Bike Fest and Criterium National Championships Preview
The 2026 Criterium National Championships and Cycle Fest, a family friendly cycling festival, will take place at Grand Canal Square on Sunday, 17th of May. This unique event will combine elite level racing with some of Ireland’s leading national and international cyclists battling it out around the 1km circuit, with family friendly and participation events.
Family Friendly Events
Cycle Fest will include lots of family friendly events, from a Family and Inclusion Cycle around the circuit to the Event Village, there is something for everyone.
There will be a Balance Bike race at 11am, and don’t worry if you don’t have a balance bike with you on the day, there will be some available to use if you want to get involved. The Family and Inclusion Cycle will be at 11:30am. An exciting addition to the timetable is the Brompton Race at 2:20pm.
Registration for the Participation Events is open online and will remain open until the start of each event.
Check out our events village where you’ll find Cycle Ways, Scott Bikes, Tenways Bikes, Explicit Bikes, Specialized Ireland, Decathlon, Bike Fitting Ireland and 360 Cycles. You can also chat to the team at Cycling Ireland and see what membership option might be right for you.
Check out our events village where you’ll find Over at the Events Village there will be interactive demonstrations and displays throughout the day, these will include a Flatland BMX display and a display from Lucan BMX.
Racing Preview
Racing gets underway at 10.15am with the Masters Support Race, the first in a line of Masters specific events taking place over the coming months. Other support races throughout the day will include youth races for Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 riders.
The Women’s Criterium National Championship race takes place at 1pm. Riders will have to battle cobbles on the mostly flat 981m course, with the race taking a one-hour-plus-five-laps format.
Reigning Track World Champion Lara Gillespie is set to make an appearance, with a Criterium National Championship one of the few the UAE ADQ rider has yet to add to her palmares. Gillespie will face stiff competition however, with last year’s winner Aine Doherty set to try and defend her title.
Abi Conway has had a monumental rise over the last 18 months, making her national team debut and moving to UK based Paralloy RT, and the former Westport rider will be sure to stake a claim. Olympic medallist Annalise Murphy has garnered some great domestic success since turning from sailing to cycling, including a Road National Series overall win in 2024, and will look to have an impact in both the Women’s National Championship race but also the Brompton Support Race on Sunday.
This year’s race also features several junior riders. Cycling Ireland Performance Pathway Programme (PPP) rider Emer Heverin, with the first-year junior notably taking a fourth place at Liege Bastogne Liege last weekend. The Cams Majaco rider will be joined by fellow junior Ffion Dolan, this year riding for WV Breda, Longcourt Hotel – NCW Wheelers’ Holly McCaffrey and Bohermeen’s Aoibhe Reilly.
The Men’s National Championship race gets underway at 4.20pm and will again take on a one-hour-plus-five-laps format. There will be no shortage of talent in the men’s race either, with a quartet from UCI Conti Team APS Pro-Cycling of Cian Keogh, Ronan O’Connor, 2025 Junior Tour winner Matthew Walls and former National TT Champion Conn McDunphy returning to domestic racing. Banbridge rider John Buller, a two-time criterium national champion, will look to bag himself a third title.
While last year’s winner Dean Harvey is a notable absentee from this year’s field, a large crop of talented juniors will take to the start line. PPP athlete James Logue recently made his road national team debut at Course de la Paix, as did George Sevastopulo and 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival athlete Caleb McGreevy, with all three on the start list for Sunday. A second 2025 EYOF athlete in Rian McCrystal, now riding with Cannibal B Victorious, is also set to take to the Dublin streets.
Similarly, five teams are eligible for the coveted Open team classification. The current Open National Road Race Team Champions UCD Cycling Club arrive as strong contenders, while the youthful Velo Performance Cycling Team squad come into the race fresh from stage success at Rás Mumhan. Local favourites Orwell Wheelers Cycling Club will also look to make their mark on home roads.
The team competition adds a significant tactical element to the race. On the short, high speed circuit, riders who lose significant ground may be withdrawn by commissaires before the final 10 minutes or laps, making them ineligible to count towards the team standings. Teams must therefore balance aggression with ensuring three riders remain in contention deep into the race.
Open National Championships Start List
Women's National Championship Start List
Timetable
10.20am Masters Race
11.15am Balance Bike Race
11.30am Lucan BMX Display
11.30 Family and Inclusive Cycle
12pm U12 Boys and Girls Race
12:25 pmU14 and U16 Girls Race
1pm Lucan BMX Display
1pm Women's Race
2pm Flatland BMX Display
2.20pm Brompton Race
3pm U14 Boys Race
3.30pm U16 Boys Race
4.20pm Open Race
Course
