Though a female Irish rider is yet to ride the Tour de France – with Megan Armitage coming closest – this year it seems certain there will be at least one Irish competitor in the field.
Indeed, when the race rolls out of Vannes on July 26th, for nine stages, it is possible there’ll be more than one Irish rider on the start line, even as many as four.
Armitage is one of them. Now riding for EF Education-Oatly, she was selected for the race in 2023 by her then team Arkéa Pro Cycling Team. However, she suffered a suspected concussion in a crash just before the event and was ruled out.
She did not make her team’s Tour line-up last season but will hope to be in contention again this year as her team is already confirmed in the line-up.
Lara Gillespie and Mia Griffin are both riding for World Tour teams this year; UAE Team ADQ and Roland respectively. And because they are top tier teams they are guaranteed their places in the race.
The fourth rider in contention is Fiona Mangan of ProConti team Winspace Orange Seal and it must wait for a couple of months before the wildcard invites are issued to see if it will be included.
However, it is a French team in its first year as a ProConti squad and its stated aim is to ride Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. As a French outfit and, as such, will have an advantage when it comes to invites. The only question for it is whether it will ride the race this year and be forced to wait for another season.
Griffin is probably the surest bet for the Tour from an Irish perspective. She has enjoyed a very strong start to the year and she’s an Olympian. Her team also has a small roster of just 11 riders. And with women’s Tour teams each made up of seven riders, those numbers and her form put her a very good bet to get to the biggest bike race in the world this year.
Gillespie’s team is stronger in depth and though she has proven herself – winning four races on the road last season – her selection will depend on her team’s priorities in the Tour.
Decisions will need to be made about what the general classification group will look like – to support Elisa Longo Borghini, the reigning Giro women’s champion.
The size of the sprinters’ group – and who the favoured sprinter and lead-out riders are – will likely decide whether Gillespie – the new elimination race European champion – goes this year.
Armitage’s team features an 18-strong squad this and, like Gillespie’s team, the competition for places will be intense. However, she has proven herself able to handle the pace when the road kicks up and is well able to be aggressive; both attributes that will put her squarely in contention for the Tour.
Either way, after the excitement of Armitage being picked two years ago only to be dashed so close to the race, this year it seems as certain as one can be that Ireland will have a rider in the women’s Tour.
