Conn McDunphy, APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery, finally claimed the Rás Tailteann title in 2026 after years of near-misses, crashes and relentless commitment, crowning a season of domestic excellence and hard-earned international experience.
Conn McDunphy has always been the type of rider who shows up. Not just on the start line, but in the hardest moments when legs are gone, roads are rough and the race is on the line.
In 2026 that consistent presence finally delivered the ultimate domestic prize: overall victory in the Rás Tailteann.
Racing in the colours of APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery, the 29-year-old from Kilcock produced a campaign that combined classic Irish one-day victories, a historic stage-race triumph and valuable days in the break on the international calendar.
His results on the domestic scene delivered strong points and 11th place on the final rankings, but the numbers only tell part of the story. This was a season defined by tenacity, tactical intelligence and the ability to leave everything on the road.
Key Domestic Results
McDunphy’s Irish form was exceptional from the opening races:
- 1st – Rás Tailteann Winner
- 3rd – Rás Tailteann Stage 2
- 3rd – Rás Tailteann Stage 3
- 6th – Rás Tailteann Stage 4
- 4th – Irish National Elite Men’s ITT
- 4th – Irish National Elite Men’s Road Race
- 1st – Shay Elliott Memorial
- 1st – Des Hanlon Memorial
- 2nd – Ballivor GP
- 2nd – Bray Wheelers Kermesse / Cycleways Kermesse
- 8th – McGinty Autumn Classic
These performances underpinned a points total that placed him firmly inside the Top 20 and highlighted a rider operating at the sharp end of every major domestic target he set himself.
Race smart, race fun, race safe. That there is everything.
I mean if you’re not having fun, there’s no point doing it.
– Conn McDunphy, APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery
The Rás Tailteann – The Ultimate Reward
Near-Misses and Hard Lessons (2023–2025)
The heart of the season was the Rás Tailteann. For McDunphy it was the race that had delivered both the highest highs and the lowest lows in recent years.
Irish Cycling Hub still remembers the crestfallen figure after Stage 3 into Castlebar in 2023 with bloodied face, arms and legs, still in contention, only just, but clearly hurting.
In 2024 he took Stage 2 from Kanturk to Sneem and finished agonisingly second overall, missing the win by the tightest of margins. In 2025 a nasty crash on Stage 1 into Boyle ended any realistic chance of victory almost before it began.
2026 was different. The team arrived prepared after a focused training camp. McDunphy spoke beforehand of the strength in the squad, the presence of climber Adam Lewis, and the simple aim of having fun and staying safe while knowing the roads would be hard and the wind a major factor.
Stage 2 & Stage 3: Building the Platform
On Stage 2 he was active and alert, attacking over the Nad with Willem O’Connor, O’Leary Stone Kanturk Cycling Club. A select group went clear. In the finale he timed his effort perfectly on a kicker with around 7 kms remaining, helping create the move that put Lewis into yellow while himself finishing third. The legs were fading, but the team was perfectly placed.
Stage 3 brought a change of jersey and the green points leader’s jersey for the 29-year-old (borrowed while Tim Shoreman, Wheelbase CABTECH Castelli, wore Yellow). McDunphy remained positive: the boys had been phenomenal, the race was still wide open, and the notoriously chaotic final days still lay ahead through Wicklow and on to Dunboyne.
Stage 4: Seizing Yellow in Wicklow
Then came Stage 4 to Baltinglass. A gut-wrenching effort through the Wicklow Mountains saw McDunphy seize the yellow jersey. He finished sixth on the stage after a huge ride, putting himself into the race lead with one day remaining.
The emotion was clear with a latent well-merited satisfaction as his parents, family and friends shared this proud moment with him. He had started cycling in Dunboyne with Inspiration Cycling Club more than a decade earlier. Winning the Rás there would mean so much.
Stage 5: Victory in Dunboyne
On the final stage into Dunboyne the APS team ‘rode like ten men‘. With help from friends in the peloton they controlled the race. Liam Flanagan took the stage win in the bunch sprint.
McDunphy crossed the line safely in the front group to claim overall victory becoming the first Irish winner since Dillon Corkery in 2023 and the culmination of years of persistence.
Homecoming in Kilcock
At the homecoming in Kilcock that evening the emotion was still raw. He reflected on starting as a young rider with Inspiration Cycling Club after his father met Tosh Lavery, progressing through Lucan CRC, and the long road of Rás campaigns that began with a complete baptism of fire as an 18-year-old.
This year the level was right, the team fully committed, and the result finally arrived. Watching young Matthew Walls ride the final 100 kms on the front after being coached by McDunphy since the age of 15 made the day even more special for him.
His message to the young riders watching was simple and characteristic: keep turning up, keep enjoying it, race smart, race fun, race safe. If you’re not having fun there’s no point.
Everything was left on the roads of Ireland that week. It was the ultimate reward for his gritty, intelligent and calculated riding style.
The Domestic Triple and National Championships
Before the Rás, McDunphy had already written his name into the history books with a rare double. Victory at the Des Hanlon Memorial in classic Irish weather with the wind playing a huge role in the race and in particular on the final lap, was followed by success at the Shay Elliott Memorial.
At the Elliott he and teammates Matthew Walls and Ronan O’Connor controlled the front group from a long way out. On the finishing climb with a lap to go McDunphy hit hard, held a 20-second gap, and rode clear for the win.
Winning both the Des Hanlon and Shay Elliott Memorials in the same year is a feat few have managed.
At the Irish National Championships he produced two outstanding rides for fourth in both the Elite Men’s Individual Time Trial and the Elite Men’s Road Race.
Coming up just short against high-calibre opposition only underlined that he belongs at the very front of Irish racing. The performances were excellent rather than unlucky. Further evidence of a rider in peak form.
Later in the season a second place at the Cycleways Kermesse (Bray Wheelers) alongside teammate Matthew Walls added another strong result on a circuit he had not raced since the 2021 nationals.
The day also brought a light-hearted deal involving a GERARD frame, typical of a rider who still finds enjoyment in the sport.
International Experience
Tour of the Gila & Early International Form
Beyond the Irish calendar McDunphy continued to gain valuable racing kilometres abroad. At the Tour of the Gila he finished second on Stage 3 at Fort Bayard and took fourth in the points classification. A very good week.
Tour of Britain, Volta a Portugal & Sibiu
In the Tour of Britain he featured in a gutsy break on Stage 3 from Hull to Beverley that was only reeled in with approximately 10 km remaining.
At the Volta a Portugal he spent 61 km up the road on Stage 9 to Mondim de Basto (Senhora da Graça). At the Sibiu Cycling Tour a long 119 km break on Stage 2 to Păltiniș Arena again showed his willingness to go on the offensive far from the finish.
These days out, combined with starts at the Tour of Antalya, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and other races, added experience and racing sharpness that fed directly into the domestic peaks.
Closing the Season: Grand Prix Cerami
Late in the season McDunphy contested the Grand Prix Cerami (1.2) in Belgium, a hard, selective race featuring cobbles and short climbs. He stayed active and dangerous to the finish, placing 15th just five seconds behind winner Cériel Desal. Solid performance to end his Road Racing season on a high note.
Looking Ahead to 2027
Watching Conn McDunphy over several seasons leaves a clear impression: he is a rider who enjoys his cycling and is exceptionally well placed for an even stronger 2027.
He brings a wealth of domestic and international experience, an innate toughness often associated with hardened Tour de France riders of previous generations, a superb understanding of bike racing and tactics, and most importantly the mentality of a winner and a champion.
At 29 it feels almost ironic, yet entirely fitting, that he appears to be only getting started in reaching his fullest potential. The Rás Tailteann title sits alongside the Des Hanlon – Shay Elliott double as the centrepiece of a memorable 2026.
The consistency, the calculated attacks, the ability to suffer and still deliver, and the way he always shows up mark him out as both an outstanding rider and an excellent example for the next generation.
Looking forward to seeing him in action in 2027.
This is the next article in the series highlighting the riders who finished inside the 2026 C1 Top 20. The previous article highlighted 12th place Eoin Clifford‘s 2026 season.
