Irish Cycling Hub is proud to launch the Paudie Fitzgerald ‘Mol an Óige’ Award, an annual €300 prize that recognises and encourages outstanding young Irish cyclists still working along their developmental pathway.
Honouring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Building the Future
Named in memory of the late Paudie Fitzgerald, winner of the 1956 Rás Tailteann, the award reflects Irish Cycling Hub’s ongoing commitment to honouring the great riders of the past, celebrating the best of the current generation, and supporting the champions of tomorrow.
The award is primarily aimed at Irish UCI Under-23 riders. It is designed to shine a light on young up-and-coming talent in Ireland showing potential to progress further and acknowledge their exceptional performances throughout the year as recognised by their more senior peers.
Guiding Criteria for the Shortlist
The following points served as guidelines when compiling the initial shortlist for this inaugural year:
- Holding an Irish licence (or being eligible to represent Ireland)
- Being of UCI Under-23 age, racing age approx 19 (but younger possible) to 22 in the award year
- Not contracted to a UCI WorldTeam or UCI ProTeam for the current or following season
- Racing primarily for a continental, development, club or national team
- Racing predominantly in Ireland
- Demonstrating a high level of performance on the Irish domestic calendar (strong results in C1 races, National Championships, Rás Tailteann, Rás na mBan, or equivalent)
These were guidelines rather than rigid rules. While racing age 19 – 22 was the intended cut-off, younger cyclists may still have made the shortlist where they strongly satisfied the other criteria and demonstrated genuine excellence.
A degree of flexibility was retained so that outstanding talent could be recognised. For the inaugural 2026 edition the guidelines were applied broadly, resulting in a strong shortlist of 22 riders. This number itself underlines the wealth of young talent currently coming through Irish cycling, with even more following.
The shortlist is a snapshot and celebration of young talent in 2026. Irish Cycling Hub has had the pleasure of watching almost all of these young talents in action throughout the 2026 season, having attended the majority of races on the domestic calendar.
How the Winner Is Chosen
A panel of 12 Top C1 peers will score the shortlisted riders according to the following weighted considerations:
Highest weight – Race results
Strong finishes in domestic C1 races, National Championships, Rás Tailteann, Rás na mBan, Junior Tour and equivalent events.
Other considerations
- Consistency and progression across the season
- Attitude and application – work ethic and positive profile
- Raw potential – clear room to develop further
- Contribution to Irish cycling – racing for Irish clubs/teams and positive representation of the sport
Each C1 peer ranks their top five riders from the shortlist:
- 1st place = 10 points
- 2nd place = 7 points
- 3rd place = 5 points
- 4th place = 3 points
- 5th place = 1 point
Final Step
The collated anonymous panel ranking totals will be given to Dillon Corkery, Irish Professional Cyclist with Team Picnic PostNL, who selects the winner from the top three riders on points (or potentially more in case of ties).
This structure is intended to keep the selection process as peer-driven as possible from top Irish home-based riders through to the professional ranks.
Presentation
The single €300 prize will be presented annually, beginning in 2026. The award aims to encourage a clearer pathway toward the professional ranks while raising the profile of the very best young riders still competing at home, and also acknowledging the huge role and contribution that senior Irish cyclists (represented by the Top C1s) make to the sport.
Irish Cycling Hub looks forward to celebrating the first recipient of the Paudie Fitzgerald ‘Mol an Óige’ Award and to continuing this recognition for many years to come.
