Kelly Murphy takes Irish TT title from Linda Kelly, Mia Griffin

Kelly Murphy has claimed her fifth gold medal in the elite women's TT at a National Road Championships, despite having "retired" from top tier racing (Photo: Sean Rowe)

She may have taken a break from competitive cycling - and retired from the international scene - after riding team pursuit at the Paris Olympics, but Kelly Murphy has proven the adage that 'class is permanent' with victory in the National TT Championships on Wednesday night.

Bringing her tally of elite Irish TT title wins to five, Murphy (Unattached) dug deep on a relatively flat course in Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, to win from international paracycling tandem pilot Linda Kelly (Spill the Bean p/b Coffee) by 14 seconds.

Kelly - a world and paralympic champion on the tandem with Katie George Dunlevy - is inching closer to a first elite national title; her silver medal this evening follows taking bronze in both 2023 and 2021.

“It feels really good, I’ve won a few now but every time it gets more and more tense, so it feels better every single time," said Murphy after her victory.

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"These races are tough for anyone so I do actually prefer it when it’s a tough day, it separates people out a bit. It was really really tough out on the road, I thought that roundabout was never going to come.”

And though the top five in the elite men's title race - over the 25.4km in the Lakeside Wheelers promotion - were covered by just 30 seconds, after the top two in the women's race the gaps were a little bigger.

Mia Griffin (Roland), another of the history-making Irish team pursuit riders from Paris, claimed the bronze, some 1:32 down. Lucy Bénézet Minns (Lotto Ladies), who won the junior title race last year, was 4th in her first elite championships, 1:42 down.

Caoimhe O'Brien (Cynisca Cycling) was 5th at 2:21, with Eileen Burns (Ballymena Road Club) 6th at 3:12, Emma Jeffers (Liv AlUla Jayco) in 7th at 4:02 and Aine Doherty (Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team) in 8th at 6:08.

Women 25.4km

  1. Kelly MURPHY Un-Attached Foreign 33:06.59 –  
  2. Linda KELLY Spin the Bean Power by Coffee +13.89  
  3. Mia GRIFFIN Roland +1:31.92  
  4. Lucy BENEZET MINNS Lotto Ladies +1:41.65  
  5. Caoimhe O BRIEN Cynisca Cycling +2:21.79  
  6. Eileen BURNS Ballymena Road Club +3:12.16  
  7. Emma JEFFERS Liv AlUla Jayco +4:02.27  
  8. Aine DOHERTY Dan Morrissey Pissei Cycling Team +6:08.33  
  9. Carmel MORAN IrishCycleSport-Kalas Cycling +8:17.56  

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