riders, and two Velo riders. This was the perfect situation: the team prize was effectively guaranteed if it stayed together to the finish, while there was also the prospect of placing three riders in the top 20, demonstrating the strength and depth of the squad.

With full cooperation in the group from the outset, the chasing groups were in Narnia, and they even caught Darren Rafferty, who had blown up after trying to bridge solo to the break. There was no reason to disrupt the situation or the cooperation within the group, with the result of the third Orwell rider across the line being the priority.

Coming into the last 10 km, Lindsay attacked solo. Sean, buzzed to high heavens by 1,200 mg of caffeine, launched a testing attack to gauge how the group was feeling. Initially Padraig and Meehan followed, but everything came back together. With 6 km to go, Lindsay was away again. Meehan tried to launch across on a kicker but failed to get any separation, and the second he pulled off, Sean went straight over the top with a perfectly timed attack and immediately opened a gap. Before he knew it, he was with Lindsay, and they settled into strong turns straight away. With both of them probably the strongest riders in the group behind, they were never going to be brought back.

Coming into the final 150 metres, Lindsay edged out Sean in the sprint for 11th place, giving Sean the best result of his career so far and fourth in the U23 category, surrounded by some of the best talent Ireland has to offer. Behind them, Liam and Padraig both finished in the top 20, recording their best-ever Senior National Championship results and guaranteeing the team prize for Orwell. Evan finished in the top 30 after a strong ride, while Luke endured a tough day with the scars from his crash on Wednesday still fresh on both his body and his mind.

It rounded out a hugely successful race for the club, who have been going from strength to strength this season.

Photo- Toby Watson

Report by Sean O Kane.