Already with experience of competing for her country, and not just in cycling, Maeve Gallagher looks like a very impressive young athlete. Now in her second year as a junior, she is part of a five-strong Irish team selected for this weekend in England (Photo: Sean Rowe)
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Having often been the poor relation of the scene in Ireland, women’s cycling is continuing to emerge strongly.
We have two current international riders who have won medals at major championships; Lydia Boylan and Lydia Gurley taking silver at the Europeans in the madison two years ago.
Boylan also blasted to a points race silver at the recent World Track Championships and took a pro win two years ago on the road.
At present Lauren Creamer and Alice Sharpe are flying the flag in some of the biggest pro races in Europe; Share now a an international pro with the UCI’s women’s trade team.
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Added to that, the ‘Golden Girls’ – Katie George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal – are Paralympic champions and double world champions.
Rás na mBan has become a leading race in the Irish and British context and our female pursuiters have been breaking national records of late.
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Lara Gillespie wins the junior road race at the nationals in Sligo last June (Photo: Sean Rowe)
Clodagh Gallagher takes a great stage win in Omagh last season; prevailing against many of the best elites in the country (Photo: Sharon McFarland)
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On home roads in recent weeks we’ve seen some very large road race fields; all positive signs for the women’s scene.
Despite all of that progress, one area Irish cycling has always struggled with is finding and bringing through female juniors.
However, one look at the Irish team named for the Witham Hall Two Day this weekend in Lincolnshire strongly suggests we may be turning that corner.
The selection is very strong and has a realistic chance of going in against the best of British and taking results from the race.
Clodagh Gallagher (AAA Cycling) has shown some great form of late; winning the McCann Cup with an impressive finishing kick.
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She rode Gent-Wevelgem last weekend, finishing the race on a day when many did not. Gallagher also won a stage in the elite Omagh Three Day last year.
She took the gold in the School Games in England riding for Ulster two years ago and is a multiple medallist in national championships.
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Lucy O'Donnell riding the U23 race as a 16-year-old at the World Cyclocross Championships earlier this year (Photo: Toby Watson)
Caoimhe O’Brien has been emerging in recent years and now gets her chance on the Irish junior team.
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Maeve Gallagher, no relation to Clodagh, is a top cyclist, runner and triathlete who took 26th in the road race at the Worlds last year on a testing course in Innsbruck.
She has been Irish junior triathlete of the year and Irish schools triathlon champion.
In running she has won medals at the junior cross country championships in the U17 and U18 categories and is also the holder of the all-Ireland schools mile record.
She was 3rd in the ETU Junior European Cup in Bucharest last June and was one of the revelations of Rás na nBan late last season.
Caoimhe O'Brien (Lakeside Wheelers) and Lucy O'Donnell (O'Leary Stone Kanturk) both step up from the U16 ranks of last year.
Now they are both deservedly selected for Ireland on the road in the junior category.
They both represented Ireland as U16s and O’Donnell has already ridden the U23 race at the World Cyclocross Championships.
Their junior careers are only now getting underway and already they have impressed; aggressive performers with the engines to match. Their selection onto the Irish team so soon comes as no surprise.
Lara Gillespie (Scott Orwell) is the national cyclocross champion at elite level and the junior road race champion
She is the junior European points race champion and she also claimed silver in the individual pursuit; both achieved as a first-year junior last year.
The race in England this weekend will start on Saturday with a 2.1 mile prologue TT.
That will be followed by a 32-mile kermesse in the afternoon. The final stage on Sunday is a 40 mile road race.
All of the top British riders are competing, including last weekend's Gent Wevelgem winner Elynor Bäckstedt.
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