A busy few days lie ahead for APS Pro Cycling by Cadence Cyclery and its strong Irish contingent as the final third of the 2026 season intensifies on both sides of the Atlantic and in Britain.
Philadelphia Cycling Classic
Matthew Walls, APS Pro Cycling by Cadence Cyclery, lines out tomorrow (Sunday 30th August) at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.
He will be joined by Killian O’Brien, Team Skyline, who seems to have been recently added to the startlist. No stranger to racing on the other side of the pond with his standout podium performance on Stage 2 of the recent Tour de Beauce, which he finished 2nd in the Youth Classification.
The young Irish talent arrives in strong form after recent success back home with a 4-race winning streak: Maxi Maguire Cup, Collins Cristle Memorial Race, Round 6 Mondello Series, and the Bobby Crilly Classic.
The UCI 1.1 race returns after a long absence and features the legendary Manayunk Wall, giving Walls a high-profile one-day opportunity on American roads alongside his APS teammates.
Tour of Britain Selection for McDunphy, O’Connor and Keogh
2026 Rás Tailteann Winner, Conn McDunphy, Ronan O’Connor and Cian Keogh have all been selected for the Tour of Britain, which runs from Wednesday 02nd to Sunday 06th September.
The five-stage race starts in Lincoln and finishes in Earlston in the Scottish Borders, covering more than 870kms through Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and into Scotland.
It represents a significant outing for the APS Pro Cycling by Cadence Cyclery trio against a strong international field that includes multiple World Tour squads.
Multiple Irish national champion, Ryan Mullen, NSN Cycling Team, will also take to the start line in Lincoln on Wednesday 02nd September, with 2020 Tour de France Green Jersey Sam Bennett, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, will fancy his chances in the hunt for stage wins.
Vuelta a España Spotlight
Eddie Dunbar, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, and Darren Rafferty, EF Education-EasyPost, are both heading into week two of the Vuelta a España, which was blown wide open today with the unfortunate abandon of race leader Tadej Pogačar.
Dunbar, the two-time Vuelta stage winner, has been competitive in the mountains with his 8th place on Stage 7, and is aiming to contribute as the race heads deeper into Spain.
Rafferty continues to gain valuable Grand Tour experience supporting the team’s GC ambitions. Can we look forward to some sparks in this week’s breakaways from the Irish pair?
Northern Europe
Sam Bennett, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, and Dillon Corkery, Team Picnic PostNL, recently contested the Renewi Tour in Belgium, with the former back in the UCI points chalking up 3 top-ten finishes.
Corkery on the other hand was at the service of his teammates and was unfortunate to got caught in a spectacular crash in Stage 2 that took out a large portion of the peloton.
He was back up and at it though setting up his teammate for a fine mountain-top 4th place finish on Stage 4.
The Cork rider’s next scheduled outing is the 5-day ZLM Tour beginning with a 21km-ITT on Wednesday 2nd September, although how he recovers from his recent crash will determine if he takes the start. The 2023 Rás Tailteann winner has settled well into World Tour life after securing his multi-year deal with the Dutch squad.
Tour de l’Avenir
Mixed fortunes for David Gaffney, Adam Rafferty, Liam O’Brien and Seth Dunwoody in the Tour de l’Avenir. The latter two crashing out while the other pair completed the race with the young Gaffney more than accounting for himself on some of the race’s more challenging slopes.
Excellent news however for the other pair who recently secured professional contracts from 2027: O’Brien joining Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, on a three-year deal alongside Dunbar and Bennett, while Dunwoody steps up to the full Bahrain Victorious World Tour Team on a three-year contract.
Plenty to look forward to for Irish Cycling fans as the season builds towards the World Championships later in September.
