Seth Dunwoody was crowned Elite National Road Race champion for 2026 after a powerful sprint finish at the Cycling Ireland Road National Championships in Cong, Co. Mayo.
The Bahrain Victorious rider took victory at the end of a demanding 171km race, outsprinting defending champion Rory Townsend of UNIBET Rose Rockets and Finn Crockett of Volkerwessels Cycling Team, who finished second and third respectively.
High winds and a series of tough climbs shaped the race from the early stages, splitting the peloton and reducing the front group as the kilometres ticked down. An initial selection of around 20 riders was gradually whittled down, before four riders stayed clear into the closing stages.
Townsend launched first with around 200 metres to go, but Dunwoody found the power to come around him and take the national jersey. Conn McDunphy narrowly missed out on the podium after spending much of the day in the decisive front move.
“It feels incredible,” said Dunwoody afterwards. “I’ve had a lot of close runs with big races this year, which has been tough, but to open the account at nationals is incredible. Today was super tactical but I kind of like that. It always makes it a good race, and as for the tough conditions, I kind of thrive in that honestly.”
Dunwoody also reflected on the emotion behind the win, dedicating it to those closest to him and to the wider Irish cycling community following the death of Shane O’Brien during the Giro d’Italia.
“I wasn’t expecting Rory to go so early and I had to dig really deep, but giving up wasn’t an option,” he said. “I lost my granny over Christmas, which was tough. I wanted to win a big race for her. And then with Shane O’Brien’s passing during the Giro, that was tough for all of Irish cycling. I’m not just doing it for myself.”
There was another major title for Lara Gillespie in the Elite Women’s Road Race, as she claimed her second national championship win in three days following her time trial success earlier in the week.
Conditions were vastly different from Thursday’s TT, with wind and rain adding to the challenge. Gillespie came out on top in a tough uphill sprint ahead of Liv AlUla Jayco rider Emma Jeffers, with Picnic PostNL rider and 2025 champion Mia Griffin completing the podium. Jeffers’ second-place finish also saw her retain the U23 National Title.
“The finish was always going to be hotly contested,” said Gillespie. “Marine Lenihan attacked initially and we caught her, and then we were all sort of looking at each other and ended up almost in a standing start before we got going for the line. I know how strong Mia is from racing and training with her on the track, and I’ve seen how strong Emma is sprinting on the road, so I just had to hope for the best.”
Gillespie added that wearing the national champion’s jersey in the peloton over the coming year would be a special honour.
Emer Heverin continued her remarkable run of success by adding another national title in the Junior Women’s Road Race, extending a tally that already stands at more than 30 across different cycling disciplines.
The CAMS Majaco rider went clear solo for the final 40km and crossed the line three minutes and 51 seconds ahead of Ffion Dolan, with Aoife O’Donovan in third.
“I made a couple of small attacks to see where everyone was and how they were feeling,” said Heverin. “Then halfway around the first lap I pushed on up the hill and eventually got away on my own.”
Wearing a black armband, Heverin dedicated the win to her teammate Shane O’Brien, saying: “He was a great friend to us all. He’ll be missed.”
In the Junior Men’s Road Race, 16-year-old Freddie Winkley claimed his first national title after a stop-start 111km contest that came down to an uphill sprint.
The race began with Curtis McKee of Spellman Dublin Port attacking from kilometre zero, though he was brought back soon afterwards. A series of moves followed before a three-rider break contested the finish, with Winkley taking gold ahead of James Armstrong and Hugh Óg Mulhearne.
“It was a bit stop-start for a while,” said Winkley. “One got away, pulled back; four got away, pulled back. It went on like that for most of the race. It came to a sprint and I was thinking, ‘I’m in bother here,’ to be honest. I’ve not been sprinting well lately, but when one of them launched, I just went for it, and it worked out.”
Across the weekend, the National Road Championships delivered drama, difficult conditions and a mix of established and emerging winners, with Dunwoody, Gillespie, Heverin and Winkley all leaving Mayo with national titles and powerful stories behind their victories.
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Image Credit: Toby Watson, Cycling Ireland
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