Having shone as a junior over the last two seasons it is no surprise to see Lucy Bénézet Minns step up to European pro road racing next season. The 18-year-old has secured a contract with Lotto Dstny Ladies and is relishing the prospect of getting stuck in.
Though she has a place at university, she said she plans to put that on hold for at least one year and giving racing her full attention in 2025 before making future places.
And her new sports manager said the signing of Bénézet Minns was another chance for the team to nurture young talent and facilitate the Irish rider in making incremental progress in the sport.
“I’m really excited for this new step”, Bénézet Minns said as news of her signing emerged today. “It will be special to try out some bigger races. As I come from the juniors, I still need to learn and discover a lot.
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"I became national road and time trial champion in Ireland, which was nice. I had a good end of the year with winning the points race on the Junior Track European Championships. I want to discover more about which type of rider I am and try out as many as courses as possible.
"Probably I’ll keep combining track with road. Next year I’ll fully focus on cycling for one year, and then after that I’ll see if I will start my university studies History and Politics, maybe from remote.”
The team's sports manager, Kurt Van de Wouwer, said the signing of Bénézet Minns added to a strong squad now assemble for the 2025 campaign.
“Lucy showed her strong capabilities on the World Championships juniors," he said. "She still has to learn a lot.
"But we will guide her in that and she will get the chance to grow step by step here. This signing fits perfectly in our vision to give a chance to young talents.”
