In what proved to be an exceptional weekend for Irish cyclists, Ronan Dunne claimed his first UCI Downhill World Cup victory in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. The Co. Wicklow rider continues to shine on the international stage, having won the infamous Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania at the beginning of the year.
The World Cup series opened in Fort William, Scotland at the beginning of May where Dunne finished 11th in the final.
Speaking to Cycling Ireland, Dunne reflected on what was an incredible week in Poland, saying it was a “Dream week in Poland for the second World Cup, I came in confident after finishing 11th in Fort William and wanted more.
“Practice went insane and to follow up with a third in qualifying and then fourth in semifinal was a dream. I knew I had to push myself for finals to come close to a podium and managed to win. This result is everything I could dream off and means so much to represent Ireland.”
Adding to the Irish success, Oisin O’Callaghan finished 10th in the same event. The third leg of the World Cup will be in Saalfelden Leogang, Austria from June 7th – 9th.
Dunne and O’Callaghan were not the only Irish cyclists who excelled on the international stage over the course of the weekend.
Gillespie Wins Antwerp Port Epic
Lara Gillespie continues from strength to strength, claiming victory in the Antwerp Port Epic after a nail biting sprint finish. This marks the third win of the season for Gillespie.
Gillespie added to her weekend success with a top ten finish in the GP Mazda Schelkens yesterday.
Bennett On Form in Dunkirk
Adding to the Irish success, Sam Bennett secured the first general classification victory of his career at the Four Day of Dunkirk, winning four out of the six stages.
Also topping the podium, this time in Italy at the ‘Strade Biache Juniors’, was Conor Murphy. The 17-year-old rider won the UCI ranked race in an impressive solo finish, making him one to watch for the future.
Benezet Minns Making Waves
Lucy Benezet Minns was also top 20 in Ronde Van Vlaanderen.
Speaking about the success of the weekend, Cycling Ireland High Performance Director Iain Dyer said, “It’s gratifying to see Irish riders have a successful weekend across Europe. Ronan’s win in the UCI MTB DH World Cup is great to see and Oisin making top 10 in the same event confirms Ireland’s strength in MTB DH.
“Lara from our track programme has shown her versatility across the disciplines by taking a win on the road and a top 10 the very next day. And whilst Sam is no stranger to success, it’s very positive to see our younger riders coming through in his wheel tracks and show their potential. Conor deserves a lot of credit for his win in Eroica Juniores in Italy, and we also saw strong performances from Seth in Morbihan Nations Cup and Lucy in Ronde van Vlaanderen.”
