Townsend takes another National Championship in Meath


Rory Townsend will once again wear the National Champion jersey. The 29 year old took the win in the Elite Men’s race, having previously been champion in 2022.

The rain that drenched the course for yesterday’s Women and Junior Men’s races abated but the air remained warm and heavy, making conditions tough for all riders.

Local rider Sean Nolan made an early attack on his home roads but was shut down. The race saw attack after attack for the rest of the race, until a breakaway group of 10 riders got away. The group increased to 20 riders, and saw repeated attacks from Conn McDunphy and both Adam and Darren Rafferty.

The leaders with one lap to go

The sharp climbs on every lap began taking victims, and the average pace of almost 50km/h was too much for many. By the time the last lap came a lead group of just four riders left the title to be decided by a sprint. Q36.5 rider Townsend got the jump on Jamie Meehan, and took the win ahead of Meehan in second and Patrick Casey in third.

Townsend said afterwards: “It sounds crazy but this just means so much, it’s the biggest thing for me, it means everything. A National Championship is something you always want to win as a kid, and it makes you feel like a kid when you come back here. It’s the only race I come to with my family where they’re my support crew, and they have to put up with me the morning of the race, so it’s a big relief to pull it off.”

Along with taking silver in the overall, Meehan also took the U23 title. The AVC Aix Provence Dole rider took to the top step of the podium, ahead of Casey in second and Bahrain Victorious rider Seth Dunwoody in third.

Under 23 Men Posium

Meehan said afterwards: “I knew if I could have went one more time, one more move, that that’d be the move, but I just didn’t have it. Disappointed to lose out to Townsend in the sprint but still delighted to take home the U23 title.”

FULL RESULTS (All finishers)

2025 Cycling Ireland Elite Men (inc. U23) Road Race National Championships
Organizer: Navan Road Club & Yellow Furze Road Club
Distance: 168.20 km Average speed: 46.11 km/h

The Senior Elite Men Podium

1. Rory TOWNSEND Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 3:38:50 3:38:50
2. Jamie MEEHAN U23 AVC Aix Provence Dole 3:38:51 +1
3. Patrick CASEY U23 Israel Premier Tech Academy 3:38:54 +3
4. Darren RAFFERTY EF Education Easypost 3:38:56 +6
5. Seth DUNWOODY U23 Bahrain Victorious Development Team 3:39:20 +29
6. Finn CROCKETT VolkerWessels Cycling Team 3:39:20 ''
7. Gareth O'NEILL Athlete Nutrition Coach HD 3:39:20 ''
8. Odhran DOOGAN U23 Team Caldwell Cycles 3:39:20 ''
9. Conn McDUNPHY Team Skyline 3:39:20 ''
10. Liam O'BRIEN U23 Lidl-Trek Future Racing 3:39:22 +32
11. Adam RAFFERTY U23 Hagens Berman Jayco 3:39:24 +33
12. Matti DOBBINS Mypad Racing 3:42:11 +3:20
13. Ryan MULLEN Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe 3:42:13 +3:22
14. Cian KEOGH Team Skyline 3:45:17 +6:27
15. Dean HARVEY U23 Martigues Sport Cyclisme 3:45:18 +6:28
16. Jack Bernard MURPHY Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial 3:45:18 ''
17. Ruairi BYRNE U23 UCD Cycling Club 3:45:24 +6:33
18. Ronan O'CONNOR U23 Team Skyline 3:45:24 ''
19. Patrick O'LOUGHLIN U23 Panduit Carrick Wheelers 3:45:24 ''
20. Killian O'BRIEN U23 Petrolike 3:45:24 ''
21. Stefan CAULFIELD-DREIER U23 Giant Store Assen cycling team NWVG 3:45:24 ''
22. Mark DOWLING All human/VeloRevolution Racing Team 3:45:24 ''
23. Sean NOLAN Navan Road Club 3:45:24 ''
24. Darnell MOORE Team Caldwell Cycles 3:45:24 ''
25. Luke SMITH Moynalty Cycling Club 3:45:24 ''
26. Daire FEELEY Burren Cycling Club 3:45:24 ''
27. Adam KELLY Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente 3:45:24 ''
28. Dillon CORKERY St Michel preference home Auber 93 3:45:24 ''
29. Christopher MARSHALL U23 Velo Performance Racing Team 3:45:24 ''
30. Finn McHENRY U23 Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT 3:45:24 ''
31. Willem O'CONNOR U23 Velo Performance Racing Team 3:45:29 +6:39
32. Curtis NEILL U23 Lyon Sprint Evolution 3:45:29 ''
33. Padraig MORAN Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar CC 3:45:34 +6:43
34. Lindsay WATSON Powerhouse Sport 3:45:34 ''
35. George PEDEN Team PB Performance 3:45:34 ''
36. Eoin KELLY U23 UCD Cycling Club 3:45:44 +6:54
37. Sean LUNDY U23 UCD Cycling Club 3:53:19 +14:29

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RACE