Ireland will travel to Kigali, Rwanda, next month with one of its strongest ever squads for the UCI Road World Championships, with six elite riders set to contest the event.
The championships, which run across September, will be the first time the Worlds have been staged on the African continent.
The Irish line-up features a mix of Grand Tour stage winners, national champions, and emerging stars.
The Team
Rory Townsend – The reigning National Champion returns to the green jersey with momentum after delivering Q36.5’s first ever World Tour victory at the ADAC Cyclassics in Germany.
Ben Healy – Fresh from a breakthrough summer that included a stage win at the Tour de France and two days in yellow, Healy also stood on the podium at Liège–Bastogne–Liège earlier in the year. He has already shown his quality in the Irish jersey with top-10 finishes at the 2024 World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Ryan Mullen – Ireland’s Time Trial champion and a stalwart of the international scene, Mullen will once again double up in both the road race and the TT. At the Paris Olympics he was central to Healy’s strong finish, showing his tactical and physical value to the team.
Darren Rafferty – Last year’s U23 standout now steps fully into the Elite ranks. The 2024 National Champion has already impressed at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, and will join Mullen in the Time Trial before targeting the road race.
Eddie Dunbar – The Corkman brings proven Grand Tour pedigree, with two stage wins at last year’s Vuelta. Injury cut short his Tour de France earlier this summer, but he returns to Worlds with fresh motivation and leadership potential.
Archie Ryan – Currently making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta, Ryan is seen as one of Ireland’s brightest future prospects. A top-20 finish at last year’s Worlds showed he is already capable of mixing it at this level.
Mullen and Rafferty will line up for the Individual Time Trial on Sunday, September 21st, before the full squad of six tackles the 267.5km road race on Sunday, September 28th.
Head Coach Neill Delahaye believes Ireland has every reason to travel with ambition:
“This year’s Worlds in Rwanda are set to be a truly epic Championships. It is the first time the UCI Road Worlds are being held on the African continent, and we are expecting huge levels of support and global attention.”
“The course is super hard at 267.5km with 5,475m of climbing, and the environmental conditions may prove challenging, but we have a very strong team of experienced professionals who can deliver a big performance.”
“The guys are all different riders with complementary skillsets we believe will combine effectively. Using our full allocation of six gives us every chance of supporting the ambition of seeing an Irish rider on the podium. We have full belief in our riders and what they are capable of doing.”
In the past 18 months alone, Irish riders have delivered stage wins at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, podiums at the sport’s major events, and multiple Grand Tour appearances.
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