Irish cycling enjoyed an incredible year in 2025 and though male riders achieved results on the biggest stages - Tour de France, Europeans and Worlds - the progress by Irish women across the board was unprecedented.
Not only did Ireland win European and world titles on the track, but three Irish women rode the Tour de France, making history.
Others won major races for the first time. Another group of Irish female riders - from the very young to slightly older athletes - really broke through this season with some of their performances. And some of those have come from nowhere, making massive inroads over a very short period.
Stickybottle has selected a small, but varied, group of riders, below, who we believe have made the biggest breakthroughs this year. And we've also ranked them in his end of season analysis.
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1. Lara Gillespie (24) UAE Team ADQ
At first glance it may seem unusual to see Gillespie included in a list of "breakthrough" riders. But this year was definitely the season she punched through to the top tier. She took her first European and world senior titles, both on the track, and emerged as one of the best sprinters in the world in what was her first full season on the road. Though she took "only" one road win - at A Travers les Hauts de France (1.1) in September - she has proved her huge potential in the bunch sprints, and the classics, with a series of top results all year. (Photo by Aymeric Lassak)
2. Mia Griffin (26) Roland Le Dévoluy
An Olympian, alongside Gillespie, in Paris last season, Griffin is no stranger to the big end of town. However, her 2025 campaign was also a major breakthrough as she made her Tour de France debut and took her first pro road race win, a stage at Tour El Salvador (2.1), and also claimed her first Irish title on the road. She also ended her campaign with two World Tour podiums, on stages of Tour of Chongming Island. Irish women have only ever scored five World Tour podium results, with Griffin now on three Gillespie with two. Griffin also this year secured a three-year deal with Team Picnic PostNL, one of the best World Tour teams in cycling. (Photo by CA Photographies)
3. Fiona Mangan (29) Winspace Orange Seal
Ireland's third Tour de France starter this year, Limerick's Mangan was in a 100km breakaway on stage 7 of that race. She also claimed her first European professional win this season when taking a stage victory at Volta a Portugal Feminina (2.2) in July. The former Irish road race and TT champion also made her debut on the track for Ireland this season, at the UCI World Track Championships, adding to a memorable breakthrough season for her.
4. Marine Lenehan (27) Dan Morissey Primor by Pissei
Lenehan has made a number for herself on the Gran Fondo scene in recent years - road and gravel - where she has won European and world titles. This year on the road she won the Des Hanlon Memorial and took 3rd at the National Road Race Championships, while riding for Dan Morrissey Pissei. However, the big deal for her this year was securing a stagiaire with World Tour team Lidl Trek. She has now been offered a two-year contract with the German-registered team in a dream come true scenario for the 27-year-old. (Photo by Sean Rowe)
5. Emma Jeffers (21) Liv AlUla Jayco Conti
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Having declared for Ireland this year, Jeffers made rapid progress competing for Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team. She won a stage at Giro Mediterraneo in Rosa (2.2) and two stages at Memorial Michela Fanini (2.2), holding the race lead for a day. Jeffers also won the U23 road race title at the Nationals in June and represented Ireland on the track at the Worlds and on the road at the Europeans, all making for an incredible 2025. (Photo by Toby Watson)
6. Abi Conway (21) Westport Covey Wheelers
Conway (Westport Covey Wheelers) is a relatively newcomer to cycling and has only been racing for a couple of years. Last year, wins in races like Newry Three Day pointed to her potential. This season she won the Donal Crowley Memorial and PJ Riordan as well as taking silver in the National Criterium Championships and 7th at the National Road Racing Championships. Those results, and others, were rewarded when she got her first call up to the Irish team, for Rás na mBan and the European Road Championships in France. (Photo by Toby Watson)
7. Esther Wong (19) Torelli
Another who declared for Ireland this year, in her first season as an U23, Esther Wong had previously ridden for Great Britain as a junior, including at the Worlds. This season was perhaps more a breakthrough as an Irish rider than a breakthrough per se. She began the year by winning the National Cyclocross Championships and has since also represented Ireland on the track for the first time and on the road, at Rás na mBan and at the Europeans. (Photo by Sean Rowe)
8. Aine Doherty (19) Dan Morissey Primor by Pissei
Aine Doherty has previously ridden for Ireland as a junior and enjoyed a strong season at home this year, as she combines university with her racing. She made a big breakthrough in winning her first national senior title at the National Criterium Championships in Limerick in May. (Photo by Sean Rowe)
9. Gabrielle Fox (27) UPV Women's Cycling
Fox emerged as one of the most interesting riders of the season; the 27-year-old only starting racing last year, with Greenmount CA, the same club that whipped Fiona Mangan into shape, from novice to bike rider. She took herself off to Australia to race and train last winter and since then has competed in Belgium, Spain, Portugal and France. At Rás na mBan, she was 3rd and 4th on stages, took 3rd at the National Criterium Championships and won the National Gravel Championships. Keep an eye out for next season. (Photo by Caroline Kerley)
10. Aliyah Rafferty (18) Tofauti Everyone Active Majoco
Rafferty is clearly a very talented rider and told stickybottle this season she felt she was underachieving, simply not getting the results, for the form that she had. But he Co Tyrone teenager certainly came good in the second half of the season. She took convincing wins in junior TT and road race at the National Road Championships. She was also 3rd at Grand Prix CERATIZIT Women Junior (1.1) in France in August and took 7th overall at Rás na mBan, against an international senior field. Her season ended by securing a place with the DAS-Hutchinson Conti team for next year. (Photo by CA Photographies)
11. Emer Heverin (16) All human-VeloRevolution
The only U16 on the list, Heverin made the Irish team for the European Youth Olympics and took a fine 7th place in the TT from a field of almost 90 riders. She won the U16 road race and TT titles at the Nationals and has won senior cyclocross races since stepping up to the junior ranks for 'cross in recent weeks. She will race for British junior team Tofauti Everyone Active Majoco, ensuring UCI-ranked European junior racing. (Photo by Tyler Miller-Sportsfile)
