Lucy Bénézet Minns (18), the Irish rider who claimed a junior European title on the track this year, is continuing her ascent in international cycling after secures her first contract for pro road racing.
The teenager, who made her elite Ireland debut at the UCI World Track Cycling Championships in Denmark last week, will rider for Lotto Dstny in 2025.
She plans to put her university studies on hold for at least a year to give her full focus to racing - track and road - in 2025.
Bénézet Minns has secured a place on the Continental team, which will ride a full schedule of UCI-ranked events across Europe next season, after enjoying two very strong years at junior level.
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She won the junior women's road race and TT at the National Road Championships both this year and last season and has also ridden very impressively in major international races.
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Last month she was on the Irish team for the UCI World Road Championships in Zürich, placing 13th in the TT - on a flat course not ideal for her - and was 10th in a very hard world title road race.
She also finished 7th overall in the Watersley Ladies Challenge, Nations Cup stage race, this year and was 2nd in the opening stage TT.
Last year she first confirmed her abilities on the international stage with 4th in the junior TT at the Worlds in Scotland and was 10th in the junior TT at the Europeans in the Netherlands.
More to come.
