Cycling Ireland names team ahead of Track European Championships
Nine athletes will head to Konya, Turkey for the upcoming Track European Championships. The championships take place from Sunday 1st of February until Thursday, 5th of February 2026.
Over the past number of years there has been a continued focus and development on the Track Cycling programme in Ireland. 2025 saw Lara Gillespie win Gold at the European and the World Track Championships in the Elimination race.
Sadly Gillespie will not be racing to retain her European Champion’s jersey next month as she has commitments with her road team.
The following athletes, listed alphabetically, are selected:
Women’s Endurance:
Lucy Benezet Minns
Erin Creighton
Emma Jeffers
Fiona Mangan
Aoife O’Brien
Caoimhe O’Brien
Esther Wong
Men’s Endurance
Matti Dobbins
Max Fitzgerald
Speaking about the team selection Cycling Ireland National Track Coach, Dan Henchy, said:
“We’re looking forward to build on a productive 2025 spent developing new riders and bringing them through our High Performance Pathway. The size of the squad and the selection of male riders is a testimony to that progress over the last year.
“It will be a shame not to see Lara compete in the rainbow jersey at this event in defending her European title, as along with another regular teammate, Mia Griffin. Both are on duty with their road teams so unable to make the trip to Konya.
“Nevertheless, it’s positive to be fielding a large team comprised mostly of younger riders looking to emulate their achievements in the future.”
Further details and live timing will be available close to the time.