Clancy and McDermott show their class with wins at National Gravel Champs

Stephen Clancy, one of Irish cycling's longest serving road pros, has won the men's gold at the National Gravel Championships on a day when Ellen McDermott scooped another Irish crown, having previously been criterium champion

Stephen Clancy is one of Irish cycling's longest serving pro cyclists, with the US-registered Novo Nordisk team, and today showed the class that secured him a spot in the pro game by winning the inaugural National Gravel Championships.

In the women's race it was Ellen McDermott (Keukens Redant Cycling Team) who took the first women's title, topping a very strong podium and adding today's title to the gold she has already taken during her career in the National Criterium Championships.

Men's winner Clancy (32) was diagnosed with diabetes just has he was breaking through on the national scene as an U23 rider over a decade ago. He only recently made a return to pro road racing at Tour de Hainan in China after a long absence this season.

He clearly took some good shape out of that UCI 2.Pro five-stage race to capture his first elite national crown today, in a race that represents an exciting step forward for Irish cycling.

In the Galway Bay CC-promoted championships he topped the men's podium from Spellman Dublin Port's David Montgomery - the multiple former national champion in cyclocross and MTC XC - and Leo Doyle, who took his first UCI-ranked win on the road this year with his X-Speed United Continental team.

McDermott, a very strong campaign especially over fast and power-based road riding, also honed her legs for today with some recent stage race action as she competed in Rás na mBan earlier this month and took a top 10 on the final stage.

The 35-year-old has been competing in some international gravel races abroad this year, and performing impressively. She was 6th in Heathland Gravel in Belgium last month and in July placed 20th in the UCI Gravel World Series-Gravel Adventure in Poland.

Today she topped the podium from Annalise Murphy, the Longcourt Hotel NCW rider who has won rounds of the National Road Series this year and multiple national titles on the track. Another rider who has enjoyed a very strong season in 2024, Gabrielle Fox (Greenmount Cycling Academy) claimed bronze today.

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