Megan Armitage represented Ireland at the Paris Olympics and had a three-year pro contract with EF, deciding early last year to exit cycling but now returning (Photo: Ed Sykes-Sportsfile)
Megan Armitage, who stepped away from a pro contract with EF Education-Oatly last year, has now signed for a new French team and has returned to the European pro peloton.
The 29-year-old from Co Offaly has now signed for elite French outfit, Tenvels Le Dévoluy. It confirmed in a brief statement on social media she had officially joined.
It told its followers the Irish woman had previously ridden for Arkéa Pro Cycling and 'EF' and welcomed her to the squad.
Armitage officially signed from her new team at the end of last week but has already competed in two pro races; La Périgord Ladies (1.1) and La Picto en Nouvelle-Aquitaine (1.1).
She rode those events, under her married name, Monk, in France last Saturday and Sunday, finishing both and placing 61st and 75th. That looked like a solid return to competition for a rider who has not raced since the Santos Tour Down Under in January of last year.
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After a rapid rise in domestic cycling, having taken up the sport seriously around the pandemic years, Armitage eventually secured a three-year pro contract with EF Education-Oatly. That deal should have been due to finish at the end of this year.
However, she decided to step back from cycling early last year. And while she did not come off the team's roster until April, 2025, she had not raced for a couple of months at that point.
She made no statement about stepping back but has since said: "I just knew I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore, and the environment had brought out the worst in me. It's a hard reality to ignore when it's been your whole life for the last few years."
Armitage has been busy since calling a halt to her cycling career, throwing herself into triathlon. She also got married, to former Australian pro Cyrus Monk.
She was twice 2nd in the road race at the National Road Championships and, more significantly, became the first Irish female rider to win a UCI-ranked stage race.
She won the final stage and the overall at Vuelta Extremadura Féminas (2.2) in Spain three years ago when riding for Arkéa Pro Cycling Team.
She represented Ireland at the World Road Championships in Scotland and 2023 and when one berth was available to Team Ireland in the Olympic Games road race in Paris in 2024, she was selected, finishing 35th.
