Having come up rapidly through the ranks of Dublin club Lucan CRC, and having raced abroad with Cycling Leinster last year, Matthew Walls has already marked himself out as one of the emerging juniors of the 2025 season.
The 17-year-old, being coached by Conn McDunphy, took his first win of the season at the weekend, in his own club's Lucan GP in Dunsany, Co Meath. And though he rode impressively to get away solo in that C2 race, it has been his performances against the C1s that catch the eye.
At the John Haldane Memorial the weekend before last he finished 3rd, from a three-man breakaway, that included winner Odhran Doogan (Caldwell Cycles) and runner-up Ronan O'Connor (Team Skyline) in a stacked top 10 on the day. And on St Patrick's Day the 17-year was at it again; 4th in the Carrick Wheelers Bobby Power Memorial after making the winning move with Conal Scully (Dan Morrissey Pissei), Ruairí Byrne (UCD Cycling Club) and Paul Kennedy (Team Skyline).
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"It was a very quick progression for me because last year was my first year racing," Walls told stickybottle of taking up racing as a first-year junior in 2024, when he threw himself into some big European junior road races.
"I got a few nice results last year, I was always up there, and got one win in Emyvale, but nothing else too special. And then I was unlucky in the Junior Tour, I crashed."
Walls, from Mulhussey, Co Meath, also took 2nd last season in the Ken Duff Memorial, the undercard to the Shay Elliott Classic, just behind David Gaffney, who was one of the juniors of the season.
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He also raced abroad at the start of the season with Cycling Leinster, taking in GP Luxembourg and GP Général Patton Juniors, both in Luxembourg. Though he did not finish those races, it is a safe bet to assume he'd fair much better 12 months on.
"Last year there were some good results for the first year going at it," he said. "And now this year, really, the legs are coming in very well. I did a bit more gym work during the winter, working with Conn McDunphy.
"He prepared me very well; more gym work and a few more hours on the bike. And I think just with that extra year you have better power in the legs," said the 5th year student at Maynooth Post Primary School.
Before he broke away solo in the Lucan GP - 98km over 5½ laps - Walls was on the attack from early in the contest. He suffered a puncture on the opening lap, then a slipped chain during his chase back on, though ultimately he regained contact.
And having finished 2nd in the Seamus Kennedy Memorial - behind Toby Sweetman (VC Glendale) - and second in the Boyne GP - behind Curtis McKee (Spellman Dublin Port) - he very much had his eye on taking a win on Saturday.
However, it wasn't until the final lap of the race that he finally got clear; blasting across a gap of about 40 seconds to a three-man group and then going solo from about 7km out.
Though the bunch chased him down hard, Walls held them off and sailed over the line with his two arms aloft in celebration, saying he was "delighted" with his first win of the year.
