O’Brien sisters to race Elite World Championships

Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar notes

Cycling siblings, Caoimhe and Aoife O’Brien, have been named on the Irish teams for the 2024 World Cycling Championships, which are taking place in Zurich, Switzerland this week.

It is an honour for both girls and a matter of huge pride for everyone at Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar where the girls started their cycling careers.

When Cycling Ireland confirmed the details for the Irish teams in recent weeks, Caoimhe was named for the ladies team alongside 2024 national champion, Fiona Mangan, and World Tour rider, Megan Armitage.

Aoife was listed as a reserve rider and first in line to be called up in the event of any withdrawals – and this week she was called up to replace Megan Armitage, who had to step down for personal reasons.

Caoimhe and Aoife are now riding with semi-professional teams in England and Belgium respectively and while both have been selected for national duty at various stages of their cycling careers, the upcoming worlds is the pinnacle.

It is a long way from the Lakeside Wheelers Sprocket Rocket sessions in Mullingar, where they started cycling. It is almost surreal to think that these two great ambassadors for cycling and Mullingar were part of our club and participated in all our big events from the aforementioned Sprocket Rocket to the Turkey Trot, the Midland League, Tour of the Lakes and the Mullingar GP – which Aoife won for the second time this year.

Anyone who knows anything about high performance cycling, or any sport at that level, knows that these accolades do not come without sacrifice and the girls have certainly put the hard miles in. Both will agree that they would not have made it to this level without the help and support of their family. Their parents Jacinta and Damien, as well as their siblings Shauna and Rory, have all rowed in at different stages to help out with driving them to races, handing out bottles on the roadside and simply being there to listen when the results or training days didn’t go to plan.

So, there is no doubt that they have earned and deserve their selection for Zurich 2024.

From everyone at Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar, give it a lash in Zurich girls, and try to enjoy every second of it because special moments like this do not come around very often. GO, GO, GO Team Ireland.

Following some research, it is clear that the appearance of siblings in the World Cycling Championships and other races is not unique but, could the O’Brien sisters be making a little bit of history in Switzerland?

There is evidence of sisters having represented Britain in the World Track Championships in 2023 and Canadian sisters who represented their country at the World Cyclocross Championships in the same year but so far, this writer cannot find any report of sisters participating in the World Road Race Championships. So, until you hear more, we can take it that Caoimhe and Aoife O’Brien, Mullingar’s cycling sensations, are indeed, history makers.

Gravel in Girona

The club had two members participating in the Sea Otter Gravel event in Girona last weekend. Richie Lenihan and Seamus Moran travelled to Spain for that, and took part in their respective age group races along with Seamus’s son Michael. Reports from Richie are that it was a tough race with lots of ascending and some sketchy descents, which resulted in several crashes during the day. The lads enjoyed the experience and got through it ok.

Triathlon Club table quiz

Midland Triathlon club are holding a table quiz for the Stephen Corroon fundraiser next Thursday September 26 in Annebrook House Hotel at 8.30pm. Tables of four are €40 and there will be lots of spot prizes on the night.